When: April 27 - 29, 2001
Where: NHIS, Loudon NH


Well.. this was my first race weekend.. and the first time on a 125 gp bike. It turned out to be a GREAT weekend!

Thursday 4/26/01
Got out of work after a 3pm meeting that seemed to drag on forever.  Went up to Jim's ("Hotel Wick") to hang out for the eve.  Jim and I went to Margarita's in Nashua and hung out with some of the locals.  Got back late, crashed around 1am and didn't sleep too well.. in anticipation of Friday's Penguin school...

Friday 4/27/01
Get up early, arrive at track around 7:30 to register by 8 for Penguin road racing school. There are tons of people there.. get into classroom session to find out that 80 people signed up!! Holy racers, Batman! Classroom session went well, and finished with a 10 question test that my grandmother could have passed. We got out at noon and were instructed to be ready to go for follow-the-leader on track session by 12:50. I ran back to the garage, unloaded the bike, and tried to get it running. I had never started the bike before (got it from Peter Hofmann in sunny CA), so it was set up all wrong for the NE weather. I walked around the pits and eventually was pointed to a guy who agreed to come over and help (Eric Yoo). I was missing a few tools (my small sockets.. like the 6mm needed for changing the main jet w/o pulling the float cover off.. duh!) so he walked back to
his pit to get some tools. Eric came back with tools, and the carb off his 125. He plugged his carb in and the bike started right up. Meanwhile, I was sucking down some lunch, and still had to go through Penguin tech and get out on the track. I was kind of freaked out, but Eric was calm and cool about it all. He sent me out with *his* carb so I could get out for on-track sessions. How cool is that!!

I got out for follow-the-leader, which was fairly painful.. there were *80* people out there, in groups of 4 (+ instructor), so it was one big long line of people around the track. My group only had 3 of us.. one guy pulled off after the first lap (his Buell dropped the shift linkage) and the other woman was so slow, we lost her. so it was a slow 1-on-1 for me. The only problem being that we were going so slowly, I couldn't get out of first gear, and I couldn't get the bike into the powerband (which is 9-12k rpm). I had to baby the clutch the whole time, and could barely pull out of corners like 3 and 6. Plus my gearing was set up too tall... ;>

After follow-the-leader with 3 corner stops (to let the advanced school get some laps and talk about corners), I pulled back into the pits, and Eric had completely rejetted my carb !! Is this guy awesome or what ! We plugged my carb in, everything worked, and I was all smiles. I went back out for 2 sessions of open practice, with shorter gearing and a big smile on my face. Track time ended ~6pm, then it was back to the classroom for post-day penguin meeting. We got another hour of instruction about how to sign up for a license, get numbers, sign up for the Rookie Race (required to get license) and weekend races. I left the track around 8 for Nashua. Jim and I went back to Margarita's again, and off to bed by midnight.

Saturday 4/28/01
Up at the ass-crack of dawn.. get to the track by 7 for signups (after downing a cup of Shell coffee.. ugh!) The lines were HUGE. About 60 Penguin people showed up to race.. so I had to wait in a big line for my license. Then I had to wait in a line for the transponder. Then I had to wait in line to register for the weekends' races. Then I had to go pay money. They I had to wait again to get my race confirmation. It all took about 90 minutes, so there goes any possibility of the first (8am) practice session.

Get into the track with a pile of paperwork.. go to Street-n-Comp and get some plates and numbers. Put the numbers on the bike, get the bike and helmet teched, and oops.. there goes second practice. I had to sign up for the Penguin rookie race by 11, and with the number of people in it I decided to sign up at the last minute, so I could be in the back of the start grid. The rookie race has one purpose.. SURVIVE. All you have to do is not crash for 3 laps and you're in like Flynn. I wanted nothing to do with the pack of lunatics... 11am Penguin riders' meeting, I'm on the second to last row of the start, all the way to the right :)  Mission accomplished!. 11:15 riders meeting.. then a few bites of lunch, then on the bike to pre-grid for the rookie race.

