CVMA round 1 went very well. I qualified very near my best lap times from the 2011 season despite my patchwork wrist which I had rebuilt after my Highside in turn 11 last year. I was originally schedule to participate in the Femmewalla Open, Formula Twins and the Lightweight Shootout, but I canceled the second Formula Twins round because my front wheel was sliding on turns 3, 5 and 10 and the rear in the bowl.

My most exciting moments this weekend were in the Formula Twins and Lightweight Shootout races. I am competitive at the back of the second of three ‘clusters’ of riders in that class and my starts are improving to the point where I only lost a few positions before turn 2 which I can usually reclaim within the first lap. I refer to the second cluster because CVMA has some spectacular competition posting times in the sub-2:00s which I hope to be able to learn from in the coming months! The Formula class was a blast because it was late in the evening and the sun had already set behind the mountains which made for a pretty environment but also added the challenges of crosswinds and shadows, It was difficult to find reference markers in the changing landscape but I managed it well enough to get a mid-pack finish! The shootout was Sunday morning and was exhausting. There was a reprieve when someone crashed under the crossed flags and resulted in a 4lap restart. I have mixed feelings about the restart… I think I would have placed better if the race had gone straight through but I am grateful for the race start ‘practice.’ I am getting better with the race starts, but I am hoping to get some non-race-weekend practice.

While my improvements on the track definitely are not reflected in my standings and I did not podium in my first race weekend as an expert, I did beat my personal record (PR) by a nearly 2 seconds, a 2:05, which gets me very close to my growth objective of a 2:04 by the summer break. I was able to consistently post faster than last years times, when not held up with traffic. This, above all, is my goal for this year; I want to be able to report a New PR every round this year.

Formula Twins and Lightweight Shootout were both phenomenal experiences that pushed my abilities farther but racing with GirlClutch teammates Christin Voros (161) & Jen Dunstan (70) and the other Girls in the Femmewalla Open was the most rewarding. Being able to see grid sizes increase more than DOUBLE was a huge inspiration. While I was out classed, on a 650 twin, against mostly inline Middleweights, I was still able to dice it up with Kimi Donahue (521).

I raced on Bridgestones for the first time and found them agreeable. Keeping the pressures correct on them is a little challenging which dramatically affected their wear characteristics but I like the feedback I felt. There were no surprises when the ‘traction pie’ runs out. I kept them warm with my Woodcraft tire warmers and thoroughly am impressed with them except that the element lights were difficult to see with all the glare in the desert… Which was easily remedied by cupping them in my hand. Keeping the Bridgestones warm this weekend helped me keep them sticky.

My Woodcraft KluckyPucks also worked well, one I got them where I needed them. I was concerned because I had them too far back and very quickly ate up the corner of them but once I got them on correctly where wore very well!

I would definitely like to thank BigHeadz Racing and GirlClutch racing for providing wonderful company and encouragement in the Paddock. Having that support from my teammates is what is enabling me to continue the trend of getting faster, Faster. The support I also receive from Woodcraft, ArmourBodies, LiveWire Energy, Bazzaz, ACT Racing, Bell and Wreckage Clothing are also Hugely Appreciated; their products are top notch.

See you in Round 2!

So I came into this round of the series thinking that I would have a chance to battle my friend Christin in the Femmewalla Open Class race, but she wasn’t able to make the race.  I had been preparing all month for the rematch by attending 3 weekends of track time including the two-day camp with the STAR school.  I had managed to whittle my laptimes down another 2 seconds to consistent 2:14s but wasn’t sure that I would be fast enough to place higher than last month.

Without the chance at a rematch, I set myself what seemed to be a lofty goal of shedding 4 more seconds, in the three day weekend for CVMA Round 5.  I came for the Race Practice Trackday held by TrackDaz on Friday 21 Oct.  I was able to practice some of the skills and lines that were taught by Jason Pridmore and his team of instructors the weekend before at STAR and managed to record hot laps of 2:11s.

Melissa Paris, AMA #13 and fellow San Diegan, who was in attendance at the track day was harassing me… saying that I needed to set a new goal!  She was impressed that I was able to shave off 3 seconds on the first day of practice, knowing full well that the race atmosphere that was looming would inspire further progress.

I came into the Practice 1 running 2:15s with a hot 2:14….  Slightly less than where I wanted to be, but having been up late helping Joanna, CVMA #88 and fellow Cornerworker for SoCalTrackdays, put her bike back together after an off earlier in the week at the Dale Keefer Race School, it was expected that I would need some time to warm up.   Practice 2 showed progress in the right direction, including posting a new Personal Record of a 2:08.6!  Mission accomplished, and it wasn’t even Qualifying!   I actually Qualified at another 2.08.6 to prove the consistency.

Having completed Qualifying and having achieved all I set out to do for the weekend, all I wanted was to complete my originally planned 4 races with the rubber side down.  Saturday’s Femmewalla was my first race, against Joanna on #88 and Lea Cutshall on #24.  Both women are more experienced and are riding Yamaha R6s, but I was able to keep up with them on the 35HP disadvantaged SV650 for the first lap before they were 2 turns ahead, at which point I was racing my own race to finish an expected 3rd.

