What an amazing 10 days for this over-the-hill club racer! I packed up the XR1200 race bike and made the long drive from Montana to Indianapolis for the test day at the Speedway on Saturday, August 10. It was an incredible feeling unpacking and knowing that I would be on the track the next day, among just a handful of motorcycle racers to ever experience the magic of the most famous racing venue in the world.
I put in over 60 laps of practice during the day, sharing the track with 15 other XR1200 racers, and 2 MotoGP CRT bikes. The learning curve was steep, as I had just one race and a handful of practice sessions under my belt with this bike (at the Miller AMA round in May). I'm used to 250 four-strokes and two-strokes, so climbing around on top of a 525 LB street bike is very new to me. The Indy course is very tight and demanding, with only the long front straight offering a chance to rest for more than a few seconds. I ended the day ahead of a few other riders, so it was a success for me. AMA Pro Racing, Vance & Hines, Lenny from Ohlins and the Speedway personnel were all beyond professional. I spent the following week regaining my strength, and visiting the cool downtown of Indy.
Friday rolled around and I experienced a surprise shortage of my crew. A couple guys did not show, so I was in a tight spot for Saturday's race. Unluckily, Pete Cline crashed out of qualifying, and graciously offered his Wounded Warrior crew to assist me and my crew chief, Brian Mullins. The Wounded Warriors are a great group of guys and were on top of things right away. Their help was indispensable during the weekend. My lovely wife served as my umbrella girl on the grid before qualy sessions and the races.
Qualifying went well, and I rode well within my limits, wanting to survive the slippery track and race on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. I took over 3 seconds off my test session times and qualified in the 27th position, out of 29 racers.
Saturday, Race 1:
I took a conservative start, and witnessed the first round of carnage in turn 2 of the first lap. Several guys went down, and there was dirt and grass strewn throughout the corner, right in the racing line. For some reason, it was never cleaned, so we had to race through it. On the 5th lap, PJ Jacobsen oiled the track and he and the top 4 other guys all went down. The race was red-flagged and called to an end due to the oil. PJ was eliminated from the results, but the other crashers were all credited with top 4 finishes, even though they didn't finish the race. I was credited with 21st position.
Sunday, Race 2:
I decided to be a bit more aggressive on the start, and passed 6-8 guys heading into turn 1. I was shocked to see all the marbles on the track, so I basically had to re-learn my lines during the race, as the marbles were in some places I was used to putting the bike. There was quite a bit of wrecking during the race, and I rode mostly alone. On the 8th lap I was braking for one of the corners and felt something in my right forearm tear. Turned out to be a tendon, but I was able to finish the race. On the penultimate lap, I looked back on the front straight and saw Ray Delaney catching me, so I put my head down to try to keep him behind me, but he drafted me at the line and beat me by a couple thousandths. I turned my fastest lap of the week on the last lap of the last race. I feel like I have an easy 3 seconds left in me, so I feel confident I can be mid-pack soon. I finished in 17th place in Race 2.
Overall, it was the weekend of a lifetime for me. For the past 25 years, I have been on the other side of the fence, spectating at F1, 500cc and MotoGP races, so to be on the grid, and having the benefit of the professionalism of the AMA and my fellow competitors is a tremendous experience. Thanks to my wife, MotoList.com, Vance & Hines, AMA Pro Racing, Ohlins, Dunlop, Tuna, and the Wounded Warriors for making the week possible :)
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