Triumphrat

This is the first of what I hope is a whole series of entries about the coming season. I have been wanting to race for a very long time. As a kid, I was infatuated with machinery. I followed car racing, mostly, since my father liked cars and didn't think much about bikes. Mario Andretti, Jackie Stewart, George Follmer, and others were who I wanted to be when I grew up. It never occurred to me you have to pay for it all and work your tail off to make it all happen. Things like that never occur to a 10 year old.

Now it is 38 years later. In the mean time, I have done all kinds of things other than race, but over the last five years I have been doing a few track days every season. Track days are a whole lot of fun. I have learned how to ride on the track, be consistent, get passed a lot, pass other people finally, and position my body on the bike in all kinds of situations for optimal cornering, traction, and all kinds of other details. The planning I never considered as a 10 year old are now almost as much fun as the riding itself. I thoroughly enjoy everything from setting up the bike through changing the oil after the event. And, the track riding is a complete blast. But, there is something missing in a non-competitive track day.

I suffer from the red mist as badly some, but not as badly as the most competitive people. It is enough to make me want to beat people to the next corner, in the corner, and out. It is also enough to cause a whole lot of motivation when somebody passes me, since I don't necessarily like being passed, although I have learned to accept it. None of it matters during a non-competitive track day. Racing, even as a novice, changes everything.

Since January 2002, shortly after the founding of TriumphRat.net, I have been riding a Triumph supersport. At first, I rode a TT600, and used it on the track regularly. It was nearly always the only Triumph at the track, and I never saw another TT600, although there were rumors of one or two others locally. It was a fine track bike as far as I could take it, and when it blew up during a trackday, I replaced it with another a friend was selling. Then, Triumph announced the introduction of a new Daytona 675 triple and I had to have one. It was the perfect bike, and it is the perfect bike in most ways. Others seem to think so as well, since it is never the only Triumph at the track any more. Each event has several 675s in attendance. But, there still are not very many, and parts from the usual suspects don't fit. It isn't a problem if you don't crash, but I did crash at the end of last season and missed a trackday because I couldn't scare up enough parts to get the bike back together in time.

Before I bought the first TT600, I rode a Suzuki. Now, I have come full circle and have agreed to buy another Suzuki. This time, it is a 2004 GSXR 600. I don't need or want the power available from liter bikes or even a 750, so an aging and pre-crashed 600 is about right. They are a dime a dozen, and every other bike in the paddock is some kind of Suzuki, so if I do something dumb again, parts will be plentiful.

I have filled out the forms and will be sending them in shortly. I have to check to make sure my insurance covers body damage from crashing during a race. If it doesn't, I have to figure out a Plan B. Then, come March, the new racer school happens and it gets much more real. My lap times are decent for a novice already, and that's without any boost from competitive urges from racing instead of just riding around in circles. Even so, my hope is to stay out of the way, since I am pushing 50 and most of the others on the track are in their 20s and 30s. Rule one will be to finish the day alive. Rule two is stay mostly out of the way. Rule three is have a great time. Rule four is going to be beat everyone else on the track to turn one and keep going from there. I am not sure which rule will be more important once the flag drops. Rule four might get awfully compelling. One more rule- don't break anything you can't fix. I have a son about ready for college, so an expensive crash will end the season abruptly.

The bike itself has two seasons on a mostly stock motor. It has a few issues, but for the price, I don't mind. It isn't street legal in any way, nor will it ever be as long as I own it. If I don't kill it, I will eventually sell it or keep it as a track by for my brothers to use. Someday, I would like to race a Triumph, but this is a start. It is intended to be as cost effective as any race bike can possibly be (not very) and reliable. I have no illusions about winning championships or even standing on the podium.

It is going to be fun. And I hope to write about it here off and on during the season, partly as a record for myself, partly as a way to share, partly to boast accomplishments and confess dumb moves, partly just to do it.

1/26/2008 update

The first sponsorship offer came in and I accepted it. Panolin makes various kinds of oils an lubricants, and are raising their profile in the US. They are a Swiss company, like Motorex, but for whatever reason haven't done much in this market until now. I also visited the auto parts store and picked up a couple of rattle cans of paint for each of two colors. One is called School Bus Yellow, and the other is some kind of unnamed dark metallic blue. They are standard colors from the auto parts place around the corner, so finding a match will be very easy. I might even buy a case of the dark blue color and rattle can the van instead of doing a real paint job, since the color isn't too bad and they have primers and clearcoat to use with it.

The bike is still with its previous owner, and it will show up here tomorrow afternoon. I have to make space in the garage and figure out things like tire warmers, tire sources, generators, you name it. I am hoping to get some support from the local Bridgestone rep, since the bike is already set up for 'Stones, and I liked them best of the street tires I have used on the track so far. They were very forgiving relative to Michelins.

The next update should have pictures- the bike as it is, then with the plastic stripped off, and then with the new paint.

__________________
Will
It's a squid thing. You wouldn't understand.
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Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon.