Joined Jun 2012
2K Posts | 1K+
Florida
Thursday report
This is the second race weekend riding to the track without my wife in the co-pilot seat. If you following me on social media, you know we are expecting our first child, so she isn't allowed in the truck with the gas fumes coming form the bike and gas cans. So, I left the house Thursday afternoon for a 7hr trip to Braselton, GA. Surprisingly, it was a smooth drive up from Orlando. Just listening to some old school rap and some talk radio, Bomani Jones and Colin Cowherd. I got to the hotel just in time to see the NBA game and I decided to cut the TV off after Curry fouled out. Boy did the NBA want a game 7.......
Friday report
I got up early and headed to the track to meet up with b9009b and Fahed. It's always good to finally meet forum members and find out they are truly good dudes. b9009b is a down to earth great guy. He and I had some discussions 3 months ago about coming to Road ATL to help me in the pits and he said no problem. He also brought his son Issace with him and he is a very bright and friendly young man. I cannot express how comfortable they made myself and Fahed feel at the track. Not only that, b9009b was running around the entire paddock helping guys out. He provided a set of break pads to Aaron Boelo so he could race today in the National series. Helped out Wonderlust with a mapping issue. Tire changes, tire warmers, fuel fill, checked tire pressures, safety wire..... the list goes on and on.
As for the practice sessions, I was immediately running lap times from last year. I couldn't however beat those times immediately and from what I can tell, I usually set my best times after lunch. So, the morning sessions we making sure everything was working as expected (we installed the Brembo 17RCS master cylinder on Wednesday and a rear view camera mount) and relearning the lines. I felt great and the bike felt very fast, scary fast.
The first session after lunch saw everyone in the 750 and up experts come out at the same time. Guys like Geoff May, Luie Zendejas, Brad Burns and some other Moto America guys were in this session. I was mostly following Dylan Tent on his Ducati Detroit prepped 959 and I was able to set a PB of 1:39. Not that fast but it was good to see my times coming down. Dylan is fast man, even on a bike that shouldn't be able to keep up with the kiter bikes on a liter bike track. But he carries crazy corner speed and it showed in the HW Twins SB class on Saturday morning.
I decided to sit out the last session of the day because it was HOT AS ..... I mean it had to be around 110 on the track. Fahed brought his toy hauler, but we blew the fuse on the electric box and had no A/C. We made do, stayed hydrated and made the best of the practice day.
That night, my wife flew into the ATL and met me at the hotel. She got started right away making lunch, laying out my gear for Saturday and rest her feet. I ate some tofu and veggies and started studying my race video, front and rear, to get a hint as to where to make up time.
Side note, it was great to meet some many forums members racing their Panigales. I already knew Zohsix001, Phil218, Welton, highside49, but I met
wanderlust, b9009b, Dylan, Chaotic, Jason Bucker and Tack 14. There had to be around 10-15 of us other Saturday.
Saturday
I woke up extra early and was ready to race. Kissed the wife and her belly good bye and off to the track I went. The first second session started pretty good and I was able to do 4 consecutive laps of 1:39, so I was consistent, and that's important. In the second session I really never got a full lap in, I was practicing my launches, going around and pitting in and practicing again. I did four launches and they got better every time. I was ready.....
Race #1, HW Twins SB Expert and Novice
Man, I was excited. Metalhead from the WERA forums collects his spare change throughout the year and keeps it in a container for gas money. Well this year, he was put that money up for the winner of the HW Twins SB class, expert. After I saw the grids, I knew I had no chance of winning unless I was able to get into the top 4 at the start. Since I have not raced this year, I had zero points and I was dead last out of 16 expert riders. I was going to see how rusty I was since this would be my first race in 9 months.
"Final call, race #3, HW Twins expert and novice. Off came the tire warmers, Go Pro cameras turned on (The front battery died at the start) and to the grid Fahed and I went. I get to my grid sport, row 8, outside, I set my RapidBike launch control and wait for Ed Bargy to get us moving. As we watch the board on the box go from 2/1 sideways, dropping the clutch and twisting the throttle and I was able to get a good start. How good you ask? Well, I went form 16th to 9th before T2. I could have taken Jason Bucker, but I was indecisive and waited until I could make a clean pass. I followed the Jason going into the buzz stop, thru the esses and down towards turn 5. As we exit turn 5, I get on the gas early until we readed turn 7, I apex T7 and go an average drive on the back straight and passed him and another expert before the kink going down to T10.
After I made this pass, I set my PB of 1:38 while trying to catch Stephen and the rest of the guys. Chris, Gene and Dylan checked out and I ran a lonely race. It felt good to start last and make up so many places and hold on to it. Also seeing my lap times drop gave me confidence to push harder in the next races. I checked the results and saw that I'm 4 secs off the leaders pace, so I have some work to do.
