In early April i was having pain and noise in my right clavicle from my Nov 1 accident. Doc brought me in for a cat scan on a thursday, and i didn't hear anything back until 9pm sunday evening when he called and informed me 1 of 3 fractures in my clavicle had not healed and that I needed surgery. He said sooner is better than later, and i said now is as good a time as any. So on April 13, 2018 we went in and they did an internal fixation of my right clavicle. I planned on 8 weeks of healing / recovery so i started selling my trackdays and planning on hopefully making round 4.
Small round 3 update
The Wed before round 3, had a checkup with doc and he told me i was 100% healed and didn't even require any follow ups. I was so excited i asked the wife for permission to do round 3. She said yes, it was my birthday on thursday the 24th afterall.
Showed up to round 3 AFM friday. Rained all day so just hung out. Went out for one session, had small oil leak on side of block. Fixed leak, cleaned bike, prepped for saturday.
Saturday had some rain but i got out for an afternoon practice session. 2 laps in coming out of turn 5 grabbing for 3rd gear the transmission goes CLICK - BOOM. Hand up, and take the dirt exit of 6. Bike doesn't roll in gear... so i drag it as far out into the grass as i can and set it down...
We get back into pit and bike sounds like cam chain is super loose, but thats not it... Rolls when in neutral, but rear drags with clutch in and in gear. So we head home, sad and crushed.
Sunday spent all day cleaning and organizing the garage in preparation for heart surgery / transplant.
Monday my buddy Carlos came over and we pulled the clutch cover and inspected clutch. Everything was good... there so problem was internal... Decided to pull motor from my other zx10r and this one... When we got this one out we looked thru the starter cover to see bits missing off of gears. Drained oil and lots of metal in oil and on magnetic drain plug. Well, we are confirmed something bad has happened.
So we swapped the good motor back into my race bike... Getting the swap all done on monday, but did not get it ready to start.
Tuesday we had a couple hours in the evening so we got back at it and we finished wiring and got it buttoned up. Started right up and ran great. Faired it up and took it for a spin around the block. Good to go!
Some shots of the WIP https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17860152406261172/
ROUND 4
I was able to get a day at laguna and sonoma before round 4 so at least i got some seat time prior to get back to being comfortable on a bike after so much injury and surgery.
FRIDAY
Got there thursday night dropped off trailer and setup canopy. Rented hotel for wife, son, dog and I. Got some good sleep. Came back to track and got settled in. Skipped first 2 sessions so i could stretch, do eye drills and focus.
Was able to work my way down into 2:06s throughout the day and made sure i could put in "full sessions" so i wouldn't tire out in a race.
SATURDAY
Got there a little lazily, to find out that pit tech was canceld so had to scramble to get ready but when i got down to tech i realized i forgot my sheet... well now its time for the meeting so i head back to my pit, hit the meeting and went back for my second try. Of course i passed tech no problems. Head back, did some stretching and focus and eye drills.
Got dropped to PG2 due to my slow laps and mechanical out from RD3... That meant i got to enjoy a rare spot at the top of the time sheet for a while. Managed to make every practice session and worked my way down into consistent 2:05-2:06s but didn't quite get better than that.
Some time before my Clubman Heavy race, Jesus with Daredevil Motorsports swings by to check out how I'm doing and recommends that i soften the front. I reluctantly agree'd since i wasn't sure how i would adjust to a different front end feel without trying it during practice but he promised i'd drop time.
So we resprung the left fork and reset my suspension settings.
I rest and focus for HVY. Head out at final call. Pull up next to #302 honey badger and give a fist bump. Warmup lap begins.
We grid up and I am in the back of 2nd wave, but not last. I get kind of a weak launch/start and end up coming out of the hole last. Some turn one comes and goes, but entering 2 i see an opportunity and am able to make a pass on #703. I end up holding this position for the rest of the race, minus getting chopped up by some super fast dudes in clubman mid.
I had some good battling/chases with #727. I was on his tail most of the race and tried to make a few passes where i knew i carried more roll speed and was better on the brakes than him, however when i made my moves he would hold on and I wanting to avoid risk, give the position back. Eventually while i'm working on an inside pass into T2, a couple fast CLB MID guys come right between the two of us and i give him a bit of breathing room the rest of the race and just focus on finishing and holding my position.
On the final lap, Matthew #769 passes me on the brakes on the inside of T14. I grit my teeth in frustration and focus on getting him back on the exit of T15, however he has a good exit and i have to use every bit of power in my zx10r to pull him in and pass him right before we cross the finish line and ran my best lap of the race 2:05.2.
