New Hampshire International Speedway / AMA
06/17 - 06/20/99

Event Final Tech Info

Race Times / Results:

Notes:

We pulled into NHIS on Wednesday morning, paid a $5 entry fee and set up camp. No hassles about where to park, a large, grassy infield with RV hookups, showers and the paddock was lined with three rows of garages. The facility and staff were pretty cool. The track itself, though, is pretty rough. I could see where they'd made improvements to the race line in an attempt to minimize crashes and Jerry Wood was keenly interested in anyone's opinion to make any changes possible during the weekend. But Loudon is still a dangerous place. Walls and barriers everywhere you look. There's only so much you can do within the confines of those walls.

Our biggest challenge of the weekend was finding a suspension setup that would work over the harsh transitions between the various pavement sections without making the bike so soft that it wouldn't handle through the faster stuff. I think I got it about half-way there.

Because Loudon is such a small track, 1.6 miles, the race grids were limited to 40 riders (44 is the norm). We knew we'd have to push it that much harder to make the grids. We were changing suspension settings from the first practice on Thursday all the way up to the qualifying on Saturday. Steve found some kind of groove out there and got it down into the 1.18's. I was beating myself up over the pavement transitions and managed a best of 1.19.491.

Qualifying went well for the both of us. We knew the times we'd have to hit to make the grid and we did it. The 750 session, though, turned tragic for Steve as he came around on his last lap. As he rolled through T1 and T2, where the entrance to the track from the hot pit dumps, some IDIOT pulled onto the track and right across the racing line, straight into Steve's path. He swerved to avoid hitting the rider, which he did, but in the process highsided his butt to the moon. He flipped through the air, landed on his back, slapping his left heel onto the pavement. The impact broke his heel right down the middle.

The orthopod at the hospital suggested that an operation to screw the bones back into place might be in order. We booked a flight back home for him and it looks like he'll be out for the rest of the AMA season.

The 750 race was my best of the year. I got an incredible start and led a pack of about ten riders for most of the race. A couple slipped by in the closing laps, but I held my own pretty well and finished a career AMA best of 26th. It was a grueling 24 laps, though, and I pulled a muscle in my back in the process. The 600 race went well - not as good as the 750, but not too bad. I was sore as hell and my back was killing me, but I managed to finish 32nd. It was a very tough, demanding weekend. It was also an unfortunate one for Steve.

Thanks again to Paco Ramierez for his advice and insight. A special thanks to Steve's friend Wendy from Boston. Wendy came up to help out for the weekend, took care of Steve at the hospital and put up with him for two days until his plane ride back home. Our local orthopod decided that an operation wasn't necessary and would actually increase Steve's recovery time. 

A special hat's off to Anthony Altieri and the gang at Altieri's Auto, Inc. (1 Erie Street, Amsterdam, NY 12010. 518-843-4874). On the Monday after New Hampshire, billowing smoke alerted us to a serious problem with one of the trailer tires. A bearing buddy had fallen off,  allowing all the grease to escape. The resulting spun bearing caused a small fire, smoking the brakes and electrics. Anthony got the call from the New York turnpike authority, and with the help of  an assistant, put that tire up on a dolly and we rolled it into their repair center. Not only did Altieri's put us at the top of their repair list, they allowed us to hook up the RV in their yard until the repair was complete. We were back on our way by 9:00 the next morning.

Next round, AMA action at Laguna Seca for World Superbike Weekend, July 9 - 11, 1999.

Bob.

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