Saturday’s Amateur Supersport Twins’ grid was unexpected vacant.  I was the only entrant, so they gridded me with the Experts.  I had hoped that they would because I was looking forward to seeing how well I would fare against the ‘pros’ and I managed to set yet another new PR as I passed two of them.  I ran a 2:07.117 before I ran wide and left the track.  I was able to keep the bike up and return to the course without penalty.  As I was the only entrant, I still finished an uncontested First.

Saturday came to a close with a lot of jubilation and conversation regarding my progress.  With my new laptimes, posted for all to see, the competition decided to find me…  I was approached by Stephan Ludwig, #22 and rider for WestCoastGP Cycles (a CVMA Sponsor), to race in the Amateur Formula Twins class.  I had been apprehensive about that class because I felt that my stock motor would result in getting destroyed. But when Stephan pointed out that I was running almost identical lap times and that it would be a hell of a race, I got fired up to see how I would stand against them in a ‘proper race!’  I talked to the Race Director and was allowed to register for my 5th race class!

Sunday’s practice was dismal.  I felt completely off.  I was genuinely concerned about my performance in the Formula Twins race because I wasn’t able to get much under a 2:14 and I was blowing lines and dragging toe in 9.  I was almost heart sick; like I was going to let down the people who were talking me up the night before.  My first race on Sunday was Femmewalla, again against Joanna and Lea, and again placed 3rd.  I was able to brush off some of the cobwebs of sleep and get back to consistent 2:11s.

The Race of the weekend… Amateur Formula Twins was next; I had to admit a little apprehension to my pit-mates.  I was so nervous that I forgot that my gas light came on after the Femmewalla Race.  I panicked!  I was worried that I would screw it all up.  My dear friends with Big Heads Racing calmed me and settled me by reminding me to ‘race my own race’ and have fun first and foremost!  I took a long breath and allowed the words to settle in.  I gridded up without realizing that I was gridded up in the #2 position.  I hadn’t realized that my Qualifying time was sufficient to place me so well! Not that it mattered; my start was terrible!  Regardless of my start, I managed to come my way to the front of the 4 bike race.  I held the lead the entire race running consistent 2:07s.  Crossing the finish line for the first time in the lead of a very closely matched race was positively invigorating.   The race was within 10ths of a second , right to the last turn of the last lap where David Martin, #60, attempted to overtake me on the inside of Turn 16 to only to realize that he was not going to make the pass.   The result was to check up and push Steve Zabzdyr, #815, off the track.

The last race, Amateur SuperSport Twins was again a grid of 1 and I was released with the experts.  I was able to keep up for a few laps before the gap included 2 turns at which point I was, again, racing my own race.  The results for the weekend were three 1st places: Amateur SuperSport Twins (twice) and Amateur Formula Twins (once) and two 3rd places: both Femmewalla.  Of the trophies, the First in Formula Twins is my most valued as it represents my first victory extending beyond myself.

There was speculation about what “had happened” to cause such improvement.  Melissa Paris made the comment that women riders are great students because we lack the stereotypical ego that out male counterparts have. The STAR School greatly influenced my riding technique and I found myself doing things that greatly improved my lap-times.  There is still a lot of room to improve, of course.  While I am pushing deeper, to the 2 and 1 markers to downshift and trail braking in a few places, I know that I can make up more time exiting the bowl, through Turns 14/15 and taking a more defensive line through Turn 16.  I am predictably slow through Turn 9, but it is the slowest part of the track and there isn’t much time to be made up there. As Steve Rapp has said “If you are going fast through there, you are doing it wrong.” As long as I get the drive out of 10, which is something I took away from the STAR School; Thanks Jason!  I have even taken to short shifting into 2nd gear between Turns 9 and 10 to get a better drive out of 10.

Third Place Finish. The race was invigorating, but I performed better and more consistently in Lightweight qualifying, running on a SuperSport SV650, at 2:16.263.  This in itself is an achievement from my trackday laptimes in the 2:25s.  Still, however, I am frustrated with myself most of all because half way into the race I realized that I was going to put it in the dirt if I kept pushing as I was.  I feel like settling for third was not as good as I could have done.  I regret that I didn’t hang it all out there.  

Oki took an outside line into 7 where I was able to sneak in and push her wide.  The last thing I saw there was her number plate about a foot or two away.  I had been looking for nice clean passes and this wasn’t the clean pass I had hoped for. But nevertheless, I was in front.  I pushed my way around the remainder of the lap in 2nd until she motored me down in the front straight.  She took second back in turn 17 and held onto it for the remainder of the race.  

 

• First off, my Start was terrible; I bogged it with too much gas early on.  I am planning to spend some time on the weekends with the bike in a deserted industrial park doing practice race starts and maybe even head over to the RaceLegal drag races to practice my starts.  
• Throttle control…  the rear spinning and the near high-side were all errors on throttle… grabbing early without being smooth 
• Corner speed…  I can go faster in 16; I finally figured out the bowl, but I need to give it more gas earlier; I need to brake later going into 10 and get on the gas harder in 4. 
• Bicycle more… My endurance needs to be higher

In the end, I am trying to be cheerful that I got podium in my first race and that I am almost 10 seconds faster than I was before the race…