Greetings All,

Several of the F.A.S.T. crew made an assault on Mid America Motorplex last weekend for the Saturday track day and racing on Sunday.

Rain greeted us on Saturday morning but Mike Boomer and Dave Abbas soldiered on in race licensing and track orientation schools.

Now Mike is an officially licensed racer! His day went off without a hitch, he was very busy, the only time we saw him was when he came by to add fuel or from the grandstands.

Dave’s school went well with his class finishing up just before lunch. He got to go out and play the rest of the day.

By early afternoon the sun had come out and the track dried out so Troy Walbaum fired up his XB12R and headed out for some laps.

I also went out with the race bike hoping to get some shake down laps in to help set up the suspension for the races on Sunday and to get familiarized with the bike again.

Everything started out fine but 3/4 way through the first lap the bike just quit running. As I was waiting for the session to end, I tried it again and it fired right up. After several minutes of thrashing to find a short or loose connection I decided to try the bike on the track again.

After 6 laps it died again and on the way back to the pits, on the back of the rescue truck, it started right up. Needless to say I was at my wits end! The day was over, I locked the bike in the trailer and took the repair manual with me to the hotel for some light reading.

Unfortunately, Dave’s day ended with a low side and Troy did some agricultural riding but kept it up in separate incidences. Both guys are fine, Dave’s bike incurred only slight damage mostly thanks to recently installed frame sliders. Troy’s bike got packed with mud but sustained no damage.

Sunday morning arrived with no idea of what the problem was when Katie Boomer suggested that we disconnect the battery with the thought it might cause the ECU to reset. I was for anything that could insure the bike make it around the track for more than a few laps. So with no morning practice laps, I was off to compete in my first race of the day.

Race #1 - GT Lights is a timed race, 25 minutes long, so the idea is to get as many laps in as possible within that time frame. I got a good start and tried to get in the mix. The fast guys were gone in a hurry and I found myself circling around the course pretty much alone but it all worked out as I placed 4th out of the 8 amateurs. My fastest lap time was over 4 seconds faster than my best time on Saturday so I was very pleased.

Race #2 - Lightweight Formula 40 is the class I’m hoping to be competitive in but all the old dudes that race that class have the same idea! I had a great scrap with a guy on an older Yamaha over several laps which helped me a great deal. I noticed he had an expert plate so I figured he knew the fast way around the track but I did managed to get by him at the end, finishing 4th out of 6 amateurs.

Race #3 - Lightweight Grand Prix is a 12 lap affair but due to lots of red flagged races in the morning this race was reduced to 11 laps. I had a poor start and honestly, I was pooped, but I hoped I’d learn more by being out there, so there I was touring around by myself. Eventually, three experts blew by and I got motivated! I perked up and went in pursuit. I didn’t catch them but I did pick up my pace considerably and finished with my best lap times of the day, finishing 5th out of 6 amateurs. Good news, though, I found out later that this class pays cash to fifth place so I got PAID!! The checks were sent out Tuesday and I was so excited to hear that I won money, I forgot to ask how much!! I going to make an enlarged color copy of it when I get it, that’s for sure!!

All in all it was a great weekend even though we never figured out where the electrical gremlins went, so the bike will be going out to Silver Eagle for Reese’s critical eye as Troy and I are headed to the Buell sponsored track day at Road America in a week and a half.

In another incredible race of what has been an amazing season,

Nicky Hayden achieved the ultimate accolade of being crowned

2006 World Champion. The American star’s third place, coupled

with Valentino Rossi’s early crash, gave Hayden his first ever

MotoGP Title at the Gran Premio bwin.com de la Comunitat

Valenciana in a race won by Ducati stand-in Troy Bayliss.

sticker proclaiming “All In 69” laid his chips down early, pulling

sharply to the right and nearly touching Rossi, who led him by

eight points ahead of the final race. By lap seven Hayden was in

a comfortable third, a position he stuck in until reaching the

chequered flag.

Rossi was not a “choke artist,” but that he needed a bad day

from the Camel Yamaha rider to take the title. It was an

uncharacteristic error on lap four that proved to be Rossi’s

undoing, as he lowsided his Yamaha M1 and was unable to

make up enough points upon rejoining the race. The Italian

eventually finished thirteenth.

achievement of Troy Bayliss could easily be overlooked. The

Australian rider was standing in for the injured Sete Gibernau to

finish the journey of the Ducati Desmosedici 990cc bike which

he started back in 2003, and did so in style by leading from the

first corner on his 50th Grand Prix appearance. Bayliss’ took the

early holeshot and was untroubled by team-mate Loris

Capirossi, who finished second, as he earned his best ever

MotoGP result. Capirossi also had reason to celebrate when he

crossed the line, taking third place in the championship.

row, but this time there was no reason for friction between the

two riders. On the second lap the Spaniard took a wide line to

let his team-mate through, and did a sterling job of keeping the

rest of the field away from Hayden.

