The Ducati Forza Racing 848 was running just as well Sunday morning as it was the day before. Not that you would expect the motorcycle to dismantle itself overnight, but in racing, you just never know.
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| George Mayer and the Ducati Forza Racing 848, CCS #899 |
I had three races for the afternoon. Middleweight SuperSport: The Warm-Up Race. SuperTwins: The All-Important, Only-One-that-Matters Race. And the Middleweight Superbike: the Go-out-have-a-Blast-because-its-not-SuperTwins Race.
The only thing left to do was wait for the grids to post and see what the SuperTwin competition would be…
Disappointing.
Disappointing.
The grids posted and I would have only two competitors for the SuperTwins race: the racer currently sitting 15-points behind me for the championship, and a random. The economy has been tough on racing the past couple of years.
Doing some quick math, I realized all I had to do was place one position behind the second place rider. Easy right?
Sure. Except, nothing is easy in racing. Because ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. You’d think I’d remember that by now.
Sure. Except, nothing is easy in racing. Because ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. You’d think I’d remember that by now.
So really, I should have been less than surprised, when coming on to the front straight, running so strong as to be top-10 in a Middleweight SuperSport Race, the clutch started slipping.
Hmmmmm… Strange.
Give the 848 some gas. Clutch still slipping.
Not good. And maybe not that strange after all.
Still dealing with the now-wholly uncooperative clutch, I remembered that two weeks earlier, when practicing launches, Charlie and I had noticed the clutch was smoking a bit. Not exactly what you want from your race motorcycle.
We had determined that it looked okay upon cursory inspection, which in retrospect, may not have been the best decision possible.
Smoking clutch eventually becomes burned-out clutch. The day of the Most Important Race. With just two races to get it fixed.
We had determined that it looked okay upon cursory inspection, which in retrospect, may not have been the best decision possible.
Smoking clutch eventually becomes burned-out clutch. The day of the Most Important Race. With just two races to get it fixed.
Yep. That’s racing. Back to the garage bay...
The bike was so hot, Charlie’s mechanic’s gloves melted on contact. Smoke poured out of the opened clutch. Lucho, a fellow racer and Ducati Forza Technician, ran over from the neighboring bay to lend a hand.
I still can’t believe how fast these two pros pulled apart the clutch, figured out what was good and what was trash, and started replacing the bad parts with the spare kit.
I still can’t believe how fast these two pros pulled apart the clutch, figured out what was good and what was trash, and started replacing the bad parts with the spare kit.
And extra bit of luck, the second race was red flagged due to a blown engine. That’s racing too. It may taketh away, but it giveth back as well.
Time was running out however for Team DFR. Charlie and Lucho buttoned up the faring just as second call for SuperTwins came on over the speaker system. The clutch itself was fixed, but they hadn’t had the time to bleed it.
Squishy, maladjusted, ineffective clutch. Minor detail. Couldn’t even get the bike into gear when rolling up on the grid.
This wasn’t “testing for next season” mode, and we were certainly beyond “race to win” mode. This was full-on “just finish the thing” mode, and hope that I could coax the clutch into enough performance to keep me just behind the second place rider.
This wasn’t “testing for next season” mode, and we were certainly beyond “race to win” mode. This was full-on “just finish the thing” mode, and hope that I could coax the clutch into enough performance to keep me just behind the second place rider.
As crazy as it was, I could still win the SuperTwins Championship. That’s racing.
The race began and I entered Turn One right with my competition. This would have been great had that been the beginning and end of the race. Except I had to brake into Turn Two, upon which I discovered the clutch lever was jutting out much further than normal.
Pulling in the clutch would require actually letting go of the bars in order to reach the clutch lever.
Um, yeah. Let’s just leave it at that this little maneuver was messing with my brake points. As in missing them altogether. Awesome.
Unable to push the bike at all, I settled in to the back of the pack, determined to finish what was quickly becoming my longest, most arduous race ever.
Um, yeah. Let’s just leave it at that this little maneuver was messing with my brake points. As in missing them altogether. Awesome.
Unable to push the bike at all, I settled in to the back of the pack, determined to finish what was quickly becoming my longest, most arduous race ever.
I finished the race, minus clutch, clutch lever and brake points. But there are no moral victories in racing. Rolling back into the bay, I forced myself to ask Charlie what had happened between my two competitors.
Pause. Taking an eternity to answer. May have to consider firing him for a day or two when we return to Ducati Forza.
And then he confirmed…
We got it!!! After such a difficult race season, missed opportunities, family tragedy, and the fiasco that day, we still cobbled together enough points to take the SuperTwins championship.
I couldn’t believe it. And yet I could. After all, that’s racing.
The last race was simply amazing; the perfect way to finish the season. Charlie had the time to properly bleed the clutch, and the Ducati Forza 848 was back to working perfectly. Figures.
It was great start (a season nemesis for me) and I had a blast battling it out within the top ten. It was almost like the 848 was telling me: “Don’t worry, we got this, just wait until next season, we’re going faster than you ever thought possible.” I finished 9th with a grin on my face that just might last me until the start of next season.
There is no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than racing a motorcycle right up to your limits and then racing it harder, further, faster still, and knowing that someday, you just might be the fastest one out there.
And February, the start of a whole new season, is just around the corner. See you then!
Cheers!
George
Click the links for more information on the Ducati Forza 848 racebike and Ducati Forza Racing.
Cheers!
George
Click the links for more information on the Ducati Forza 848 racebike and Ducati Forza Racing.