2009 Springfield Memorial Day Races
National Single Series - Springfield TT
G’day mates, just wanted to give you the latest from the Memorial Day races at Springfield. This is one of the neatest venues we go to all year and I was super excited as it was my first ride on the mighty mile. Who hasn’t seen On Any Sunday and wanted to pitch it into a corner at over 100 mph like Mert Lawwill and Mark Breslford. If you don't know what I am talking about, watch the segment of video below to get you in the mood! (If the link below does not work, click here to view the video at www.YouTube.com.)
The weekend started with the TT race on Saturday. Harold MacDonald flew in for the weekend to lend a hand then and we met up on Saturday with a couple of other guys that gave me a big hand. Ben Kelly is originally from Australia though he has been living over here for better than 10 years. He was a motocross racer but has seen the error of his ways and recently turned to flat track racing for his racing fix. I met him at a local race in Georgia and we have been friends since. He gave me a lot of help, especially in the suspension department. Ben has recently used some contacts to set me up with O’Neal MX gear and I really like it. Ben is working with his brother to build Maximum Dirt Motorsports a top-notch MX accessories store in the Atlanta, GA area.
Kenny Hapke of Hap’s Racing Leathers also helped me out in the pits as much as he could. He was actually supposed to be helping another team, but stole away as much as he could to be where the fun was. Being a national number holder many years ago, and still an active racer, he had some great insight on what I was doing on particular parts of the track.
Our first practice session on the TT was not too bad, but I knew there were spots on the track where I could pick up time that was for sure. Ben had seen a spot where the bike was not reacting well and took a look at the suspension and made some adjustments before the first qualifying session that really helped heaps! We also put on a new rear tire for the first qualifying session.
Kenny Hapke brought along his helmet cam and we got it set up and shot some video during practice! Click here to take a look. Pretty cool as you get the ‘from the saddle’ feel for the track. I hope to get some video footage from the upcoming tracks and include it in future reports. (If the link below does not work, click here to view the video at www.YouTube.com.)
The first qualifying session was better than practice and I wound up 21st when everything was done. There were still a couple of spots on the track where I could go faster and I knew it. Ben, Harold and Kenny gave me some feedback on various parts of the track they were watching and that helped me bunches.
The track had been groomed just before my second session and I took to the track looking for the split second I needed to knock off my times so I could move up the charts. The manicured track was nice, but as it packed in it got faster each lap. My last lap was the fastest and was good for 3rd in that group. Only two riders beat that time the rest of the entire second and I got my second top ten session of the year! The 5th fastest time for that session combined with the earlier time gave me a 10th overall. This was my second top 10 qualifying in just three races and I was really happy with that!
I was slated for the third heat race, on the front row, fourth from the inside. I got a great start, getting away in third with JR Schnabel out front and Jethro Halbert right in front of me. I went around the outside of the turn and got Jethro for second. (Check out the fantastic shot below by Jim Grant of JGPhotowerx. Jim is a photographer extraordinaire. Please check out other fantastic images on his website at www.jgphotowerx.com)
My plan was to stay in second, run a good consistent race and get in the Expert Dash. (See photo below.)
My plan worked for a bit and then with a few laps left to go, Jethro started really putting the pressure on. It started with a wheel here and there and then we started rubbing plastic a bit. It was a good clean battle though and loads of fun! Finally Jethro got a wheel under me in turn three and made a better drive out of four and the pass stuck. (See final photo below.)
I kept Stevie Bonsey at bay and held on to third to the checkered and got a direct transfer to the main event. This made two main events in three races for the singles series and I was really happy with this.
We made some small adjustments before the main event started, but overall we were happy with the way the day was going. In the main I started second from the inside on the second row. When the green flag dropped I got boxed in a bit and it cost me a few positions. Then someone went down and they threw the red flag and then another. Though I was near the back of the pack, after the second restart I felt good and started slowly moving up.
On lap 13, I got on the gas a bit too hard and early between turns three and four and the rear end spun out and I did a simple low-side crash. I jumped back up, but could not restart the dang bike! After the field had gone around about three laps and I still couldn’t get the bike started, I decided it would be best to just sit it out and not interfere when there was no way to even score a point. Still, with all the good that happened, I was excited for the mile the next day!
National Twins Series - Springfield Mile
After all the work I put in the Suzuki over the winter, I really wanted to see how it would work on the Mile, so Sunday I rode that in the first practice session and promptly had a problem. Because of the extra power it loosened the rear quick change collar for the sprocket and I was done with just a little over a lap under my belt. The image below is that practice session on my SV650. (I really like this bike!)
Since I had blown my only practice session, I had no choice but to try and qualify for the program with my first ride ever on a XR750. Even with the limited time I got an overall position of 31st, good enough for the show. The image below is me aboard the Mike Hacker Racing XR750. (This thing is FAST!)
My heat race was a little nerve wracking. Lots of guys grouped really tight going really fast! I decided to just hang out and learn what I could. I finished 13th, which would give me another shot at the main via the semi.
For the semi, I gave the rear sprocket nut a few extra taps with the hammer and then safety wired it and took the Suzuki out. I felt a little more comfortable with that bike. It felt lighter and more responsive though I was a tad slower down the straights. The fact that it was my bike made it easier to get in and fight a little bit. I got a great start from the third row and was headed down the back straight in 5th position. Almost immediately a couple of riders drafted by me though. I tried to stay with that group, but couldn’t quite do it. Did get into a fun little battle with another group and was still learning when the checkered flag flew. A 10th place finish was pretty respectable as there were still some really fast folks behind me!
As always I really want to thank all my sponsors: Johnson Cams, Tusk Racing Heads, 218 Designs, Digger Helm, Hap’s Racing Leathers, ProCycle.us, K&N Filters, American Supercamp, Micah Racing, Suomy Helmets, O’Neal, Vortex and JRC Engineering. Special thanks again to Jim Grant for allowing me to use his great photos.
Go to the Results page if you would like to check out the 2009 AMA Pro Racing Flat Track schedule so you can visit with me at a race near you! If you do attend a race, please make sure to come into the pits and say hi! Click here to view the AMA Pro Racing Flat Track webpage where you can see rules and other information. |
