I’ve always heard about how entertaining highsides can be. So, the last time I was at Infineon I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Turn 7’s pavement looked so temptingly soft and inviting, how could I resist? I made sure my tires were nice and worn, carried slightly more lean angle than normal, and got a little frisky with the throttle. It happened quicker than I expected - the rear tire spinning, stepping, and snapping in less than a syllable’s worth of thought. For the first heartbeat I wondered if I could save it. My inverted perspective quickly dispelled any delusions of control over the situation. In the next heartbeat I recognized that my velocity, height above terra firma, and orientation were less than favorable. I thought, “Oh. This is the bad kind of crash.” The impact exceeded my lofty expectations. I felt like a tennis ball lofted innocently into the air, whose world exploded in the violence of Sampras’s crushing serve. Unfortunately, I was only able to lay on the track and contemplate the exquisite feeling for a moment, when a naggingly persistent thought interrupted my reverie. “Getting hit by another bike at speed can have dire consequences.” Despite having the wind knocked out of me, I forced myself to crawl on numbed hands and knees to the edge of the track. I then promptly collapsed and took mental inventory of my major bits and pieces. My ankle and hand (left one thank goodness) were banged up, but luckily nothing broken.
Two months later I found myself back at Infineon nursing my still-wonky ankle and hand. After sampling the highside, I’ve concluded that I don’t much care for it. My goals for the weekend were to keep it on two wheels, finish well in Super Dino, and break my personal best of 1:54, in that order. Friday started out well and I was quite comfortable right from the word go. I didn’t even look at my lap timer before lunch and I just concentrated on improving my riding and lines. My ankle prevented me from any consistent cardio regime, so I was a bit leery of my endurance. Although the first session left me somewhat drained, I felt better and stronger as the day wore on.
Ok, rewind to a year and a half ago or so and I found myself waiting in a food line with Chris Siglin. I introduced myself as a soon-to-be racer and ardent student of his onboard videos. In the course of our short conversation Siggy related a little anecdote that buried itself in the far recesses of my mind. He told me that when he was a new racer and the fast guys would blow by in a given turn, he would wonder, “How the hell are they getting through this corner so much faster than me?!?!” So, he would try to latch onto their tail for at least one corner just to find out what they were doing.
Infineon as a whole has given me no end of fits, but Turn 2 in particular has been one of my bogey turns. When a turn has the reputation as (arguably) the trickiest corner on one of the trickiest tracks in the country, it warrants a cautious approach. If a rider as talented as Dave Stanton can highside there SEVEN or EIGHT times, then that sets off little the alarm bells of my (occasionally suspect) survival instinct. Back to Friday, who should blow by me on the way up the hill to Turn 2? No less than a certain Mr. Siglin. Normally I’m not great at getting a tow from other riders. Instead of adopting their lines, I find myself observing them while continuing to ride my own lines. Finding the illustrious Siggy leading me into Turn 2, I was somehow able to switch my brain off and thought, “Just follow.” Instead of jamming on the brakes, dawdling in, standing the bike up just past the apex, and exiting half track, I somehow found myself still at max lean all the way on the exit curb. Siggy disappeared into the sunset, but that opened my eyes as to how much faster you can enter Turn 2.
Later in the day there was a bit of drama over a leaking oil pressure sensor, but fortunately Brendan Walsh had a spare for me to borrow. Thank goodness Ducati adopts the attitude “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… and sometimes even if it is broke.” Two bikes separated by over a decade and 2 generations apart, both sharing (nearly) the same oil pressure sensor that’s been known to leak. Brilliant!
Saturday went well, but the lack of clear track meant I worked more on passing and individual corners than lap times. My brake pads were about finished, so I decided to switch them over lunch. I wanted to acclimate to them for a couple sessions before Sunday’s races. I had read that the SBS’s I was using were very progressive and great for trail braking, whereas the SRJL’s (which I just installed) had fantastic bite and stopping power. I found this to be exactly the case, as my brake lever now felt like the 2.5 lb trigger of a custom 1911. After only one session I found myself having to push my braking points deeper, even with no/minimal trail braking. Braking has traditionally been one of my weakest areas, and I’m optimistic that these will help me improve.
Roll on Sunday and a good morning practice session. I was happy to regain confidence in my riding so quickly after my crash, as well as being completely reconciled to my conservative throttle application. In addition, a recent service had tightened a loose timing gear, and thus freed a few captive ponies. Corner exits got the front end light and practice starts were rife with power wheelies. Yee-haw!
Super Dino was the 4th race, and I was gridded 13th out of 14. I knew I couldn’t waste any time getting past people on the first lap, or the guys I wanted to race with would get away. I felt the calmest I ever have on a race start, waiting for the green flag. I got a good start, by my standards, and forced myself to stay in the throttle all the way up the hill. I found myself on the outside of Turn 2, and happily watched someone park it at the apex and balk a few riders. I railed around the outside and set up for a pass driving over the crest of 3a into 4. I closed up on the next group through 7 and passed another rider on the brakes into 9. Mmmmmm…. Super Brakes.
