6th Race Update

WERA Road Atlanta 6/26-27/09

3 weeks in a row of racing sure burns up a month quickly. And a bank account too!

Headed south to the Road Atlanta race course for a Sportsman series this weekend with WERA. I've been contesting the 500GP class and felt I had something now for James Walker, the competitor who's been finishing ahead of me.

However, Road Atlanta is somewhat of a home track for James, an Atlanta boy, and I haven't been to the track since 1992 when I took Keith Code's California Superbike School for the first time. And broke my arm on a motorcycle for the first time - but that's another story.

Ended up riding my HD down to the track since I was in southern TN at a big motorcycle auction already. Teammate Steve brought the trailer with my bike and gear, and one of his bikes, on Friday due to his work schedule. Had a nice ride down, marveled at the population explosion that has driven metro Atlanta way out into the boonies, and got to the track early Friday to begin scouting.

There have been a number of changes to the track in the last 17 years, primarily turn 12 onto the front straight - a hard 90, much slower than before; the esses through turn 4 and 5 - fun series of turns, don't slow down too soon!; and the "omygoodness" turn 10A and 10B - cresting the hill off the WFO back straight, you plunge down to a set of left/right 90 degree turns. Hope your brakes are working!

Steve arrived in time for us both to catch a half day of practice on Friday. Road Atlanta is REALLY fun....big, fast, AND technical all in one. Nice elevation changes and a very spectator friendly layout - you can't see all of it at once, but you can get up close and personal to almost everywhere on the track. Felt my way around, picking brake markers - I still don't trust or like drum brakes - and turn points. I felt like I was coasting into turns too much, braking early. The bike was running well but I did consider moving up to Daytona gearing - 21 front and 43 rear.

The biggest issue was the HEAT. 90 percent humidity, upper 90's in the shade, not exactly ideal weather for riding an aircooled motorcycle while wrapped in a full suit of heavy dead animal skin. I drank water & diet coke at every opportunity and still only used a porta potty once. The bike ran well but was smoking some - a valve guide that's been going bad seemed to be on it's last legs. I explained it to tech and they let me race.

The two practice sessions Saturday morning had me feeling good. Pushing the bike harder into turns, braking later, all the moves that track time & confidence will help you with. 500GP was the first race of the day, right after 12:00, and it was again smoking, boiling hot. Got a great jump off the start and held off Walker on his 350 Honda and Bowie on his Ducati through the esses. James caught me on the 90s at the back of the track, but I ran him down with horsepower on the long back straight. He got past me on the 2nd lap and built a lead that I couldn't entirely make up on the straight.

Now, right after the straight, the track downhills into turns 10A & 10B, the left/right 90s. Then it's up a hill, cresting under the bridge, and right back down to turn 12. 6 stories worth of down, I was told. Turn 12 has been "squared off" to slow it down and a gravel trap has been added but it still comes up hard and fast when you're racing. It had been mentioned in the rider's meeting that if you ran off 12, down the old pit road, you could re-enter the race at the end of the old pit road.

So, of course, I looked at the pit road on lap three, and ran off turn 12. Down the old pit road (at non-racing speed) and back on the track. Whoops! Well, that blew my shot at beating the top two guys, but the three of us had put enough gaps on the rest of the pack that I was able to rejoin the race and still get 3rd place out of the 7 contesting our class.

Another friend, Charlie Young, had a new bike for the V1 class, and we had been playing a bit in practice. He was therefore the target of my aggression in race 4, my 2nd race of the day. Lined'em up and drag race to the corner at the flag, and I got another good start, beating Charlie to 1 and holding him off through the esses. From watching him in practice I knew I could eat him up in the turns but he would out power me on the big back straight. And he did. But we came up on some slower 2 stroke riders from a class that launched in front of us, and I was able to put a really nice pass on Charlie and the two stroke guy at the same time when Charlie checked up.

This went on for a lap or two, and then at 7000 rpm on the back straight, coming to the crest of the hill, I hear "tink tink tink". The inspiring sound of detonation, great. I began to ease off the throttle at the crest of the hill when all went quiet.....except for the sound of my back tire skidding along at 100mph or so! Seized! Crap!

Grab clutch, throw up hand, coast down to turn and around behind the barrier next to the corner worker. Wait for the embarrassing crash truck ride back to the pits.

Long story short - seized the left piston in the bore. Head gasket didn't look burnt and I didn't hear the telltale flutter of a head gasket leak. Pistons and plugs looked decent - towards lean, but that's how I've been running with the race gas. Top of the piston wasn't melted or damaged (like the first one this year). Further teardown revealed an exhaust cam with a squared off lobe - on the side that seized. Classic "chicken or the egg" situation. The head needed to come off and get looked at anyway. Nothing to it but to rebuild/repair/replace, and perhaps run a bigger jet at RA when it's 100 degrees in the shade. Pistons & cylinders are on the way, gaskets on hand, and sorting through available cam options to find the best.

Got some time off before VIR August 7-9, so I better get busy. Thanks for tuning in