Race #7, A Senior SB Expert and Novice
Again, I'm gridded dead last, P13 and I wanted to do the same thing. Get a great start and see where I end up. There are some fast guys in this race including Stephen (Buell 1125, Billy Ethridge, Moto America) and others. The green flag is thrown and I get another good start using the LC from RapidBike. I take two places going into T1 and start hunting others on my way to the front. I get a bad drive coming out of T5 with the bike wheeling down the short straight an loose a position to Brad on his R1. I get to the back straight and I run down James on his KTM and I'm now running 11th. I get a move on and start looking to take Brad and Earl. I catch Earl coming out of T1 on the second lap, so I'm running P9. Brad and I catch another expert, so we both move up a spot. I'm now running P8, still trying to get
past Brad. I catch Jason on his 1299 coming out of T1 moving up to T7. I'm moving pretty good now and as Brad and I go down the back straight, I try to make a move under breaking. I dive to the inside of 10A and as we turn to go up the hill in 10B, he gets on the gas and starts to drift over to me. I should have got on the gas and motored past him, but I didn't know if could since the bike just wheelies and I loose drive. So, I back off the gas and loose 2 bikes going down the hill towards T12. I try to get on the gas early and I have a big slide and loose more ground as Brad is pulling away. I know I'm string than him going into to T1 and going up the hill, so I can make up the gap there for another go down the back straight. We are also catching highside49, so P5 is looking good. We get on the back straight again with me on his tail and I'm going to make another late breaking attempt. Well, this one didn't go as planned. I made a mental error a missed my break
marker and didn't feel like I could make the turn. Looking back on it, I should have tried to make it and see what happened. I decided to go straight into the run off all rocks and as the bike was slowing, dropped the bike. Call it a run off, crash, whatever, I dumped the bike. I was mad because I knew I was going to pass Brad and make a run for highside49. I't took us a minute to get the bike out of the pit and the bike and I are fine. A few scratch in the paint and some dirty leathers. As you could imagine, when I didn't come back around, my wife started to worry. Thanks to b9009b, he kept her calm and assured her I was ok, which I was. I got a DNF for this race, but on the lap before I crash, set another PB at 1:37. My pace was picking up.
Race #18 A Superbike
Once again, we are all on the grid, waiting for the flag to drop. I'm dead last again, so no real expectations. There are some really fast guys on the grid today. Geoff May, Luie Zendejas, Brad Burns and some other fast guys. The only thing on my mind is get a good start and get . I got a clean start and started making my way to thru the pack. I get my boy CJ and another rider coming out of T1 again and make my way up the hill, and I'm rolling behind my boy Stephen. I'll take him on the back straight. At the end of the straight, I catch Jason on his 1299 on the brakes. Thats 4 spots I've taken in one lap. I' feeling pretty good at the moment. As I'm coming thru T10A, a rider is in the dirt on the apex of T10B, so I stay on the gas and see if I can catch the others. Thats 5 spots made up. Around lap for 4, I started getting tired and caught a cramp in my left leg which made it hard to shift the bike. Looking at the video, there is no way I would have been caught, but
Stephen and a novice rider who is getting coached by Geoff May finally caught me. I just could make the pass back on them at the end.
This weekend was so much fun. It felt great to get back to racing after such a long time off. Getting to meet a bunch of forum members, see their bike builds, and help with tech .... and just shoot the .... was awesome.
Again, I always thank mywife first because she is the PRIMARY sponsor for everything Leon Johnson Racing. I want to thank b9009b and his son for all their time. They did this from their heart and didn't ask for a dime. There are still some good people out there. Me and this dude got to sit down and talk about things other than bikes. Thanks to my sponsors, RapdiBike USA, Dainese, AGV, , Melillimoto, CyclePro, Cycle Gear Orlando, SouthCentralRaceCenter, Pirelli, PitBull, ,Sprint Filter MelillimotoDucati, Ducati, CafeRacerXXX, pirellination, ducatipeople.
Video #1, Sr SB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC-ctt34-gs
Video #2, HW Twins SB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ts34MWHVkA
Video #3, A Superbike - Watch me run down a 1299S on the back straight, first lap......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Xou7NLN4E&feature=youtu.be
Video #4, Sr SB. This video is from dbrooks. I show up at 2:55 chasing the R1 and passing Jason on his 1299 on the back straight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7C6DoyLMos
This is the second race weekend riding to the track without my wife in the co-pilot seat. If you following me on social media, you know we are expecting our first child, so she isn't allowed in the truck with the gas fumes coming form the bike and gas cans. So, I left the house Thursday afternoon for a 7hr trip to Braselton, GA. Surprisingly, it was a smooth drive up from Orlando. Just listening to some old school rap and some talk radio, Bomani Jones and Colin Cowherd. I got to the hotel just in time to see the NBA game and I decided to cut the TV off after Curry fouled out. Boy did the NBA want a game 7.......
