Joined Jun 2012
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Race Report, Wera at VIR, Alton, VA
Friday report
This was my first time attending a track day/race at VIR. Good thing for me N2 was having a track day the day before. This gave me the opportunity to get a feeling for the track and get some reference points down. I also had some help from my guy Mark Watkins from Corner Speed, Jeff Leske, Shane and few others. My lap times were not great, running 1:40s. After making some adjustments, I think I got down to a 1:38 by the end of the day. I knew I had plenty of time I could make up and after talking with Mark, I would concentrate on turn 6 and the last turn coming onto the straight. I ended up running 7 sessions. Since we arrived at 1AM Friday morning, I felt drained and sat out the final session.
Saturday report
We arrived to the track early and boy was registration packed. So packed, I decided to sit out my first session. I didn't realized 750 & up novices were the first group
on the track. I decide to take my time, let the tires come up to temperature, and look over my map of the track.
The first session felt pretty good. I got out late and had one rider in front of me. I decide to make him the carrot to see if I could run him down. We were able to catch two other riders and I passed them all in turn one on the breaks. I figured this would be one of my best passes zones. I headed back in the pits to relax and hydrate.
Race #1, HW Twins SS
Started P1, outside and its doesn't have a great line into turn 1. Got a bad start and had to really let the 1199 stretch her legs to catch up the other novice running on a KTM 1190(Tyler). Closed right up on his rear tire and followed him until turn 3 where I stayed on the gas and passed him on the outside. After that pass, it was a lonely race. I tried to stay with the experts (Aaron and Stephen), but my lack of track time showed. They checked out and I finished the race P1. I did however run consistent 1:38s on a used tire, so I was very happy with the race pace.
Race #2, HW Twins SB
Same situation. I got another poor start and Tyler(KTM rider) took off. This time, I wasted no time getting in front of him. I stayed on the gas longer and dove to the apex in turn one and took the lead for the novice group. Again, the experts showed their vast knowledge of the track and checked out. I again had a lonely race. The best thing about this race was I set my best lap time of a 1:37 on the same tires form the previous race. So, I was getting faster and would need it all to be competitive in the A Superbike race later on.
Race #3, A Superbike
This race was very important. At the time I sat in 3rd place overall in the points for the championship in the South East region with 3 race weekends left in the season. I already made the decision to not drive back to Alabama for the Tally weekend, so I needed as many points as possible during the Saturday and Sunday A Superbike races. The third call rings out over the loud speaker and you can hear all the big bikes starting up in the pits. We all head out and I decide to follow a few experts to get some last second lines.
We are all on the grid, waiting for the flag to drop and I can see all the families and friends lined up to watch. It's always a cool sight. As the engine are revving and the flag drops, I get a decent start and stay hard on the gas down the stretch. I can already see I'm gaining on a few experts and I'm looking for an opening to dive into turn 1 from the outside. I see it and make my move, diving in front of the two novice riders to my right and in front a one expert. I get a good drive out of the turn and as we apex turn 2 I see one of the experts crash in front of us and get caught under the bike and the bike caught fire. I check up thinking they are going to red flag the race and the two novice riders go around me and I think, I better keep riding just in case. As we approach the roller coaster, I see red flags as we come down the hill and I immediately dive into the pits to cool the bike down and get the warmers back on.
The restart was pretty fast and once again, we are all on the grid, RPMS up, ready to ride. The green flag drops and two of the novice riders get great starts and I try to stay close, looking to get in front of them. I get caught behind two experts and I can see the novice guys running away. I catch both experts down the straight away head towards turn 7 right after the bridge and I finally get some clear air to go after the novice guys. I could keep them in sight, but I wasn't going to catch them unless someone made a mistake. Lap 2, down. Lap 3, down. I'm still not making up any time on these guys. Lap 4 down. I told myself, stay calm, hit your reference points, and maybe someone makes a mistake and be there to capitalize. As I come down the front straight to start my final lap, I can see the P1 an P2 novice guys going into turn 1 and someone runs off. I break as late as possible and apex turn 1 and get on the gas. I'm now running P2 novice and if I can stay calm, I can bring it home. I hit the no name turn on the gas to turn 3, catch a down shift and apex 3 on the gas until the end of the rumble strip on my right and late apex turn 4. Stay tight on turn 5 and get on the gas as the bike runs wide setting you up for turn 6 and you should see a straight line all the way to the bridge. Running to the bridge in 5th, catch two downshifts and climb the hill make you way thru the S turns and stay on the gas until the pavement changes. drop a gear and make your way down the hill, right, left on the gas, grab a gear and roll on. roll off the gas, pitch her in and get back on the gas before the apex and stay on the gas to the finish line. Great race..... Also, I was able to set my best lap of the weekend with a 1:36.569. This gave me confidence that on a fresh Sc1, I could possibly dip into the 34/35s.
Sunday report
Race #1 & 2, HW Twins SS & SB
Started P1 in both races, and it was more of the same. A lonely ride in P1, trying to chase Aaron and Stephen. I did a better job keeping them in sight, but after a few laps, they were gone. I ran consistent lap in both races on the same old tires (the rear now had 6 races on them, from Barber, Friday's track day, Saturday's race and now Sunday's two races) and took the win.
