AMA Daytona Sportbike race at Laguna Seca
Finally the race seasons’ unpredictability swayed in a good direction. Good fortune developed over the course of a few weeks when I was introduced to some new ideas about drinking water which consequentially lead to some sponsorship too. It all started in a conversation, with fellow racer Ernie Snair, about training, nutrition, and the importance of water. Ernie said he has been drinking Kangen water. I’d never heard of Kangen water, but was curious to learn more so he recommended that I should visit and speak with Eric Ortiz of the Water Wellness Center. The WWC offers a free demonstration every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, so I drove out to LA to check it out. What I learned about Kangen water was very enlightening. It just seems logical to drink ionized water because it offers a smaller molecular structure, slightly alkaline pH, and favorable -ORP values. I’m looking forward to incorporating Kangen water into my fitness program for the remainder of the season. The Wellness Center has a water bar and provides free samples of the Kangen water, so I loaded up when I left. They also sell the machines that make the water.
As the Laguna Seca event was fast approaching, a sponsorship deal was put together to represent the Wellness Center at the track. The attendance at Laguna is always huge, so it was a perfect opportunity to get the word out about the Wellness Center and my other sponsors. Everyone worked together and we were able to put together a display booth for the pit area. The race weekend schedule was a bit unusual because of the Moto GP race. The DSB class practiced on Friday, two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, and a single 23 lap race on Sunday.
photo by Larry Ross
It would’ve been nice to get on track on Friday, but last minute sponsorship responsibilities in addition to vehicle trouble on Friday had us getting to the track literally five minutes before registration closed. So we spent Friday evening setting up and making sure everything was ready for Saturday AM Qualifying. It was nice to start the weekend with new tires, the bike setup documented, and the pit areas well organized. The racebike is the same Bartels’ HD Buell 1125R that was used at Daytona. I was excited that Antelope Valley HD was onboard for the Laguna event as well. Scott Kellerman, is very much a race enthusiast, it was great to have him come out to the track.
A 1:31.349 in qualifying session #1 was the best I could run fresh off the truck. After the session, Mike from Penske helped us work toward a better shock setup for the Laguna track. Rear grip seemed a bit sketchy in a few corners. It looked like the rear shock was hard into the bottom-out bumper so we increased the rear spring rate from 525lbs/in to 550lbs/in. I figured this would also help the bike to finish the corners from apex to the track out point. Also, I wasn’t using 6th gear down the front straight so we lowered the gear a few teeth. In the afternoon qualifying session I turn a quicker time of 1:30.614 but was still stuck at the 18th starting position. Not exactly what I was aiming for but top 20 was in the money. I was confident things would pick up even more for the race on Sunday.
Marianne and I stayed in the race trailer, and many of the Buell enthusiasts were camping at the track too. Jerry and Kathleen’s “Love Shack” hosted the regular group of Buellers, located on the hillside outside of turn 9. Steve Slaughter was also camping with a group of racer friends closer to the turn 11 area. We were a bit short on crew and were fortunate that a couple of Steve’s friends volunteered to help. Graham and Dobrisa know their way around a racetrack and helped tremendously with handling the pit logistics. Steve and Marianne handled the tire swaps and setup changes along with a zillion other things throughout the weekend. I was lucky to have such support, truly fantastic!
photo by Larry Ross
Sunday morning we awoke to a marine layer that covered the track with a thick fog. Visibility was so poor that the morning practice session was cancelled. This was quite unfortunate because we wouldn’t be able to evaluate the chassis setup changes prior to the race. The rear traction was better but the front traction was still difficult to read on corner entry. I was losing time on corner entry but the front was already at its traction limit.
At the start of the race, the Buell rocketed off the line and gained a few positions going into turn one. DSB race start video. I was excited to be moving up through the field and after a few laps it looked like a top ten finish was possible. Then going into turn one the brake lever faded and came nearly back to the handlebar. It was a heart-racing moment as I ran extremely wide, just barely staying on the track. After that incident I cautiously entered the next corner, and the brake lever came back again. By this point I slowed down substantially and was seriously considering pulling off the track. I wondered if I had a loose banjo bolt or a cut brake line. While contemplating what to do I reach over and adjusted the lever out much further. I frantically pumped the brake lever on the short straight sections between corners. After several periods of pumping the brake lever, it felt normal heading into the corkscrew. I was planning on pulling into the pits but it felt good coming into turn 9, so I stayed out.
photo by Larry Ross
It must have been an air bubble in the lines. I gave it a lap to test the brake consistency, gather my confidence and then picked up the pace again. Unfortunately by this time a few guys had passed me and opened up too much of a gap. I was able to put my head down and charge hard for the rest of the race. It turned out to be a race-long battle with Russ Wikle. Near the closing laps of the race the rear tire wear caused the bike to oversteer and was backing into the corners quite a bit. In the end I held off Wikle to finish 12th, and turn a weekend best time of 1:30.565.
I really appreciated the encouragement from Marianne, Steve, and Ernie to compete on the Buell at Laguna. I was proud to be out there doing battle on the Buell. A huge ‘Thank You’ to everyone who showed their support and came by the pits.
photo by Larry Ross
Higbee Racing is supported by- WaterWellnessCTR.com, Bartels’ HD, Antelope Valley HD, Erik Buell Racing, Shoei, Heroic Racing Apparel, Traxxion Dynamics, Taylor Made Racing, Penske, Vortex, Pit Bull, EK Chain, MsXXFast.com, Badweatherbikers.com, SoCal Buell Riders, Speedcell, Galfer, Pit Bull