Friday report
I got up early and headed to the track to meet up with b9009b and Fahed. It's always good to finally meet forum members and find out they are truly good dudes. b9009b is a down to earth great guy. He and I had some discussions 3 months ago about coming to Road ATL to help me in the pits and he said no problem. He also brought his son Issace with him and he is a very bright and friendly young man. I cannot express how comfortable they made myself and Fahed feel at the track. Not only that, b9009b was running around the entire paddock helping guys out. He provided a set of break pads to Aaron Boelo so he could race today in the National series. Helped out Wonderlust with a mapping issue. Tire changes, tire warmers, fuel fill, checked tire pressures, safety wire..... the list goes on and on.
As for the practice sessions, I was immediately running lap times from last year. I couldn't however beat those times immediately and from what I can tell, I usually set my best times after lunch. So, the morning sessions we making sure everything was working as expected (we installed the Brembo 17RCS master cylinder on Wednesday and a rear view camera mount) and relearning the lines. I felt great and the bike felt very fast, scary fast.
The first session after lunch saw everyone in the 750 and up experts come out at the same time. Guys like Geoff May, Luie Zendejas, Brad Burns and some other Moto America guys were in this session. I was mostly following Dylan Tent on his Ducati Detroit prepped 959 and I was able to set a PB of 1:39. Not that fast but it was good to see my times coming down. Dylan is fast man, even on a bike that shouldn't be able to keep up with the kiter bikes on a liter bike track. But he carries crazy corner speed and it showed in the HW Twins SB class on Saturday morning.
I decided to sit out the last session of the day because it was HOT AS ..... I mean it had to be around 110 on the track. Fahed brought his toy hauler, but we blew the fuse on the electric box and had no A/C. We made do, stayed hydrated and made the best of the practice day.
That night, my wife flew into the ATL and met me at the hotel. She got started right away making lunch, laying out my gear for Saturday and rest her feet. I ate some tofu and veggies and started studying my race video, front and rear, to get a hint as to where to make up time.
Side note, it was great to meet some many forums members racing their Panigales. I already knew Zohsix001, Phil218, Welton, highside49, but I met
wanderlust, b9009b, Dylan, Chaotic, Jason Bucker and Tack 14. There had to be around 10-15 of us other Saturday.
Saturday
I woke up extra early and was ready to race. Kissed the wife and her belly good bye and off to the track I went. The first second session started pretty good and I was able to do 4 consecutive laps of 1:39, so I was consistent, and that's important. In the second session I really never got a full lap in, I was practicing my launches, going around and pitting in and practicing again. I did four launches and they got better every time. I was ready.....
Race #1, HW Twins SB Expert and Novice
Man, I was excited. Metalhead from the WERA forums collects his spare change throughout the year and keeps it in a container for gas money. Well this year, he was put that money up for the winner of the HW Twins SB class, expert. After I saw the grids, I knew I had no chance of winning unless I was able to get into the top 4 at the start. Since I have not raced this year, I had zero points and I was dead last out of 16 expert riders. I was going to see how rusty I was since this would be my first race in 9 months.
"Final call, race #3, HW Twins expert and novice. Off came the tire warmers, Go Pro cameras turned on (The front battery died at the start) and to the grid Fahed and I went. I get to my grid sport, row 8, outside, I set my RapidBike launch control and wait for Ed Bargy to get us moving. As we watch the board on the box go from 2/1 sideways, dropping the clutch and twisting the throttle and I was able to get a good start. How good you ask? Well, I went form 16th to 9th before T2. I could have taken Jason Bucker, but I was indecisive and waited until I could make a clean pass. I followed the Jason going into the buzz stop, thru the esses and down towards turn 5. As we exit turn 5, I get on the gas early until we readed turn 7, I apex T7 and go an average drive on the back straight and passed him and another expert before the kink going down to T10.
After I made this pass, I set my PB of 1:38 while trying to catch Stephen and the rest of the guys. Chris, Gene and Dylan checked out and I ran a lonely race. It felt good to start last and make up so many places and hold on to it. Also seeing my lap times drop gave me confidence to push harder in the next races. I checked the results and saw that I'm 4 secs off the leaders pace, so I have some work to do.
