Higbee Tests Yamaha R6 At Fontana – Press Release

With the recent shutdown of Buell Motorcycle Company, Shawn Higbee of Higbee Racing has decided to race multiple brands for its 2010 program. For this year’s West Coast Race Series, Wheels In Motion, Trump Motors, and SoCal DucWorx have come together to provide a competitive Yamaha R6.

“As a rider, I’ve been associated with Buell for the last 10 years, however the R6 is proving to be rather competitive. It definitely has its differences, but I feel good about the flickability and tirewear. It’s a great bike. I think I must have stared at the fuel injection system for a solid two hours when I first got it,” laughed Higbee.

Bazazz Performance, Chicken Hawk Racing and Galfer Brakes were recently added to Higbee’s current list of sponsors. “With the present state of the economy, sponsorship packages have been more difficult to obtain in the racing circuit, so you can imagine the importance of acquiring such brands as these,” Higbee said. “Going privateer in 2009 had its ups and downs, but sponsorship is what makes it all happen. Luckily, on the R6, parts are more readily available than were on the Buell. This fact has definitely made it easier.”

Higbee Racing is currently seeking sponsorship to race the Buell 1125R in the Daytona 200. “The 1125R has always done particularly well for me at Daytona,” said Shawn Higbee, who rode his privateer Buell to 5th place in the 2009 Daytona 200 race. “I’ve learned this season [switching bikes] that although you can teach an old dog new tricks, I’d still like to climb back on it one more time for the 200,” smiles Higbee. “The Buell will always have a place in my heart.”

2009 AMA season Higbee Racing recap

It’s amazing that even though the AMA season was relatively short, at 6 months in length. It felt like it absorbed more than a years worth of emotional and physical energy.  Racing of any type is difficult but even more so with the flux which was rampant in AMA roadracing competition this year.  Major changes within the AMA race organization, rules package, race format, and a struggling economy made for a very long season.  The 2009 season felt unfamiliar, however it certainly delivered change and was a growing year.  In my opinion the improved brand parity in AMA roadracing has increased the competition levels to rival world class events.  Sure it was an untypical year, but the 2009 season is more memorable in many ways than previous seasons.

In 1989 I started my racing career, and it has been an incredible 20 years of competition!  The peaks have been a mixture of international racing success, a score of 3 U.S National Championships, plus many individual race wins.  On the flip side, I’ve learned to endure the pain of injury and how to deal with the defeat of crashing. My body has been punished with broken bones including : both femurs, right wrist, ribs, collar bone, fingers, hip, and shoulder dislocation. The waves of glorious highs and treacherous lows have made me appreciate the essence of life.  After dedicating more than half my lifetime to motorcycle roadracing, it has taught me much.  I’ve learned how to over come fears and break through self limiting barriers.  Motorcycle roadracing has afforded me confidence to succeed and provide an arena to accomplish things I didn’t realize were possible.  To succeed I’ve learned that it takes passion, dedication, perseverance, positive visualization, courage, and to be surrounded by others who share the same attributes.  When all of this comes together and is injected with the right tools and equipment, a champion is born.  Unfortunately I wasn’t in a position to possess the championship attributes in 2009.  And as a racer it’s frustrating to compete knowing that you’re lacking some of the pieces to achieve the best results.

There has been more up and down this year than any previous race season. By far the biggest up of the year was the amount of support that came from race enthusiasts, friends/family, and my fiancé.  The downs included a mechanical dnf, series of crashes, and difficulty coming to terms with the new rules and procedures.  Partly out of spite and necessity, I created team Higbee Racing to buck the system and test my ability to survive.  The strategy that developed throughout the season was laughable.  Instead of racing to improve, the strategy became how much of a disadvantage can I withstand and still finish in the top 20 paying position. There was one positive to this that materialized.  As the cards where increasingly stacked against me, I pushed my riding abilities further and further.  It was very satisfying to consistently exceed the traction limits and elevate my personal riding limits.  Throughout the 2009 season, I rode harder than ever before in my career and developed a very high level of stamina and endurance.

In every aspect of racing the thoughts of efficiency instigated over usage, which became the status quo to extract every bit of usefulness. It was a season of getting the most out of used tires, the overworked volunteering crew, the high mileage engines, and skimping to cut all expenses!  When I worked at Buell I hated the concept of the 80/20 rule. However that’s exactly what I was forced to adhere to this season.  Arguably this is a misuse of the pareto principle, but I really did try to get a 80% result with only 20% of the proper resources. Now that the AMA season is complete, it’s gratifying to have stayed true to my principles and not folded in to an unjust offer. Ironically the best finish, 5th place in DSB,  was at the start of the season during the Daytona 200. It seems that the other teams were able to develop their bikes throughout the year, which allowed the competition to improve however we stood still with little to no development.  Progression and bike development wasn’t an option and  I feel that hindered our results, even though I rode better than before.  It was quite exhausting knowing that every race finish was paramount to being able to continue racing at the next event. The stakes were always high!  Not only was I putting my life on the line but I’d have to gamble everything I had to make it to the races and needed to make it into the money or else…  For the most of the season we finished inside of the top twenty in Daytona Sportbike and American Superbike, but when I didn’t it was desperate times.  I felt some relief throughout the year, and honestly my ass was saved more than once by generous race supporters.   Thank you to all!

