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.

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

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.