Summit Point: May 27-29, 2016

Summit Point Motorsports Park:

May 27-30, 2016, CCS

Pic 1: An awesome shot caught by Noiseless Productions on Friday.

After a disappointing weekend at VIR with MotoAmerica, I was looking for a little redemption when heading to Summit Point with CCS over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. I had been tracking the weather daily leading up to the event, and I knew that there was a small chance for rain pretty much each day at some point in the week, but Monday consistently looked like it had the best chance for rain. I decided early that I was going to go do the track day on Friday and practice day on Saturday, race in as many races as I could on Sunday, and then head out Monday morning regardless of the weather and enjoy the holiday. The only problem with this plan is that most of the 600cc races on the schedule were on Monday so I missed some of the good racing.

Pic 2: The crew cheering me on from T6.

Friday and Saturday were hot. Both days were in the high 80’s and sunny, which is pretty normal for this time of year. However, so far this year we have only really seen cool, cloudy days and rain. We haven’t seen many warm days like that, so when they came, it felt like we were on the face of the sun. I don’t mind the heat, in fact I would rather it be hot than cold, but the heat took a lot out of me since I wasn’t used to it. Figuring out that I’m not where I need to be in that respect is huge because it gives me an opportunity to do something about it before the next big event.

I switched back to Michelin race tires for this event because I could, I’m required to use Dunlops for MotoAmerica races but I really like the way the new Michelins work. The only problem with this is I have much less time on the Michelins, so even though they work way better for me than the Dunlops, it took me most of Friday just to get used to the way they move around compared to the Dunlops.

You can tell just by the number of race reports on the website this year that I haven’t gotten nearly as much time in on the bike as I had by this time last year. At this point I have the knowledge to go fast, but I needed seat time on the bike to make things come together. I spent Friday and Saturday getting back up to speed with the tires, relearning the track, and working on little things on the bike and in my riding. I was off my normal pace in practice by about .8 of a second which was frustrating, but I wasn’t getting too hung up over that, I just wanted to push my limits and improve.

Pic 3: Going out for the GTU race.

The way the schedule for Sunday was first posted, CCS put the GTU (the 600cc 25 minute race) back to back with the Unlimited Superbike 7-lap sprint race (1000cc race). This sprint race was the only one on the schedule for Sunday that I could compete in, and I wanted to do at least one sprint race, so I elected to register for the GTO (1000cc 25 minute race). I wasn’t excited about this because Summit Point is a “horsepower track,” bigger bikes certainly have an advantage over smaller bikes, and there were some fast dudes in that class. Luckily, CCS decided to split the sprint race into 2 races, with the amateurs racing first and experts second. This worked out in my favor because now I could jump back into the GTU with the rest of the 600’s, and have a small break before going back out for the Unlimited Superbike race. The only problem is that CCS grids you by when you register, so my last minute decision to switch put me dead last on the grid in 38th place.

Pic 4: At the back of a pack of riders in the GTU.

The start of the GTU was insane. I was dead last, and we were split into two waves. The start of the race happened extremely fast, the starts were nothing like WERA’s starts where there is a slight pause between each movement of the boards. By the time the second green flag flew, it seemed like some of the racers weren’t sure if it was time to go or not. I took advantage of their hesitation and was able to pass a handful of people off the start. The first 4 laps or so were intense, the traffic was so dense that it was hard to navigate your own line, let alone try to set up passes. With the leaders getting a head start on me, I decided early that I wasn’t messing around in this race, I was going to push my way through as hard and fast as I could. I made some passes stick that I would never have tried in a sprint race, I was passing multiple bikes around the outside of corners, I was splitting riders through the kink, and I made several block passes going into braking zones. This race was definitely sketchy starting from the back and pushing through so many riders, but it was really fun and a really good learning experience. I can go fast, but making passes at that speed is sometimes a daunting task. During this race, I didn’t think twice about shoving my nose in somewhere and just pushing through. Ultimately I would finish this race in 16th, passing a fair amount of riders starting in the first wave. I had followed 3 riders the last few laps and tried to make something stick, but during the last lap I looked back and saw that no one was behind me, so I decided to let up a little because I was developing some arm pump that was getting hard to manage. I had the pace to ride with the top 6-8 guys, but I was happy to finish where I did, making all of those passes was really fun.

Pic 5: After pushing my way through one group, only to catch another.

The Unlimited Superbike race didn’t go quite so well, although it wasn’t a bad race either. Like I mentioned, it’s really hard to make any ground on bigger bikes because of the amount of time you’re on the gas at Summit. For all of the ground I would make up with braking and corner speed, I would ultimately lose right back in the straights. I started this race in 24th and was able to push up to 21st. This wasn’t exactly a stellar performance, but it was cool to use some of those guys as a rabbit to chase.

Pic 6: Getting in the zone before the Unlimited Superbike race.

I got down near my personal best, but I just couldn’t quite beat it this time around. My fastest lap was during the GTU, which kind of blew my mind because I was in such heavy traffic. This, along with the fact that I’m on a bike with significantly less power than last year’s bike, left me not too disappointed in my performance and looking forward to the next time I get to go out and make more ground.

Thanks to my wife and in-laws for being at the track with me, it was a great weekend and the weather held out almost the entire time.

Speaking of thanking people, my supporters this year are helping out a ton and without that help I couldn’t afford to race at this level. Shoei Helmets continues to be a huge supporter and our choice of protection. Not only is their product the best (especially the new X-14!), but their customer service is amazing as well. Pilot Motosport has stepped up again this year and provided us with the best crash suit on the market. Unfortunately, I tested the new suit the very first time I put it on, but it held up perfectly and only had cosmetic damage. Sportbike Tire Service is the premier dealer of Michelin tires, and the knowledge that David Grey has in his giant cranium is astounding. Popshadow Decals has once again outdone themselves with the graphics on my bike. Vortex Racing is still second to none in the customer service department, and their products speak for themselves. We’ve added Pitbull Products to our team this year and we couldn’t be happier to have such a fantastic company supporting us this year. Pitbull is known for their industry leading stands, but they have also been coming out with some awesome new products as well. Moto-D Racing has been a supporter for a few years now and we couldn’t be happier with them. Their tire warmers are amazing, they allow you to really dial in the temperature of the tires based on the conditions, and they also have some awesome products out there that you should check out. Spiegler Performance Parts has also been supporting us for a while now and their brake lines are the industry standard for stainless lines. Sidi boots make the lightest, most protective boots on the market, and Spy Optics keep us looking cool on the grid before the races. The Motorcycle Factory Inc in Woodbridge, VA has some of the best deals on new and used bikes. Lastly, Core Nutritionals helps me prepare for these grueling weekends at the track with some awesome workout supplements.