Getting back to form!

We had an opportunity to do some testing/practice sessions at Motorsport Ranch this past weekend.  First the bad news, the Blue SV’s motor decided to lock up during the 3rd session on Sunday so that bike is done for the year and we’ll be getting it ready for next season.  On the good news side, we were getting back to summer form and the laptimes and confidence levels are starting to look good again.  We are looking forward to what is likely the final test/practice for 2009 this coming weekend.

The Blue SV will be getting some repairs done to the motor this winter.  It was also due for a paint job as we were test fitting it with the full fairings for next season.  We have a great shot from the earlier sessions…

We were getting some coaching from Ty Howard (www.ridesmart.info) and some key points to work on for this weekend’s test:

1.  Focus on staying low and leading with the head on right turns

2.  Practice line into Rattlesnake: Stay on the left side of the track and practice making a straightline for turn in on first seam and finish the right turn before quickly flipping to sharp left.

3. Practice looking ahead (turn head then follow with the bike and roll on the throttle as quickly as possible

4.  Focus on carrying speed in to Wagonwheel, Ricochet, and Boot Hill/Tombstone, and Big Bend.  Use no brakes drill and experiment with rear brake to tighten turn.

We will be testing with the new R6 as the primary bike for the weekend.

 

Catching up on the last few weeks:

We’ve been to a number of practice/testing days over the last week and have been remiss on updates. 

Oak Hill (9/25): We had our first trip to Oak Hill Raceway in Henderson, TX for the LSTD event.  This track is very different than any of the other tracks that we’ve had experience in the area.  First of all – it’s very narrow, at least 33% narrower as most of the track is 20′ wide.  There is no curbing on the turns so care needs to be taken when dropping  a knee to not get it caught in the grass/dirt.  It also has a lot of low speed tight turns that require confidence to lean the bike quickly to desired lean angle for the turn.  Carlo was not 100% recovered with his left foot and coupled with his laptime of 1:52 at the end of Friday, he decided not to race.  He will need to run closer to 1:42 prior to signing up for a race at this track.  We are planning to return there in November and run a whole weekend.  We think 1:42 is achievable after at least 1 more trackday there with a stretch goal of going under 1:40 if we have 2 days.

We also spent a couple of days at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson.  One of the major decisions is that Carlo underestimated the effort required to adapt to new boots.  After spending over 5 track days to get acclimatized to his Sidi Vortice boots, he decided to go back to Dainese (his original boots were Dainese Torque Outs) and acquired a pair of Dainese Axial Race boots (which uses the same design as Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo’s boots).  The Sidis were bulkier and stiffer than he was used to and he did not want to spend any more energy getting used to it.  The Sidis are great boots but it’ll be better to get focused on improving  on riding vs. adapting to new boots.

Another big change is that M2TX has a new racebike – a 2007 Yamaha R6!  We will be planning to race this in 2010 but it will be an excellent platform to learn suspension changes (it has  a fully adjustable suspension) and also to get used to a bike with more power and faster speeds – which should help in ‘slowing’ down the corner entry pace on the SV.  Besides, it provides a fresh challenge and given our relative inexperience to motorcycles in general, additional exposure to a different type of bike will be helpful.  The biggest challenge is the very aggressive body position on the R6, coupled with the need to keep it between 10k to 16k rpm versus 7k-10k rpm for the SVs and the Ducati.  We’ve spent some time moving the clip-ons (moved it up and out to give a little bit more space) and we may be looking to get new pegs as the existing ones are a bit high for our preference and to fit the rider better to the bike.

On a positive note, Carlo is foot is at 95% and he is focusing over the next week to get back into training.  We are planning some significant testing time, and hope to get at least 3 full days between Thu, 10/22 and Sun, 10/25.  We hope for good weather as we get back on track.

ECR Testing – mixed conditions

We were at ECR yesterday for testing/practice.  Carlo’s foot has been swollen over the past 2 weeks – initially thought to be a recurrence of a stress fracture (from running of all things) but x-rays are negative this time.  He was not fully comfortable on the bike all day and given slippery conditions in some key corners of the track leading to the front straights, lap times were about 8 seconds off our best pace (best time was 2:15, ran in the final session of the day).  We took the red SV out just to get some track time and will save the debut of the blue SV on slicks and new bodywork  for another day.

Provisional No More!

Last weekend marked a milestone in that Carlo completed all the requirements to remove the “Provisional” designation of his Novice Race Licence with the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association (CMRA).  He started the process in late March and it has been just a little over a year since he purchased his Ducati 748 to being ‘ready to race’.  The weekend began with an open practice day with Lone Star Track Days where he was running consistent 1:31 by the end of the day, just a second off his best time that he did last time he ran the counter-clockwise 1.7 course in May.  He was especially conservative this weekend since the new bodywork on the blue bike was not completed and he really only had the red bike available for him for the weekend.

