NJMP: May 26-28, 217

New Jersey Motorsports Park:

May 26-28, 2017, WERA/N2

After my crash at Roebling in March, I had to scramble to get the R6 put back together in time for this event. I had some help from some amazing people and we got the bike back together in better shape than it’s ever been. Although it looked fantastic, the real test would be how it felt on track.

WERA and N2 teamed up again to give us the first of three endurance rounds in 2017, and the 3 Marines Racing Kawi was in attendance. After the passing of our founder and team captain Randy Chabot, we felt that we had to keep the momentum going and put together a team to compete. We were able to put together an amazing team, a perfect example of teamwork and comradery. The team of four riders consisted of new team captain John Hvizdak, myself, Tim Wilson, and Will Posse. The team, however, was much more than just the four of us wannabe fast guys, it also included many family members and friends that were eager to help.

Memorial Day weekend, 2017 was an amazing weekend with so many highlights that it’s hard to recall actual “highlights” to condense into a race report. It was a weekend full of awesome racing, amazing time with family and friends, and even a showing or three from the famous Blue Angels. Nothing screams “‘Merica!” like a weekend of racing and the screams of F18’s buzzing 100 feet overhead.

Pic 1: The whole 3MR crew.

Friday’s track conditions were pretty moist due to some rain Thursday night, but I needed the seat time to try to get myself mentally prepared for racing after a couple of long months off after my crash. I split my time between my R6 and the 3MR team bike, and did my best to shake down the R6 and make sure everything was in tip-top shape for Sunday’s National races. I was pretty slow the entire day on Friday, but it felt great to be back on the bike, and the R6 felt really good. After a crash of that magnitude, you never know what kinds of gremlins will pop up, but the bike was well sorted and felt great.

The schedule for this weekend was intense due to the inclusion of an air show at the air field directly adjacent to the race track. The track had to shut down during the time that the Blue Angels flew, so it compressed the schedule a lot and kept us all running around to get things done. The endurance race started around 9:40 am on Saturday, so the team worked diligently to get the pit set up and get all of our gear down to the pits. Tim and I also had a qualifying session for the 600 Superbike race right before the endurance race, which added to the excitement. I followed Tim out onto the track and stayed right on his tail during the session. I knew Tim was fast at NJMP, we had raced here together in 2015 with MotoAmerica, so my plan was to latch on and hope for a tow. Joe Blasius found his way in between Tim and I, and the three of us ran laps around the track like a freight train, all three of us qualified within about .5 of a second from each other. Tim, Joe, and I qualified in 3-5th, respectively.

The start of the endurance race on Saturday was an exciting one. The team elected John to start the 4 hour race, which was a good decision. He started on the 4th row (9th or 10th) and went into turn one in 3rd place, overall. He held that spot for about a lap before being passed by some incredibly fast people. John turned about 37 laps on the ole beast before coming into the pits for fuel and a rider change. John clicked off some fast times, but more importantly, he was super consistent. He set a benchmark that I was only hoping to match. After our pit stop, I went out for my hour stint with us in 11th place overall. I did my best to be consistent and I was able to bring us back up to 9th place before I had to pit in at lap 36 to get fuel and a new tire. Our pit stop wasn’t super fast by endurance racing standards, but with our setup (ie, no quick change parts on the tank or rear wheel), the crew did an awesome job and got us rolling down pit lane quickly and without any issues. Will took the next stint and did roughly 35 laps, and turned the best lap of our race on lap 84 (his 10th lap). The last pit stop was for fuel and to change riders, with Tim taking the last stint. Tim started his stint off turning some slower laps than he’s capable to conserve fuel. We were flirting with the line of whether we had enough fuel to finish the race or not, so Tim took it easy early to make sure we did. As time went on, he picked up the pace and brought it home in 9th place overall, and 6th place in class.

The end of the race was bitter sweet for me and others on the team. It was a fantastic race, we all had a great time and worked really well together. Not having Randy around to witness and be a part of it, though, was a hard pill to swallow. It was an emotional end to a fun race. Although Randy wasn’t there, we were blessed to have his sister, Melanie, there to watch her first race.

Pic 6: 4 of the Blue Angels flying over the track.

After the endurance race, the track shut down for a few hours for the portion of the air show that included the Blue Angels. They put on an amazing show, to say the least. The most jaw dropping thing that happened was when one of the jets flew directly over us no more than a couple hundred feet overhead. As he hovered over us, he hit the throttle and climbed quickly. There is no way to describe the sound that F18 made, I thought for sure that I would have blood dripping from my ears after he left, and the feeling of the rumble through your core was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It was also cool watching #6 do some incredible stuff after just having met him the night before.

Pic 7: I turned around on the last lap to see John stalking me. Photo by Nancy Goodnight.

Race #6 was my second race of the day, 750SS. I didn’t get the start I wanted, but I didn’t lose a lot off the start either. I did my best to attach myself to the lead group, but after a few laps, it was clear to me that I just didn’t have the pace I needed, so I looked back to see who was behind me. No one was there, so I coasted for a few laps. On the last lap, I decided to look back once more to find John right on my tail just waiting to pounce on me. I put my head down, but at this point my pace had slowed and it’s difficult to go back to laying down a hard, fast lap after cruising, but I did my best. As we approached a lapper, I knew I was a sitting duck, so I was already thinking about where I was going to pass him back after the lapper. Luckily, for me, he passed me before we got to the lapper and by the time we did, I was able to use the lapper to my advantage to get back by him. With that obstacle gone, I just had to focus on finishing with no mistakes. If he was going to pass me and make it stick, I was determined to make him work for it… and work for it, he did. He got a drive on me coming out of the esses and threw it in to my inside on the last corner before the straight. I could see him coming and I knew that if he made it through, I was going to have the better line through the corner. He ran it deep into that last corner, which gave me just the advantage I needed to get him back just before the finish line. My pace wasn’t what it should have been, but the last couple laps of this race was probably the most fun I had all weekend on the bike, it was a lot of fun battling with John.

