WSMC / Willow Springs International Raceway
04/17 - 04/19/98

Event Baseline Tech Info

Race Times / Results:

Friday FasTrack Practice - Notes:

The change in rear gearing from a 45 to a 46 was immediately noticeable and positive. We were able to run through the gears quicker and accelerate harder without screwing up our shift points around the track. We may try adding one more at Willow in May to see if that improves it even more.

Steve & I took a methodical approach to Friday's practice. We knew the areas that we wanted to work on (more entrance / exit speed in T1, faster & deeper through T8 & T9) and concentrated on those. Towards the end of the day we played follow the leader to show each other what we were doing, then discussed how we felt and what we observed. 

Saturday WSMC Practice - Notes:

Saturday was pretty much a repeat of Friday. We would go out for a session or two, working on problem areas, then follow each other around for a session and compare notes. Steve started going deeper in T9 than I was, and ate up a set of tires by the end of the day. We quit practice at 3:00 and mounted new tires on both bikes for Sunday's races.

Sunday WSMC Races - Notes:

The weather had been terrific all weekend, and Sunday was more of the same. High 60s in the morning to low 80s in the afternoon. All without the traditional Willow wind.

Our first race was the Graves Motor Sports / Bert's Motorcycle Mall 650 Super Bike. I got an OK start, Steve was just in front of me coming into T1. I ran to the outside of the turn and pulled it down to the inside to maintain my position. Steve started moving up around T2 on the first lap, taking two riders on the outside and onto the straight leading to T3. He took off after Melissa Berkhoff (#667, Neighbor of the Beast Racing), whom he caught & passed before the checkers. I passed one rider on the brakes into T1 half-way through the race and spent the rest of the time chasing a GSX-R 600 who had just a bit more motor to hold me off at the line.

I was planting my knee all the way around T2 and most of T8 & T9. It started getting dicey trying to go faster around T2 because I was also touching my toe slider and occasionally the foot peg. Steve was having a blast, sliding around out in the middle of T2 and around T9, but it was tough on the tires. He ran his fastest Willow race, putting in almost exclusive 1.29s. We didn't have anyone trackside to take times on both of us, so I'll guess and say I was probably one second slower than Steve (any slower and I'd have to shoot myself).

Last month's Tom Sera Racing Formula II GP was held at twilight and we fought low light and sand storms. This month's was run just before lunch and the conditions were perfect. I chased Tom Sera on his 250 for most of the race, Tom was chasing Steve. Tom got ahead of Steve by pushing him wide coming into T1 side-by-side towards the end of the race and that's how we finished.

The Toyota Gold Cup Unlimited Formula I race was our last of the day. Steve had raced a few of these last year, which caters to the fastest bikes / riders at Willow. We ran the race on our puny 600s more for the track experience than any expectation of decent finishes. I got off the line ahead of Steve, but he squeezed past coming out of T2. I stayed right on his tail for a couple of  laps while he tried to work his way around a Duck 916 and a TZ250. He caught one of the riders in a beautiful pass coming around T9, then nailed the other on the brakes in T1. The Duck and the TZ slowed as they started battling each other for position, while I closed up the gap. It was sheer frustration from that point. I gained ground on them in T2 through T6, they motored away into T8. I gained ground again in T8 through T9, then they'd leave me in the dust down the front straight. This went on for the whole race.

The Duck finally pulled some distance on the TZ, who slowed down a bit. I bided my time through the last two laps, planning to get him in T9 and run like hell for the checkers. I knew if I moved too soon he'd use his motor to get back by. I was right on his tail coming through T9 on the last lap, but didn't get the drive to take him.

It was a helluva great weekend for Aramel Racing. Steve pulled off another top-ten finish and ran his fastest races to date. The time we spent working on sections of the track and comparing notes on Friday and Saturday really paid off.

Next round - AMA action at Willow Springs April 24 - 26.

Bob.

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