On Sunday, the pressure was on to just complete the races without incident so he ended up skipping the first of 3 practice sessions and just focused on doing the 2 practice sessions.  His first race was Race #9 right after the lunch break, which was the Superbike D race where he finished 11th.  He then ran the Superstock D race where he finished 7th.  He ran very conservative times, running 1:34 as his fastest lap during the races…4 sec/lap slower than his best times.

Some lessons to work on before the next race at the end of September at a track where we have no experience:

1.  We need to simulate a race day mentality during our test sessions at the track.  Race days typically have 3 practice sessions, where the first one is used for sighting and getting up to speed.  The next 2 sessions are done at race pace, followed by at least 4-5 sprint races.  We have the amp up the level of intensity of the testing sessions so that it doesn’t take 4-5 laps before we are comfortable at pace.  We will do a sighting lap, pit in, then simulate a 15-20 minute race pace at every session.

2.  We need to get some practice with race starts.  We will be using the end of pit out during every session to get 2-3 practice starts as we need to learn the best way to launch the bike at the starts.

 In addition, we will need to learn a new track at Oak Hill so we will see how fast we can get up to speed.  The goal is to run 1:41 or faster by the end of the first day so we can keep up with sight of the main pack.

Some pictures during the day (by Jake McKee – www.jakemckee.com):

Our garage at MSR-Cresson set up with our red tent:

The blue bike wasn’t quite race ready for this weekend due to the new body work – need to install new frame sliders and cut the bodywork before getting it painted. Factory brackets and new engine bolt ordered so it should be ready for Oak Hill.

Coming down the front straight

MSR-Cresson w/ RideSmart

We had an opportunity to attend an Open Practice Session as part of the RideSmart trackday on Saturday, 8/29 at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, TX.  While it’s good to have an empty track to work on fast laps, etc., the open practice sessions allow experience in passing and being passed (given that expert riders and faster bike classes are also in the same groups).   Thanks to Scott Buckley for allowing Carlo to follow him during one of the sessions. It helped identify the weakest area (Rattlesnake/Wagonwheel).

We have also switched footwear from Dainese Torque Outs to one of the newest, and most advanced boots in the market – the Sidi Vortice.  This is as close to a custom-boot that anyone can get, but it does have a bit more bulk and the sole is more rigid so it took all day to even start getting used to it.  It was comfortable from the beginning (and takes about 5 minutes to put on due to the adjustments) but it’s just different.  We got a kick out of seeing it worn by several riders in MotoGP, especially the 250cc class.

Our best recorded time was 1:32 which is 2 seconds slower than our best time there.  We did have a very good last session of the day, but the timer battery died, but Carlo thinks that the time is closer to 1:30 so I guess we’ll see how it goes this coming weekend.

From the track pictures, we will be working on some small body position changes – turning the head more aggressively to look through the turn, and relaxing the inside arm so that the elbow isn’t pulled in too much.  We’ll also be working on quicker turn-in and being comfortable with more lean angles at some key portions of the track.

We also struggled a little bit on gearing and shift patterns but we think the 15/46 gearing should work fine, with the only hitch being a short-shift after Horseshoe but before committing to Boot Hill in the back section.

 

 

 

 

ECR Practice Day – Sun 8/23 and some new items

We were at ECR to get some more testing and practice in, but had some preparation delays, which affected the day. First of all, we spent all of Saturday evening working on the blue bike, but ended up deciding to keep it parked at the last  moment since we needed an expert opinion on the chain.  The late night scramble got us pretty tired for the practice, since we were at ECR at 7am.  We also learned that the first session at 7:30am is too slick as the sun had barely risen and the track temperature (and morning dew) was still a factor.  For the rest of the year, we will not go on track until at least 8:30am, possibly even waiting until 9am.  In addition, we will attempt to get fully prepared 24 hrs before the trackday so we can get some rest and have a good level of energy for riding the bike. Lessons learned there!

On Monday, we focused on the blue bike and it will be prepared with the new full fairings. We will also make sure to gear it for 15/45 next time at ECR as we suspect that we will see some lap time improvements with this change.  We are looking to getting it painted so it will look the part as it will be our main race bike for next season.  We also fitted it with Bridgestone Slicks (medium compound) and look forward to testing it with that setup.  We also decided to standardize our brakepads to the Vesrah RJL compound to keep the two bikes more uniform.

Finally, we also picked up a new pair of boots – the new Sidi Vortice,  and we’ll  provide some of our impressions on our next update from our practice day at Cresson on 8/29.

ECR Practice and new personal best

Last Sunday’s test at Eagles Canyon Raceway went very well, in spite of needing to accommodate a slightly sore left foot (see last post regarding stress fracture). As we were not able to find a new boot, we thought we would try a sport insole with a gel layer on the ball of the foot to help absorb the vibrations from the footpeg. It worked very well and the extra thickness allowed the slightly large boot to fit even better.