This race was a big moment for me. With all the injury i have had the past year and all the physical therapy i had done, i had really struggled to get back to where i was last year prior to my accidents. I ended up running a low 2:05 this race which put me back on par with last year. I was so happy to finish a race, and to make a pass that i was crying with joy in my helmet for the entire cooldown lap.
Video to be posted.
SUNDAY
Get up early so i can get to track, relax focus and do my eye drills. Running PG2 so get a little rushed for gearing up and heading out to warm up/scrub off the jitters.
Run a 2:14 in practice. Uhoh. Need to do better than that!
Open Superbike comes up. I'm grid at the back again of W1. I get another pretty mediocre start and end up in the back. I see Aldi #865 struggling a little with his pace and i am able to make a pass on him and it sticks. I spend most of the rest of the race just chasing whoever gets in front of me for as long as i can (lots of fast guys in 750 sbk get around me!)
Overall I ended up 18th position a second and a half behind #302 and last in open superbike novice, but it was a very fun race and i managed to pull a 2:04.1 my overall best ever at Thill East, making me a very happy rider.
My final race was Open GP.
I have pretty much the same grid position as before, left and back.
This time i'm focusing on trying to get a good start. I get off the line pretty decently, and then all the sudden everyone starts shifting right and it was like the red sea parting. I gave it all i had and (cleanly) stuck it up the inside into turn 1. I managed to pass at least 5 people before T1 which was one of the most amazing feelings ever. My goal at this point was to hold on as hard as i could to the tow in front of me and i was managing pretty well at this... Until on exit of T15 coming down the front straight my bike kills 100%. Scary moment as we are all doing 100mph 100% WOT. I toss my left hand up in the air and waved it like i just dont (i really did) care. Thankfully everyone was able to safely get around me. I rode off T1 into the dirt. Everything was ok, then after a moment i thought about was it just the killswitch? Turns out it was... bike ran fine, just some fluke moment or something hitting the killswitch.
It was very disappointing and i'd lost all my momentum, i was frustrated i didn't get to see what i would be able to accomplish that race as i felt like i was really going to go a lot faster but regardless, I did not finish Open GP.
In all my life of riding i have never accidentally hit a kill switch on my bike. Not sure if it was me doing something silly in the moment or a piece of debris but it happened, live and learn and do better next time.
I am so proud of my start i'm going to steal Smash's video since my cameras were not working most of the weekend and it was the only positive part of Open GP for me
. (skip ahead to 50s)
youtu.be/qjceOMf6Z8A
Overally I had a GREAT weekend and a GREAT Father's Day. Brazil Tied, and i did not crash or get injured so the wife was also very happy.
Can't wait for Rd 5!
Small round 3 update
The Wed before round 3, had a checkup with doc and he told me i was 100% healed and didn't even require any follow ups. I was so excited i asked the wife for permission to do round 3. She said yes, it was my birthday on thursday the 24th afterall.
Showed up to round 3 AFM friday. Rained all day so just hung out. Went out for one session, had small oil leak on side of block. Fixed leak, cleaned bike, prepped for saturday.
Saturday had some rain but i got out for an afternoon practice session. 2 laps in coming out of turn 5 grabbing for 3rd gear the transmission goes CLICK - BOOM. Hand up, and take the dirt exit of 6. Bike doesn't roll in gear... so i drag it as far out into the grass as i can and set it down...
We get back into pit and bike sounds like cam chain is super loose, but thats not it... Rolls when in neutral, but rear drags with clutch in and in gear. So we head home, sad and crushed.
Sunday spent all day cleaning and organizing the garage in preparation for heart surgery / transplant.
Monday my buddy Carlos came over and we pulled the clutch cover and inspected clutch. Everything was good... there so problem was internal... Decided to pull motor from my other zx10r and this one... When we got this one out we looked thru the starter cover to see bits missing off of gears. Drained oil and lots of metal in oil and on magnetic drain plug. Well, we are confirmed something bad has happened.
So we swapped the good motor back into my race bike... Getting the swap all done on monday, but did not get it ready to start.
Tuesday we had a couple hours in the evening so we got back at it and we finished wiring and got it buttoned up. Started right up and ran great. Faired it up and took it for a spin around the block. Good to go!
Some shots of the WIP https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17860152406261172/
ROUND 4
I was able to get a day at laguna and sonoma before round 4 so at least i got some seat time prior to get back to being comfortable on a bike after so much injury and surgery.
FRIDAY
Got there thursday night dropped off trailer and setup canopy. Rented hotel for wife, son, dog and I. Got some good sleep. Came back to track and got settled in. Skipped first 2 sessions so i could stretch, do eye drills and focus.
Was able to work my way down into 2:06s throughout the day and made sure i could put in "full sessions" so i wouldn't tire out in a race.
SATURDAY
Got there a little lazily, to find out that pit tech was canceld so had to scramble to get ready but when i got down to tech i realized i forgot my sheet... well now its time for the meeting so i head back to my pit, hit the meeting and went back for my second try. Of course i passed tech no problems. Head back, did some stretching and focus and eye drills.
Got dropped to PG2 due to my slow laps and mechanical out from RD3... That meant i got to enjoy a rare spot at the top of the time sheet for a while. Managed to make every practice session and worked my way down into consistent 2:05-2:06s but didn't quite get better than that.
Some time before my Clubman Heavy race, Jesus with Daredevil Motorsports swings by to check out how I'm doing and recommends that i soften the front. I reluctantly agree'd since i wasn't sure how i would adjust to a different front end feel without trying it during practice but he promised i'd drop time.
So we resprung the left fork and reset my suspension settings.
I rest and focus for HVY. Head out at final call. Pull up next to #302 honey badger and give a fist bump. Warmup lap begins.
We grid up and I am in the back of 2nd wave, but not last. I get kind of a weak launch/start and end up coming out of the hole last. Some turn one comes and goes, but entering 2 i see an opportunity and am able to make a pass on #703. I end up holding this position for the rest of the race, minus getting chopped up by some super fast dudes in clubman mid.
I had some good battling/chases with #727. I was on his tail most of the race and tried to make a few passes where i knew i carried more roll speed and was better on the brakes than him, however when i made my moves he would hold on and I wanting to avoid risk, give the position back. Eventually while i'm working on an inside pass into T2, a couple fast CLB MID guys come right between the two of us and i give him a bit of breathing room the rest of the race and just focus on finishing and holding my position.
On the final lap, Matthew #769 passes me on the brakes on the inside of T14. I grit my teeth in frustration and focus on getting him back on the exit of T15, however he has a good exit and i have to use every bit of power in my zx10r to pull him in and pass him right before we cross the finish line and ran my best lap of the race 2:05.2.
This race was a big moment for me. With all the injury i have had the past year and all the physical therapy i had done, i had really struggled to get back to where i was last year prior to my accidents. I ended up running a low 2:05 this race which put me back on par with last year. I was so happy to finish a race, and to make a pass that i was crying with joy in my helmet for the entire cooldown lap.
Video to be posted.
SUNDAY
Get up early so i can get to track, relax focus and do my eye drills. Running PG2 so get a little rushed for gearing up and heading out to warm up/scrub off the jitters.
Run a 2:14 in practice. Uhoh. Need to do better than that!
Open Superbike comes up. I'm grid at the back again of W1. I get another pretty mediocre start and end up in the back. I see Aldi #865 struggling a little with his pace and i am able to make a pass on him and it sticks. I spend most of the rest of the race just chasing whoever gets in front of me for as long as i can (lots of fast guys in 750 sbk get around me!)
Overall I ended up 18th position a second and a half behind #302 and last in open superbike novice, but it was a very fun race and i managed to pull a 2:04.1 my overall best ever at Thill East, making me a very happy rider.
My final race was Open GP.
I have pretty much the same grid position as before, left and back.
This time i'm focusing on trying to get a good start. I get off the line pretty decently, and then all the sudden everyone starts shifting right and it was like the red sea parting. I gave it all i had and (cleanly) stuck it up the inside into turn 1. I managed to pass at least 5 people before T1 which was one of the most amazing feelings ever. My goal at this point was to hold on as hard as i could to the tow in front of me and i was managing pretty well at this... Until on exit of T15 coming down the front straight my bike kills 100%. Scary moment as we are all doing 100mph 100% WOT. I toss my left hand up in the air and waved it like i just dont (i really did) care. Thankfully everyone was able to safely get around me. I rode off T1 into the dirt. Everything was ok, then after a moment i thought about was it just the killswitch? Turns out it was... bike ran fine, just some fluke moment or something hitting the killswitch.
It was very disappointing and i'd lost all my momentum, i was frustrated i didn't get to see what i would be able to accomplish that race as i felt like i was really going to go a lot faster but regardless, I did not finish Open GP.
In all my life of riding i have never accidentally hit a kill switch on my bike. Not sure if it was me doing something silly in the moment or a piece of debris but it happened, live and learn and do better next time.
I am so proud of my start i'm going to steal Smash's video since my cameras were not working most of the weekend and it was the only positive part of Open GP for me
. (skip ahead to 50s)youtu.be/qjceOMf6Z8A
Overally I had a GREAT weekend and a GREAT Father's Day. Brazil Tied, and i did not crash or get injured so the wife was also very happy.
Can't wait for Rd 5!
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