9/5-6 2009 AMA Finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park

It was Wed pm, and we were supposed to be on the road already but an issue with the bike slowed us down. The engine was all but removed from the frame just hanging down in the chassis to replace the leaking water pump. The new water pump was installed but the preparation wasn’t able to be completed because the slipper clutch was broken and we didn’t have the parts to fix it. Scott and myself prepared the bike the best we could, loaded the trailer and made the 1000 mile journey to NJ. Our only hope was to find the parts to repair the clutch once we arrived at the track in NJ.  Luckily the Buell guys helped us to locate the proper parts and We were able to get the bike put together for the qualifying session.  We missed practice but hey who needs track time,LOL!  Anyways, I just saved money on tires and fuel.

The weekend went relatively smooth but was not without drama.  It was a very slim crew at NJ.  Mitsu has been the driving force all year to keep the bikes on track and mechanically sound.  I’ve really enjoyed Mitsu’s company throughout the year and his work ethic has instilled infallible confidence with the bike preparation.  So it was a difficult but necessary decision for Mitsu to stay in CA and forego NJ to save on expenses.  Another person who has been instrumental in my success this year but unable to attend NJ was Marianne.  Marianne was street luging at the Mary Hill event in Washington.  I was really bummed about not being there to support her racing too.  And yet another key person, Mike R was unavailable for NJ.  Mike is a great crew chief and the weekend is always better when he’s able to attend. 

So things looked bleak, but once again it seems like someone was watching out for me.  Earlier in the year at the Road America event, I was lucky to meet Scott. He has been a great fit with the team, and has come up to speed very quickly.  After only 4 races of experience, Scott jumped in the deep end to be crew chief and main mechanic too at NJ.  Also “the rock” my mom and dad drove to the races, as well as my nephew Tyler, to help out.  As always we found a way to make it work with the resources we have, and do the best job possible.  I couldn’t have competed at NJ without the support of www.badweatherbikers.com, Bartels’ HD/Buell, Buell Motorcycle, SoCal Buell Riders,Pilot Leathers, Shoei, EK chain, Vortex, Traxxion Dynamics, Pit Bull, Taylor Made Racing, and Race Technologies.     

One of the things I really looked forward to about NJ was competing in the Moto GT class.  It was a great opportunity to ride in the Moto GT class with the James Gang/Hoban Brothers Buell team.  On Friday AM I threw a leg over the JGR Buell and went out for practice.  On the second lap I lost the front end in a left hander and hit the ground hard.  It was one of the crashes that you are sliding on your back thinking what the F just happened.  I had been warned that the front tires for the Moto GT class were horrible but this was ridiculous.  Luckily damage wasn’t too bad and I was able to continue the practice session.  With the additional riding duties I decided it was best to withdraw from the Daytona Sportbike race.  This took some load of Scott, and allowed me to focus more on the Superbike races.  Some personal issues had my emotions all out of wack and the Moto GT crash was a compounding effect and which heavily effected my confidence.  The fear of being a hazard on the track was in my mind as I realized that my ability to focus was shot.  Out of necessity I mounted the bike and went out for Superbike Qualifying.  It took a few laps, but slowly my focus began to build.  Near the end of the session the confidence returned and I was able to block out most of the emotional turmoil.  Some pressure was off now because we turned a fast enough time to be in the race.  Later that weekend things calmed down, I eventually got my head back on straight, and the crew did a great job too! 

dan@cornerspeedphoto.com

dan@cornerspeedphoto.com

This was the last chance of the year to earn a paycheck from AMA, and so I hung it out in both Superbike races.  Race long battles with many riders, including Corey,Jensen,Salenius,Hunt and Crozier, meant a top twenty would be difficult.  I was able to make up a lot of time on the inline 4 liter bikes in the corners but was hanging on for dear life down the straights. The 138hp Buell1125R didn’t stand a chance against the 165hp+ liter bikes. I held my breath every time through the last corner because I was drifting both ends most of the race.  Losing the front end from the apex all the way to the outside  edge of the corner exit happened way too often.  To have any chance of keeping the liters in site down the straight I had to execute the last 3 corners perfectly and then brake hell late into turn one.  As we approached the esses I would slow down and give myself about a 5-7 bike length gap as we entered the last corner that leads onto the front straight.  My corner speed was much higher and the closing rate at the apex was scary, but I needed the momentum to make up for the lack in HP.  The extra apex speed allowed me to come up along side of them initially on the corner exit.  Then as they hit WOT and pulled away I tucked in tightly behind them and felt the benefit of the draft for about 1/2 the straight.  After the start finish line they had pulled away substantially, so I’d have to brake so late the rear tire was off the ground entering turn one. At the end of the weekend it was mission accomplished! We finished the season on a good note with a hard fought 18th and 17th place finishes in Superbike. And finishing 3rd in the Moto GT class with teammate Paul James was icing on the cake.

The after race party was quite appropriate and you could sense that everyone was relieved to make it through the year.  It was interesting to see teams owners, riders, sponsors, and AMA officials conversing and behaving like a huge weight had been lifted off them.  Yes 2009 wasn’t pretty but we made it through.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, to all of the people who supported Higbee Racing this year.  It really made a difference and honestly keep me on track when I thought all was lost!  God willing I’ll be back again racing next year.  Hopefully on a Buell 1125RR Superbike, with a complete program that is capable of going racing in true form.

July 25th, 2009 Socal Buell Riders gather at San Diego Harley-Davidson

Throughout my career I’ve pretty much blended in with the crowd and didn’t draw much attention other than winning occasionally.  Sure it would have helped my racing if I were more outgoing and flamboyant but honestly I was content in pushing the bike and myself to the limits.  Later in my career I became fascinated with the physics behind motorcycle road racing and design as well. So I’ve spent most of the last 15 years testing the limits, grasping the physics and engineering as it related to roadracing.

 This year however, has been filled with many surprises and I have realized a whole new dimension to racing.  From the start of the race season support has surfaced in unlikely places.  I have to thank Marianne for her help in establishing an online presence for Higbee Racing and giving me a way to interact with people.  I have met some incredibly nice and generous people who have shown support at the Willow Springs and some AMA events.  But it was shocking when I heard that the SoCal Buell Riders group, recently founded by Wolf, was planning on holding a benefit ride in conjunction with the San Diego HD dealership to auction off some Buell merchandise, sell some Higbee Racing t-shirts take donations for the race tire fund.  This was quite an organized effort and I felt honored and overwhelmed.  And to top it off Jerry and Kathlene offered us their Ulysses to ride, so Marianne and I could attend the event!   

I believe twenty five bikes signed up for the ride around the San Diego Area.  The route was approximately 116 miles and took us about 3 hours.  After the ride we meet up at the San Diego Dealership where they had a band playing and barbeque going on.  The ride was fun, everyone was safe, and the roads were twisty.  Okay it’s true…. I did let the bikes in front gap us so we could speed up the pace through some of the tighter corners.  I think the guys following us knew what I was doing, and had them smiling a bit more!

Higbee Racing Finishes Top 15 in American Superbike on Bartel’s HD/ Buell 1125R

8/1-2 Topeka, KS - AMA ROAD RACING

 

photo by Dan Lo @ www.cornerspeedphoto.com

It has been years since the AMA has raced at the Topeka raceway in Kansas, and now I remember why we left. True it’s not all bad, the track layout is unique and offers some challenges. The most technical area of the track was going down the front straight heading toward the crest of turn one’s blind apex. The most enjoyable area for many riders including myself was the large radius left hand carousel corner. The third gear corner allowed plenty of time to find the limits of the rear tire and carry a nice dirt track slide. But some of the corners were untypically tight and too slow in my opinion. And the worst part of the Topeka track was the holes, sharp edge bumps and lack of run off in a few areas. Even though I had decent finishes this weekend I wouldn’t miss Topeka if we didn’t return next season!

The Topeka weekend started off a bit rough, with a poor basic qualifying position of 28th in Daytona Sportbike. Thanks to the support of the SoCal Buell riders, we were able to mount up new tires in preparation for the Saturday final qualifying but rainy weather resulted in a scrubbed session and the grid was set based on basic qualifying. To make the situation worse we slipped up and missed the pre grid cut off time while swapping tires from the Superbike race which resulted in being moved to the back of the 48 rider DSB field.

Photo By Dan Lo @ www.cornerspeedphoto.com

I was feeling very apprehensive about having to start in the rear of the large field. I needed to pass 28 riders to finish in the money! I told the AMA official’s this was a dangerous situation to place a faster rider at the end of the field but they stood by the rules! Before the race, one rider on the grid in front of me recognized the dangers and asked me which way he should move to get out of the way. At the start of the DSB race I weaved through the slower riders like a banshee and managed to pass 16 bikes in two laps but then a red flag came out. Relieved to make it though the carnage I was confident to make top 20 from the new start position, that was until being told the race would restart from the original grid position. Once again, I wasn’t looking forward to the danger of navigating through the field. As we attempted the rolling start again, tension was high throughout the field, and 3 riders piled up right in front of me even before reaching the green flag! After several near miss collisions, and a frantic pace I slipped up and tucked the front end in one of the slow corners. No major damage to myself or bike but the DSB race one was finished. In DSB race two, I had a good run up through the field from the 28th starting position to finish 16th. The Superbike races went really well with a 14th and 13th, for race one and race two respectively. Contrary to some rumors on the internet, I’m still using the DSB 1125R bike in the Superbike class.

This weekend I really focused on finding unique setups for the slicks and dot tires. Earlier this year I felt the differences where not that great and just rode around the variation in handling performance and drive ratio. But with the extremely high level of competition in AMA these days I’ve been forced to optimize the bike setup for each class.

photo by Dan Lo @ www.cornerspeedphoto.com

Each setup had its own tire pressure, gear ratio, and rear ride height settings. I really found the Superbike setup enjoyable and was able to maximize cornering speed and the bike still steered through the corners well. Even with the hard compound slicks I was confident in the front grip and even though rear traction was less than normal it provided consistent over-steer.  The bike felt solid when throwing it down on its side at corner entry and could be stood up easily and pointed toward the corner exit. The DOT tires didn’t offer the same feeling and required much more steering effort.

The bike ran good all weekend, and things went very smoothly even though we only had a crew of two. Mitsu and Scott found their groove and worked very efficiently together. We had the hot pits looking pretty good with the Bartel’s and Buell banners proudly displayed. Thanks to Mike the bike was freshly painted and nice and clean.

It was nice to talk with some of the Buell enthusiast that came by the pits. After the races we had to pack up quick and get Mitsu to the airport. The race wasn’t over yet, Scott and I still had a 10 hour drive back to Milwaukee. My flight to CA was scheduled for 6am, which meant straight through driving with less than 1 hour to spare. Three energy drinks and talking with Marianne on the phone helped me to stay awake. We arrived in WI just in time to catch my flight, pillow please! Thank you to all my sponsors and fans who continue to support Higbee Racing. Bartel’s HD/Buell, Buell Motorcycle, Shoei, Pilot Leathers, EK Chain, Vortex, Pit Bull, Traxxion Dynamics, Taylor Made Racing and the SoCal Buell Riders.

 

www.HIGBEE-RACING.COM

Higbee Race Summary from the AMA Mid-Ohio Roadrace

July 18th-19th   2009

Prior to leaving for Ohio, Mitsu and I had our work cut out for us as we swapped the well-used motor for another fresh stock, crated motor.  Mitsu gathered his tools from Bartels’ HD and flew in from LA to Milwaukee on Wednesday night.  He immediately started working on the Buell1125R race bike in my garage.  I had previously removed the old engine and so the bare frame was ready for the new heart.  Mitsu clicked away at the project with the precision of a Swiss watch.  I only tended to a few areas of the engine installation. Leaving Mitsu from the distraction of my hands I focused on repairing bodywork, preparing wheels, sprockets, swing arm etc.  

Photo by Dan Lo of cornerspeedphoto.com

My 3 year old twins were having fun playing with us in the garage.  I only had to fetch a few tools from the front yard, LOL.  It quickly became bedtime for the kids so I tucked them in bed and went back to help Mitsu.  We worked all night and finally finished the bike, loaded up the trailer and were ready for bed around 5am on Thursday.  The alarm was set for 7:30am, 2.5 hours of sleep would have to do.  Unfortunately the kids beat the alarm by a few minutes and were up and playing in their bedrooms.  We  loaded the kids into the dually and with a 44ft trailer in tow, we set out for a 7 hour drive.  Okay here we go, all I need is a little Redbull and adrenaline. Thank God my mom was coming to the races to help care for the kids!

The crucial decision heading into Mid-Ohio was should I catch up on the mortgage or buy tires?  This weekend is a double-header so that means a huge tire bill to compete in the Daytona Sportbike and Superbike events.  As the AMA has increase parity, it too has increased the importance of new tires for all track sessions.  A few tenths of a second could mean several position further up the grid and farther away from the dreaded 21st position.  To ensure your best qualifying position and solid races, I estimate it takes at least $3700.  To max out the regulated tire allotment, and burn up some soft tires for a few extra tenths of second improvement in lap time, be prepared to dish out over $5000.  Now I’m sure that these costs are not considered high for those accustomed to running racecars, or even the motorcycle teams with 1 million dollar budgets, but for the privateers who fund their program from the purse money it’s a debilitating reality.  Especially when top 20 results for all four races will only gross $6000.

The Laguna Seca purse/Mortgage money ran out early and I need to thank my parents and Ozzie for contributing to the tire fund and getting us through the weekend.  I also want to thank all of the fans who purchased shirts through the higbee-racing.com website and showed up at the races.  There were so many people supporting me at Mid-Ohio, I couldn‘t give up, even as hard and dismal as things seemed.  I attacked every corner of every lap like I was running scared from a disaster.  Every corner was an opportunity to evaluate the limits of the tires and plan a more aggressive attack the next time around.  I not only found the limits but found myself riding past the limits of the tires all too often.  Frequently losing the front tire and falling down on the footpeg, fairing, and ultimately preventing a crash by putting my knee down and using more throttle.  Whether it was heroics or intervention, I felt fortunate not to crash out.  However it does seem that the TTR dirt riding is helping my riding abilities too, as I felt comfortable drifting the 1125R with both tires sliding evenly through a few corners.  

I also worked with the crew and we honed the bike setup throughout the weekend.  We struggled to find the best combination of front/rear tire balance, versus tire wear, while maintaining good cornering abilities.  Saturday’s setup was good for tire wear but compromised grip balance and wasn’t finishing the corners well.  In Sunday’s Sportbike race we went backwards in the setup and grip levels and balance were off in left field.  We finally got the setup right in the Sunday Superbike race and where able to click off some mid 1:28 laps.  The bike would finally turn, had good grip balance, but was a bit  harder on the tires.  The net result was a faster elapsed race time for the 23 laps, but the pace definitely slowed in the last part of the race.  Whereas the Saturday race setup was slower ultimately but was easier on the tires and allowed me to run consistently right to the end of the race.

Photo by Dan Lo of cornerspeedphoto.com

Overall the Mid-Ohio weekend was promising, with a 10th place finish in Sportbike race 1 and a 15th place finish in Superbike race 2.  I feel like we can claw our way back up into the top five with some sponsorship, bike development and a crap load of work!  I’m very frustrated with having to run a stock 1125R engine in the Superbike class.  It’s unrealistic to keep running the stock bike in Superbike and expect to always finish in the top 20.  So I am going to work hard to get onboard a competitive Superbike before the end of this year and see how far up the finish order I can get!  I either need to hop-up the stock Buell engine, by the grace of God and the powers that be somehow obtain a 40K Buell1125RR, or will have to ride “something else” in Superbike. 

Photo by Dan Lo of cornerspeedphoto.com

I really missed not having my fiancée, Marianne, trackside to help out, but it was nice to have other family members there along with plenty of friends and fans.  Even though not at the track, Marianne did an awesome job reporting on the races remotely via twitter.com.  I would like to give special thanks to my crew Mike Richter, Mitsu, Scott, Michelle, Paul, Tyler, Rosemary, Ozzie, and Mike. Mike R. did a fantastic job as crew chief once again.  Mitsu was extremely overworked but never missed a beat and kept the bike running without any issues.  Scott really came up to speed as he is more familiar with the maintenance and tire changing routines.  Michelle helped out in the pit area and cheered us on.  My dad managed the tires, fuel, and pit board, as well as offering the good father to son talk.  Tyler kept me hydrated and was my go-to person.  My mom, Rosemary, took care of my kids and cheered from the trackside.  Ozzie and Mike were always in there lending a hand, taking split times, and helping with pit transportation.  And as always racing wouldn’t be possible without my sponsors Bartels’ HD/Buell, Buell Motorcycle, Pilot Leathers, Shoei, Pit Bull, Dunlop, Sunoco, Traxxion Dynamics, EK chain, Vortex, and Pit Bull.  We also received some help from the James Gang / Hoban Brothers Buell racing team.  Thanks to everyone!

I’m off to CA to hang out with the SoCal Buell riders for a ride with their group in San Diego this weekend.  Other than that I’ll be busy training, searching out additional sponsorships, enjoying some time with Marianne, and preparing the bikes for the next round at Topeka on August 1st and 2nd.

A huge thank you to Dan Lo of http://www.cornerspeedphoto.com  for the great photos!

Bartels‘ HD/Buell Sponsors Higbee Racing to Compete at Willow Springs May Event

May 17^th 2009 Rosamond, CA

Although I was scheduled to race the AMA event at Infineon on this weekend, things didn’t work out as planned.  I ended up racing at Willow instead of the AMA event.  It was a troublesome build-up to the Willow event but I did feel some relief at the conclusion of the weekend.  The tension started during the drive back to WI from Barber, where I was disappointed we didn’t finish higher but was thankful that the 16^th, 19^th, 19^th and 20^th positions in the Daytona Sportbike and American Superbike respectively, was in the money.  Or at least that is what I thought when I packed up the race trailer to drive toward CA in preparation for the next AMA round at Infineon.

