Talladega Gran Prix: Feb 21-22 2015, WERA

Talladega Gran Prix:

Feb. 21-22nd, 2015, WERA

After a long “off-season,” I was more than ready to jump back into racing, head first. 2014 was a little disappointing, only having successfully completed 2 races, but I was determined to get back in the saddle and do everything I could to make 2015 a successful year for Eric Telger Racing. After careful consideration, we decided to take a chance and start our season off early with a round at Talladega Gran Prix, which is a combined Southeast and Mid-Central region event with WERA.

I knew this event would be tough, after all, it’s not anywhere near my region. Prior to this event, I’ve turned precisely 0 laps around that track, so I knew I had my work cut out for me. Add the fact that I didn’t get a track day before the race weekend like I would normally try to do, and inclement weather sporadically throughout the weekend, and you’ve got an extremely tough weekend before I even turned the bike on for the first practice session.

The crew set out for Munford, AL early Friday morning with temps only around 4 degrees and about 4 inches of snow on the ground. We arrived at the track around 7:30 pm that same day, and the temps had climbed to a balmy 40 degrees. We set up what we could and went to bed early in preparation for a hard weekend of racing. I got through registration and technical inspection without any issues Saturday morning, but it had rained late Friday night and into Saturday, so the track would be wet all morning for practice. Unfortunately this meant I would have to switch to rain tires, as I wasn’t comfortable trying to learn a new, wet track on race tires.

Practice went ok. I did my best to turn as many laps as I could, and I learned as much of the track as I could in the 6-8 laps of practice that I got. Unfortunately, that would be all I would get and I would have to grid up in my first race in nearly a year with only 8 laps of practice. This wouldn’t stop me, though. As I said, I’m determined to make 2015 a successful year of racing.

I would switch back to race tires for the races in the afternoon, as the track dried up after lunch. My first race of the weekend would be C (600cc) Superbike. I started on the 3rd row and was able to get a decent start, not really gaining any ground from the start, but also not losing any. It would be made clear to me during this race that I would need to find a way to step up my game, as the lead pack left me after a lap or two. Ultimately, I would finish 9th with 13 racers entered to race. I was happy to finish the race safely, as I was taking some chances during the race to try to keep up, but this would be motivation to make me push harder later in the day.

My second race was A (1000cc) Superbike. After another decent start, I found myself fighting to keep the pace, and I was struggling to say the least. It was clear that I needed more laps around this track before I’d be comfortable pushing hard enough to keep up with the leaders. I would have to settle for 7th place, and hope to be able to figure out the track later in the day.

Race 3 for me was A (1000cc) Superstock. Again, I found myself with a decent start, but I wouldn’t be able to keep the pace of the 1000cc bikes on the track. I was a little discouraged after this race, but I would continue to fight. I would settle for 5th place, but the gap between me and the next bike was pretty substantial.

The last race on Saturday was C (600cc) Superstock. Due to the timing of the races, I had one long break between my first and second race, but the gap between 2 and 3, and 3 and 4 were a matter of 1 race, meaning only about 15 minutes. After 3 races at Talladega, a track known for eating tires (especially the left side as there is only 1 right turn on the entire track), my rear tire was about toast. However, like I said, there really wasn’t much time to change tires, so I decided to deal with it and just be aware of it during my last race. I got a pretty good start, but found myself back in 6th place about halfway through the race with a 10+ bike gap between me and 5th place. I dug down and found some extra speed, and before I knew it I was right on the back wheel of the 5th place rider and doing my best to make a pass. After pulling alongside of this rider a couple of different times, I finally made a pass stick. But I didn’t make a pass for 5th, I made a pass for 3rd, as 3, 4, and 5 were riding together in a pack. They came up behind a lapped rider at about lap 7, and they all hesitated just long enough for me to take advantage of the opportunity and to pass them all, putting me in a podium spot. However, soon after making that pass, I made a mistake coming into a hard breaking zone, and found myself upsetting the chassis, causing me to run off of the track for just long enough for all of them to pass me back. I now found myself right back where I started, with a lot of ground to make up. I was determined to try, though, because there were a couple laps left. I roped them back in from a 15-20 bike length gap back down to 2-3 bike length gap, but I had to live with 6th place this time. I was really upset with myself for making the mistake, but I was also happy that I was able to find some speed and fight some battles, even if I had to settle for defeat this time.