Just before the race I was talking with a buddy about Dave Moss's prodigious skills, so I was quite pleased to find him in my crosshairs. He took an ultra-defensive line into 11, so I was even more pleased to motor by on the front straight. I identified my next targets as Ed Haazer and my buddy Eric Thompson. I know these guys run near the front of the field, so I was pretty damned happy to chase them down. Since I had caught them, I naturally thought I would be able to pass them at some point. I got a great drive out of the Carousel to pull right up on Eric. But, I was just a smidge out of my comfort zone, and I chickened out on the pass into 7. I managed to out-drive him out of 8a, but didn’t commit to the pass in 9. Grrrr… pull the trigger already! I followed him around to 6, where Ed inexplicably decided to enter slower than usual and gifted Eric 4th place.
I held onto Ed’s back wheel, trying to identify a good passing spot. Then Dave decided to give me a motivational boost by passing me on the exit of the Carousel. Cheeky bastard! I motored by on the way to 7, and it gave me the impetus to pass Ed into 11. Unfortunately, I overcooked it a little and blew the apex. Feeling foolish, I waved an apology as Ed blasted by on the straightaway. I didn’t feel good about gaining a position that way – if you’re going to stuff someone, at least have the decency to make the corner! I didn’t feel guilty enough to slow down, but I was actually relieved to give back the place. Blowing the corner gave me a moment of consternation, and I took a deep breath. “Woooo… alrighty! Where are we at? Ok, we’re in a race! Don’t be stupid – let’s bring this baby home.”
Our shenanigans gave Eric a slight gap, but we set about closing it up again. Meanwhile, I saw another opportunity as I drove out of 8a, and pulled abeam Ed for the inside pass into 9. I thought I had it wired when I caught a glimpse of his front wheel just a bit ahead of me as I entered. I decided to hold a tight line just in case he decided to cut across my bow. Well, I left the space and Ed didn’t need a written invitation to take it. I’d seen that move from the grandstands, but this was my first time appreciating it from behind the bars.
For the next few laps I kept station behind Ed and Eric. Dave showed me a wheel one more time out of the Carousel just to remind me not to relax.
I was quite tired by the last lap, and wishing for a quick turn throttle so I didn’t have to shift my grip so dang often. I thought I had enough drive out of 6 to pass Ed into 7, but I couldn’t quite get it done on the brakes. I wasn’t sufficiently acclimated to the new Super Brakes for significant trail braking. I got through the S’s and 8/8a way too slow for me to try a pass into 9. Nearing the end of the lap, I glimpsed a small window of opportunity when Ed exited 9 a touch slow. I gave it some extra stick through 10 and was mentally committed to a pass in 11. I thought I nailed it, until a gnat’s eyelash of extra pressure on the Super Brakes sent me into a stoppie. I eased off to bring down the rear wheel, blew the corner in egregious fashion, and sheepishly followed Ed and Eric to the finish line.
I didn’t know my finishing position or lap times, so I was pleasantly surprised to find I finished 6th and ran 1:53’s the last 3 laps. My second two goals met, now I just had to finish Open Twins upright.
Life is fraught with irony - the one time I ask for confirmation about my fuel quantity is the one time I run out of gas. We didn’t bargain on two re-starts, with associated warm-up laps and hot pit runs (in a fruitless attempt to keep heat in the tires). The bike started chugging through the Carousel, but fortunately I was able to limp the bike to 7. The corner worker tried to convince me to ride back down the dragstrip (jk!), but I decided to ride around the track and up the hill. Shortly after the crest the last fuel molecules incinerated and I coasted, ninja-like, back to the pits. Having seen a couple friends taste the pavement, my heart wasn’t really in the race and I was ready to call it a weekend. So, it turned out to be as good a time as any for me to learn that lesson.
Overall, what a great weekend! Good friends, no crashing, fun racing, and I met my goals. The top three in Super Dino checked out, turning 1:48/49’s, but the next nine of us ran 1:53/54’s. This weekend was the first time I felt truly comfortable at Infineon, despite knowing specific areas in nearly every corner that I need to improve. The camaraderie in the class, and paddock, has been awesome, and I look forward to more great racing this year!
Thanks to all the Uniform Speed sponsors:
BARF
ForTheTrack
Mammoth Motorsports
Tweqs
Motion Pro
Galfer
Also, thanks to Erich Stiegler for a couple of the great pictures!
This is a very simple sport. You twist the throttle, you pull the brake lever, you push on the bars. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes you crash.
Last edited by NoCompromise; Jul 16th, 2011 at 3:04 pm.
....the worst high side, well he low sided and slid, the bike then high sided, I've seen is Conor Cummin's crash at the IOMTT last year....frightening! Talk about a rag doll flying thru the air!!! Holy shit he's lucky to be alive!
Can you not put a slipper in it? I couldn't ride a twin without a slipper...
