As usual, I was getting the bike set up just a few days before we leave down at Lee's Cycle Racing. This time was just changing gears and lengthening the chain for the shorter track out at Las Vegas Classic Course. Everything got buttoned up and loaded into the trailer for the long trek out to Las Vegas. Me and Harry headed out Thursday night and pulled into the track around midnight to drop off the trailer. With not much sleep we got to Friday practice early and signed up for Sunday's races. It was raining Friday and I didn't have the tires to run the Friday practice. So we held down the pit area until the others got there to set up with us. Helped out where we could and hung out.
Saturday Practice
It was still a little wet and cold from the night before so the first session out was slow and my visor kept fogging up. So I got a talking to about keeping my visor down. Eight laps of wet track practice is enough for me. The second round of practice was dry but still a little cold. We ended up getting 11-12 laps of practice. I started running closer to my best times and consistently as I could 1:29 - 1:28. But wasn't able to break my personal best mark of 1:27 (kind of pissed about that).
Sunday Practice
With only one round being ran I went out to get a warm up before the races more so than trying to break any of my records so the times where a lot slower and inconsistent. Not sure if that was the best way to use practice time but I didn't want to wear out my only set of tires I brought to the track. But that is how it went down.
Race #4 C SuperStock Novice
Because I got there early and registered on Friday I was able to have my start position in the first wave of the race, first time for that. So I lined up in 12th position. Now I had 2 days of mainly standing around and watching the racing action so I think that could be the reason that I had the nerves going a little extra this time at the drop of the green flag. I got a decent start and found a groove into turn one and stuck it out there. I once again fell behind #711 Nadine Lajoie and found it really difficult to pass because our lap times and lines are basically identical. Around lap 5 I found a small opportunity to pass her on the inside of turn 4 and took advantage. Running all most a second faster kept me in front of her as best as I could. Only two other racers ended up passing me and one of them was BiG HEADz team mate #804 Levar Taylor which was cool. But we all know it was due to the second wave start he had to do. So good for him, bad for me. All in all, I finished 14th behind Levar which FINALLY scored me some points. I am pleased with that.
Race #10 C SuperBike Novice
After enough of a break to relax a little I found myself getting focused and more amp'ed for this race. For some reason I do better in the Super Bike race than Super Stock, which is still a mystery to me. I had the same starting grid position that had in the last race. My start got a little better from the last race and I was able to hang with the "SuperBikes" for the first lap and then the lead pack took off and I found myself in the top 10 around the half way point. I was fighting being passed but eventually 2 racers got by me and I battled it out to the end with #615 Tracy Heer. It was a some good close racing with me pulling him in in and out of the corners but his bike being able to out power me down the two straights. Finish 12th with a fast lap of 1:28.6 which is slower than last time but I got even more points for this finish.
Race #12 Formula 1 Expert & Novice
With a little bit more of a break than I expected (the 11th race was broken up into two races) I jumped back out on the track with team mate #71 Harry Barnes who was gridded up right next to me. On the warm up lap on turn 4 I felt a little slip from the bike in mid corner. Came around warming up the tires a little bit more. Got to my grid spot and waited for the second wave to start. Green flag goes up and I nail a great start. Jumping right up there with the leaders into turn one. On the gas as early as I can out of the corner hanging with them through turn 2. For some reason turn 3 is a very money corner for me, it seems I make up a lot of time there. So Even further into the lead pack I go. Come out of turn three with the plan of late breaking and running a great line through turn 4. I get the late brake in but maybe carry a little bit more corner speed than normal and lean it in. Looking through the corner I notice out of the corner of my eye, sparks coming off of the leaders bike and before I knew it I felt the ground and slid for a second, then started to tumble. Keeping my head off the ground I tumbled 4 or 5 times towards the edge of the track. I caught my self in stride and was able to run the rest of the way off the track. My first crash at the track and it was in the thick of a race. Bike is fine and I am fine. This has got to be the longest race report for 4 turns into a 8 lap race. But I thought it was kind of a fun crash after all was said and done.
I would like to thank my race team BiG HEADz Racing for making it to this race. #255 Alex Torres, #419 Doug Cronkite, #77 James Kissinger, #819 Levar Taylor, #71 Harry Barnes. That is how it is suppose to be at a race weekend. Take it 2 the Track Racing, for the support, gear, and domination in the make up race...GO SEAN!!! So Cal Trackdays, thanks for stopping by Cliff and for your support. Lee's Cycle Racing for the work done, and to be done to the race machine. MoPowerSports.com for the attention to us racers, thanks man, we love it. Thanks to my Girlfriend, that even though she is far away I am sure she was thinking of me. Of course thanks to GPR, Scorpion Helmets, Sidi Boots, ACT Leathers, Pit Bull for the continued support. Round 3 is going to be again in Vegas in April, see you there.
