Triumphrat

It's been a while!

I just looked in here for the first time in a while. There are a lot of updates since last May. I managed to graduate and will have an expert license this coming season. It was a goal, but it's also a bit of a surprise, since I had a terrible season. I never got along at all well with the Gixxer. Let's face it, a 2004 GSXR 600 just isn't a Triumph 675. Halfway through the season, I bought a 1999 SV650 race bike from a friend who had two of them. It will be my race bike in 2009, since I... [Read More]

Finally!

The last track day was supposed to be a time to sort things out and get more familiar with the bike. Instead, I had brake problems, and then a holed radiator. I ended the day just as frustrated with the bike as at the start of the day.

Yesterday was the first day of the latest WMRRA weekend, and I was looking forward to getting some more time on the bike to get things sorted. It is taking me a lot of time to learn to understand this bike.

The day started out dry, and both Paul and I wer... [Read More]

Initiation!

First race, ever, and I was as slow as a post! Novice practice was first, at 9:00 and we got a second practice at about 11:30. Then the race went on at 4:30 or so. The only exact time was 9:00, since things happen.

Loading up was no problem, since Paul and I have gotten it down to a bit of a science. It can certainly be improved upon, but it was uneventful. We got to the track before the gates opened at 7:00, since it was going to rain, or not rain depending on what forecast you looked a... [Read More]

On Track!

Finally! And boy am I sore! Yesterday was the on-track training session for novice racers, so I am a licensed nOOb now. It sure feels good to have a small card that says I am a hopeless neophyte. Now, when I do something dumb, I can pull out the novice race license and show why.

More seriously, it was a complete blast. I felt rusty all day, especially in the morning. I had never ridden the bike before, except once around the block, so I kept missing shifts, finding neutral, and generall... [Read More]

March 14 Update

Here it is, about a month later. There have been a lot of developments, and not so many. I have been really busy trying to get the bike ready and dealing with all the things you have to do to race. It isn't a casual track day any more. I feel a bit like Dorothy in the land of Oz sometimes. Were not in Kansas anymore, Toto! I picked up six sets of tires from More Power Racing today, and a set of brake pads and some high temperature brake fluid from Aurora Suzuki, another of my sponsors for... [Read More]

Mid-February

I guess it is getting on toward late February instead of mid-February. Sponsorship is turning out to be a good thing, especially since just about all of my riding gear is very close to completely worn out. I just ordered a replacement for my four year old Shoei, a new pair of boots and a new pair of gloves. The new helmet is just like the old one. It didn't need any upgrading, but the boots and gloves will be huge improvements. Both are Alpinestars and a step down from top of the line.... [Read More]

February 1 update

Preparations for the upcoming season continue. I had a conversation with Andy Johnson of More Power Racing regarding where to put his decals and patches on my leathers. It is an alien concept to me- advertizing on my leathers. It gets me a huge discount on parts and other things I will need, so it is absolutely worth it. A glass shop ordered a new windshield gasket for the van for me, so I can remove the windshield for painting and put it all back together with a good seal. No leaks will... [Read More]

Racing- the next installment

Racing is a whole lot different from track days, as I am discovering. People will sponsor you, for one thing, but you have stipulations to adhere to. For example, I just got a primary sponsorship from More Power Racing, a relatively new shop in Marysville, Washington. They are trying to build up an internet parts business, and are using sponsorships for local racers as one way to do it. I have to race a certain minimum number of races, display their logo in certain ways and so on. Their... [Read More]

Going Racing

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... [Read More]