I loaded up the trailer and headed to Putnam Park Road Course for Fathers' Day Weekend. Packed in all my camping gear and both bikes. I always take my street bike just in case anything breaks or I rash something up on the track bike so that I have some spare parts handy, or worse case scenario, a spare bike...
We camped at the Cloverdale RV Park on Saturday night and drove into Greencastle (my home town) for dinner at Old Topper's Tavern - Great Loaded Potato Skins and a Great Steak for dinner really hit the spot after riding all day Saturday.
The weather was perfect all weekend and I was focused on working on a couple of areas of the track that I was having difficulty with. Turn 8 at Putnam Park (called Dead Bear) is a more than 180 degree left that has a down hill braking zone and entry with an up hill exit. I had been struggling with body position and remaining too upright through the turn.
I asked a control rider to watch me and then offer some advice back in the paddock. I had explained what I felt like I was doing and his observation of my riding confirmed it. He offered a couple of suggestions for getting my body more to the inside and forward on the bike and that resolved all my issues there.
My wife and daughters came out to the track for the very first time to watch me ride on Sunday. They joined me in the paddock at lunch time and shared a Fathers' Day Picnic Lunch with me and then stuck around all afternoon to watch me ride.
I was able to cut another 4 seconds off my lap times and got down to running a 1:19.3 as my best time of the weekend on Sunday. The next to the last Intermediate Session Brian Wink, one of the control riders, came up to me while waiting on the green flag to start our session and said - I'm going to send Chris Frye out with you to do an evaluation on you for your bump to the "A" group. He stressed that I shouldn't over ride things and to just keep doing what I had been doing all weekend. He told me that after two laps, Chris would wave me around and follow me. He said at that point, be sure you are smooth, hit your apexes and don't do anything jerky with the bike.
After Chris waived me by coming down the front straight for the second time, I just put my head down and really concentrated on hitting all my marks, getting on the brakes gently to start and then progressively pulling the bike down to the appropriate entry speed and getting back on the throttle early and smoothly.
After a couple of laps, I took a look over my shoulder and Chris was not behind me, but Ron Hix (currently leading two of the CCS Championship Brackets in the Expert Class and 2nd in two others was right there with me. Ron has been working with me along with Brian for the last year on improving and I am very comfortable riding with these two guys in particular.
Ron came around me going into turn 5 and I tucked right in behind him and just concentrated on braking when he did and getting on the gas when he did. At this point we were coming up on the back of the "I" group and were into some pretty heavy traffic. Ron led me through the traffic a couple of bikes at a time and then we got about 8 bikes under braking going into turn 1. That got us some more open track and we were able to reel off a couple of more quick laps before the session ended. What a blast!
In the paddock I went back to talk with Ron after I put my bike up on the stands and he awarded me my bump to the "A" group. I had intended on joining my wife and kids in the tower to watch the Beginner and advanced sessions before my last "I" session of the day, but was happy to hand signal to them that I had been bumped and that I was going back out, only this time in the Advanced class.
My first session in Advanced was a real scream, lots of open track and no one parking it in the corners. I averaged 1:20.4 for the entire session with a couple of laps in the 1:19's and a couple in the 1:21's while Jon Gu was showing me a new line through turn 2.
Our normal Midwest Photographer wasn't at the event this weekend and no one was taking pictures during the last "A" session of the day that I have been able to locate yet, but I do have a couple of photos from Saturday early in the day...
If you've never ridden on the track and you own a 675, you have not yet experienced just how phenomenal this bike is... Just beware, if you decide to go you will become a Track Addict!
All in all, it was the best Fathers' Day Yet!
Here are a couple of the last photos of my "I" group days...
About to eat an Aprilia for Brunch coming out of Turn 10...
Cropped photo late in the day on Saturday...
Jeff
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