After the race, I spoke with James Brock and he suggested the SC0, which could potential take my 1:36 from Saturdays A Superbike time from a 36 to a 34, but I decided to stick with the SC1 for money reasons. I will have to hit my Pirelli sponsors for a couple of SC0 rears.
Race #3, A Superbike
Once again, we are all on the grid, waiting for the flag to drop. There are only two of us on the grid for the novice class, but I don't believe either one of us was going to settle for 2nd. As the flag drops, we both get decent starts and as we start breaking for turn one, he has the inside advantage. I get on his rear tire and follow him thru turn 2 and 3 and as we approach turn 4, we out breaks an expert to get some breathing room. I finally get past this expert on my way to the bridge and start fight back up to the P1 novice rider. I able to get a great drive out of the last corner (Thanks to those AWESOME SC1 Pirelli slicks) and motor down the front straight over 175MPH and catch up to him at turn 1. I followed him closely, gaining in one part of the track only to lose time in another. As we both exit the last turn coming onto the front straight to start lap 4, I stay on the gas and dive to the inside to finally take the lead. I go a little out of shape in turns 4,5 and 6 so I knew I had to get a great drive out of the last turn to keep my lead for the final lap. As we enter the front straight, I knew he wasn't going to pass me. My bike is too fast. Well, you know what they say about being over confident. Yes, we did pass me on the gas, but I got on the breaks too soon and he had the inside line and he took the advantage. We apex turns 1,2 and 3 and I' right on his tire. I can smell the race fuel coming from his exhaust. As we exit 6 and pull right up on his right side and I was thinking I dive into turn 7 going up the hill. Since I had the fresh rear, I could get on the gas and I know it would hold. Instead, I fell back in line and figure we try our luck on the front straight and draft pass him at the line. Well, I didn't get the opportunity. As we started going thru the Esses, I was pushing hard and made a big mistake on the left turn and ended up running off the track into the grass. I was able to keep the bike on two, and had to settle for 2nd. It was fun and he deserved the win. I was able to set another personal best with a 1:35.137. So, a great weekend, got faster as the weekend continued and spent quality time with my family who came down to VA from Delaware and Maryland to come support.
So, I'm leading A Superbike, HW Twins SS & SB in the SE region. Also #1 in Mid Atlantic HW Twins SS & SB.
V/r
Leon J. Johnson | Senior Basis Engineer | Publix Super Markets Inc. | (863) 686-8754 ext. 46411 |[email protected] | Welcome to Publix | Publix Super Markets
Friday report
This was my first time attending a track day/race at VIR. Good thing for me N2 was having a track day the day before. This gave me the opportunity to get a feeling for the track and get some reference points down. I also had some help from my guy Mark Watkins from Corner Speed, Jeff Leske, Shane and few others. My lap times were not great, running 1:40s. After making some adjustments, I think I got down to a 1:38 by the end of the day. I knew I had plenty of time I could make up and after talking with Mark, I would concentrate on turn 6 and the last turn coming onto the straight. I ended up running 7 sessions. Since we arrived at 1AM Friday morning, I felt drained and sat out the final session.
Saturday report
We arrived to the track early and boy was registration packed. So packed, I decided to sit out my first session. I didn't realized 750 & up novices were the first group
on the track. I decide to take my time, let the tires come up to temperature, and look over my map of the track.
The first session felt pretty good. I got out late and had one rider in front of me. I decide to make him the carrot to see if I could run him down. We were able to catch two other riders and I passed them all in turn one on the breaks. I figured this would be one of my best passes zones. I headed back in the pits to relax and hydrate.
Race #1, HW Twins SS
Started P1, outside and its doesn't have a great line into turn 1. Got a bad start and had to really let the 1199 stretch her legs to catch up the other novice running on a KTM 1190(Tyler). Closed right up on his rear tire and followed him until turn 3 where I stayed on the gas and passed him on the outside. After that pass, it was a lonely race. I tried to stay with the experts (Aaron and Stephen), but my lack of track time showed. They checked out and I finished the race P1. I did however run consistent 1:38s on a used tire, so I was very happy with the race pace.
Race #2, HW Twins SB
Same situation. I got another poor start and Tyler(KTM rider) took off. This time, I wasted no time getting in front of him. I stayed on the gas longer and dove to the apex in turn one and took the lead for the novice group. Again, the experts showed their vast knowledge of the track and checked out. I again had a lonely race. The best thing about this race was I set my best lap time of a 1:37 on the same tires form the previous race. So, I was getting faster and would need it all to be competitive in the A Superbike race later on.
Race #3, A Superbike
This race was very important. At the time I sat in 3rd place overall in the points for the championship in the South East region with 3 race weekends left in the season. I already made the decision to not drive back to Alabama for the Tally weekend, so I needed as many points as possible during the Saturday and Sunday A Superbike races. The third call rings out over the loud speaker and you can hear all the big bikes starting up in the pits. We all head out and I decide to follow a few experts to get some last second lines.
