Basic Race Report...

It has been 11 months since I last put a wheel around Portland International Raceway. I didn't finish that last lap - instead - on a drying, but still very sloppy track, I spun it up and introduced the SV to the wall at the exit of turn 5. That was the second crash of that day...

Some say demons don't exist, but let me introduce you to PIR, from my point of view...

3 - Number of times I've crashed out of the lead...
6 - Number of times I've caused someone else to crash there....
2 - Number of times I've left the track in an ambulance...
3 - Number of racers I've personally seen killed...

I've also had good luck there, namely 1993. I finished 3rd and 4th in a couple very competitive class championships, on a pretty stock FZR 400. And there have been days when my eyes have clicked, and I've been very fast, very easily... I was hoping this was going to be one of those days.

The Oregon club moved the endurance race into September in order to try and increase the grid by getting some good weather. The weekend was looking up, with Saturday forecasted to be cloudy in the morning but clearing all day. When we got to the track, it was in the high 40s, but we could see that the sun was going to show its face. We were coming off a surprise win at Spokane, and because none of the Oregon teams had raced at Spokane, and no Washington teams raced at the first Oregon heat - we were the class leaders for LW. We had a real good shot to take the overall LW title with a decent showing. Pressure...

We needed to get a front slick and front brakes put on at the beginning of the day, but that was it. Our pit crew was going to be light today, especially in the morning. Alan would be down around 10:00 AM, and Scott was coming a bit earlier. Denise was going to score, with breaks provided by Alan when possible. Anyway, we decided to get teched first, and then worry about getting the tire and brakes on. It was great having the tech inspector comment about our tires - the SV still wore the slicks used for the Spokane 6 Hour... Tech out of the way, we got the front wheel over to the Dunlop truck, where we also picked up a set of Vesrah pads to try out. We missed the first slow practice getting the bike back together, but I was able to take it out in a medium session, just barely. It was still chilly, and I mainly focused on scuffing in the new front slick and bedding the new pads for Andy. My fastest lap was a 1:23 - very slow...

Andy went out, and got comfortable during the next slow session just trying to remember all of the reference points. Every lap he put in last year was wet, so this would be the first time since his novice year he would put in some hot laps. All was well, and there were no major complaints when he came in. In fact, he felt the brakes were working very well.

My last practice session, I was focusing on adjusting some lines around some pavement sealer, that had been placed in the braking lane into 1, and over various pavement cracks through the exit of 1 and into 2. There was also sealer at the exit of 9, but not in the primary lines. In the morning, the bike was doing a bit of a dance over the sealer, and on the brakes into 1, I had to stay away from it at all costs. My lines adjusted, I put my head down, and cranked out a 1:19 on my last lap. If it came to that, I could probably do it all day, but to be competitive - I needed to get into the '17s.

I asked Andy if he wanted to start, but he said I could take the honor. Actually, starting at Portland sucks also, because everyone is so close to turn 1, there isn't much room to string guys out, so there's a lot jockeying through 1 and 2. The plan is to run 30 minute shifts, refueling every other shift. We put the bike up on warmers, and let it cook through lunch. Before the start, there is another rider's meeting to over the endurance rules, and first and last call to pre-grid directly afterwards.

I took the bike out on the sighting lap, they grid me in the second row, and off we go... Almost immediately, I hook up with Michael Jerger on the Aurora Suzuki SV, and we get into a sprint race for the first 5 laps. I was leading, but after the fifth lap, Michael dug in and pulled out a second per lap lead. I let him go, and settled into a rhythm. And it was a rhythm - every lap in the '18s, except for one '19. About five minutes before my session is up, we get the first red flag of the day. I come in, we top off the tank and Andy gets ready to go out for the restart. Sorry Andy, now you have to deal with the full tanks... Tire wear is looking good, the brakes are great, it's warmed up, and things are clicking.

Andy goes out, and settles into a rhythm of '23s and '24s - good times for the limited amount of practice. There are several slow 600s, and a couple slow guys on open bikes also, and Andy gets to dice with them. Indeed, that has been one of the different aspects of this race - we've both been able to find guys to race with, and mix it up - very enjoyable.

We trade shifts over the course of the race. While in my third shift, I was still running strong - I saw that I was catching the Aurora Suzuki entry. I put my head down and clicked off a couple low 17s in the process, which felt pretty good when I passed and walked away from him - you tell he was pretty tired, or the bike was showing some wear.

My last shift was the most stressful. My times were still consistent, but I was waiting for the hammer to fall. I decided to ride as loose as I had all day, and just not let this place get to me. When I saw my final pit board, I made sure I brought it home. After turning the bike over to Andy the final time, I felt the burden lift off my shoulders - I had finally beaten this place. I watched Andy for a couple laps and started to really loosen up. Then I noticed Andy didn't come around.

As hard as we wished we had just missed seeing him, he wasn't coming around. There was 15 minutes left in the race, we were second in class. F*ck! Finally, we see the crash truck coming in with the dead SV and Andy. It had just quit on him when he went to brake into turn 1. He managed to not fall down, and bring it off the track on the inside between turns 1 and 2. I tried to start it, and all that we heard was grinding, so I didn't press it.

Needless to say, I was pretty depressed. We both rode are asses off. My fastest lap was a high 16, and Andy's a 21 - both the fastest we'd ever gone around on the SV.To miss the finish by so close due to a mechanical was really tough. We packed up and didn't wait around to see how we finished officially. We still continued the custom of going to BJ's for pizza, before the drive home...at least it wasn't 300 miles!

The next day, I popped the valve covers off and pulled the spark plugs to see if I could deduce the failure. Using the rear wheel to turn the engine over slowly, everything for the rear cylinder seemed to functioning. The piston was going up and down and the cams were turning in time. Not so for the front cylinder. The piston was going up and down, but no turning cams. There was tension on the cam chain, so the only thing it could be was a broken crankshaft. Pulling the generator cover off confirmed the diagnosis as the rotor came off in my hands. Looking down the front intake and exhaust ports confirmed that every valve had been bent also, won't know about the piston or rod until it's torn down completely...

Well...that's racing, especially in Portland. Some day, the demons will be beaten!

As a follow-up, the finish here was enough for us to clinch the Lightweight Class Championship. What a formula, take an out of shape veteran racer, add a some rookies with a couple years under their belts, mix lightly, keep it fun, and voila - NW Endurance Cup Lightweight Champions.

Mmmmmm good!

2005 Portland 4 Hour...