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2006 Season

Round 1, Streets of Willow, 2-05-06

It turned out to be a beautiful day. A few clouds, a light breeze and temps in the low-sixties in the morning, then the mid-seventies in the afternoon. Nice after the tie-your-bike-down high winds and the forty-degree temp the night before. Note to self: Get a better sleeping bag!

There were two races that the bike and my class qualified me to run in. Stock 50cc water-cooled novice, and Vet's stock 50cc novice.

Stock 50cc water-cooled, first heat. We ran four laps.

I was gridded on the front row. The flag dropped and three people got ahead of me, including a 36" tall kid on an XR-50 with motard tires. Picked off the kid and one other guy on the downhill into turn three. That left one rider (Benny Solis Jr.) in front of me. Chased him around the track for the next lap, (his bike pulls mine on the straight) then was able to pick him off when he tipped into turn two a little early and left himself open on the exit. After that I was able to put just enough distance between us to keep him from catching me on the straights. So... Heat 1 - First place.

Vet's stock water-cooled 50cc, first heat. Four laps:

They gridded us behind the YSR expert class for this race, and started us all with one flag. I was gridded on the front row of the second pack.

The flag fell and off we went like a pack of hornets. I was surprised at the good start that the bike made. Going up the straight into turn one, I was able to pick off all the riders in my class and start on the front pack. By turn two, everyone else was behind me. Pushing it enabled me to build enough of a lead that nobody was able to catch up. The rest of my pack got held up trying to get around the experts (they block well). So... Heat 1 - First place.

Stock 50cc water-cooled, second heat. Six laps:

The pole grid position enabled me to get another bad start when the flag dropped. Was able to pick off a couple of riders between turns one and two. That put me behind Mr. Three-Feet, and Drew Price, with the 36" guy out in front. Followed the two of them around to the front straight and was able to get past Drew. He must be geared shorter than I am... (Benny had dropped out with bike trouble.) Spent the next lap catching back up to my 3' nemesis. A lap after that I was able to get enough speed onto the straight to get past him. Spent the rest of the race trying to build a bigger lead on him. Ended up getting across the line first, so... Heat 2 - First place, and a trophy.

Vet's stock water-cooled 50cc, second heat. Six laps:

The pole grid position (again) enabled me to get another bad start when the flag dropped. Worked my way through the pack and again lead into turn two. Spent the rest of the race building a lead. No one else's bike seemed to be as fast on the straight as mine. That enabled me to relax a bit once they were far enough back. Ended up getting across the line first again, so... Heat 2 - First place, and another trophy. (It's kinda' nice not to be buying trophies for other people for a change...)

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      CMRRA - Round Two at Grange', 3-05-06

Took a third in the first heat of the first race (Stock Novice). A bad start put me in fifth place into turn one. Picked off two others in the first lap. The only drama was when another NSR rider tried to help me decide when to turn in at the last turn onto the front straight. We bumped elbows. Good times! After that I couldn't safely get around my six-year-old three-foot nemesis to get at the leader. Then someone crashed and the race was red-flagged (stopped) before I figured the kid's lines out.

After seeing some of the kids pulling away from me on the straights, I pulled the tach and cable off the NSR and lubed the chain with WD-40. Every little bit of power counts...

Took a first in the first heat of Novice Vet's stock class. We were gridded and flagged with the expert class in front of us. No one in novice seemed to be feeling it as well as I was. After getting a bad start, I was able to pick off all but one of the riders in front of me in the first three laps. Finished behind the expert class winner.

Took a (technical) second in the second heat of stock novice. Got a decent start, then got stuck again. Only this time it was behind two six-year olds on motards. After spending three laps trying to figure where they would be predictable. I got an opportunity and passed them both in the carousel near the back straight. The second of the two followed me through on the pass and the other guy ended up hitting his rear wheel and crashing... So they red-flagged the second heat as well. They gave the kid that didn't crash (my 3' nemesis) the first place. He's a fifty-pound, six-year old kid with a ton of un-tapped riding talent, so I'm amped that he got it. So... I looked him in the eye, shook his hand and congratulated him on his first win! While chasing him, I'd been hearing this sound that I couldn't quite figure out. It was his pegs scraping. (He doesn't get off the bike at all in the turns.) He'd slide almost every time it happened, too. How cool is that?

