Season Conclusion

 

Wow, what a season.

 

I admit it; I’ve been bit by the racing bug.  All I think about is racing, parts, and how I can go faster.  My season went great.  With the help of my teammates and other racers I would call it a success.  May started with freezing rain during the New Riders race.  I should have expected the unexpected.  Despite the speed restricting weather we all finished and graduated with our race licenses. 



In about 40 years it will make a great old man story for me to tell others.  “I remember when we use to race motorcycles in sleet and ice, the wheels would slide in every corner and you couldn’t see or feel your fingers” it will start, and none of it will be a lie.  The next day I was allowed to race with the other full fledged racers with more experience than I and was quickly blown away by their superior skills.  They quickly put me in my place, last.  This is generally how my first weekend went.  However, there was no place to go but up and as the weather got better so did I.  Each weekend I improved by strides.  I learned better lines, better braking skills, and faster cornering.  I learned these skills by doing and not talking about doing.  I figured out that the only way to get faster was to spend as much seat time as possible. 


I tried to
do every track day and practice session that I could.  I managed to finish every race on the same lap as the winner from June on.  I took two 2nd place finishes in the Solo Endurance races in June and August and finished the season in the top half of all Novices.  Not bad results for a newbie.  On top of it all I finished every race that I entered except one.  It was the New Rider Championship and I’ll admit I got a little over eager and tried a pass that didn’t work out as well as it could have.  Luckily it only put me into the runoff and no one else.  The next day I used the crash as a learning experience and tried a pass in the same corner and it worked great.  I quickly made a gap on the other two racers.  Even though it was late in the race and the result only moved me up a couple of spots it was a personal victory. I guess that was my season in a nutshell; personal victories. 


Next season will see me on a different bike in a different class running more races.  I can’t wait to race and help new riders learn the ropes like the veterans helped me.  For me the track is like a 2nd family, until the flag drops then it’s on.



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