Photo courtesy of www.gron4.com

This is the first of I hope many race reports!

Janet, Brent Merrick and I left Waterloo at about 4 am Sunday morning headed to Blackhawk Farms Raceway, driving through drizzle and rain, it didn’t look too promising for my first race day.

We arrived at the track about 7:45, got registered for three races, all
8 lap sprints, then I took the bike to Tech along with all my riding gear. Everything went smooth, there, so now I was officially cleared to race!!

I went out onto a very wet track for my first practice session dodging big puddles and trying to keep the bike upright, race tires are lousy in the wet! I came around for my second lap and noticed the meatball flag waving and pointing at ME! I completed that lap and came into the hot pits but took a wrong turn; the starter instructed me where to go and told me, The Competition Director wants to talk to you! Folks, that’s bad! I rode up the hot pit lane only to see this guy who looked seven feet tall watching me intently as I headed his direction.
I had made three newbie errors, all of which I knew better but in my haste and excitement to get on the track, I’d forgotten all three. I took my scolding, and then crept back to where we were pitted. Not a good way to start the day!

During the second warm-up session the track was still very wet but I stayed out for four laps then came in. I started to seriously reevaluate this whole deal when suddenly and I mean suddenly the sky started clearing, the sun came out and it warmed up. I figured it was a sign!!

During the third warm-up session the track only had a few damp spots left on it so I was finally getting up to speed and could put a few laps together as I started to figure out the track layout. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I’d never ridden at Blackhawk before today! Anyway, Paul James, great guy and expert class #1 Buell racer flies by me, slowed up and pointed to the back of his bike which means Follow me. So off we went. I know he was in coast mode but I was working my tail off to watch how he negotiated the many turns of the track in the quickest fashion.

After a couple of laps, I lead and he followed to critique my lines.
Back in the pits he gave me a few pointers and said I looked pretty good and it was apparent I’d put several laps in at Blackhawk before. When I told him it was my first time riding the track he said, Heck, you’ll be fine out there then! Folks, after he said that I could have packed up and gone home happy, that great confidence boost set the stage for the rest of the day!!

Race #1 - Lightweight GranPrix. Nervous? You bet, fortunately because of my late entry I was gridded in the back row. Flag drops, great start, I_M RACING!! Turn one, no problem, I_m on my way! That is until one of the back curves, still on lap one, where I made a small miscalculation and found myself off the track in the grass but I quick look over my shoulder and I was back on course, more embarrassed than anything else and angry because a whole pack of guys I was ahead of whizzed by. The rest of the race flew by and I did manage to beat two other guys.

Two goals were now in the books. I’d completed my first race unscathed and I wasn’t last!

Race #2 - SuperTwins, which was the largest field of bikes I raced in all day, I was gridded in the 11th row. Again, a great launch at the drop of the flag, I was motoring then suddenly, there’s a motorcycle on the ground in front of me!! Luck, skill, I don’t know but somehow I missed it and the other guys around me! The race was immediately red flagged, Janet and Brent told me afterward the guy launched at the green and stood the bike straight up in the air, I saw the aftermath.
Fortunately the rider was O.K. but his bike was severely busted.
After a break for oil clean up we were off again, not as good a start as the first one but I was in the mix. During this race I really felt like I should be out there and passed and got passed in pretty close proximity but what a blast! I managed to string five pretty good laps together and beat a guy right at the finish, beating four guys in that race, I was PUMPED!!

Race #3 - Lightweight SuperSport turned out to be a pretty small field, not good for me! But again I had a great start and got my nose right in there. I was mixing it up with another Buell racer, then I out braked him in turn one and got around. I had my sights set on another victim but cooked into the turn before the main straight too hot and into the grass again! No catastrophe other than my pride so I got back out there and beat two guys in that race as well.

Mistakes? Several. Fun? Unexplainable!! Will I do it again?
Absolutely!!!!! I wasn’t the fastest guy out there but I held my own and dropped my lap times thought the day over six seconds and that’s BIG!!

Brent really helped me a TON, keeping me focused, getting my lap times for me, reminding me about the between races checks and general moral support. Thanks, Brent, I’m REALLY glad you were there!! Janet had a good time too, she’s a competitor so she really got into it and of course is a great supporter of this effort.

Thanks everyone for your support!!

Racer Ralph

Dani Pedrosa’s participation in this weekend’s Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, and perhaps even in the following race in Australia, has been cast into serious doubt after he suffered a crash in the second free practice session at the Sepang Circuit today.