Sunday would prove to be a completely different day, as the weather would leave us guessing from the beginning to the end. It rained all night, and all morning on Sunday. Luckily, I had already changed back to rain tires in anticipation of the weather, so my Sunday morning wasn’t quite as hectic. I went out for practice to get as many laps as I could (most racers that already had a lot of time at the track would skip practice altogether because of the conditions), but racing in the rain is something that is hard to get used to.

The order of races was the same as Saturday, so my first race of the day was C Superbike. After one of the better starts of my career, I found myself starting from the 3rd row and coming into turn 1 in the lead. I held the lead for more than 2 laps, but after that point in the race, I would slowly be picked off by faster racers. I would finish the race in 6th, but I was happy to have started so well, and I could see that I was making progress.

My second race, A Superbike, would also have a little excitement. The track seemed to have dried a little during my first race and the rain had subsided a little. I checked the radar on my phone using 2 different apps, one said there was a wall of rain coming our way, the other said it was clear and no more rain was coming, which helped exactly none. The choice would be either changing back to race tires, or staying with the rain tires, because like Saturday, after the break between my races 1 and 2, there wouldn’t be time to change them. I consulted my neighbor, and we decided it looked like rain was coming, and both of us chose the rains. Luckily, we were right and it did continue to rain off and on for another couple of hours. The race itself was pretty uneventful, I did my best to keep the pace but would have to settle for 5th place.

A Superstock was my third race on Sunday. During this race, I started the race in 3rd, and battled to make a pass for second early on. I was happy I was able to keep the leader in sight the entire race, but I just didn’t quite have the pace to catch him. Later in the race, I was passed and relegated back to 3rd, but I would continue to fight until the end. In the final turn of the race, I closed a 10 bike gap down and drag raced the racer in front of me to the start/finish line. I passed the racer at the line, but it was so close that neither of us knew who beat who. Unfortunately, I missed 2nd place by .05 seconds. However, on the bright side, I was finally able to keep pace with the leaders, and I was able to come home with a podium finish during a tough weekend.

My last race of the weekend, C Superstock, would be pretty uneventful, and I would settle for 5th place. By this point in the weekend, by tires were pretty ragged, and I was physically and mentally exhausted. I train a lot during the off season (and during the season) to fight this fatigue, but there really is no way to effectively train for this without actually getting on a bike and racing. This is exactly why I wanted to start so early; to get a leg up on the competition in my region, since those races don’t start until May.

2015 is starting off on a high note, and I’m extremely excited to see what the rest of 2015 has in store for me. I wouldn’t be competing at the level I’m competing at without the awesome support of a lot of people and companies. First and foremost, I can’t thank my family enough for all of their support, especially my wife, Denise. This hobby has led to a lot of highs and lows, and she’s always there no matter which case.

Shoei Helmets have supported me for a while now, and they provide me with the best helmets available to racers. Sportbike Tire Service and Michelin Tires give me the confidence to push my boundaries and to find that extra tenth of a second here and there. I’d also like to thank Derek from Stick Boy Racing for helping me dial in some tire wear issues early in the weekend. Moto-D Racing has been with us for quite some time now, and they’re always excited to help. They have some of the best products out there, I encourage you to check them out. Pop Shadow Decals is the industry’s best custom decal vendor, there is nothing they can’t do for you. Spiegler Performance helps with suspension refreshes, and they have the absolute best brake components out there. Check out their braided brake lines in nearly any color you could think of. Sidi Boots and MotoNation are new this year, and we’re really excited to have them on board. After using Sidi boots for years, and them having saved my foot from a lot of damage in my crash at Pike’s Peak, we are looking forward to a lot of years working together with them and having the best boots available on my feet. Vortex Racing is one of the industry’s best when it comes to customer service and product quality. Core Nutritionals have helped me train for this season, and help me push beyond my “limits.” Also, The Motorcycle Factory has helped us quite a lot providing us with race fuel and general supplies that we need for the track. If you need parts or are looking for a great price on a new bike, I encourage you to check them out.