Our lead technician, Jonathan, also came with us to ride on the track for the first time in over a year. A former racer, he adapted quickly (it was also his first time at Eagles Canyon), and had decent speed at the end of the day.

A good lap time at Eagles Canyon relies on ability to sustain the fast straightaway speeds as deep into the corner as possible, but also making sure that you get the best drive coming onto the next straight. There are few corners were sustained high corner speeds are necessary (like Motorsport Ranch in Cresson) but keeping the corner speeds as high as possible allows a faster exit speed to start the drive into the straight.

The fastest Superstock SV650’s have run around 2:02-03 and our current best time of 2:08 is still a good 5 seconds behind so there is still a lot of room to improve. The key is to determine which corners we can gain the most speed. At this point, we suspect Turn 1, Turn 6, and Turn 7 has the most potential for shaving a second or two from the lap times. Our personal best was set when Turn 8 exit had water and oil (and on tires that were on the wear bars) so we would automatically pick up a few tenths if that section was all dry and possibly even a second with new tires. A 2:07 or even a 2:06 would be a good target for next time if track conditions are good at the next practice.

We also starting seeing some brake fade on the A-bike and we will be switching the brakepads to the Vesrah RJL to make it more consistent with the B-Bike. They are currently on Ferodo pads and we hope that Vesrah, paired with Castrol SRF brake fluid will help alleviate the brake fade that we experienced.

Cresson 1.7 CW Notes and a Minor Setback

We were at Motorsport Ranch at Cresson last Sunday, hoping to get some decent practice time in (and praying that the accuweather.com forecast was correct and we were NOT going to see rain). The track was configured for the 1.7 Clockwise (also known as reverse) direction and we’ve only been ran this configuration twice so far with a best time of 1:35. The goal was to get comfortable enough to run under 1:32 today.

The first session resulted in a best time of 1:36 so we were going well today. We ran 1:32 by the 2nd session and went into the 1:31’s by the 3rd. Unfortunately, at this time, Carlo started feeling pain in his left foot and it got worse through the lunch break. He rode again in the 4th session and it was definitely worse (running 1:32-33) and he was having difficulty shifting. He tried to ride a 5th session but came back in after a lap as he couldn’t shift anymore and it was not worth risking a crash.

The foot was x-rayed and examined by the doctor the following day and was diagnosed as a stress fracture of the 2nd metatarsal. Carlo had increased his running the last week and evidently did two things wrong – ramp up distances too quickly and not wear proper footwear. In addition, his current riding boot’s left sole is wearing out and he will be replacing the boots (and getting better insoles for his old boots as his back-up). The doctor has prescribed wearing a bledsoe boot while walking for the next 3-4 weeks. However, he is cleared to do low impact activities such as swimming and cycling. He was also cleared for riding as long as his foot was not in pain. The plan is to evaluate things on Saturday and if things are well, to do 5-6 sessions at Eagles Canyon on Sunday.

As a reminder for the next time we run Cresson clockwise, here are Carlo’s track notes (2006 SV650, 15f/46r gearing, Bridgestone DOT 003f/016r):

Big Bend:
Coming down the front straight, I look to the my exit point (lined up with far corner worker station). The SV is in 5th gear and I move to half track keeping in mind that Big Bend is a decreasing radius turn so it must be late apexed. Key is to conserve as much speed as possible from the straight and slow down while in the turn enough to apex. Immediately accelerate hard as the bike has little torque in 5th gear (experiment with quick downshift to 4th coming into the turn next time), exaggerating leaning out past apex. Get into tuck but keep rear on the right side of the bike. Corner speed through Big Bend is critical to a good lap time as the next straight is the longest.

Tombstone/BootHill/Horseshoe:

Try to conserve as much speed in this longest straight and next couple of turns have strong impact on lap time. Pop-up/knee-out and bend it right with slight trailbraking. Keep vision to the outside of turn and commit to the first right turn (lead w/ head). Maintain throttle and try to accelerate in the turn making sure to keep looking ahead past the apexes. Keep lean angle constant but accelerate as much as possible. After clip point of Boot Hill, go to center track and quickly downshift to 3rd (while leaned over) and trailbrake down Horseshoe (it is off-camber so do not overdo trailbrake). Be patient and stay next to the curbing on the way down looking for first opportunity to apply throttle (just enough to go mid-track to be ready for quick left.