Rookie Race

I get on the pre-grid for 2nd call.. sit there and smoke everyone out for a while.. until warm up lap. Then onto the start grid, the first two waves go, then our 1 board turns, the flag drops, and we're off. I get a slow start and drift off to the right a bit to get out of the way.. I was a bit worried about the GSXRs behind me (their pilots, actually). I go into turn 1 dead last.. and there's already a waving yellow. Someone crashed in 1A. have I mentioned how happy I was to be in the back of the start grid ? ;> I get around a few really slow people, and finish the race without any problems. Cool down lap, and there's a crowd of friends waving to me at turn 3. That's cool. I get back to the pits and throw the borrowed tire warmers on the bike (mine hadn't showed up in time for the weekend) for race 6

GP Singles

I am in the last position on the grid (gotta love post-entry!) but that's ok.. We get off to a good start.. and I still haven't figured out when/how to shift the bike.. this narrow power band is all new to me! About halfway through, I was coming down 9 and turning into 10. At the apex, I feel something hit my right shoulder, as I'm leaned off the bike.. I glance over slowly (no panic!) and there's a guy plastered to my right side. I drift a little left, and he's gone. I ended up dead last in the race, but still manage to get 4 points. My lap times were horrible.. best lap was about 1:48. Have I mentioned the fact that the bike is new !? . Regardless, I return to the pits with a HUGE smile on my face.. lovin every minute of this racing thing !

I left the track around 6, went back to Nashua, and this time Jim and I did *not* go to Margarita's.. we just threw some ribs and chicken on the grill.. drank a beer or two, and I was in bed by 9:30... utterly exhausted.

Sunday 4/29/01
Get to the track by 7. Warm up the bike, and actually make the 8am practice session. A few laps go by and there's the checkered (already!?). Spend some time checking jetting, etc and back out for second session. Starting to get the hang of shifting points. I'm also going into the corners (like 1 and 6) a gear higher than on Saturday.. that's good sign, right ? ;> I also am starting to understand that I don't need to brake at the first brake marker, like I do on the Ducati for track days.. this bike is so small and light, I can brake at least 2 markers in.. hey.. this little bike is *fun* !

GTL

This race I do much better... I only got 18 laps in (winner did 21), BUT.. I did actually pass people and I didn't come in dead last.. AND I had my best lap of the weekend on lap 15 with 1:38. The former amazed me most.. since by the time lap 15 came around, my right foot was asleep, my right hand hurt like hell, my helmet was soaked with sweat.. and worst of all.. I didn't have the shift lever set up properly, and my left ankle was so cramped I had to use my entire leg to downshift (up on a gp bike). In any case.. a 30 minute race is a LONG race.. By the time the halfway flag showed itself, I was utterly exhausted. But still smiling :> Thanks again Jude, for letting me borrow the tire warmers!

Lightweight Grand Prix

Judy and I were next to each other on the grid. We did our warm up lap, and got to the grid.. and we were off. by this time, I was much more comfortable on the bike, and my best lap was around 1:40 or so. Regardless, my average lap times were down around 1:41 which was about 9 seconds faster over Saturday's GP singles race.. so overall I am faster more consistently, which made me very happy. Judy was having problems with her shift lever (linkage was catching on the fairing) so I ended up passing her out of turn 3 on the first lap.. but I figure it's the last time that will happen.. so I might as well enjoy it while I can ;)  End of race... I only got lapped once this time around.. so the times are getting better!!

I hung out and watched a bunch of races with people I knew, then took off around 6pm. By the end of the weekend, I felt like I had a much better grip on the bike.. and after counting all the shifts I need to do, I figured I'm shifting 26 (or more) times PER LAP!! A lot of work, that bike.. but also a lot of smiles :)

Next weekend can only get better....

Thanks a million to Jim, Judy, Coco, Froggy, Rick, Eric Yoo (for the carb help) and Rick and Steve (garage mates who helped me tremendously throughout the weekend). The people are just as cool as the bikes!