Race #7, A Senior SB Expert and Novice
Again, I'm gridded dead last, P13 and I wanted to do the same thing. Get a great start and see where I end up. There are some fast guys in this race including Stephen (Buell 1125, Billy Ethridge, Moto America) and others. The green flag is thrown and I get another good start using the LC from RapidBike. I take two places going into T1 and start hunting others on my way to the front. I get a bad drive coming out of T5 with the bike wheeling down the short straight an loose a position to Brad on his R1. I get to the back straight and I run down James on his KTM and I'm now running 11th. I get a move on and start looking to take Brad and Earl. I catch Earl coming out of T1 on the second lap, so I'm running P9. Brad and I catch another expert, so we both move up a spot. I'm now running P8, still trying to get
past Brad. I catch Jason on his 1299 coming out of T1 moving up to T7. I'm moving pretty good now and as Brad and I go down the back straight, I try to make a move under breaking. I dive to the inside of 10A and as we turn to go up the hill in 10B, he gets on the gas and starts to drift over to me. I should have got on the gas and motored past him, but I didn't know if could since the bike just wheelies and I loose drive. So, I back off the gas and loose 2 bikes going down the hill towards T12. I try to get on the gas early and I have a big slide and loose more ground as Brad is pulling away. I know I'm string than him going into to T1 and going up the hill, so I can make up the gap there for another go down the back straight. We are also catching highside49, so P5 is looking good. We get on the back straight again with me on his tail and I'm going to make another late breaking attempt. Well, this one didn't go as planned. I made a mental error a missed my break
marker and didn't feel like I could make the turn. Looking back on it, I should have tried to make it and see what happened. I decided to go straight into the run off all rocks and as the bike was slowing, dropped the bike. Call it a run off, crash, whatever, I dumped the bike. I was mad because I knew I was going to pass Brad and make a run for highside49. I't took us a minute to get the bike out of the pit and the bike and I are fine. A few scratch in the paint and some dirty leathers. As you could imagine, when I didn't come back around, my wife started to worry. Thanks to b9009b, he kept her calm and assured her I was ok, which I was. I got a DNF for this race, but on the lap before I crash, set another PB at 1:37. My pace was picking up.
Race #18 A Superbike
Once again, we are all on the grid, waiting for the flag to drop. I'm dead last again, so no real expectations. There are some really fast guys on the grid today. Geoff May, Luie Zendejas, Brad Burns and some other fast guys. The only thing on my mind is get a good start and get . I got a clean start and started making my way to thru the pack. I get my boy CJ and another rider coming out of T1 again and make my way up the hill, and I'm rolling behind my boy Stephen. I'll take him on the back straight. At the end of the straight, I catch Jason on his 1299 on the brakes. Thats 4 spots I've taken in one lap. I' feeling pretty good at the moment. As I'm coming thru T10A, a rider is in the dirt on the apex of T10B, so I stay on the gas and see if I can catch the others. Thats 5 spots made up. Around lap for 4, I started getting tired and caught a cramp in my left leg which made it hard to shift the bike. Looking at the video, there is no way I would have been caught, but
Stephen and a novice rider who is getting coached by Geoff May finally caught me. I just could make the pass back on them at the end.
This weekend was so much fun. It felt great to get back to racing after such a long time off. Getting to meet a bunch of forum members, see their bike builds, and help with tech .... and just shoot the .... was awesome.
Again, I always thank mywife first because she is the PRIMARY sponsor for everything Leon Johnson Racing. I want to thank b9009b and his son for all their time. They did this from their heart and didn't ask for a dime. There are still some good people out there. Me and this dude got to sit down and talk about things other than bikes. Thanks to my sponsors, RapdiBike USA, Dainese, AGV, , Melillimoto, CyclePro, Cycle Gear Orlando, SouthCentralRaceCenter, Pirelli, PitBull, ,Sprint Filter MelillimotoDucati, Ducati, CafeRacerXXX, pirellination, ducatipeople.
Video #1, Sr SB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC-ctt34-gs
Video #2, HW Twins SB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ts34MWHVkA
Video #3, A Superbike - Watch me run down a 1299S on the back straight, first lap......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Xou7NLN4E&feature=youtu.be
Video #4, Sr SB. This video is from dbrooks. I show up at 2:55 chasing the R1 and passing Jason on his 1299 on the back straight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7C6DoyLMos
Attachments
-
13445758_10153774186664389_4949188422850541947_n.jpg -
13510931_10153774186609389_5354444669192636674_n.jpg -
13509037_10153774186464389_2037323442291598130_n.jpg -
13428377_10153773596144389_2716597214679243360_n.jpg -
13417651_10153768903899389_5544670898294676741_n.jpg -
13432138_10153768903834389_4510911857294857106_n.jpg -
13427780_10153768903794389_5413730840940508931_n.jpg -
13423975_10153768904734389_2720930598180115727_n.jpg
Last edited:
