Friday: Race Practice/CCS Race Licensing Clinic
Despite a sour weather forecast and unseasonably cool temps, the 2.5
mile Heartland Park Topeka track remained dry.
Six brave students attended the CCS Race Licensing Clinic, conducted by
Café Racer, Inc. owner and CCS racer Greg Williams and AMA Pro Racing’s Ron Mears. All six students passed the
written exam and finished the end-of-day mock race without crashing, thereby
earning their eligibility to race with CCS the next day.
Saturday: Twin Sprints, Day One
The
morning began with clouds, wind, and rain/mist.
Ron’s mixed experience with riding a rain-soaked track would present a
challenge, but he couldn’t miss the opportunity for needed wet race knowledge.
MW SuperSport: Drying track conditions. Starting from the third row, Ron was
overanxious to get off the line quickly and blew the start. Entering the first turn in 11th
place, he had work to do. The lead pack
quickly separated themselves, but he was able to fight back and gain positions
to finish 6th.
HW SuperSport: Mostly dry track with some wet corners. Starting from the 2nd row, Ron
maintained his position off the start. Overtaking
the riders ahead of him within the first two laps, he was able to run down the
leader quickly. Making the pass for the
lead about half way through the race, he increased the gap and won the race.
LW
Formula 40 / Middleweight Femmoto: Mostly wet track.
Sketchy weather thinned the grid for both of these races, so Suzie ran
unopposed in the amateur class. For
Femmoto, the track was wetter than they expected so Ron offered his bike which was already set with rain tires. A quick number change and Suzie made the grid and took the checkers. Being able to brave the weather and grid
up is half the battle in racing. And it added the second and third 1st place finishes of the weekend for the team.
Sunday: Twin Sprints, Day Two
The day started in much the same way, with threatening clouds, wind
and rain. Unfortunately mechanical
issues prevented Ron from making the grid for the first two races of the day. With help from Greg Williams and fellow
racers, he was able to get the bike running and salvage the afternoon events. Fortunately the rain dissipated and the track
conditions improved immensely after noon.
MW Gran
Prix: Mostly dry track. Another 3rd row start meant it was
crucial to get a good launch. Ron was
able to make up several positions in the first few corners, then slowly picked
off the remaining riders over the next two laps. Once in the lead, he kept an eye on second
place to maintain the gap and won the race.
MW
SuperBike: Mostly dry track. Gridded
from row 3 again meant another good start was a must. Making his way to the front over the first
couple laps used up most of the rear tire that was left from the previous
races. The leader, the second place
finisher from the MW GP race, had obviously learned a few tricks from Ron in
the earlier race. He was running a quick
pace and tight defensive lines.
With
each attempt Ron made to get up the inside, or around the outside, the leader
was able to block his line. On the white
flag lap, Ron made a last effort to charge for the lead, but the leader would
not yield the inside line despite Ron’s clear advantage. He decided not to jeopardize their safety for
a club race win, and conceded to 2nd place.
LW Formula
40 / Middleweight Femmoto: Mostly dry
track. The questionable weather
again kept the grid light for both races, so Suzie ran unopposed in her
classes, putting two more 1st place
finishes in the books.
All in all a solid start to the CCS/ASRA Midwest Region season
despite weather and mechanical challenges. Total podiums: six 1st place and one 2nd place finish.
OUR NEXT EVENT:
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI
May 31 - June 2, 2013
Hope to see you there!
