MRA Race #1
It’s not even the middle of May and it’s already been a crazy month. The first of May started off with a crazy SMRI track day that we had to cancel due to bad weather. The next weekend was the first MRA race of the season. I love HPR and that club, so I just had to figure out a way to go. Work just gets in the way, so I wasn’t able to head up for the open track day on Friday. I had to work and then drive up once I got off, its one long dang day when you get into work at 6am, work 8 hours, and then drive 6.5 hours to the track.
I usually skip my first practice; it’s just a habit for me. I need the extra time to get through registration and tech. But this time I was really on top of things and I made it out there on time. The track was in perfect condition. I’m always surprised at how nice and smooth it is there, it’s also kind on the tires compared to Sandia. I felt comfortable out there and it didn’t feel like it had been 9 months, since I’d been there. I came off the track running the same times that I had the last time I was there. Not a bad first session. Each session out things just got better and better, my times were just a little quicker each time.
I had opted to run the Nov GTU and GTO races on Sat, just to get my self into the swing of things. The first race for me was the Novice GTU race. Now last year that race was like a meat grinder in the first corner, so I was a little concerned about the start. I managed to have a decent start. I was gridded mid pack in the first wave. I hit the first turn in a rather large pack. I’ve never liked that, but this time it wasn’t so bad. I held my position and even gain a couple of spots by the time we were all through. That was the most exciting part of the race, once we’d completed the first lap I didn’t pass anyone else and I only had one guy go by me. I was alone on the track and it stayed that way until the last two laps. Then I had a guy from the second wave catch me and go by.
Novice GTO was about the same, except I’m going to have to make it a point to recheck my grid positions. I gridded up in the wrong spot and had to move. I couldn’t get straight in my position, but I wasn’t so worried about it. I was pretty sure that the guys behind me were concerned at my being a crooked on the grid and that was confirmed later by the guy right behind me. I would have had a better launch if the guy 2 rows front of me hadn’t stood it straight up and then get crooked in the air. He came down right across my path. Frack. I got around him and had lost a few spots, but I did get a couple of them back in the first two turns. I love how hard that SE accelerates outta the turns. It’s so much stronger then the 07 I raced last year and it finishes the corners much better. I managed to run down a couple of guys in the first half of the race. I will say that my confidence is much better this year. I was able to make some passes that I would have never done last year. The second half of the race was about the same as the first race.
The one thing that made me super happy about the day was that I was running 4 seconds faster at the end of the day then I was last year, and I was more confident in my ability to pull off passes then I had been. YCRS I think should get the credit for that.
After the races things are always interesting, but this time not quite the way I would have liked. However, thanks to the new help over at the Vanmar pit, my rear wheel was made lighter by taking off a lot of extra metal. Thanks Jeff! 😛 Told you that I wasn’t going to let you live it down.
Then there is XBAM. Bree, is amazing at fixing my poor aching back and shoulders. I feel so much better after she works on me at the track. I also sleep better. It awesome to have her at the track working on all the racers. I wish she could travel with me.
Sunday the only race I had was the Ladies of the Rockies. I love that one and it is the main reason I go up there to race. It is the one race that never makes me nervous. I just try to hang on to the back of Wyeth for a few corners and then I’m all alone. This time it wasn’t much different, except I had Donna to watch run away from me too. I managed to keep them in sight for almost one lap. Then I was alone until Mike and Shannon caught up to me. Now, Mike pulled a pass that kinda pissed me off and if I’d panicked I’d have taken out Shannon. I was pissed off enough that I decided to run them both down and stuff them back. I managed to get back around Shannon, but wasn’t quite brave enough to get Mike. Shannon got back around me in 4 turns later and I kept trying to get back by him until the race ended. That lil’ incident was the push I needed to drop yet one more second from my lap times. I thought that was far more cool then the 3rd place I ended up with.