As you can tell from the overall results, this past weekend
(and season) has been an outstanding success. I cannot thank
all the people, sponsors, friends and family involved enough.
It wouldn't have happened without you.
Notes on Practice day
Weather conditions - wet and damp
Tires front / rear - soft front rain - medium rear rain
Total laps - 20
Best time - NA
Concerns/problems - Bike needs to turn more efficiently in
wet conditions. Track is too wet in areas to really push.
Notes: As the track was mostly damp all day we just
worked on getting my quick shifter to work correctly, something
we ultimately gave up on. In the end we removed it from the
bike completely to eliminate any possible means of failure.
Race 1 - Super Bike Race 1
Weather conditions - Very wet
Tires front / rear - soft front rain - medium rear rain
Total laps - 8
Best time - 1:21.2
Result - 2nd
Concerns/problems - Bike is working well however the conditions
are becoming worse
Notes: This was a difficult race for me mentally.
To clinch the Superbike championship I only needed to finish
in the top five, so I decided to play it a little safer and
just follow the leader for the race. I got a decent start
and led the first three laps. It felt strange to not push
harder to win the race but logic dictated that I go for the
overall championship and not the race win. We took second
in the race clinching the 2005 WRMC Superbike Championship
in the process.
Race 2 - 600 Supersport
Weather conditions - Downpour
Tires front / rear - soft front - medium rear
Total laps - 10
Best time - 1:24.5
Result - 3rd
Concerns/problems - Weather and track conditions continue
to deteriorate.
Notes: This was a heads up race between me and another
rider. Going in we were tied for the championship, so, in
essence, whoever finished in front of the other would take
the championship. Gotta love it. I got an excellent start
but ended up in second going into turn one. The rider in front
of me was the one I had to beat to win. I settled down and
just started to ride intelligently as I am quite comfortable
riding in the rain. The pace was decent enough to dip into
some good lap times but I felt confident because I still go
faster if needed. Unfortunately for the other rider, he misjudged
his entry into turn four, tucked the front and crashed (thankfully
unhurt). As there was no way I was going to risk the championship
in any way, I immediately changed my game plan and cruised
home in a very comfortable third place taking the 600 Championship
in the process.
Race 3 - SuperBike Race 2
Weather conditions - Torrential rain and standing water
Tires front / rear - soft front - soft rear
Total laps - 6
Best time - 1:22.1
Result - 1st
Concerns/problems - About the worst conditions that I have
ever raced in
Notes: Although we didn't have to race the final race
of the day as we had already won the Superbike championship,
I still wanted to put a stamp on the season with a strong
finish in the last race. I got a decent start and was in second
place going into turn two. Unfortunately, the rider in front
got caught out in the fourth lap going into turn seven tucking
the front, again thankfully unhurt. From here I just continued
to turn consistent laps as Steve Dick was coming up on me,
and he is also known for being lightning fast in the wet.
Sadly the race was red flagged shortly after when another
rider crashed quite badly coming out of turn six calling the
race.
Well there you have it, our last official race of the 2005
season. It's been another fantastic year for me personally
turning countless laps, travelling countless miles, spending
countless dollars. :o) In the end we came out with two championships,
more new friends, hundreds of racing stories, and most importantly
another year living this thing called life doing what I absolutely
love to do. Here's to more of that.
Stay tuned
Oliver
Please click on image to enlarge
Going into Vancouver |
|
New front Pirelli Rain |
New Rear Pirelli Rain |
Karla & Kodi came to the race |
Team members celebrate the SuperBike Championship |
Jay, James & I |
So wet we had to "try" and dry out my rain gear |
"Puffy" |
James working hard (as usual :o) ) |
Jay, James & I after the races |
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