Ya know, I recently had a pretty bad crash, the outcome in terms of damage to me was nothing really, but it was the most terrifying crash. Motocross, so controlled track situation, I was racin' this guy on a much bigger bike and I wanted to hold my line. I was quicker in every part of the track BUT one and I wasn't going to let this guy past. So we hit this jump together, but on the take off, he steers his bike towards me thinking he'd be quick enough to get in front of me, instead he hits me mid-jump, 25 or so feet in the air and punts me off the bike.
All I remember is seeing a flash of the bike go across my face, the impact and being all sorts of knocked out. It was the first time I've had a bad concussion as I landed on my head, my helmet slammed back against my neck brace, cracking it and obviously saving my life. I crawled off the track and lie to rest on the ground. Everyone was around me thinking I was dead or something, but I eventually got up, laughed off the session with the guy who ran into me, as it was a good battle and I wish it had gone on.
So yea, I know what its like, had plenty of roadracing and motocross crashes plus the permanent scars to prove it! Glad your OK and continue to race. It sucks to get into a bad crash situation and try to dig deep in order to regain your confidence. Worst part is when you get back on the bike the week later and have another bad crash, that just happened to me recently and I tell ya, its been quite a "damaging" month so far! LOL
Can you not put a slipper in it? I couldn't ride a twin without a slipper...
I bought a used STM slipper but it's missing a part. The seller has stopped responding to e-mails, and I can't source STM parts from anywhere (US or Italy). Yes, I would love a slipper! I almost crashed last year because I had a brain fart into Turn 1 at Infineon and downshifted. The rear wheel locked up, fishtailed like crazy, I ran off track straight up the hill. Luckily I kept it upright and was no worse for the wear.
As a counterpoint, I took a 3 day STAR school and one of the things that Jason emphasized was smooth downshifting. He recommends learning the skill of downshifting smoothly instead of relying on a slipper. After that I try to have the mentality that I need to improve the smoothness of my clutch action (much like brake lever actuation) rather than blaming the bike for rear wheel misbehavior.
That sucks about your dirt bike crashes. I don't know that dirt biking really gets its due as a dangerous sport. People think you can/will kill yourself on a streetbike, but I think the general perception is that dirt bikes are safer. Once you start getting airborne, I'm not sure the risk level is much lower (if any) than riding/racing on pavement.
This is a very simple sport. You twist the throttle, you pull the brake lever, you push on the bars. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes you crash.
I bought a used STM slipper but it's missing a part. The seller has stopped responding to e-mails, and I can't source STM parts from anywhere (US or Italy). Yes, I would love a slipper! I almost crashed last year because I had a brain fart into Turn 1 at Infineon and downshifted. The rear wheel locked up, fishtailed like crazy, I ran off track straight up the hill. Luckily I kept it upright and was no worse for the wear.
Damn, that sucks. Have you talked with Motowheels about it, they might have some stuff hanging around the shop?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoCompromise
As a counterpoint, I took a 3 day STAR school and one of the things that Jason emphasized was smooth downshifting. He recommends learning the skill of downshifting smoothly instead of relying on a slipper. After that I try to have the mentality that I need to improve the smoothness of my clutch action (much like brake lever actuation) rather than blaming the bike for rear wheel misbehavior.
Yea, yea, but you will go MUCH slower being smooth on downshifting. I agree that on Japanese inline 4's, its doable, but on your Duc with 2x the amount of rotating mass, its just impossible to be that smooth and not loose time. I use to click down 3 gears and release the clutch as if there was no engine attached to the bike!!! Imagine having to click down 3 gears going smooth? It would take you so much more time and someone would just go right on the inside of you and be gone! WOOPS!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoCompromise
That sucks about your dirt bike crashes. I don't know that dirt biking really gets its due as a dangerous sport. People think you can/will kill yourself on a streetbike, but I think the general perception is that dirt bikes are safer. Once you start getting airborne, I'm not sure the risk level is much lower (if any) than riding/racing on pavement.
As one of my friends use to say; you can get killed on a sport bike in both racing and on the street, on a dirt bike you WILL get maimed! LOL
Trust me, I'd rather roadrace, but learning how to ride on the dirt AND most importantly, be somewhat good at doing it, is critical to becoming a better roadracer. The ultimate is supermoto and I'll be doing that next, before I get back into roadracing.
Ohh and jumps... yea, once you figure out how to do them, its really the main "fun" aspect of motocross. Where else can you fly through the sky in real life and not be injured every time? LOL
Glad your OK and continue to race. It sucks to get into a bad crash situation and try to dig deep in order to regain your confidence. Worst part is when you get back on the bike the week later and have another bad crash, that just happened to me recently and I tell ya, its been quite a "damaging" month so far! LOL 
Yes, I would love a slipper! I almost crashed last year because I had a brain fart into Turn 1 at Infineon and downshifted. The rear wheel locked up, fishtailed like crazy, I ran off track straight up the hill. Luckily I kept it upright and was no worse for the wear.
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