Race #3 - Infineon, May 25-27
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After a successful AFM round at
Infineon Raceway last month with benchmark lap times set on the new
configuration, we were anxious to get back on the track. The bike was dialed
in with only the quick-shifter to tune and we picked up some new
Michelin-branded tire warmers from AFMotorsports
to replace our intermittently working ones. We were ready for practice where
we planned to focus on increasing our exit speeds for the key turns, #11 and 7,
which lead onto the front and back straights. |
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New tire warmers |
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May 25- Trackday |
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We took advantage of a track day
offered by Keigwins@theTrack, perhaps
the best organized track day provider on the west coast and certainly our
favorite. The day started off as a typical This was a good start so we wrapped
up the day early to change out the front brake pads and sand-blast the rotors
(a free service offered by one of the trackside vendors, Galfer). We left the front wheel off in
anticipation of a quick tire change the next morning right before tech. With
new brake pads and grippy rotors, we were looking forward to deeper braking in
the same key turns which would prevent other riders from overtaking us and
ruining our newly found exit speeds. |
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New brake pads and resurfaced
rotors |
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May 26- Practice Day |
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After we got our new Michelin
front, we started on the sometimes tricky and time-consuming job of
installing our front wheel. Why is this tricky you ask? The combination of
our smaller 16.5” wheel (compared to stock 17”) with new (thicker) brake pads
made for a very tight fit when installing the brake calipers. But this time we
discovered that if we left the axle out before bolting on the calipers, the
job was much easier and quicker because we were free to angle the wheel to
accommodate the caliper. So we had the front wheel on in record time and headed
to tech well before the first practice session during which we planned on bedding
in the brakes and scrubbing in the new tire. We found ourselves quickly up to
speed, riding consistently like the day before with a slightly slower 1:51.988.
Nevertheless, that lap time came at a comfortable pace, one which resulted
from precise lines and tightly clipped apexes. We discovered a quicker line
through T7 while we tightened our path in T11 in the first third while
slightly delaying our throttle roll-on in the last third until we were
pointed in the right direction– in other words, after finishing the turn.
We could then get on the gas even harder for faster acceleration down the
front straight. We were getting on the gas too soon, causing a wide
exit! Nevertheless as is often the case
while we improved one turn, another one became problematic. Because we were
exiting faster out of T7, we now were experiencing a bit of headshake in T8
(the esses). The resulting weak drive into the T9 chicane now made getting
passed more likely. We experimented with going over the berm vs. NOT going
over the berm in the first left of the esses but it didn’t seem to make a
difference- we still had headshake! At the end of the day we did not
find a solution to this problem so we changed out the rear tire, this time
making sure to check for any leaks. Recall that we found a nick in the inside
bead of our Marchesini mag rim
during the last round. Even though Michelin had sanded it down, we were
advised to keep a close eye on it and check it every time we changed the
tire. We sprayed the area with water and watched closely for air bubbles which
would indicate air being lost. Results were negative! After a quick trip to
tech, we were out of the paddock in record time! |
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No leaks this time in our rear
tire! |
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May 27- Race Day |
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We were nervous to check our rear
tire again upon arriving at the track since the last two rounds we found the
tire to be flat (read: 0 psi) on race morning even though it appeared to be
fine the night before. We were therefore excited when we realized that the
problem had indeed disappeared. |
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Race #1- Open Twins |
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Our most important race was once
again, our first race for the day. We were gridded in row 3, position 11,
which was situated closest to the inside wall with one rider, Simon Williams #405, between us
and the wall. We had a great launch beating our entire row and even splitting
through two riders in the next row (Pete Demas #54 on the Buell and Eddy Gonzales #831 on a
new 1098). However by the 2nd lap, Williams and Demas snuck by
simultaneously causing us to slip back two positions, but we managed to stay
ahead of Eddy for the entire race as he was still adjusting to his new bike. We
were nailing T7 and T11, but were still getting headshake through the esses.
By lap 6 of 8 we started fading mentally. Our efforts to stay with the lead
pack resulted in a Big Moment in T6, the downhill turn aptly named ‘The
Carousel’ because it bends left for what seems like forever. Too much
throttle combined with a high lean angle resulted in the familiar feeling of
the rear stepping out (very similar to flat tracking). We heard the revs rise
dramatically as the rear tire spun up and in an instant we were full into a
potential highside. Instinctively our right hand took care of business and as
we landed back into the seat, powering out of T6 with bars swapping
side-to-side. By the time the bike settled down, we were hard on the brakes
into T7. Whew! The rest of the race was taken at
9/10ths and we brought it home in 12th out of 34 starters. |
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Open Twins: 12th,
best lap = 1:49.664 |
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Sherwick ahead of Gonzales #831,
Demas #54 and even Lance Williams (on the red Ducati 749R)! |
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Race #2- Formula 40 |
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Once again we started from row 3.
This time in 12th position- at pretty much the same spot as in Open
Twins. Another great launch put us in 6th position going into T1. We
charged into T2 at our usual pace and this allowed us to propel past another
rider and into 5th place right behind veteran racer, Bud Anderson! We followed Bud
down the Carousel and even contemplated passing him into T7 but he was too
good on the brakes. Bud then started to pull away as we struggled with the
headshake in T8. Another rider took even advantage of our issue passing us in
T9. The pack in the front started to pull away but our lap times remained
very consistent as we clicked off 1:50.8, 1:51.4, 1:51.7, 1:51.4, 1:51.1,
1:51.1! However, the faster riders with poorer starts soon came through and
we eventually slipped back to 11th place. Even so, this was our
best finish in this class to date and we were happy with the placing out of
42 starters. Nevertheless, we needed to find some more speed and also get rid
of the headshake! |
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Formula 40: 11th,
best lap = 1:50.802 |
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A best finish to date in F40 |
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Race #3- 750 Superbike |
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We decided to ask Rob Mesa (former
#3 plate holder and good friends with our pit mates) about our problem in T8.
He surmised that our faster exit speed out of T7 caused us to be higher up in
the power curve resulting in the front tire lifting off the ground. Any input
into the bars while the tire was in the air would result in a crooked landing
causing the ensuing headshake. He suggested that we lighten up on the bars- which
was easier said than done, especially when you’re still hung off the side of
the bike! We were gridded in 19th
position, row 5, smack dab in the middle. This wasn’t an ideal position for a
fast launch as we were fully boxed in on all sides. Nevertheless, we
maintained our position going into the first two turns. Rob’s advice helped
and we managed to improve upon our lap time from F40. |
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750 Superbike: 25th
, best lap = 1:50.471 |
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A rather uneventful 750SB race |
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We are
now off to Thunderhill for the next race on July 8- so anything we have
learned from this weekend at Infineon will have to wait a while.
Nevertheless, we came away from another successful weekend where we solved
some problems and gained consistency. We are now gunning for a top ten in two
classes! |
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We’re looking forward to several
triathlon races as well as another Rich Oliver Pro Camp! All this racing
should sharpen us up for AFM round 4! |
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Enjoy the ride! –- Team JaS
Special thanks to: |