Buzzard’s Neck/Little Bend:

Coming out of Horseshoe, accelerate hard but make sure you can make it back to the right (concrete rumble strips). Tap brakes and hold slight trailbrake while transitioning quickly to the left with goal of getting left knee on curbing and keeping vision towards exit. Get turning done quick and accelerate out while standing the bike (over a bump) in 3rd gear. Stay on left side of the bike on short straight and keep it on redline (experiment with shifting to 4th) and trailbrake to apex on the left. Think about putting left elbow on curbing. Stay on the curbing a split second longer before accelerating hard out of Little Bend.

Ricochet:

Accelerate hard and upshift to 4th and then 5th while in a tuck. Keep rear on the right side of the bike and keep focus on apex and exit of Ricochet. Commit hard to the turn and focus on applying throttle asap. Always seem to slow down too much so work on keeping speed entering Ricochet as the uphill will slow the bike down more than expected.

Wagon wheel:
Stay on the right side of the bike and make sure to put foot under shifter to prepare for 2 gear downshift from 5th to 3rd entering wagon wheel. Focus on the outside curbing on the exit line and commit to the right turn (aiming for first clip-point on curbing and keeping up corner speed). Accelerate slightly to outside of track and then brush brakes to come back in.

Rattlesnake:
Make sure to late apex entrance to Rattlesnake to allow the bike to do less turning for the left hander (keep the bike upright and accelerate up the hill). Attack the sharp right directly and slow the bike enough but make sure to commit to a hard right turn and try to get the bike turn left as quickly as possible. Be patient so as not to drift wide and keep eye on exit as you exaggerate hanging off to allow for decrease in lean angle. This is a critical turn and get on gas as soon as possible, to get as much speed on 2nd longest straight. Shift quickly to 4th then 5th and stay on the right side of the seat.

Was not experiencing any sliding so still enough room. About 8 seconds slower than fastest SV pace at the last race so lots of time on the table. Need to target 1:28-29 next time. Need to be at 1:25 race pace by next year.

A short practice at ECR

We had great weather yesterday at Eagles Canyon Raceway – especially with the weather cooperating and being in the high 80’s/low 90’s most of the time. ECR also had some track repair done and the entrance to Turn 6 and Turn 7 are now concrete and the exit of Turn 3 and Turn 9 also have some extra concrete patches. Hopefully, those would hold better over time.

We continue to get used to the GP-shift pattern and with the exception of a few missed shifts, it was becoming second nature. The missed shifts were just a little timing issue and none were in the wrong direction (unlike the first day we tried it). Carlo was also working on his body position during braking and I think it’s going to take another day at practice to learn the sequence and have it be second nature.

We were running consistent 2:11s in the last session so just a couple of seconds off our best time. I suspect we’ll be there again next time we visit ECR. We were a little bit more conservative yesterday because of the new concrete but that will not be the case next time.

One major area to work on is vision and reference points. Looking at the date, we noticed that Carlo would oftentimes get a very good drive onto a long straight but then brake earlier at the end, giving back the time. What we will start doing is braking at the same point and extending the brakezone into the trail brake area a little bit more if we get another 2-3 mph on the long straight. Since we are not at the complete edge yet, there should be room to be able to do that. In addition, we noticed that Carlo needs to look further ahead (he gets caught on track pictures not turning his head completely to the next reference point).

Next practice day is Sunday, 7/26 (if the weather holds). We’ve been getting our share of thunderstorms but the forecast currently shows a break for the upcoming weekend.

75% Complete!

This weekend was very busy – starting with open racer practice on Friday as well as cornerworking on Sunday. The objectives for Friday were twofold: 1. To continue to get used to the GP-shift pattern and 2. To learn Motorsport Ranch in the Clockwise direction (just my 2nd time on the track). For Friday, the baseline laptime was the 1:38 personal best from my first time there last month. Since right turns are a bit less natural for me than left turns, it was very good practice from a purely skills perspective. For some reason, I wasn’t comfortable on the bike the first few sessions, but was starting to relax by the third session of the day. I starting dropping time until I was able to run several 1:35’s in traffic (the Starlane indicated a best laptime when combining best segment times of 1:33). It would be a great improvement but definitely still not at pace with the fast Novice Racers who are running closer to 1:25 (one even ran 1:23’s at today’s races). The good news is that there is a lot of time left on the table…so I know I can push in almost every corner and still be fairly conservative. I will have an opportunity to reset my personal best again at the end of the month.

On Sunday, I fulfilled my 2nd and LAST cornerworking requirement for my CMRA race licence. The only thing left to do is to finish one more race day without crashing and I will have my full Novice class licence. The target for that race is on Sept 5th, running Cresson counterclockwise. By that time, I hope to be able to run about a 1:26-27 pace which should allow me to start following some of the faster racers so I can learn their lines and which areas they are significantly faster.

Here’s a group of riders coming out of Rattlesnake onto the front straight…

One of my future endurance teammates, Paul, following in Bill’s SV (our future endurance team bike)

Next practice day is likely to be Sun, 7/19 at Eagles Canyon for a member day…