This year has gotten off to a slow start with only a couple of track day weekends and no racing until May 6-7 when the WERA Southeast Regional round took place at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama.
Physically and mentally I haven't been in the best of shape for the 2006 riding season and I had high hopes that Barber would shake me out of my early season funk and get me back into it. Mentally I think I achieved that but physically I'm still not even in the shape I was in last year much less good condition.
Saturday opened up with 2 uneventful practice sessions on a drying track followed by one race, Heavyweight Solo 16 Novice. My only goals were to get a good start, run consistent lap times and just not finish last. I got a good start and got to race for a few laps with some riders but by lap 8 I was pretty much running by myself so I settled in to work on consistency and just finish. This is a long race for someone as big and out of shape as me. I finished 37th of 40 riders running with 6 DNF's. My best time was on lap 13 with a 1:56.338. Not a personal best as I got into the 1:55's last year in the same race.
Sunday started cloudy and wet so I did not go out for practice. By race time it was beautiful and the track was dry. First race up, Senior Superbike Novice. I love running Senior Superbike but it is a combined novice/expert race so I knew I'd be getting lapped pretty quickly by the experts. Since I have no points for the year I was gridded at the very back. I got an absolutely horrible start and by turn 5 I was sure I was in last place but a bike went by me going up the hill so I knew at least I started better than him.
By lap 2 I had settled in behind Morris Foor on his 636 Kawasaki and decided it would be a fun race dicing with him. I got by the first time on the brakes going into 5 but he powered back by on the run up to the coaster. I knew right then and there that I had no chance in a drag race so I started planning a strategy. Morris had never been to Barber before and he was braking way early and hard in a couple of places where he didn't have to and I was catching him there every lap.
On the last lap I got near him going into the coaster but he pulled me on the straight coming out of the museum. I knew I would have my only chance coming out of the kink on the backstretch. He was really braking there hard. I got right behind him at the entance and by the time we exited we were side by side going down the back stretch. When he braked for the left at the end I slid by and went for a downshift. That's when I realized my shifter was gone!!!!!!!!!!!
Luckily I was in 4th and just gave it the gas and was able to finish out the lap ahead of him. It was a fun race and again I didn't finish last so I was happy about that. My lap times weren't as good as Saturday but the racing was better. I didn't have the parts I needed to repair the shifter so I missed my other race, B Superstock. That was a bit of a let down because I was gridded right next to my friend Gill and it would have been fun to drag race him down to turn one.
The next planned racing is in June at little Talladega Grand Prix Raceway. Wish me luck.