I arrived at Marianne’s house after a few days of traveling across the country and was in a panic because my funds were dried up and the AMA money from Barber still hadn’t made it into my account.  After several failed attempts to reach someone at the AMA offices I finally received a voice message explaining that I didn’t finish in the money because they only paid back to the top twenty positions.  At first it didn’t make any sense what they were talking about because I did finish in the top twenty and assumed some reporting error or something similar.  Additional follow-up revealed that I didn’t understand the payout procedure and wasn’t going to receive any purse money from Barber even though I finished in the top twenty in all 4 races.  Coincidentally, the AMA issued a bulletin that same day, clarifying how it paid out the purse money based on combined points from race#1 and race#2.  So as it turns out, by the points system I was accredited with 21^st position in Daytona Sportbike and 23^rd position in American Superbike.

This situation added extra drama, created a serious low point and I honestly didn’t know what to do.  Mike Richter was scheduled to get on a plane, so I had to call him ASAP and explain that I wouldn’t be able to go to Infineon.  I also followed up with Mitsu to explain the bad news.  The Willow Springs event was going on the same weekend as Infineon but it wasn’t part of the 7 race Willow sponsorship deal that I have with Bartels HD/Buell.  My only hope was to call Bill Bartels to see if he would be able to extend his sponsorship to include the May event as well.  Thanks to Bill Bartels and Marianne I was able to get to Willow.  I called Mitsu back to share the new plan and was hopeful that we’d have another good weekend at Willow.   

The Buell 1125R’s have been very dependable so far this season but they have a ton of race miles and are in great need of service and repair.  With that much time on the bikes I was very concerned that they wouldn’t hold together for another weekend.  So to minimize the wear and tear we decided to just run a single Sunday morning practice and then go straight to the races.  Thanks to Mitsu, he did his magic and kept the bikes running all weekend.  The Formula Heavyweight Twins and BOTT heavyweight races went as planned with convincing wins.  In the Formula One race, I didn’t quite nail the start and found myself dicing with a few other guys.  Unable to clear them completely, the other bikes did a good job of blocking in the corners and prevented me from capitalizing on the Buell’s mid-corner speed advantage.  All was not lost though as I managed the tire throughout the 20 lap race well enough to finish 6^th in the competitive F1 race.

Willow was in sort my salvation, to get back on track in both senses of the word.  I thrive at the challenges of racing but sometimes it’s more than I bargained for.  However seeing all of the Buell enthusiasts at Willow inspires me to push on.  One of those enthusiasts and an overall great guy is fellow Buell racer Ernie Snair.  He’s a strong ambassador for Buell and always has a fun group of people following him.  Thank you Ernie, Mitsu, Marianne, Steve, Sunny, and Bartel’s HD/Buell for your continued support!  Higbee Racing is also proud to be sponsored by Pilot leathers, Shoei, Vortex, Dunlop, Pit Bull, EK chain, and Traxxion Dynamics.

Next stop is the June 5^th/6^th AMA event at Road America in Elkhart Lake.  The Buell homecoming should be a hoot with riders gathering in Wisconsin from all across the country.  We hope to put on a good show for everyone at RA!

#11 Higbee Racing Barber Motorsports Park Report – AMA Pro Roadracing

Leeds, AL 5/2/09

 After having such a good weekend at Willow in April, I was hoping to take that momentum to Barber and put in a really good showing on the Bartels’ HD/Buell 1125R.  The Barber track is tight and technical just how I like them.  Horsepower shouldn’t matter as much at Barber and felt like top 15 in Superbike was possible.  Daytona Sportbike has proven to be the most competitive class I’ve ever competed in but felt like a top 10 was a realistic goal.  I was extremely thankful for my friends and Buell employees’ support that would allow me to compete at the Barber event.  These days just getting to the next race is an accomplishment.

I had a hard time focusing on improving the bike setup and getting myself dialed in on the corners because of the varying weather conditions and non-stop on track and off track  responsibilities.  The double header weekends are an incredible amount of work for rider and crew!  When running Superbike and Daytona Sportbike, Friday thru Sunday it seemed like we were always on track with practice, qualifying or races.  With that much track time there isn’t enough time for my traditional relaxation and mental prep naps prior to going out on track.  Plus, the torrential downpour and tornado warnings put everyone on edge.  As if the crew didn’t have enough to worry about, now they had to tear down the pits only to set it up again after the weather passed.  And my lowside crash in qualifying added some additional work load too.  Luckily the bike was only lightly damaged and the Pilot leathers held up well so I escaped without injury.  At the apex of turn 8, I was caught off guard and lost the front end,  partly due to the combination of  a new rear and used front tire, plus a slight change to the setup which caused the front to push more.

