Withdrawls

[wsmc884]

I saw the posts about going a couple of months without racing...Try 9 YEARS!!!

I'm back and with my sights on a win in a 600 or F2 race in 2007!

My last year of racing was 1998 on a supped up 1994 CBR600F2 in superbike trim. I'm hoping to quickly top my fastest time of 1:25.9

Let me tell ya going 9 years without racing has nearly killed me! :)

I went out for the first time to break in my newly built GSXR600 motor on track day 11/6/2006 and I was surprised at how quickly it all came rushing back to me (lines, breaking reference points, etc) but this is a newer bike and it handles differently than a Honda so there's a little bit of learning all over again! :)

Next time out my mechanic tells me I can turn it lose and pin it so it should be fun this Sat. at Willow!

See you guys out there and please come by and say hi! I plan on throwing some sort of meat on the grill Sat. night after practice so feel free to come and join my crew and myself! Look for an ugly, unpainted #884 GSXR! :)

Robert Cole

[Lost]

Dang robert those are some damn good times!!! I won't be up there this weekend, but if you are doing any practice days coming up, hopefully we can meet!

[mieff]

I'm hoping to quickly top my fastest time of 1:25.9

:bowdown:

[cbrsmurf]

good luck... are you going to be in expert or starting off in novice?

[wsmc884]

They are putting me in prob. expert. I'll be racing just one race this weekend, 600 supersport. Its a far cry from the 5 races I use to do every month (600 supersport, mod prod, superbike, F1 and F2).

Its good to see the practice starts on the registration form. Ask Danny or Kenny sometime who started that. ;) Danny still the race director out there?

Robert

[wsmc884]

Mieff,

That's not that fast of time as in 4 years of racing before I only ever netted 1 top 3 finish! Now the 600's are doing 22's and 23's so now that's my goal. I put $12k into this bike and I'm certainly not going to settle for anything less than a top 3 my first year back. But then again that means I must do at least 23's my first year back and that's a tall order.

My last year of racing I finally, in my last few months in 1998, I reached the "zone" and it was unexpected. By the "zone" I mean the bike and myself finally became "one" in I didn't think of anything about the bike while I was riding it, it was just another part of my body and it was like I was running around the track. Its hard to explain but I literally didn't think about the bike at all while I was riding it, I just kept trying to "run" faster. That's when I hit 25s.

I don't remember much except I know I was sliding through every corner and my control was no different than controlling myself walking or running. It was both odd and exciting at the same time. It gives me goose bumps to think about that sensation. I think it happened in November of 1998 and I wasn't able to get there in Dec. I'm hoping to find my way back to the "zone" quickly this year. Or course I don't know exactly how to trigger it but I'll keep trying.

[GPTECHMAN]

you put 12k into your gixxer? what have you done to it

[mieff]

i know 25s aren't the fastest of times out there, but i also do know that anything faster than a 25 is pretty damn fast. that's getting up in the josh hayes, jeremy toye time area. i haven't even riden that track yet, being the noob that i am ( :squid: ) and have only done one trackday. that trackday being at SOW when i do start riding WSIR i'll be happy if i can even get into the low 30s. :nerd: then again, i'm not planning on racing. anyway, best of luck on your upcoming racing comeback. :cheers:

[wsmc884]

I'm going to detail it on a new domain website I recently registered (www.wsmc884.info) but the motor was tore apart and superstock prepped, olins suspension front and back, yosh tri-oval pipe, sharkskin, rearsets, and a ton of other little bits and pieces. I had D209GP's mounted up too to start me off and those things are amazing! $400 a set tho.

I'll get it painted soon and I have KickstartKustoms.com to thank for the sponsorship on that. That will certainly help on the cost but that won't be done for another month.

All in all it takes a ton of money to go racing in any sort of serious way. I have fun racing but this time that is not my only goal. I'm in it for points and top finishes and to do that takes a well prepared bike which means money and lots of it.

Believe it or not I minimized the money on this bike and didn't prepare it as well as I would have liked to. I will likely turn it into a superbike, which is another $3k into the motor, before April as the GTU (or I think its GT Lights now for 600's) is my series focus this year. It just depends on my finances by then. The GTU was the only series I consistently led races in because I was always a slow starter because I didn't have tire warmers, this time around I have tire warmers. :) 6 laps was only ever enough to get me into the top 5 consistently. I'm hoping that starting on hot tires will be the difference this time around in the sprints.

