24 hour race report. Finally have a few minutes (slow day at work) to write something up. So I started out the weekend pretty well prepared. I took the couple of days leading up a little easier on the bicycle to recover my legs, got to the motel early the night before, and got good sleep before getting there. Got to the track on the early side of on time so I could make sure all my stuff was ready and do finishing prep on the bike (safety wire and silicone). I go a little beyond the tech rules for my own safety. Brian had upgraded the front brake and replaced the rear wheel with a 17 wheel, so we had fresh slicks front and rear. The engine was fresh as well with minor upgrades, which included a high flow oil pump and oil cooler. So ideally we should go faster! As usual, I had the first shift. I didnt sprint hard to the bike like everyone else. Why sprint to the bike when I still have 24 hours to go? The bike fired right up and I started to work through the traffic and work on finding a rhythm. After a few laps I found my line and braking markers and just started riding my usual endurance pace (which for a one hour shift, is about 95% effort, since I dont need to save much). The weather was real hot, but it wasnt too noticeable on the bike. I was getting a ton of chatter on the front end mid corner that was definitely killing my corner speed. I didnt have a lap timer so I couldnt compare to the year before, but it felt slower. Although at the time I think I was the second fastest bike on track, with only the electric bike lapping faster. About 45 minutes in I started hearing a mechanical tapping noise. Years of being a mechanic and racer told me that it wasnt good, but I hoped it was just a loose exhaust (even if I did silicone the exhaust nuts). So I backed off and took it real easy for the last couple of corners leading to the track exit. I coasted down the straight in 5th and pulled the clutch in as early as possible, killing the engine as soon as I was off track Since my team mates were not expecting me I had to push the bike myself (push power in the pits only this year). Luckily we had the first pit off the track, so I didnt have to go far. By the time I got to the pit, I was about ready to collapse. My heart rate was through the rough, I was slightly nauseous, and standing was a chore. I tried as best I could to communicate to my team what was wrong and then I got the top of my leathers off and laid down with something cold to get my body temperature down while Jorge worked on the bike. After a while I was able to at least get up and try to help, but something was definitely off with my body. The engine was looked over, and we kept getting deeper and deeper in. It took a while, but eventually Jorge found some loose cam timing sprocket screws, with one of them completely stripped and missing. More luck here, but we found the screw in the engine. Unfortunately, after getting it all back together the noise was still there, and we confirmed that the noise was the intake valve kissing the piston. We can only guess that the chain skipped a tooth. Several hours in, we are down more laps then we can imagine, and I finally go back out to try the bike again and put in some laps. We also adjusted the tire pressure and this gave me the chance to make a direct comparison. I head back out, and the chatter was definitely reduced. Still there, but an improvement. But it didnt take long before I started feeling sick again. When a team mate finally came out I signaled that I needed off the track. Coincidentally, on the same lap, I start to feel the rear tire slide when leaned over. It felt worse on the next corner, and I find a puddle of oil on top of the engine case on the left side of the bike. So I pull right off the racing line and get off the track. I shut down and push the bike in. It appears in our haste, we didnt torque the cam chain tensioner down. So we borrowed one from another team and I let Jorge take over. The bike feels good, I dont. A couple of riders in, and the engine lets go again. This time that little valve failed and dropped into the piston, the top end is toast. We work on it and end up swapping the piston and head with spares and hope it works. Sure enough, it does. We are basically out of the race at this point, but oh well. Brian asked me to tone it down and be a little easier on the engine (blasphemy!) before I head out so I back it down a notch. I short shift try to be gentle. Other then a gentle low side (my first in the 24 hour in 4 years) the race is uneventful. And then, in the very early morning hours when everyone is asleep, I get a flat. Luckily it was the rear that was just replaced and Brian had the rear from last year. I bolt if on as fast as I can and Jorge takes his shift. My last shift was at 11, the last hour at the race. The race for us was over. We think we were safely in second to last place overall, so no chance at a podium his year. So I am riding for pride and glory. So I ride 100% I dont have the lap number to prove it, which is another story all together, but I felt faster then the day before, even with the old, heavy, 16 street tire on the back. The bike was under powered because of the head swap, so the bikes I was even, or near even with before were pulling away with exception for the Grom which had a stock engine. The Top Gromen bike was modified very well and clearly handled very, very well. It was clearly more stable on tip in and unless I was riding to the edge, had more corner speed then me. I back off at all, then he was right with me. He was racing for the lead so when he was near me I would try to not ruin his race and ended up following him for more then a few laps because I didnt want to pass and slow us both down battling. On occasion he would get hung up by someone and I would take the front, and that was when I would just open it up. Officially, I dont know the results. I know our team came in probably second to last, and certainly last in class. But we did our best, our team worked very well together, and I look forward to the potential 24 hour at Apex in the future.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 23:39:37 +0000
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