The crash during the Sportbike qualifying meant that we weren’t able to put in a good time and therefore was stuck starting back in 30^th position.  A poor starting position in combination with the 2 by 2 bike rolling start configuration pretty much shot my chances of a top ten finish.  Barber is a difficult track to pass at plus the field was very stretched out at the start of the race.  So moving up through the pack to finish in the top twenty in the Daytona Sportbike race #1 felt like an accomplishment.   

Tire choices, tire choices, tire choices…..slick, DOTs, or full rains?  Well for the wet  Daytona  Sportbike race #2 we ran with full rains.  The track was quite wet at the start of the race but a dry line slowly developed throughout the race.  The grip was amazing, dragging knee even at the start of the race when the track was completely soaked.  Wet tires were the right choice, but the front rain tire was completely shucked by ½ way through the race.  Every right hand corner was a perpetual crash that never completely happened.  I held my breath on right hand corner entry until I could get past the apexes.  There were more moments of falling onto my knee and  hold the bike up than I’ve ever had in a single race!  I think this was my best wet performance since racing in the Lemans 24hr endurance race years ago.  I was very excited to be working my way up through the field and wished the race was a bit longer.  I had to be pleased with finishing 16^th in the Daytona Sportbike race #2 especially considering the 30^th starting position.

 

The Superbike races results were just “okay”, finishing 19^th and 20^th.  The highlight was being ninth quickest on the Buell in the wet warm-up session right before the Superbike race #2!  Granted just coming off the track gave me an advantage because I had a handle on the grip levels of the track surface.  Nontheless, it was cool to see the Buell that far up in the Superbike order. 

Once again I’m very thankful for my dedicated crew of Mike, Mitsu, and Marianne.  I also couldn’t have competed if it were not for the support of my sponsors.  Thanks to Bartels’ HD/Buell, the employees at Buell Motorcycle, Pilot Leathers, Shoei, Vortex, EK Chain, Dunlop, and Taylor Made Racing.  Even though I went to Barber on  the thin edge of disaster we were able to just sneak by and finished in the top twenty for the 4 races.  This meant I’d have enough money to pay for the Barber expenses and go on to the next event at Infineon, or so I thought……..

Set New Track Record @ Willow Springs Round 4

This month’s WSMC event was one of my best weekends at Willow Springs to date. The highlight was finishing third in the Formula 1 race, which was better than I ever expected to do with a stock engine Buell. I also won the Heavyweight Twins and Formula Twins Heavyweight races aboard the Bartels’ HD/Buell. I was feeling extremely comfortable and aggressive on the bike and was able to set a new class lap record of 1:22.445 in Heavyweight Twins.

It wasn’t easy sailing though….there was some apprehension that weekend as we remembered the accident in turn 8 that took racer, Pancho Spain’s life. A ceremony was held and family members spread his ashes near turn 8. Because racing is dangerous my instincts are to detach myself from the possible dangers. However, while watching Pancho’s ceremony at the riders’ meeting I was feeling a bit uneasy because the obvious dangers were undeniable. I certainly felt sorrow for the loss of a fellow racer even though I didn’t know Pancho personally. But after the riders’ meeting I knew I must not let the fear of death enter my mind while on the racetrack. My focus had to be on the “procedure” I’ve used to navigate safely around the Willow Springs Racetrack. Truth is, it’s my job now and I really needed to work hard on improving my riding techniques of getting into the corners deeper and hone my ability to slide both ends of the motorcycle.

Willow Springs Raceway offers high speed turns as well as straightaway speeds in excess of 160 mph. Turn 1, 2, 8 and 9 are very fast corners. This weekend I focused on braking really late going into turn one without compromising my exit speed. Occasionally I’d lift the rear wheel or otherwise just backing it in a bit and laying black marks going into one. I learned that using more rear brake took the load off of the front so the front felt planted when approaching the apex. This new approach felt like maybe 1 or 2 tenths quicker through turn 1. The right hand turn two is like a 1/2 mile dirt track turn but in the opposite direction. I practiced running it into the turn harder and harder until losing the front. A couple of times it felt really good…slide the front in…picked up the throttle to balance the bike….felt both ends drift out equally through the middle…and dialed in the throttle to slide sideways on the exit. Sliding both ends was like the Holy Grail for me…a feeling of calmness, quiet and smoothness as lateral loads slowly dropped to near nothing. There was no fear of falling because the lean angle didn’t waver, just pure lateral drift. If I could only do that every lap of every turn I’d be World Champion! LOL. Turn nine is difficult because the outside edge of the track is blind until well past the apex. I was able to really nail down a consistent turn in and apex position which gave me confidence to get WOT early and slide the rear right to the tracks edge. Turns 1, 2 and 9 are impressive but there are no racetracks in the country with a corner that deserves respect like Willow’s turn 8.

