Pittsburgh International Race Complex: August 24-27, 2017

Pittsburgh International Race Complex:

August 24-27, 2017

MotoAmerica

Pic 1: Photo by Brian J. Nelson

Pittsburgh International Race Complex has quickly become one of my favorite tracks, so when MotoAmerica announced that they were going to host an event there, I immediately started planning to race at that event. I raced at PITT a little over a month ago and was able to drop a lot of time throughout the weekend, so I felt confident that I’d be able to qualify and have some good races. 2017 seems to be the year of working through adversity, though, and things weren’t quite as easy as I thought they should have been.

We rolled into the track at about 11am on Thursday and anxiously waited to be called to set up our pit. Once we were called, we quickly set up our paddock area and pulled out all of the equipment that we’d use throughout the weekend. We got the bike through tech inspection and attended the rider’s meeting. Once all of that was done, they let us out on the track to check out the new chicane that they had added to the track. The track had just been repaved which made the whole track faster. In one particular spot, turn 16, the speed through it was exceptionally dangerous because of the lack of run-off on the outside of the turn. There is a cliff just beyond the track, which is protected by guardrail. When the superbikes rolled through there, they were reaching speeds of nearly 160 mph at full lean with only a small amount of run-off there before you would eventually reach the guard rail. In order to make this area of the track safer, they added a chicane just before turn 16 which would slow the riders down through that turn. Everyone was anxious to look at how they executed the chicane on Thursday. Most of the riders had been to the track before this weekend, but this would be the first time everyone had gone through this chicane.

Pic 2: Paddock area set up, next to the Wilson rig.

Pic 3: View of the new chicane.

I was really looking forward to getting on track Friday morning. I knew most of the track really well and I was looking forward to figuring out the Dunlop tires again so that I could go out and put some fast laps in. I have been riding on Michelins all year because they work really well for me and how I ride. I’ve ridden Dunlops a lot in the past so I wasn’t too concerned about getting back on them, but I knew there would be a bit of a learning curve early on.

The weather for the weekend was gorgeous for the spectators and probably perfect for many of the racers, but the cool temps weren’t what I was hoping for. Historically, I ride much better when it’s hot out, and I have a history of crashing on Dunlops in cool weather. Having these thoughts already in my head kind of played games with me early on, but I was determined to push, go fast, and have fun.

I went out for the first practice session and wanted only to ride the track. I wasn’t worried about lap times, or passing people, or anything else competitive. I needed to turn laps and figure out my marks. I also wanted some laps on the Dunlops at a moderate pace so I could relearn some of their characteristics before I turned up the pace in the afternoon. I tried to figure out the new chicane as best as I could, but I struggled figuring out where I needed to be and what I should be aiming for. I blew the chicane at least 3 times in this session because I was so lost in that portion of the track. When you run the track without the chicane, you are flying down a hill clicking into 5th gear and holding it wide open through the kink. I was so used to that, it was muscle memory that I had to erase and teach myself something completely new. Most of my laps were in the 2:00+ range with 1 lap at a 1:57.5. That time was good enough for 6th place in practice group 2, but I knew I was a long way from where I needed to be.

Pic 4: Hot pit setup.

In the afternoon practice session, my plan was to go out for 8 laps or so, then come in and loosen up, and then put down a couple fast flying laps. However, my plans went out the window when I tucked the front going into T4. I can’t tell anyone what happened or what caused the crash because there was no feedback or warning of a crash. I was on lap 4, transitioning from the left hander to the right hander, and the front end smoothly let go. I wasn’t pushing hard yet, and I got my time down to a 1:54.19, so I was confident that I would have been in the low 53’s by the end of the session, but my time was cut short and I’d have to try to figure out what I needed to change to make the bike go faster.

Pic 5: Fixing the R6 after a crash in practice.

I spent most of the afternoon and evening on Friday putting the bike back together. I bent the triples, broke the fairing stay, and rashed up the bodywork pretty good, but I had all the parts I needed so I got to work fixing my mistake. Prior to this weekend, the bike was set up really well for the Michelin tires and I didn’t make any changes to that setup because I needed to ride it at a good pace to be able to determine what changes I needed to make. Unfortunately, I didn’t get as many laps on the bike at a good pace as I wanted, so I was going to have to make some educated guesses and make some geometry changes based on what I remember from using Dunlops in the past. To make things even more interesting, I finally accepted that my engine is in the process of eating a head gasket and the symptoms had gotten worse in this 4 lap practice session. Along with working on the broken parts of the bike, I also spent a good amount of time talking with my engine builder and my friend, Rick Lind, who would be coming in later that evening to help out in the pits. I was going to have Rick pick up a new head gasket from my builder, but timing of that exchange wasn’t quite working out and I wasn’t quite sure I’d want to change a head gasket at the track in between qualifying and the race on Saturday. Rick offered to pull the engine out of his R6 and bring it as insurance, and as much as I hated for him to do that, we agreed that it was probably our best option.

Pic 6: The R6 back in one piece.

With the bike back together and some geometry changes made, it was time to focus on qualifying and coming up with my game plan. If you’ve read any of these reports in the past, you may know that I struggle early in the morning, and my qualifying session was first thing at 8:30. In the past, I’ve made good progress by treating the 40 minute session as 3 smaller sessions to give me some time to get off the bike and loosen up, so I did the same thing here. Based on lap times on Friday afternoon, I needed a 1:53.9 to qualify. Since the faster guys are all in the qualifying session after mine, I wouldn’t actually know what I needed to qualify until they were done, but I had to set my target somewhere. I had done a 1:54.19 in the afternoon, so I didn’t need much more, but with it being a cool morning, it wasn’t a given that I’d get there. I executed my plan just how I wanted, and I found myself ready to go out for the last stint just as my buddy and endurance racing teammate was, so I went out behind him to try to latch on and drop some time. Prior to this, I was in the 1:57’s, far from where I needed to be, so I needed a carrot to chase to drag my times down. Just as we went out, a red flag came out which forced us right back in to the pits. I was praying they would let us back out, there was around 8 minutes or so left in the session when the flag came out, and I needed that time to get my lap times down. When we finally went green again, they gave us 4 minutes on the clock, which meant I’d get 1, maybe 2 flying laps. Again, I tucked in behind Tim and away we went. Those last 2 laps were a 1:54.0 and a 1:53.9, right where I had set my target. I was really hoping to pull that time down another few tenths, but I ran out of time with the red flag, so I’d have to live with what I had.

I went back to the trailer and took my suit off. As I thought more, I knew that my time wasn’t going to be enough. I hoped that the leaders where something like me and wouldn’t be able to go quite as fast in the morning as they did in the afternoon the day prior, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case. I did the math and figured out that the fastest 600 superstock time couldn’t be any faster than 1:46.47 for me to have qualified, so I sat and watched as the laps ticked off. The leaders where in the low 47’s and high 46’s for a while, and then Mazziotto clicked off a 1:46.170 on his 12th lap, which sealed my fate and pushed me into the Last Chance Qualifier. Based on his time, I would have needed a 1:53.602 to qualify, which I should have been able to do pretty easily, but nothing seemed to be coming easily this weekend.

We continued to monitor the head gasket issue and it seemed to be holding steady for the time being. We didn’t have time to swap engines before the LCQ anyway, so we cooled the bike off, filled the radiator back up and got ready for this race. Based on what I (and many others in the paddock) understood about the qualifying rule, the top 5 in LCQ under 110% of the 1:46.170 of Mazziotto would qualify for the race. Based on that, my plan was to go out and follow the leader for 7 laps, and if I have an opportunity to make a clean pass for the win, I’d take advantage of it. However, my number 1 objective was to qualify for the race, so I planned to play it safe in the LCQ because it would do me no good to wad up my bike pushing for lap times if I didn’t need them.

At the start of the race, I got a terrible start from the 2nd spot on the grid. Starting with the lights instead of a flag is something that I haven’t quite gotten used to, and it showed. I entered T1 in 5th place, but I put my head down and made quick work of 3 of the riders in front of me. I sat back in 2nd place for most of the rest of the race, executing my plan just as I had hoped. On the last lap, I was able to get a run coming down the hill and made a pass just before the chicane that put me in the lead. I’d hold that lead, putting in my fastest lap on the last lap with a 1:53.290.

Pic 7: After winning the LCQ #1 on Saturday.

My focus quickly switched to the main race and I was looking forward to getting things ready and getting on the grid. However, Bill Sweeney brought me the starting grid for the main race and I wasn’t on it. At the bottom of the grid sheet was a statement that said that the LCQ finishers had to have a lap time of 110% of the overall qualifying time, not of the 600 superstock time. This meant that I would have needed a lap time of 1:52.551 in the LCQ to make the main race. Of course, I was confused and frustrated. Everyone that I talked to, even some MotoAmerica officials, had said it was 110% of the superstock time. With my fastest time already being under 107% of the superstock time, I thought there should be no way I couldn’t have qualified. After all, how could the LCQ be held to a higher standard than the rest of the 600 superstock qualifiers? If that were the case, I would have had to go over a second faster in the LCQ than in the 600SS qualifying to make the cut-off. I spoke with Doug Chandler and sure enough, that was the case. MotoAmerica didn’t consider that this could ever happen, where the LCQ qualifying time would be faster than the actual qualifying time of 600SS, and they told me that they had to draw the line somewhere. I argued that my qualifying time was faster than some already on the grid. I argued that had this rule been clear from the beginning, I would have pushed harder in the race and made it anyway. I brought clear evidence that my lap times consistently dropped in the race to make a pass for the win late in the race just to have the win, it was clear that I could go faster when I wanted to. However, none of this mattered because I didn’t make the cut-off defined in the rules. To clarify, the confusion stems from a rule change late in the season that changed the qualifying time for 600SS. The rule made the qualifying time for 600 superstock against the fastest 600 superstock machine, not the overall fastest qualifier which would always be a 600 supersport. The 2 classes race at the same time, but you can tell the bikes apart by their number plates. 600 superstock has a red number plate with yellow numbers, where as 600 supersport has white number plates and blue numbers. Supersport is allowed a lot more modifications, and they also use different tires, so it was unfair for the 600 superstock riders to have to qualify against riders on these bikes, which is the origin of the rule change. They changed the rule for qualifying, however they didn’t change the rule for the LCQ, which is why there was a lot of confusion. It made sense to everyone in the paddock that the rule would have read 110% of superstock, but that wasn’t the case, and I’d not be allowed to grid up for the race.

About 20 minutes prior to the start of the race, Bill ran back over telling me that there was an appeal for the starting grid and that I should get ready just in case. I hurried up and put my gear on. Luckily, my tire warmers were on and the bike was fueled and ready to go, all I had to do was get myself ready. I hurried down to hot pit and jumped on the bike. We asked officials if we were on the grid, and we couldn’t get an answer, so I went out for the sighting lap anyway. Once on the grid, I grabbed an official and told them what was going on. I asked if they knew anything new, and I was told that they just decided not to let me race. I was frustrated that I got all geared up and ready and wouldn’t be allowed to race, but I was glad that I was able to get out there in the event that they did allow me to race. When I explained why I was there, the official told me I did the right thing and it was good to give myself the chance if the decision had gone the other way. Unfortunately it didn’t and I’d have to exit the track when the flagger released the riders for their warm-up lap.

Since I didn’t get to race, I took some time to relax a bit before I shifted my focus to the LCQ on Sunday. I already came here to prove that I could make the race, but now I had even more to prove. I felt I had already made the qualifying cut-off, I ran a 1:53.2 in the LCQ and the qualifying time for 600SS was a 1:53.6. I was now asked to go a 1:52.5 to make the race. Fair or not, I was determined to prove that I deserved to be there.

My game plan for this race was totally different than the first LCQ. I was going to come out of the gates with my hair on fire, I was going to make this happen. My start sucked again, no way to sugar coat it. I quickly made some passes and found myself in 2nd place again, behind Jaret Nassaney, the same rider who I followed most of the race the day before. I looked for a way around him for a couple of laps. As much as I needed to get around him, I also knew that I couldn’t do anything sketchy or make any hard passes on him. The last thing I wanted to do was take him or myself out making a hard pass, it had to be clean. Coming into the chicane on the 2nd lap, I came in hot and knew that I wasn’t going to get it slowed down. I blew the chicane which opened a gap between Jaret and myself. I was frustrated with myself at first, I had made up ground on him and just wasted all of that energy with that mistake. However, I quickly realized that this was just what I needed to motivate me to get my lap times down. I put my head down and ran the fastest lap of the race, a 1:52.3, on the 3rd lap while trying to pull him back in. I’d find myself right back on his tail before long and I tried sticking my nose in a few different times before I finally made it stick on the brakes into T7. Once around him, I tried to keep the pace up to hopefully give him something to latch onto and pull him into the race as well, but unfortunately he missed the cut-off by 0.2 seconds.

Pic 8: After winning LCQ #2 on Sunday.

With the LCQ out of the way, we had just a short amount of time to get the tires changed, bike fueled, and everything ready to go before the fan walk started. Rick and I decided to put a medium plus on the rear instead of the hard tire we had been running, I was hoping to get a little more drive grip because the bike was sliding all over the place in the LCQ. Rick ran to grab tires, I went to grab fuel, and we took care of everything that needed to happen before the start of the race.

The fan walk was another fantastic experience put on by MotoAmerica. The crowd was much larger than any other MotoAmerica event I’ve been a part of, it really was a perfect weekend for racing in an area of the country that hasn’t gotten to experience this kind of racing. The turnout was great, the people were great, and everyone was excited to have pro motorcycle racing at their local track.

Pic 9: Talking to fans, young and old.

Pic 10: This guy wins fan of the year.

With the race coming up quickly after the fan walk, I ran to the trailer to get suited up and came right back down to look over the bike. After a quick look over everything, it was time to hit the track and get the Eric Telger Racing R6 on the starting grid for real this time. After a few minutes on the grid talking smack with some of the other teams on the grid, we were off for our warm-up lap. Since I was the only person that made it onto the grid from the LCQ, I was literally the very last bike on the grid. My focus was now on putting together a good race and finishing the race with the bike in one piece.

Pic 11: ETR crew on the grid.

Pic 12: Starting grid.

I actually got a decent start when the red lights went out and really tried to make it to T1 with someone behind me. However, I didn’t want to go super deep into T1 with a line of bikes in front of me, so I started braking a little sooner than I would have liked, which allowed a bike to get back around me. I followed a pack of riders for about 5 laps and was right there with the pack, trying to get myself just a bit closer so that I could start making some moves. All weekend, I had been pretty strong going down the hill into T5 and coming back up the hill towards T6 and T7. On lap 6, I started rolling on the throttle at the bottom of the hill and the rear end slid out more than it had all weekend. It startled me a bit, but I shook it off and kept pushing. As I climbed the hill toward T13 on the same lap, the bike stepped out on me again, this time on the left side of the tire. It wasn’t as bad as the slide in T6, but I hadn’t had that happen in T13 all weekend, so I was starting to get more concerned. I tried to keep pushing hard for 1 more lap and on lap 7, I had a startling slide on the exit of the kink, T15. If you’re not familiar with the track, that’s the fastest turn on the track now with the chicane in place, and it’s right before the new chicane. I felt the bike move through there in ways I have never felt the bike move, ever. I was convinced if I kept pushing through there, I’d highside and go home in pieces, so I had no choice but to back off. Instead of running 1:52’s and trying to dip into the 1:51’s like my competitors, I had to back off and ride in the 1:54’s and 1:55’s. I wanted to keep pushing, but after only a couple of laps of wrestling the bike with degraded traction, I could barely hold onto the throttle. By the last couple of laps, I noticed that I was gaining on Mark Rhoades and I really wanted to not finish last. However, I knew there wasn’t enough time to make up the gap and I was afraid that pushing to close the gap could cause me to crash with the lack of traction, so I held my times at a constant. Perhaps if I hadn’t had to race in the LCQ, maybe I would have had more energy to try to wrestle the bike more, but I’m not convinced about that either. I’d have to settle for 24th overall, and 17th in 600SS.

Pic 13: Rear tire tearing.

I was really happy with myself and my team for making the grid, even after all of the confusion with the rules and being held to a higher standard than everyone else. We pushed through adversity just like we have all year, and made it happen when it mattered. I didn’t want to finish last in the main race, and I had the pace and the bike to finish higher in the order, but to make the grid and fight through all of the problems this weekend that we encountered, I couldn’t have been more proud of my team and of myself.

I can’t thank my crew enough for all of their work this weekend. Brad Dodd came in on Thursday and helped set up. He was an integral part of the team all weekend, helping with the bike, logistics on the grid, and with strategy. Rick Lind is always my go-to man when doing pro events because he’s been there and he knows what needs to happen. He went way above and beyond this time, pulling out the engine in his own R6 to have as a backup if I needed it. Luckily, we were able to keep my R6 cool all weekend and got it through without needing to swap engines. John Hvizdak came in to race in the WERA Triple Crown race and helped us all weekend in the pits as well. He finished 10th in his race and threw down a 1:52.7. It was a pleasure, as always, pitting with the Wilson crew and being next to them on hot pit wall. My amazing wife, Denise, has really gotten the hang of all of this and was a huge help all weekend. Not only did she take care of the little development rider that we’re coaching, but she kept track of me and helped me manage my time when things got stressful.

I also can’t thank my sponsors enough for all of their help this year. It’s always awesome going to pro events and getting to spend some time with Kevin from Shoei Helmets. He always takes care of me like I’m one of the factory guys, his support through the years has been amazing. My brakes were amazing this weekend thanks to Mitch at BD Racing and Vesrah. There is no one in the business that takes better care of his customers and makes sure they have everything they need, and his prices on the best brake pads on the market are second to none. When you add Spiegler Performance Parts to the mix with their brake lines, you quickly realize you have the winning combination. PopShadow Decals has us looking great all year, as does Sharkskinz Racing Bodies. Moto-D Racing keeps our tires hot all weekend with their Pro Series digital tire warmers. Sidi takes care of my feet with their Mag-1 boots, the lightest and most protective boots on the market. Sportbike Tire Service is always cheering us on and offering advice when we need it, and Sportbike Leather Service takes great care of us when we go and crash like we did this weekend. Vortex Racing takes great care of us with everything from chains and sprockets, to levers and fuel caps. Their customer service is amazing, as are their products. Motul helps us make sure that our engine makes as much power as possible, while still protecting the internals of the engine so it lasts as long as possible. The Motorcycle Factory, Inc. takes awesome care of all of their customers in the motorcycle and ATV industries.