We are all on the grid, waiting for the flag to drop and I can see all the families and friends lined up to watch. It's always a cool sight. As the engine are revving and the flag drops, I get a decent start and stay hard on the gas down the stretch. I can already see I'm gaining on a few experts and I'm looking for an opening to dive into turn 1 from the outside. I see it and make my move, diving in front of the two novice riders to my right and in front a one expert. I get a good drive out of the turn and as we apex turn 2 I see one of the experts crash in front of us and get caught under the bike and the bike caught fire. I check up thinking they are going to red flag the race and the two novice riders go around me and I think, I better keep riding just in case. As we approach the roller coaster, I see red flags as we come down the hill and I immediately dive into the pits to cool the bike down and get the warmers back on.
The restart was pretty fast and once again, we are all on the grid, RPMS up, ready to ride. The green flag drops and two of the novice riders get great starts and I try to stay close, looking to get in front of them. I get caught behind two experts and I can see the novice guys running away. I catch both experts down the straight away head towards turn 7 right after the bridge and I finally get some clear air to go after the novice guys. I could keep them in sight, but I wasn't going to catch them unless someone made a mistake. Lap 2, down. Lap 3, down. I'm still not making up any time on these guys. Lap 4 down. I told myself, stay calm, hit your reference points, and maybe someone makes a mistake and be there to capitalize. As I come down the front straight to start my final lap, I can see the P1 an P2 novice guys going into turn 1 and someone runs off. I break as late as possible and apex turn 1 and get on the gas. I'm now running P2 novice and if I can stay calm, I can bring it home. I hit the no name turn on the gas to turn 3, catch a down shift and apex 3 on the gas until the end of the rumble strip on my right and late apex turn 4. Stay tight on turn 5 and get on the gas as the bike runs wide setting you up for turn 6 and you should see a straight line all the way to the bridge. Running to the bridge in 5th, catch two downshifts and climb the hill make you way thru the S turns and stay on the gas until the pavement changes. drop a gear and make your way down the hill, right, left on the gas, grab a gear and roll on. roll off the gas, pitch her in and get back on the gas before the apex and stay on the gas to the finish line. Great race..... Also, I was able to set my best lap of the weekend with a 1:36.569. This gave me confidence that on a fresh Sc1, I could possibly dip into the 34/35s.
Sunday report
Race #1 & 2, HW Twins SS & SB
Started P1 in both races, and it was more of the same. A lonely ride in P1, trying to chase Aaron and Stephen. I did a better job keeping them in sight, but after a few laps, they were gone. I ran consistent lap in both races on the same old tires (the rear now had 6 races on them, from Barber, Friday's track day, Saturday's race and now Sunday's two races) and took the win.
After the race, I spoke with James Brock and he suggested the SC0, which could potential take my 1:36 from Saturdays A Superbike time from a 36 to a 34, but I decided to stick with the SC1 for money reasons. I will have to hit my Pirelli sponsors for a couple of SC0 rears.
Race #3, A Superbike
Once again, we are all on the grid, waiting for the flag to drop. There are only two of us on the grid for the novice class, but I don't believe either one of us was going to settle for 2nd. As the flag drops, we both get decent starts and as we start breaking for turn one, he has the inside advantage. I get on his rear tire and follow him thru turn 2 and 3 and as we approach turn 4, we out breaks an expert to get some breathing room. I finally get past this expert on my way to the bridge and start fight back up to the P1 novice rider. I able to get a great drive out of the last corner (Thanks to those AWESOME SC1 Pirelli slicks) and motor down the front straight over 175MPH and catch up to him at turn 1. I followed him closely, gaining in one part of the track only to lose time in another. As we both exit the last turn coming onto the front straight to start lap 4, I stay on the gas and dive to the inside to finally take the lead. I go a little out of shape in turns 4,5 and 6 so I knew I had to get a great drive out of the last turn to keep my lead for the final lap. As we enter the front straight, I knew he wasn't going to pass me. My bike is too fast. Well, you know what they say about being over confident. Yes, we did pass me on the gas, but I got on the breaks too soon and he had the inside line and he took the advantage. We apex turns 1,2 and 3 and I' right on his tire. I can smell the race fuel coming from his exhaust. As we exit 6 and pull right up on his right side and I was thinking I dive into turn 7 going up the hill. Since I had the fresh rear, I could get on the gas and I know it would hold. Instead, I fell back in line and figure we try our luck on the front straight and draft pass him at the line. Well, I didn't get the opportunity. As we started going thru the Esses, I was pushing hard and made a big mistake on the left turn and ended up running off the track into the grass. I was able to keep the bike on two, and had to settle for 2nd. It was fun and he deserved the win. I was able to set another personal best with a 1:35.137. So, a great weekend, got faster as the weekend continued and spent quality time with my family who came down to VA from Delaware and Maryland to come support.
So, I'm leading A Superbike, HW Twins SS & SB in the SE region. Also #1 in Mid Atlantic HW Twins SS & SB.
V/r
Leon J. Johnson | Senior Basis Engineer | Publix Super Markets Inc. | (863) 686-8754 ext. 46411 |[email protected] | Welcome to Publix | Publix Super Markets
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