2015-2016 CMVA Round 1 CW
# 240 Race Report
Oh boy where to start. This was definitely a challenging weekend for my Expert debut! I was plagued by mechanical issues all weekend (some of which could have been avoided) but continued to push forward and fight on thanks to the help of El Caporal, Vern Ray and the rest of the Low Budget crew!
Saturday, Race 5: Formula Middleweight
Started on the 4th row grid but had a great start. Cody Newman is one fast dude on the straights and passed me going into the slide on the second lap. I had the back seat to a battle between Christian and Cody for a couple laps. Managed to squeak past both of them in turns 6 and 7 then set my sights on Baca and Josh Fogle. Baca and Fogle both duked it out towards the last couple laps as I trailed just behind them. On the last lap, I was able to get past Baca then Fogle did some off-roading coming out of T10 so I picked up his position. I was barely able to hold off Baca although he almost made it passed me on the front straight to finish the race. I ended up finishing in 9th place with a best lap of 1:56.022.
Saturday, Race 10: Supersport Middleweight
Welp after what I would consider a strong performance in my previous race, I sure did botch this start to say the least. I had been having some issues with my bike overheating so I turned it off while on the grid waiting for the rest of the riders. I ended up attempting to start the race in neutral! Doh! Brilliant idea as I began the race well after the whole grid took off whilst trying to figure out why my bike didn't want to go (amateur move at its finest). I had a really hard time getting by some of the riders and just could not execute passes which was a huge fail. I was nowhere near my normal pace and it was pretty obvious I got into my own head. I won't even mention laptimes here but finished in 14th.
Foever88:
There was a beautiful yet emotional event to celebrate the late Joanna Bitter. Jen rode Joanna's R6 adorned with the #88 as Bill McCoy chased her around the track. It was heartbreaking to see the pain in the eyes of all the racers in attendance but truly special to see how we all united as familia to support Joanna, Bill and family.
Ride on #forever88
Sunday, Race 2: Supersport Middleweight
After an emotional start to the day, it was time to get focused on racing. I had work on the bike after the awards banquet to remove the thermostat which I had hoped would alleviate the overheating issues I had suffered the previous day. It worked! Had a decent start and found myself chasing down my buddy Tim Kadowaki for the beginning of the race as we ran consistent 1:55's. Right when it was getting good I had to exit the race early due to a mechanical issue. I did run my best time in a race so far of a 1:55.3 so it wasn't all terrible. This just sucked the life out of me and I was extremely disappointed in myself. Preparation is key and noted for next round to avoid such issues.
Sunday, Race 8: Shootout Middleweight (10 laps)
As the temperatures rose, I wasn't sure this was a race I wanted to compete in this race but I had a personal pep talk and decided to run it. I slapped on a new tire since this would be my first time doing a shootout and I wanted to be confident there would be no issues. Luckily, I had Cody Newman next to me on the grid to remind me to start the race in 1st gear! I had a decent start and found myself to be trailing behind Tyler Olmstead and El Caporal. I snuck up the inside of Tyler exiting Patience and he did not hesitate to pass me going into turn 1. I was able to re-pass him coming out of 2 and going into 3 and held that position for a while as I began to pull a slight gap on Tyler and Cody. The fatigue really started to set in around lap 7 or 8 and suffered a false neutral going into Patience that allowed Tyler to catch me. Tyler surprised me once again with a great pass going into turn 1 but I wasn't going to let that happen. I dove back under him going into turn 3 and held him off to the end of the race. This was my best result of the weekend with a 6th place and best laptime of 1:54.3.
I cannot thank El Caporal enough!!! If it wasn't for him there was no way I would've been able to race on Saturday. Another huge thanks to Vern Ray, Matt Ray, Duncan Mardling, Anton Sohn, John Menzie and Jai Iono for keeping me from losing my lid when the times got tough. My hat goes off to the Amateur racers I graduated with in Tyler Olmstead, Tim Kadowaki, Scott Linton, Christian Dwiggins, Oliver Kho and Jake for really stepping it up and showing the competitive racers CVMA breeds!
Also would like to thank my sponsors Amsoil, Shorai Power, Globe Shoes, Braking/Sunstar, Slick Prodocts and GoPro for their continued support in my racing endeavors!