Pic 8: The bike looks awesome with the new Sharkskinz and Swenson paint.

Race #8 was my last race before the air show break. I qualified and started 5th, but I got the worst start of my career. I have been having a hard time getting my bike into neutral unless I shut it off. As I rolled up to the grid, I tried to find neutral and got frustrated, so I put it into what I thought was 1st and just held the clutch until the start of the race. I had actually been in 2nd, and I nearly got hit by a ton of riders as they went by me on the start. It was nearly a very costly mistake, and I’m ashamed that I let it happen. I put my head down and was determined to make up for the terrible start. I passed a couple riders quickly, and was pushing hard to make up more ground. As I came out of T1 on lap 3, I noticed a clunking noise that I’d never heard before. I threw my hand up and let those riders come back through on me, and decided that I was going to try to latch back on, maybe it was just a fluke. I made it all the way back to T1 and the same thing happened, so I decided to pull in. After close inspection, I noticed my rear sprocket had been rounded off and the chain was rotating on the teeth. I was happy it was a relatively easy problem to fix, but I was really frustrated that it was something so simple.

Overall, I had an amazing weekend. The atmosphere this weekend couldn’t have been better, we pitted next to the best people in the paddock. The racing didn’t always go the way I had wanted, but the bike is home in one piece and I know what needs to change to go faster.

Pic 2: 3MR team building exercise.

I can’t thank my sponsors enough. Shoei Helmets and put me in the best helmet on the market, the new x-14 is really awesome. PopShadow Decals has done a great job for us for years making me and my equipment look professional. They really are top notch in quality and customer service. BD Racing has us covered with the best brake pads money can buy, Vesrah. Sportbike Tire Service is always helping us go faster, whether it’s with tires or setup advice, these guys know their stuff. Sportbike Leather Service works magic with my suit, it blows my mind how Dan can take a crashed suit and make it look better than new. Sharkskinz keep the bike looking fresh, they make the best race bodywork in the world. Vortex Racing has been a huge supporter for a long time now, their rear sets and sprockets are the best in the business. Spiegler Performance Parts has the absolute best brake lines on the market, and they’re fully customizable so you can get the colors you want. Moto-D Racing has the best tire warmers for the money, and their customer service is fantastic. They also carry a lot of cool accessories for the race track. Pilot Motosport has stepped up again this year and teamed up with us to put us in the best protective suit in the business. Sidi Boots and Motonation have some of the best prices out there on the best boots money can buy. The new Mag-1’s are awesome boots, I can’t say enough about them. The Motorcycle Factory, Inc. in Woodbridge, VA has some of the best deals in the area on new and used bikes.

Pic 5: 3MR riders with Melanie.

Sunday was a new day, another chance for me to wrap my head around things and improve from the day prior. I had 3 races in the morning before the air show, and one race right after the air show in the afternoon. My first race was race #3 (600SS), and I started in the center of the 3rd row (7th). My start wasn’t terrible, and I latched onto some of the faster guys for the first lap. Unfortunately, on the start of the second lap, I made a slight mistake and lost a lot of time. After all of the laps on the endurance race on Saturday, I had gotten used to the engine braking on that bike and used it to my advantage going into T1. However, when I got on my R6 and tried to use the same brake marker, I was quickly reminded that my R6 doesn’t have that much engine braking and wasn’t able to get it slowed down enough before going into T1. I turned as much as I could, but I knew I was going off into the muddy mess. Luckily, I was able to keep it upright and reentered the track at T2. My teammate, John, had the exact same issue, but he wasn’t as lucky and ended up crashing in the mud. I finished the race in 10th, which isn’t where I wanted to be, but I was happy to have finished after what could have been a major mistake.

Pic 4: Bob showing Tim the board, 10 minutes to go.

The last race of the day for me was 750SB. Since I had messed up the start so bad on the last race, I was overly cautious on this start and didn’t get off the line the way I had hoped. I noticed right away that the bike was acting differently, and not for the better. When I replaced the sprocket, the closest thing I had to the gear ratio I was using was 1 tooth smaller in the rear. This change also causes the wheelbase to be longer, which makes quick transitions harder. I noticed it right away and was instantly frustrated with myself for not thinking that through. I did my best to keep my pace up, but I just couldn’t run the way I had hoped to this race. This was the first time in my racing career that I had finished dead last, and it stung a little.

The team sat down and ate on Friday night and tried to develop our game plan for the following day. There was a lot to discuss: things like rider order, pit stop job designation, etc. but John’s wife, Sherri, did an awesome job keeping the group of short-attention-span-having racers focused on the task at hand. While we were strategizing, a fellow by the name of Tyler Davies walked up in his blue jump suit. He was a Blue Angel, pilot number 6. He shook all of our hands and told us how he loved what we do and that he used to race motorcycles when he was younger, but because he’s a Blue Angel, he’s not allowed to race anymore because it’s “too dangerous.” He stood around with us for quite a while and answered all kinds of questions that we had, including the question “How much does it cost for the Blue Angels to fly?” To which his response was “Can you put a price on inspiration?” Having the air show as part of the weekend was a bonus, but not nearly as much of a bonus as getting a chance to BS with one of the pilots.