On the Buell 1125R you approach turn 8 flat out in top gear, breathe off the throttle just enough to initiate the turn in, and immediately start rolling back on to WOT. Turn 8 has taught me a lot about reading the track conditions, being committed to the throttle, and the significance line choice has on tire wear. The wind speeds and directions can be quite variable at Willow. Judging the wind speeds and direction is one of the keys to going fast through turn 8. Between the wind catching your front wheel and the slight dips in the asphalt its pretty common to lose the front tire grip sometime after the turn in point. I’m usually good for at least one tire smoking front tire slide per weekend. Thank God for physics and the stabilization offered by the bikes strong gyroscopic effects at such high speeds. The other things that seems to work well is to get back to WOT ASAP so you can steer the bike by sliding the rear tire. As crazy as it sounds, at corner entry when rear tire starts to step out is when I can relax because I know I’m not going to crash. At this point it’s just a matter of preserving the tire by limiting the spinning. But sometimes it just feels good to spin’er all the way through!

I really need to thank my crew, Mitsu and Marianne, for their support throughout the weekend. I didn’t know until after the fact, but apparently Mitsu was at Slaughter’s house working on the bikes really late! Thanks for the use of your shop Steve….great job Mitsu the bikes ran flawlessly on Sunday. And as always, I couldn’t live without the help and support of Marianne, she’s my driving force! I want to also thank Ozzie who volunteers his time helping out when he can. I couldn’t do it without you guys. I would also like to recommend some fine companies that you might have a need to contact in the future- Bartels’ HD/Buell, Dunlop, Pilot Leathers, Shoei, EK Chain, Taylor Made Racing, Vortex Sprockets, and Pit Bull.

Next Stop AMA – Barber May 1-3.

A Glance back – AMA round two at Fontana

FONTANA (Recap from March 20-22, 2009)

Fontana Daytona Sportbike Buell 1125R

The post for Fontana has been late to go up because I wasn’t sure what to talk about. Expectations were high going into the weekend but I was frustated with my performance in the Daytona Sportbike class and the mechanical DNF during the second event. The highlight and saving grace was Finishing 15th in the American Superbike race 2. The chassis and tire setup on the Superbike was working really well and was pleased with the result considering that we still were using a stock street engine straight from the crate.

My frustration with the sportbike was around the lack of rear grip. The Dunlops DOT tires at Fontana where different than at Daytona and where much much harder in the center than on the edges. In my opinion the tranisition point for the softer compound needed to be moved up toward the center of the tire more to help maintain grip while standing the bike up on corner exits. We made slight chassis improvements throughout the weekend to compensate for the tire design but stuggled to get off the corner especially with used tires.

Gotta Love the Buell Torque

I knew we had an issue from the first DSB practice session. WE started the session on new tires but after only 5 laps they started to slide around and spinning up a lot off the corners. I had to bring it in and save what was left of the tires for the qualifying session. When I came of the track in practice we where 5th quickest, and so I felt good about parking the bike. Unfortunately the other guys picked up the pace and we ended up 7th quickest in practice. Come qualifying time, we fell back dramatically when I attempted to qualify on used tires and ended up near the back of the 39 rider field. My lap times where about 2 seconds a lap slower on the used tires than I did in the morning practice. During the Daytona Sportbike race 1 I charged up through the field as quickly but safely as possible but the tires started to slide around quite a bit after 5-7 laps. I continued to pick off guys during the race and mustered a 15th in Daytona Sportbike race 1. For DSB race 2 we maked some more suspension and chassis adjustments to improved rear traction but part way into the race I developed an oil leak due to a faulty clutch cover gasket.

Working on the bike setup

Post race lap time analysis showed that I was able to run in the 1:27 range on the Superbike with slicks and only 1:29 range on the DOT’s. And when the DOT tires wore they fell of the pace by about 2 seconds, whereas the slicks where good for the entire race. Actually ran the same front slick tire for both superbike races! What I learned from Fontana is that I need to have new DOT tires for every session. The next race is Barber and I now know more about the tire situation and will be better prepared for Barber. Off to find sponsors to pay for the $4000-$5000 weekend tire bill at the next event.

It was a smaller crew at Fontana but everyone worked efficently together.  Thank you Marianne, Mitsu, Ozzy, Bill, Dr.Bob, Dave, and Bob who helped out at the Fontana Event.  I especially want to thank Marianne for being by my side even though things were difficult.