# 240 Race Report
Oh boy where to start. This was definitely a challenging weekend for my Expert debut! I was plagued by mechanical issues all weekend (some of which could have been avoided) but continued to push forward and fight on thanks to the help of El Caporal, Vern Ray and the rest of the Low Budget crew!
Saturday, Race 5: Formula Middleweight
Started on the 4th row grid but had a great start. Cody Newman is one fast dude on the straights and passed me going into the slide on the second lap. I had the back seat to a battle between Christian and Cody for a couple laps. Managed to squeak past both of them in turns 6 and 7 then set my sights on Baca and Josh Fogle. Baca and Fogle both duked it out towards the last couple laps as I trailed just behind them. On the last lap, I was able to get past Baca then Fogle did some off-roading coming out of T10 so I picked up his position. I was barely able to hold off Baca although he almost made it passed me on the front straight to finish the race. I ended up finishing in 9th place with a best lap of 1:56.022.
Saturday, Race 10: Supersport Middleweight
Welp after what I would consider a strong performance in my previous race, I sure did botch this start to say the least. I had been having some issues with my bike overheating so I turned it off while on the grid waiting for the rest of the riders. I ended up attempting to start the race in neutral! Doh! Brilliant idea as I began the race well after the whole grid took off whilst trying to figure out why my bike didn't want to go (amateur move at its finest). I had a really hard time getting by some of the riders and just could not execute passes which was a huge fail. I was nowhere near my normal pace and it was pretty obvious I got into my own head. I won't even mention laptimes here but finished in 14th.
Foever88:
There was a beautiful yet emotional event to celebrate the late Joanna Bitter. Jen rode Joanna's R6 adorned with the #88 as Bill McCoy chased her around the track. It was heartbreaking to see the pain in the eyes of all the racers in attendance but truly special to see how we all united as familia to support Joanna, Bill and family.
Ride on #forever88
Sunday, Race 2: Supersport Middleweight
After an emotional start to the day, it was time to get focused on racing. I had work on the bike after the awards banquet to remove the thermostat which I had hoped would alleviate the overheating issues I had suffered the previous day. It worked! Had a decent start and found myself chasing down my buddy Tim Kadowaki for the beginning of the race as we ran consistent 1:55's. Right when it was getting good I had to exit the race early due to a mechanical issue. I did run my best time in a race so far of a 1:55.3 so it wasn't all terrible. This just sucked the life out of me and I was extremely disappointed in myself. Preparation is key and noted for next round to avoid such issues.
Sunday, Race 8: Shootout Middleweight (10 laps)
As the temperatures rose, I wasn't sure this was a race I wanted to compete in this race but I had a personal pep talk and decided to run it. I slapped on a new tire since this would be my first time doing a shootout and I wanted to be confident there would be no issues. Luckily, I had Cody Newman next to me on the grid to remind me to start the race in 1st gear! I had a decent start and found myself to be trailing behind Tyler Olmstead and El Caporal. I snuck up the inside of Tyler exiting Patience and he did not hesitate to pass me going into turn 1. I was able to re-pass him coming out of 2 and going into 3 and held that position for a while as I began to pull a slight gap on Tyler and Cody. The fatigue really started to set in around lap 7 or 8 and suffered a false neutral going into Patience that allowed Tyler to catch me. Tyler surprised me once again with a great pass going into turn 1 but I wasn't going to let that happen. I dove back under him going into turn 3 and held him off to the end of the race. This was my best result of the weekend with a 6th place and best laptime of 1:54.3.
I cannot thank El Caporal enough!!! If it wasn't for him there was no way I would've been able to race on Saturday. Another huge thanks to Vern Ray, Matt Ray, Duncan Mardling, Anton Sohn, John Menzie and Jai Iono for keeping me from losing my lid when the times got tough. My hat goes off to the Amateur racers I graduated with in Tyler Olmstead, Tim Kadowaki, Scott Linton, Christian Dwiggins, Oliver Kho and Jake for really stepping it up and showing the competitive racers CVMA breeds!
Also would like to thank my sponsors Amsoil, Shorai Power, Globe Shoes, Braking/Sunstar, Slick Prodocts and GoPro for their continued support in my racing endeavors!