Race #3 - Infineon, May 27-28
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May 27- Practice Day |
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After finally receiving our full
set of race wheels, the Team
JaS race bike was finally completed. The race wheels were not only almost
10lbs lighter than the street wheels which translated into quicker handling,
braking and acceleration (due to less unsprung weight), they would also allow
the use of Michelin’s latest generation of race tires. Superbike race wheels
are 16.5” in diameter vs. 17” permitting higher profile tires to be used with
larger side contact patches which provide more grip when fully leaned. This
would allow Sherwick to carry higher corner speeds and get on the throttle
sooner both of which should translate into faster lap times. We had been
waiting for these wheels since November of 2005 and Sherwick had gone through
3 suppliers before finally getting the wheels from
However, our excitement would be
short-lived. Why? Read on… The conditions were perfect as
Sherwick went out on his first practice session of the day. Most riders find
it hard to get up to pace quickly but Rich had impressed upon Sherwick the
importance of warming up and gaining focus before even getting out
onto the track. Sherwick immediately started descending his times lap by lap
and by the eighth lap, had logged the best time of all riders in his group!
This time was even within a second of his race times last month! The new
front wheel indeed allowed for a quicker turn-in…so quick in fact that
Sherwick had to adjust his lines or else go off the inside of the
track! Now he could pick up the bike off the edge of the tire sooner and
consequently also get on the gas sooner. As he fine-tuned his lines, his
times dropped. Sherwick was looking forward to the second practice session
where he intended to get down to his race pace of last year. However, during
the final lap he felt as if the bike went into a false-neutral all by
itself at the crest of the “Carousel” (one of the highest points of elevation
on the track). What had happened was one of the cylinders lost power
immediately. By the time he reached the next turn down the hill, the engine
started making knocking sounds. He immediately pulled in the clutch and
killed the engine as he saw the red engine light appear and coasted through
the tight chicane at turn 9a. To give you some idea of the speeds these
riders reach, Sherwick was able to coast through one of the slowest corners
of the track and still travel a quarter mile before coming to a stop! Meanwhile, I was oblivious to what
was happening and was waiting outside the garage to “catch” his bike when he
rolled in. While I was waiting, I heard the director announce that there
would be a delay before the next practice session because they had 4 crashed
bikes to pick up. When I didn’t see Sherwick rolling into the paddock,
imagine what I was thinking! When I caught a glimpse of him pushing his bike
towards our garage, I wasn’t certain if he was ok, but as he drew closer I
could tell the bike was in fine shape – externally at least. After a preliminary examination of
the engine by a couple of different Ducati mechanics from Nichols Manufacturing and Desmoto
Sport, we were able to rule out top-end issues with the engine. But after
inspecting the engine oil at Desmoto
Sport in San Francisco, gold shavings indicated that the main
half-bearings (part 8 below) along with possibly the titanium connecting rod
(part 5 below) and crank shaft (part 1 below) had been destroyed.
The good news? Most likely it could
be fixed by the next race in three weeks time. The bad news? There was no way
it was going to be fixed for the race this weekend. So, we’d have to wait
until round 4 to see the fruits of our labor. The lost points and strain on
the budget were very frustrating indeed but “that’s racing” as they say! |
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May 27- Race Day |
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We watched the Open Twins race
(what would’ve been Sherwick’s first and most important race of the day) as
spectators (a first for Sherwick). This race turned out to be quite a
spectacle. Red flags were thrown as separate crashes were serious enough to
call the race to a halt three times. The schedule was delayed to the extent
that all subsequent races for the day were shortened to only seven laps.
Maybe it was a good thing we didn’t race? |
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Enjoy the ride –- Team JaS Special thanks to: |