Robert

[wsmc884]

Watch yourself Meiff you'll get addicted to speed in a hurry! :)

With 25s I'll probably be a midpack bike. Believe me that from 25s to 24s is a whole other world and I was scratching for every tenth I could gain. You will hit walls every few seconds you gain out there and the faster you go the more walls you hit. You'll get 30s fast but after that everyones walls they hit are a little different. I hit 28s and stuck there for 6 months or more. It really depends on you and your goals. If its just to have fun and little risk then you'll probably find a groove time and stick with it and there isn't anything wrong with that.

I would keep in mind that there are only two kinds of track guys, those who have gone down and those who will. There really isn't an if its only a matter of when you go down and it doesn't have to be your fault. It could be someone else's crash you get caught up in. That's why its not only important but critical that you bring a buddy to the track with you and NOT ride your bike to the track. :)

[cbrsmurf]

Larry Cochran is the race director now

WSMC also has an unofficial forum here:
http://www.ducatitech.com/bbs/

25's will put in you in the top 5 for superstock and most 600 classes (last month's races at least)

Maybe we can caravan it next time as I live in Placentia. Good luck this month!

[wsmc884]

My wife might not be able to make it Sat which is a bummer. I hate going out alone as I've always thought that a bad idea.

Jeff are you going out this weekend? We could hook up for a caravan this weekend if you want. I'm planning on leaving Sat morning about 4:30/5am or late Friday evening.

Robert

[wsmc884]

Oh and I'm sure its going to be a few months before my times start getting competitive!
:)

Track day on the 6th I had to take it easy breaking in the motor, this weekend I'll be able to see what the bike and myself can do. :)

Robert

[GPTECHMAN]

Hey if the gixxer doesnt work out for you, you should rock the F2 again... I would definitely come out to see that...25s would be sweet

They will call you the DEMORALIZER...

[wsmc884]

It was a good bike to be sure and it was a bit of a demoralizer since my 4 year old bike was spanking the new 1998 GSXR's at the time and did it all year long! :) Actually I know someone who is seriously thinking about putting an old F3 on the track just to prove a point. :)

Robert

[GPTECHMAN]

Would be interesting to see, either it make the point of see you dont need the latest and greatest....or...see, look at that guy riding that old POS, what a moron...or ...yeah, but just imagine how fast he would be on a newer bike.

[shaggy]

Man, thats a long time to be out of racing, I hope it doesn't take me that long to get back out there! As far as 25's on an F2, thats friggin fast! but at the same time the track has deteriorated ALOT since back then when AMA raced at willow. If you can get back to 25's though, like Jeff said, that will put you top 5 in just about every 600 race and will win you the solo GTU championship. I only raced expert for 4 months and got down to a 27 flat and that scored me a 5th place finish in 600 mod prod. Good luck to you and hopefully I'll see you out there next year also!

btw, there's only a handful of guys who can run under 25's out there on a 600: Toye, tiggert, perez, beck, sullinger, wiwi. and most of the time only 2 or 3 of those guys show up...

[wsmc884]

I can only hope only a few of those guys show up. :) I crashed in Oct 1998 I believe it was and I was racing with Toye at the time. I still think there was something on the track in 5 that was the cause because the next lap my bud Jacob West went down in the same spot and after that Toye went down in the same spot the next lap. All this despite me jumping up and down telling the officials there was something on the track. :) That was my worst crash (#3 after 4 years of racing).

Ahh the good ol' days! :)

As I've said before there is a world of difference between 25s and 24s and to me it was like looking across an impassable gap. This 2005 bike in superstock trim feels like it is faster than my old superbike. Heck it revs as fast and I didn't have a starter or flywheel on my superbike and this thing still does! I was only able to go 75% throttle my first time out breaking in the motor this weekend I'll see what it can do (and myself)! I think this bike will be easier to take down into fast times quickly.

[nocontrol]

My wife might not be able to make it Sat which is a bummer. I hate going out alone as I've always thought that a bad idea.

Jeff are you going out this weekend? We could hook up for a caravan this weekend if you want. I'm planning on leaving Sat morning about 4:30/5am or late Friday evening.

Robert
If she was in the beginner group, is the spot open then? If so, I'ld like to take it. O wait, never mind. Just remembered I have plans.... Sorry...

[wsmc884]

Nah she doesn't ride just pit crew for me. :)

BTW, does your son race the NSR 50? Where at? I want to get my boys into it.

[mieff]

BTW, does your son race the NSR 50? Where at? I want to get my boys into it.

http://www.racecmrra.com/