Track stories 2007

[rosco15]

What a night. Last points night for the season.

I was up on second place going into tonights race by 3 rounds. I totally had a brain fart and lost in the first round. Tom, the guy in second place, won. Now I'm only up by 2 rounds and not feeling very good about it. I bought back into the race thinking I'm going to try and beat him myself to protect my lead. he goes up first and I have to go at the back of the line as a buyback. We both win the second round. Now I'm only up by 1 round with four bikes left. We don't get paired up. Tom gets to race one of the sleds and I run a 9.20 hayabusa. I beat the hayabusa and Tom lost to the sled. The sled ran dead on his dial with a 0 and cut a 508 light. That sealed it up for me. Bike class champion by 1 round. I ended up winning the final when the sled red light to me. I saw his red light and put my head down behind the fairing to see what it would do. It ran 9.47 @136. 5.95 in the 1/8th.

I checked with the track manager and he said we were going to run the 4 class champions for track champion tonight. I drew the top car while street and the mod champion raced each other. We had a double break out. I went a 9.461 on a 9.47. he broke out by just slightly more giving me the win.

That set up the final between myself and the street champion. The street car is of all things a dodge ram pickup dialing a 17.21. I put a 9.45 on the bike. he fell asleep at the tree and I cut a 501 light. Went by him like he was standing still. Just about locked up the rear tire as I went past him. Ran 9.48 on my 9.45.

So I ended up winning the class
2007 Bike class champion.
2007 Track Champion
New personal best ET 5.934 @114 1/8th at 9.461 @136.

I ended up having a very good weekend. Going to Indy in 2 weeks.

 

[RacingJake]

Well that is awesome, I don't know what to say Ryan........Class Winner or should I say Bike Champion or maybe Track Champion and a record to boot???

I think I'll just say, way to go CHAMPION !!!!

 

[lecroy]

Good Job!! Does this mean you get more than one gold card?

 

[rosco15]

That would be nice. I could sell it on ebay.

 

[RacingJake]

Looks like I need to raise the wheelie bars some more. Those slicks sure do like to grap the track.

You can see the wheel of that dragster....... boy was he fast.

 

[lecroy]

Man, it looks about right to me. Do you think you can get more weight transfer?

Nice razor sharp picture BTW. My wife has tried a few things with the digital but it can't seem to focus on the moving bike. As a matter of fact, it does not seem to focus on anything. I had it working one time by turning the flash on in the daylight. Here is another one a few hundred feet out. Not sure who's behind me. Its all fuzz.

 

[rosco15]

Ok Ok I'll post one also.

 

[RacingJake]

Wow Mark, I can still see some air under that tire I think that's called horsepower \\/

Ryan's looks about right.

With the M/T slick the sidewalls are so tall that when you drop the air pressure some the tire squats more thus lowering the front tire. May bump the TP from 7 to 10 and see what happens.

I'm laying on the tank more during launch, just trying to get more aggressive.

 

[Baatfam]

Me too! Me too!

Everyones lookin' good:-D

Ryan....you can collect points after buying back??

 

[lecroy]

Everyone's camera work is so nice except mine!! I may need to break down and read the manual.

Jake, that's a major change in pressure. This is just my take on it for what it's worth. Not trying to tell you how to do your thing, but maybe it will help. I start with a guess on the tire pressure and then set the bars with a 2X4. I then make enough passes where I can see the wear in the tread. I then adjust the tire pressure to make the wear even across the width of the tire. Once you have this, you know that the tire is giving its maximum traction. Too little air and the tire will ride on the outside walls, too much air and it will ride in the center. I adjust in about 1/4 PSI increments once I start getting close.

The kids bike is similar to yours, but I but he is less than half your weight. I think he is at 6 and a half now. I can believe that 7 PSI may be a little low for you. But the key is the wear.

Once I get this close I keep moving the bar to try and keep the front in that 2" range. It has been my experience that if you go too high that the bike can snap up so fast and hard it will actually unload the back tire because all the weight is transfered into the bars. The bike will act like a pogo stick... Too low and not enough weight will be transfered to the back tire and you don't get maximum traction.

We use the shoe polish trick on the wheels to tweak the bars in. Or, I will stand directly behind the bike with a video camera and take close ups of the bikes leaving. This has proven to help the most, not just for setting up the bike but for showing mistakes in riding. Side shots with the camera are very helpful for seeing the tire loading...

 

[rosco15]

You don't get any points when you buy back in. I ended the season with 21 points. Second place had 20 points. He got 2 on Saturday for his 2 rounds while I got none. if he would have beaten that sled we would have ended up tied. Then it would have come down to the two of us in the final. If he would have beaten me in the final he would have been the bike class champion. If I would have won we would have had to runoff to break the tie.

Of course none of that happened because he lost to the sled in the semi final. I told the guy on the sled I was getting him flowers next week.

 

[Baatfam]

Got it....I just misread you post...

 

[RacingJake]

Not a problem Mark, the more advice the better. That's what I like about these forum's, I learn something new everyday.

Here's another shot around the 60ft mark. You can really see the tire grabing the track. I've have started at 10 and worked my way down depending on track surface.

I've been through that slingshot effect too a few times when I wack back on the bar's hard. You feel like your going backwards for a split second then it feel like your going over the handlebars

 

[Baatfam]

Here's one my son took at RT66 from the back....

 

[rapidray]

Here's one my son took at RT66 from the back....

Why does it look like you have the bars turned right in BOTH of your pictures at the launch? Is it just optical illusion or are they? Ray.

 

[Baatfam]

Why does it look like you have the bars turned right in BOTH of your pictures at the launch? Is it just optical illusion or are they? Ray.

I don't know Ray....never noticed...in the first picture I can't see it...but ya...in the second I do.
Maybe because when I release the button on my left bar I'm not holdin' that handle as tight?

Interesting...she launches straight and true...(most times)...

Bob T.

 

[RacingJake]

Stay'ed home tonight and installed the new 7inch slick that arrived today along with another ebay 750 head. Got a spare head now and it came with cams around 320's/280's, was hoping for something alittle bigger like 350's but what the heck. It has the intake boots, cam cover and all the bolts and the guy even did a valve job on it and it looks really good. Even had some type of racing sparkplugs with 2 ground tangs each, so I'll try them on the bike and see how see runs next weekend.

 

[rapidray]

Hey guys, I will be listing this in the WANTED section also so no comments, ok?! I got ripped off on a "supposedly" good set of cases that were JUNK. I need a GOOD, UNWOUNDED set of 1150 cases. Any of you guys have a set you want to sell me? I have 1150 & GSXR heads to trade if needed. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Ray.

 

[lecroy]

I got ripped off on a "supposedly" good set of cases that were JUNK.

What was wrong with them and who did you purchase them from? I may be interested in them depending on how bad the damage is.

Sorry, I don't have any spare sets.

 

[rapidray]

2 of the main journals are cracked & the left side inside the cases looks like the crank broke & tore up the thrust surface. DEFINITELY not useable! I will keep them to use for mock up on frame builds. Ray.