Kalen
Well-known member
Race Report :: AFM Buttonwillow Round 2
I was able to arrive and get in a half day Friday for some practice, this really helped me a lot. Saturday I arrived less worried about the weekend and ready to take my bike to tech.
During practice I was dropping time little by little, almost down to my best from Round 1. Feeling a little more confident, but still not super in tune with the track.
My first race of the weekend was Afemme Lightweight. As the previous wave rounded turn 1 my attention was trained on the starter, my engine revs high waiting for the green. When it flew I let go of the clutch and jumped into first. I'd never been in this position before, all I could think was "GO GO GO!!!!". I had no idea how close the other bikes were. I managed to hold onto this position until most the way through the second lap, a position I would keep the rest of the race.
Sunday morning I was signed up for Lightweight Twins. I got an ok start and hung with the main pack for a while. I was on my way to set a new personal best until I missed my turn in marker at the sweeper on the 3rd lap. The first jump over the other part of the track wasn't so bad. The second jump was a little bigger. I need to work on my landing. The weekend I spent at Rich Oliver's Mystery School in December certainly came into play here, though on a slightly less dirt capable bike. The Helite GP vest I picked up in January from SRC Embroidery made my landing super soft, I came out with just some light bruising from before I hit the ground.
I figured my weekend was done after what I'd just done. Waiting for the crash truck to come rescue me I looked the bike over and was glad my parents were not at the track yet. When my R3 got picked up I noticed the chain was loose, and then noticed it was snapped. I was surprised my pegs and bars were not broken. When I arrived back at the garage I sat down after taking some gear off and was ready to pack it in. KazMan and my team went to work clearing the dirt out of everywhere. They were not done with me. I came back from the bathroom to the phrase "Your bike is teched." I guess I was going to make my last race.
My final race of the weekend was Formula 3. I got an ok launch but a problem I'd been starting to have during the weekend popped up. My shifter didn't reset after a shift and I was suddenly losing lots of ground as bikes flew by me. Thankfully this only happened during the start and was ok during the rest of the race. I was able to claw my way back and gain two positions from where I started on the grid.
I'm so thankful to my team for helping me not end the weekend on a low note. I came away from the weekend with things to work on, things to fix, and lessons to take to heart.
Always thankful to get time on the track with Z² Track Days to improve my skills, I've come a long way in two years thanks to them. I'm thankful my GP Suspension was able to handle my unexpected off track excursion, thank you Fuzzy for putting them together so well. My Pirelli Supercorsas from CT Racing actually handled my jump, but I prefer their amazing grip on the track. Still loving my Motion Pro, Inc. Rev 2.0 throttle tube, no more hand pain thanks to the shorter throw. My new TechSpec tank grips let me feel much more planted especially on the esses. My brand new Racer Gloves USA gloves are the best fitting gloves I've ever worn, and I was able to use them comfortably right away. Above all, thank you to KazMan, my fellow EKR teammates, and my boyfriend for keeping me going this weekend. I could not have done it without you. So glad Oxymoronphotography always makes me look better than I am.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYpXC79JgiTDpHtuHBXOSsWGMAf9NT3sY
I was able to arrive and get in a half day Friday for some practice, this really helped me a lot. Saturday I arrived less worried about the weekend and ready to take my bike to tech.
During practice I was dropping time little by little, almost down to my best from Round 1. Feeling a little more confident, but still not super in tune with the track.
My first race of the weekend was Afemme Lightweight. As the previous wave rounded turn 1 my attention was trained on the starter, my engine revs high waiting for the green. When it flew I let go of the clutch and jumped into first. I'd never been in this position before, all I could think was "GO GO GO!!!!". I had no idea how close the other bikes were. I managed to hold onto this position until most the way through the second lap, a position I would keep the rest of the race.
Sunday morning I was signed up for Lightweight Twins. I got an ok start and hung with the main pack for a while. I was on my way to set a new personal best until I missed my turn in marker at the sweeper on the 3rd lap. The first jump over the other part of the track wasn't so bad. The second jump was a little bigger. I need to work on my landing. The weekend I spent at Rich Oliver's Mystery School in December certainly came into play here, though on a slightly less dirt capable bike. The Helite GP vest I picked up in January from SRC Embroidery made my landing super soft, I came out with just some light bruising from before I hit the ground.
I figured my weekend was done after what I'd just done. Waiting for the crash truck to come rescue me I looked the bike over and was glad my parents were not at the track yet. When my R3 got picked up I noticed the chain was loose, and then noticed it was snapped. I was surprised my pegs and bars were not broken. When I arrived back at the garage I sat down after taking some gear off and was ready to pack it in. KazMan and my team went to work clearing the dirt out of everywhere. They were not done with me. I came back from the bathroom to the phrase "Your bike is teched." I guess I was going to make my last race.
My final race of the weekend was Formula 3. I got an ok launch but a problem I'd been starting to have during the weekend popped up. My shifter didn't reset after a shift and I was suddenly losing lots of ground as bikes flew by me. Thankfully this only happened during the start and was ok during the rest of the race. I was able to claw my way back and gain two positions from where I started on the grid.
I'm so thankful to my team for helping me not end the weekend on a low note. I came away from the weekend with things to work on, things to fix, and lessons to take to heart.
Always thankful to get time on the track with Z² Track Days to improve my skills, I've come a long way in two years thanks to them. I'm thankful my GP Suspension was able to handle my unexpected off track excursion, thank you Fuzzy for putting them together so well. My Pirelli Supercorsas from CT Racing actually handled my jump, but I prefer their amazing grip on the track. Still loving my Motion Pro, Inc. Rev 2.0 throttle tube, no more hand pain thanks to the shorter throw. My new TechSpec tank grips let me feel much more planted especially on the esses. My brand new Racer Gloves USA gloves are the best fitting gloves I've ever worn, and I was able to use them comfortably right away. Above all, thank you to KazMan, my fellow EKR teammates, and my boyfriend for keeping me going this weekend. I could not have done it without you. So glad Oxymoronphotography always makes me look better than I am.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYpXC79JgiTDpHtuHBXOSsWGMAf9NT3sY
ort