So I took one of my streetbikes, a simple Suzuki SV650, and prepared it for racing with WERA West in the Lightweight Twins Superstock class. The design brief for the year was to keep things as simple as possible on every front - don't get involved in building an overly complex motorcycle, don't get involved in series operations or politics, and simply focus on going fast and having fun.
It really doesn't get much more basic than this. It's even a home-done, rattle can paint job. And those who are familiar with SV650s will note that the windscreen looks pretty low. I bobbed it nice and tight to get the bike into the back of the decade-old Chevy Astro van that is the race hauler. This bike has a stock pipe with a slip-on exhaust that cost $129, a GSX-R1000 shock, and Armour bodywork from Woodcraft. It's a 2006 that had 38,000 street miles on it before it hit the track, and I think it's still got the original spark plugs. Again, the idea here really wasn't to see how fast I could go; the idea was to see how well I could ride, and how much I could improve - to keep my skills sharp and have fun, in other words.
WERA West, Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA, January, 2013:
I shouldn't complain about being able to race in January, but talk about cold ... the ground temperatures were below freezing for much of the morning, making practice basically useless. It's funny, but after years of doing this, there's nothing quite like the sensation that runs through you when the green flag is about to drop.
One good thing about simple motorcycles is that you don't have to spend a lot of time tinkering. You just ride. I spent a lot of time in the saddle, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
WERA West, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, February 2013:
The lights in the background are the Strip, illuminating the human comedies, dramas and tragedies that make up another night in Sin City. The lights in the foreground are illuminating my pits, yet another rich vein of comedies and dramas. This is part of the process that I enjoy ever so much; Friday night at the track, unloading, getting ready for the weekend, the promise of speed and achievement just hours away.
Practice was entertaining. I copped a few racer-boy poses for the photog.
The track is pretty simple, but I enjoy it - maybe precisely for that reason. It's tight and tricky in spots, fast in others. I enjoyed the 20-lap Solo endurance race on Saturday afternoon a lot; it is a shame that it will probably be the last one WERA runs on the West Coast, as few people enter them. Some days, it feels like it takes me 10 laps just to get into the groove. Typically, in a 20-lap race, my fastest lap will be between laps 15 and 18.
I like the picture above because bike 672 is one of my old machines that I sold a few years ago. The irony here is not lost on me.
I will always be a bit sad when I visit Vegas because it was here that I last saw my friend Kenny Anderson. I pitted with him and his father at the WERA races, and did so again this weekend. A few weeks later, at another race, Kenny crashed and was killed. He was 12. Words would utterly fail to describe the sense of loss and sorrow, so I won't even try.
RIP, Kenny.
Track Day - Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, CA, April, 2013:
Track days are play days, and I took the opportunity to go play with my friends Kevin and Chuck at one of the most famous tracks in North America. It was freezing and windy, which really cut down on the fun factor, but it's important to spend time with friends so you can - stay friends. Besides, Laguna is a very, very entertaining track, even when conditions are miserable.
WERA West, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, April 2013:
I am adamant about two things when I hit the grid: That my bike is legal for the class (I cannot stand racers who cheat, I could not take a trophy earned that way home with me), and that it is prepared as well as possible. That does not mean a bunch of go-fast bling or expensive parts; it just means that everything on the bike is adjusted properly and works as well as it possibly can.
I had an opportunity to notch a win here, but the practice times between me and my competitor were separated by fractions of a second. I needed to get a really good start, and I did, leading everyone into and through Turn One.
Racers from other classes quickly came past, but I managed to stay in front of my class until the checkered flag fell. Winning is a little like sex; you never forget your first one, but the last one wasn't bad, either!
American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, Willow Springs International Raceway, Rosamond, California, April 2013:
I like racing with AHRMA; it's a pretty laid-back weekend, and they come to Willow Springs, where I've gone pretty well over a very long time. The big 2.5-mile track can be fickle, and it is very, very fast, but there's nothing like going into Turn Eight with the throttle pinned to the stop in sixth gear.
Two riders in front of me are long gone, but I managed to finish in front of nearly everyone else in this picture, and I took third in my class, which meant I got another trophy to add to the collection. My lap times were not good. But the only guys who finished in front of me were a National road racing champion and a World Speedway champion, so I didn't feel too bad ...
WERA West, Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah, July 2013:
It's 693.10 miles from Long Beach to Tooele, Utah, home of Miller Motorsports Park, one of the nicest racetracks in North America, and the site of a WERA National/WERA West combined race event each year. It's a doubleheader weekend, with races on Saturday and Sunday, so you've kind of got to go if you're looking to do well in a championship.
From the smooth, grippy, consistent surface to the clean showers to the immaculate garages, it's one of my favorite places to ride and visit. The difficulty I face is that I need a lot of seat time to get accustomed to a track, and I simply didn't have a lot of time to spend in Utah. And there were National-level competitors there, who reminded me that I'm an amateur sportsman just out there to have fun. I tried not to look at the lap time charts - ouch! Still, I finished and got points in Saturday's race.
On Saturday night, I noticed an oil leak at the back of the motor, right near the rear wheel. I tried to figure out a way to fix it, tried to justify racing with it leaking, and in the end just couldn't come to grips with the risk to myself and my fellow racers. So I packed up the bike and headed home. It took 10 hours and 30 minutes to cover the 693.10 miles. I felt good about the decision every mile of the way.
WERA West, Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA, September, 2013:
A crazy hot day, with temperatures well above 100 degrees. Still, I went a little faster than I had back in January. And I had even more fun, because as I get more comfortable at a track, I ride better. I had my knee down in places where I wasn't knee-down in January.
+NIC_3208-Aug31-13+-+cropped+and+enhanced.jpg)
Funny story: I had to remove the battery to solve a small mechanical problem (basically, I made a temporary fix on something about five years ago, and it kinda bit me). I wanted to go home rather than tear a bike apart in triple-digit temperatures, but I got my butt to work and fixed the problem. As I removed the battery, I found beneath it - the original tool kit. I'm telling you, this thing is a streetbike ...
Brian at Caliphotography.com was wandering around the garages and snapped this portrait. This is the last day of my 50th year on the planet. Just making it to the grid makes me smile ...
WERA West, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, November, 2013:
The postscript: I just needed a couple of finishes to seal the championship in the Lightweight Twins Superstock Expert class. I took the fancy shock off the bike and put the GSX-R1000 one back on - and went three seconds a lap faster while being cautious and riding on old tires. I got my finishes and sealed my ninth class championship.
The field wasn't the deepest, but that doesn't mean I didn't try as hard as I could, every lap. And the effort to get to every race in three states with a bike that's legal and ready to race is significant. I feel that the No. 1 plate is a reflection not of my speed on the bike, but my ability to put together a package that would get me through the year, put together a plan, and execute it to the best of my ability. I wanted to race, and I made that happen.
But no one does this on their own.
Thanks to the nice folks at WERA, and thanks to Ed Sorbo from Lindemann Engineering for all the effort and support he gave me through the year. Thanks to my sponsors and supporters, including Pilot leathers, Arai helmets, Cortech boots, Held gloves, Dunlop tires and to my friends and colleagues at Roadracing World - please consider supporting the Action Fund that helps keep road racers safe from injury.
This championship is dedicated to the memory of Kenny "The Iceman" Anderson.