Second heat of novice Vet's stock went well. Was able to beat everyone but two of the experts to turn one, then pick the first one off in the first lap. The second one (Leonard) took two more laps to catch. Then the only thing that enabled me to get by him was my faster machine on the straight. Then I blew turn two and he passed me again. We rinsed and repeated for two more laps. The only difference was a missed shift and near low-side on the second lap from last. I was barely able to get across the line ahead of him. His first words when we spoke after the race were "What kept happening to you in turn three?". I laughed and shook my head... Leonard is the best that CMRRA has to offer, so I was "Bogarting" myself after passing him. Gotta work on that...

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CMRRA - Round Three at Willow Kart Track, 4-02-06

Bumped to expert class!

Al (CMRRA's president) just had to be himself at the rider's meeting and tell everyone that I had "bumped myself to expert". Thanks, Al!  Al also announced that CMRRA is sponsoring Vision Hayes (my 36" nemesis).  That's cool way beyond words!  Vision has a ton of talent and the stout heart to match, so it was great to hear. Vision's dad brings him all the way down from Oakland to race.  When I'm able to, I'll add myself to the list of his sponsors. Vision has a very rare form of blood disorder, (Pure Red Cell Aplasia) so we're all pulling for him.  Vision is the only racer besides John Hopkins that Al has ever offered to sponsor.

Jason (a friend) did well in the first heat in the 450-motard class!  It was cool to see him take off after one of the other racers showed him a wheel on a KTM 250, but then he crashed.  He was super smooth and easily spanked everyone in the second heat for the win.

Good racing, Jason!

Took a second in the first heat of the first race (Stock Vet's expert water-cooled).  A bad start put me in third place into turn one.  Picked off one in the first lap, then spent two more laps hunting down Leonard. Got past him by taking an inside line after I caught him on the short straight.  We made it through the turn, then Chuck (of "Red-Flag Racing") crashed and the race was stopped.

Took a first in the first heat of Expert stock water-cooled class.  There were only three of us, so we were gridded on the front row.  Got a decent start and went into turn one in second place behind Justin. From there it was on! Justin doesn't always carry the corner speed that he can, so Leonard and I were all over him in the turns, then he'd run away on the straights.  Leonard stayed on me like a tie-fighter.  Leonard would get around me, then I'd get back around him.  He got around me again, then he got around Justin.  Dammit!  Got past Justin one turn later and finally caught Leonard on the second to last lap.  Passed him going into a turn, and was able to put enough space between us for the win.

Took a first in the second heat of Stock Vet's expert water-cooled.  Got a great start and was able to slam the door on Leonard going into turn one.  Spent the rest of the race struggling to hold him off.  On the last lap we came up on the novice-class ("Red-Flag Racing") back-marker and I dove inside going into the turn.  Leonard went to the outside and nearly got run off the track when the guy went wide!  That gave me the lead that I needed to take the win.

Missed getting onto the track for the second heat of stock water-cooled expert because I got distracted looking at a vintage car (a gorgeous CB-1 blue '59 Austin-Healey Sprite). Yeah... I'm goofy that way... 

So... I'll happily settle for a win in my first race in expert class.

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CMRRA - Round Six at Willow Kart Track, 7-02-06

Two races, four heats, one victory...

A year of racing on the same set of tires proved to be my undoing in the last heat of the second race.  Yasuyo got by in the fourth lap and ran away with the win.  

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Update - August 3rd, 2006  Skillz Day Race-Bike Stolen

Someone else has decided that it is more important that they own my race-bike than I do.  In other words, the NSR50 was stolen today.  Skillz Days racing has been put on hold until the bike is either recovered or replaced.  Personal detective work generated enough information to identify the thief and have him arrested.  He currently awaits trial, but refuses to give any information on the whereabouts of the bike. 

The last five digits of the frame and engine numbers are 01401.  If you see this bike, please send me an email and I'll arrange to have the police follow up on the lead. 

Jeff Hawkins - Fastest Lap of Day - Long Beach BMW BattleTrax

 Long Beach, CA -  2/26/05

Photo Courtesy - Supermotophoto.com

Honda NSR50R

The new '04 Honda  NSR50R at Streets

Grange' -  2/05/05 on the YSR-65

Team - "Small Threat!"

Endurance Racing at Streets of Willow on the '93 NSR50, June 2005