These last few days have gone by so quickly it almost seems a blur. I left Thursday night to help Dan and the team with preparation of the 600. Three days later, with little to no sleep in between, we managed to somehow get the bike together and on the track for Sunday morning, and still obtained a podium in the races. Amazing. Without going into too much detail, Dan and I had the seemingly insurmountable task of repairing the transmission that failed while racing in Spokane less than two weeks ago. That encompassed disassembling the engine to establish what parts were needed, order needed parts, receive said parts, assemble and modify parts and engine, and test engine. Now I assure you I really had a very small part in it all; Dan on the other hand spent countless hours assembling everything in his precise manner. And this all occurred within nine days of Dan getting the bike. With all this we did miss Saturday's practise sessions, so that meant no data, no seat time, not even the correct gearing. We were going to have to jump right into the racing with no set-up time whatsoever, and me having not raced at Seattle for over a year. It can never be easy can it.

Race Day - Practise
Warm up practise session
Weather conditions - Cool and overcast (damp patches on track)
Tires front / rear - soft front - medium rear
Total laps - 5
Best time - 1:32.2
Concerns/problems - Gearing too short, shift & braking points needed.
Notes: As this was the only chance to "shake down" the bike before our race I had to make every second count. That meant I had to make sure the bike was operating correctly (temperature, shifting, handling etc.), while examining the corners to come up with a plan.

Race Day - Race 1
600 SuperSport
Weather conditions - Cool and sunny
Tires front / rear - soft front - medium rear
Total laps - 10
Best time - 1:29.3
Result - 4th
Notes: I was gridded on the 6th row, so a good start was in order if I had any chance of a decent result. I got a mediocre start and was in about 12th going into turn two. I made several passes on the first lap and had made my way to 6th by turn two on the second lap. Then it happened - I had the biggest save in several years. Midway through turn two the front suddenly tucked and the bike started to crash. Somehow, I managed to plough my left knee into the ground standing the bike up and saving the ensuing lowside. What a fluke of luck (I better by that lottery ticket tomorrow). I could not believe what had just happened, although I had proof in the form of a rather nasty hole in the top portion of the knee of my leathers. Thanks to Joe Rocket for the new suit I now need. : From there I just settled down to a rhythm in an effort to catch the leaders, but my tires were starting to fade and I ultimately had to settle for fourth.

Race Day - Race 2
600 SuperBike
Weather conditions - Warm and sunny
Tires front / rear - soft front - medium rear
Total laps - 10
Best time - 1:28.1
Result - 3rd
Notes: Dan and I had discussed the tire issue from the previous race and decided it was best to mount up a new set of Pirellis. Also, we made another change to the gearing to utilize the top end rpm that a drafting battle might produce. We were set. I got a much better start and was in 4th going into turn two. Once in 3rd place I set after the leaders Mike Sullivan and Eli Edwards. The pace was extremely quick with almost all our first laps being in the low 1:28 range. We were all having a real scrap with Sullivan in particular doing some spectacular slides going into turn three. Unfortunately for me, my shot at the win was dashed by a lapper going into the bus stop. I didn't get by him before that turn and was ultimately held up for those vital tenths that allowed Mike and Eli to obtain a small gap. Barry Wressell made a charge at me in the closing laps, but I held him off for the last spot on the podium. A really good race.

From here I have a bit of a break for Supermoto and a practice session at Mission, then it's time to prepare for my daughter's 4th birthday. Where did the last four years go?

Thanks again to everyone that supports this racing program. I wouldn't be here without you.

Stay tuned.

Oliver

Please click on image to enlarge

The 600	Brad Gua & I	Brad & Dave
Richard Lerud - TYR SOX	Richard & Dan putting on a new set of warmers	Richard having fun
The 600 on TYR SOX warmers	Brad Gua	Mike Sullivan
Barry & I through turn three	Dan & Dale Zlock "Slavin"	Sorry Dale I had to put this up... :o)