From Sonoma with Love: AFM Round 2

AFM 2014, Round 2, Sonoma Raceway, May 3/4

I was a little nervous heading into round 2 of the 2014 AFM season at Sonoma Raceway. After my unexpectedly great results at round 1 at Buttonwillow, I was putting some pressure on myself to follow it up. I was trying hard to manage my expectations and not let my hopes for novice greatness soar, but at the same time I didn't want to leave Sonoma Raceway empty handed. But mostly the nerves were because I have very little seat time at Sonoma. In fact, the last time I rode it on my current race bike was over a year ago; and it was in the rain. I would have been a little more at ease if there was a Friday trackday before the race weekend to put in some laps. Instead, the American Historic Motorcycle Racing Association was holding a race event on the Thursday and Friday before AFM. I knew I was going to need every minute of practice time before gridding up for my first race on Saturday afternoon. Even though I already knew which way the turns went, the first practice session of the day felt like I was learning the track all over again. That first round of practice the best I could muster was a 2:00.875. But each time out I was feeling better and better. By the last practice session of the afternoon I was down to 1:54.694. Still not great, but better.

Saturday Race 4, Clubman Middleweight

I did the best I could in practice, and ready or not it was go time. This was my first race start at Sonoma, and it wasn’t my best. I started from position 3 and ended up 5th through turn 2. The lead group was pulling away and I was just going my best to keep pace with them. By the beginning of the second lap we had already run into some traffic from the back of the Clubman Heavyweight field. I held on to 5th until lap 4 when Ilya Roytman (#333) came by me on the brakes into 7. Chuck Herrera (#440) did the same into 11, but couldn’t hold on and blew the corner giving me the position back. In lap 6 I became embroiled in a battle with a rider from the Heavyweight field. Our pace was pretty close and I was having trouble getting by him. I thought I had him passed a couple times only to have re-overtake on the power. This may have held me up just enough to let Chuck catch back up. On the last lap, I finally made it by the Heavyweight in turn 5, only to have Chuck pass me on the brakes into 7 (again! I must suck on the brakes into 7). I was hoping to stay close to Chuck and get him back on the brakes into 9 or 11, but I outbroke myself into 9, ran through the grass and killed any hope of taking the position back. I ended up crossing the line in 7th place. This is where that managing expectations thing comes in. I went to bed a little disappointed and hoping to do better on Sunday.

Clubman start.

Joe Brown looking to get by.

Sunday Race 2, Novice 750 Production

This is the race I won at Round 1, so I was gridded in Position 1 for the novice field. After my performance the day before in Clubman, I wasn’t expecting to follow up with win #2 in the class. At least I got a good start this time, and led the field through turn one and up the hill. I managed to keep the lead through lap one, and almost lap two, but Ilya Roytman (#333) came by me on the brakes into turn 11. He ran a little wide on the exit, but I didn’t quite have the drive to take the position back and he led us across the line for the second time. Now I was just trying to stay close to Ilya and fend off the next rider looking to come by. I followed Ilya across the line, up the hill and back down through the Carousel for the 3rd time, then my pit mate Joe Brown (#822) put a great pass on me around the outside of the Carousel and beat me up the drag strip to turn 7. Joe was really moving and had his sights set on Ilya. I was hoping for the best case scenario that they would get tangled up together, allowing me to latch back on and fight it out with them, but I would be happy with just holding on to the final podium spot. Well, we never got to see how it turned out because up in the expert field, C.J. Weaver made a mistake trying to pass coming out of the esses and managed to put himself into the hay bails, red flagging the race. The race wouldn’t be restarted, so the official results were reverted back to the last time we crossed start/finish on lap three, giving me a second place finish, despite the fact that Joe and Ilya were both ahead of me when we pulled off the track.

Out front in 750 Production

2nd!

Sunday Race 5, Novice 600 Production

After running out of fuel and coasting across the line for a 7th place finish at Buttonwillow, I was gridded in 6th for this race and looking for a better finish. This was my most fun start of the weekend. I got a pretty good jump, as did Nanda Doppadeneni (#807) to my left. We ended up heading towards the first turn three abreast, with Chuck Herrera to my right. Nanda backed off, probably for fear he would end up in the wall, I kept the throttle wide open and outdrove Chuck with the inside line up the hill, heading through turn 2 in third place. I knew Chuck, among others, would be hot on my tail. I passed Alex Wallace (#613) into turn 7, assuming 2nd place. Chuck tried to pass on the outside of the Carousel in lap 2, but was too wide and I beat him up the drag strip towards turn 7. He slid up the inside of me on the brakes into 11, taking my line away and this time it stuck, dropping me back into 3rd. I rode around in 3rd place for the rest of the race watching Joe and Chuck ahead of me just out of reach eventually taking the checkered flag for the last spot on the podium.

Trying to stay in front of Chuck.

Sunday Race 8, Novice Formula 1

Last race of the weekend. I was gridded 3rd. With Tom Kuchno (#898) and Stephen Anatiychuk (#380) to my left and Joe finishing off the front row to my right. I knew Tom and Stephen would be battling it out at the front; my goal was to keep Joe at bay for a podium finish. Stephen and Tom both came off the line well, they were bar to bar headed towards turn 1. But Joe got a start like he was shot out of a cannon and came swooping around the outside all of us for the holeshot. He led through turn 2 by a good 10 bike lengths, from Stephen, from Tom, to me. This did not bode well for my goal this race. Stephen and Tom are both very fast riders on 750s and they were all over Joe on his GSX-R 600 out of 7 and through the esses. Joe must have been feeling the pressure, or maybe it was a little fatigue after a long weekend of racing, because he blew turn 9, running through the grass and gifting me 3rd place. Now to just keep him back there. Other than passing a few back markers from the expert wave released ahead of us, that was the last action I was to see for the weekend. There was no way I was catching the guys up front, but luckily I had enough pace to keep everyone else behind me for another 3rd place finish. I put my best lap of the weekend down in this race of a 1:48.927.

Coming up the hill through turn 2 at the start of Formula 1.

Through the turn 9 chicane, Joe still behind me in the background.

Thanks to my supporters:
Woodcraft/Armour Bodies
LeoVince USA & SpeedMob
Motonation
Lockhart Phillips USA
Precision Trackdays & ARC Trackademics

Images by OXYmoron Photography.