The amount of effort that went into getting the ZX6RR ready for round one of the WMRC series was remarkable to say the least, and for that reason I must thank some specific people for their tremendous efforts. Thank you to Dan Zlock and the whole Zlock Racing team for their countless hours of preparation and hard work. Also a big thank you to Jim, Scott, Rick and the people from Clearbrook Motorsports for their efforts. And I really want to thank the sponsors like Kawasaki, Hindle, Joe Rocket, Arai, GP Suspension, Pirelli, EBC, Silkolene, Airtech, Burns Motorsports, Marc Burgess and the countless others that came through for us. Without you we would not be racing!

The way things worked out I was going to have to shakedown the 600 only days before it would be raced for the first time. The plan was for us to go down to Portland to break in and evaluate the 600 at a Pacific Super Sport Riders (P.S.S.R.) track day. Thankfully the good people at PSSR grant us track time in return for instructing at their schools. Also, Garry Gallagher, from EBC and Silkolene, was coming down specifically to have us test a new EBC brake compound. Of course when Dan found out Garry was going to be there he decided to offer him one of the 180hp Zlock ZX9R track bikes for the day. Poor Garry! The weather for testing really couldn't have been more perfect with clear skies and the mercury reading around 25°C. I was actually quite excited to get on the new 600 as Dan seemed quite impressed with the changes Kawasaki had made from the previous year. Without going into too much detail, I'll tell you that this 600 is the best race 600 I have been on. It produces excellent power which, combined with much improved gear ratios, helps to get you around the track well. The only thing we didn't get completely sorted was the rear shock which was slightly over sprung causing some handling issues. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to racing the bike this year.

For the races in Western Canada I have a different crew than I do when racing in the US. As this was the first round, it was my first weekend with the new team and crew. Things went quite smoothly and we seemed to gel as the weekend went on. The crew busted their butts for me this weekend and I am very grateful for their efforts.

Notes on practice:
Things were pretty uneventful as there were showers in the morning followed by a beautifully sunny afternoon. I just focused on getting up to speed and ensured the bike was working correctly.

Notes on races:

Race 1 - Superbike Race 1
I got a decent start and was into turn one in third behind Mark and Steve who were pushing really hard. In fact, I had the best view of them swapping paint quite a few times during the first three laps. I decided to stay out of it for the first few laps thinking there might be a mistake I could capitalize on, but unfortunately I backed off a little too much and they gapped me by about two seconds which I was unable to make up.

Race 2 - 600 Supersport
I got a better start in this one and was in second going into turn one. But by the end of the lap I was in third and unable to regain the position. I settled down and proceeded to put in some clean fast laps right behind the leaders. My goal was to learn where they were strong, weak, or otherwise to see exactly where I stood. It became apparent that I wasn't able to exit the corners quite as strongly as Steve and Mark. I upped the game to match their speed, however I was going beyond what our settings could deliver. The rear started to weave as the rear shock attempted to keep up with the loads I was forcing into it. We were definitely off the mark with the rear suspension. Nevertheless, I brought it home on the box.

Race 3 - Superbike Race 2
I was determined to do better in this race. After consultation with Dan by cell phone we made an adjustment to the rear shock in an effort to find those last few tenths we needed to run at the front. I got an excellent start and the first few laps were flyers with the bike responding positively to our changes. We were there and I could feel it. However, on the third lap I noticed my brake lever coming ever so much closer to the bar and unfortunately by the time I went into turn three, I had it all the way to the grip and I even blew the turn. My race for a win was done and I had to change my mindset to conservation just to keep third position. Thankfully the first few laps gave me the cushion I needed to bring it home in third.

Again I need to thank all the businesses, friends and family that help us do this. We work hard to represent you well and appreciate all of your efforts.

Thank you

Oliver

Please click on image to enlarge

The ZX6RR	The ZX6RR
The ZX6RR	The ZX6RR
The ZX6RR	Dan Zlock & Garry Gallager
Oli and Garry	Zlock Team
Awesome new Joe Rocket Suit	Awesome new Joe Rocket Suit
Chillin	Mission Pits
ZX6RR on warmers	Jamie, Marc & Rick
Jim Ellison	Kevin Dick & Jet Emery
Jet "tucked in"	Jet
Kev	Scott & Cindy
Kodi had to try on Dads new leathers :o)