| Author | Message | ||
     Rodrob |
Well I finally got a chance to race my 1190RS. With the demise of WSMC at Willow Springs and my focus on AMA with Shawn Higbee, I haven't raced since September and have only been on the track with the bike once before. WERA held a race weekend on the big track at Willow Springs last weekend, so I entered the 20 lap Solo Endurance Race, HWT Super Stock, HWT Super Bike and Senior Heavyweight (40 & over, youngsters from my 59 year old point of view.) I was sure that I would not be able to finish the 20 lap race in the 100 deg heat of Willow Springs so i was just in it for practice. I was on Shawn's used Dunlops from Infineon and we all agreed that they would not go the full 20. I got a lousy start, being my first race start on the EBR 1190RS, but I was able to make up some ground. Then I saw the crossed flags at lap ten, I thought, 'hey I might actually finish!" I pulled into the hot pit where Steve Slaughter was waiting with some water, got a couple of gulps, made a quick rebound adjustment and went back out. Amazingly, the Dunlops were holding up and I was able to catch the guys who had passed me when I pulled off. I ended up finishing 6th. I was utterly spent and the guys virtually peeled me off the bike. But it felt great to have actually made it. The next day I was quite sore and worried that I left everything I had on the bike the day before. We mounted a new set of Dunlops and I was able to loosen up a bit after a few practice laps. The first race was Heavy Weight Twins Super Stock. I knew most of the guys I was up against and figured I had a shot at a top 5 finish, if I could hold out. To my surprise I got a good start and entered turn 1 in third. As we entered turn 2 the guy in second was losing ground on the leader and by the time I got around him going into 5, the leader was pulling away out of 6. On the second lap my friend Jim Chaconas on his Ducati 848 out broke me into 3 and I dropped to third, but I hung with him until 9. I wanted to find out if I could beat him to the flag if I had to. I drove hard out of 9 and the 1190 gobbled up the 848 down the straight; 169 according to the speedo. We started running into traffic from the first wave start and Jim, really the better rider, did an excellent job of wedging the back markers between me and him. We diced back and forth until the last lap where he expertly used traffic to open up a fair gap. Finally getting clear out of 5, I knew it was caution to the wind if I was to catch him. I heard Shawn's voice in my head, "Trust the bike. Relax, let it do the work." so I put my head on the tank and twisted the throttle. I was closing the gap down the back straight, wide open in 6th, when we entered 8, "The widow maker". I rolled off slightly as I made the entry and the gap stopped closing. I rolled back on, but started to push wide ever so slightly. I forced myself off the bike a little more, getting the slide under control and once again closing the gap. Heading into 9 Jim had about a 6 bike lead. He knew I was coming and was pushing hard. Entering 9, he took the inside and I rode the high side banking. He hit the apex with about a 3 bike lead. I hit the apex already on the gas, let the bike drift outside of him where I stood it up and pegged the throttle. I went by him about 50 yards before the finish; my first 2nd place in expert. The 1190RS is sooooo much fun to ride. So user friendly. So fast and smooth. My fastest lap was 127.4; three seconds faster than before on my 1125R. The 1st place finisher was on the new Ducati Piangale. That bike is fast no doubt. But given more track time and traffic experience, I think I could get him. We'll see I hope. The next two races were not so good. Screwed up starts and bad traffic kept me off the podium. But I was happy with my riding and lap times nevertheless. Overall it was a great weekend and it was great to get a taste of the amazing potential of the EBR 1190RS. Several times I thought I heard the bike say "c'mon man!! Is that all you got?!!" I hope I won't let it down. (Message edited by Rodrob on June 18, 2012) | ||
| Imonabuss |
Very, very cool! Nice to hear you relaxing and having fun riding the bike after all that hard pit work early this year! | ||
| Alaskacr |
Awesome - thanks for the great read! | ||
| Nuts4mc |
Rob great to hear you're havin some fun!....and it appears; NO mechanical issues...it's always more fun to ride 'em than wrench on 'em! | ||
| Guy_glover |
Hey Rob,Good job for not havin much saddle time. Keep at it and let us know. Wish you were closer to Florida I would have come to help. Haven't seen anything on here so I guess you won't be at Barber? | ||
| Rodrob |
Looks like we are done for AMA this season. Just too many hurdles to overcome. Time to take another path. | ||
| Kenm123t |
Good Job Rob ! keep us posted | ||
| Blake |
Great race report Rob. I'm diggin' it. Beat that Panigale!  | ||
| Dannybuell |
YES!! | ||
| Bigblock |
Awesome! Love hearing the good news! Keep up the good work! Ray | ||
| Jdugger |
I want to find a way to get out to CA and race with you guys sometime. I'm just a novice in CMRA, but based on how I do there and how I see our guys do nationally, I think I bring a fight. The idea of a Solo 20 is really appealing to me. I almost only endurance race now and I'm used to 50m-1hr runs. | ||
| Torquehd |
Great! thanks for sharing! i'm envious  | ||
| Sparky |
Great story! Glad to hear the bike is letting you have the fun you deserve... and it wants more. | ||
| 46champ |
I'm glad you are enjoying your bike Rob. I was hoping you would race AMA one more time this year at Laguna Seca. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
that's awesome man! | ||
| Terrys1980 |
Nice! | ||
| Smoke |
great work Rob! glad you have some smiles! seat time will get you everything. tim | ||
| Green1 |
I laughed at "trust the bike"thats the thing i have the biggest problem with.Great to see your back on the bike and having some fun | ||
| Father_of_an_era |
Excellent Rob! Enjoy her and I hope to see more of your racing posts soon. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Glad you're getting out on it Rob. Enjoy, I know I am, vicariously. I've only been on a track once and it had me giggling like a schoolgirl for half an hour. Do more, I'm going to try and pry myself from work and get some riding in soon... Probably on the Uly tho. Getting more requests to work on 1125s so I'm going to tear into Loretta hard. She'll be in pieces for a while. Maybe I'll play with the heads, I saw a dyno of a bike in Houston I ported that gained 10-12 HP JUST from the headwork, about 30 gained overall. I'm digging my new job... Z | ||
| D_adams |
Pics or it didn't happen Zac. | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
D_adams, He is a mechanic at NRHS, they pull serious power out of a sporty motor. Imagine what they could do with a real motor like the 1125. | ||
| Zac4mac |
The 1125 is already pretty well made. When you can open the throttle and see all 4 intake valves... I would also expect the ports to match better than a Harley motor. It's fun to play tho. Z Sorry for the highjack Rob. Any news lately? (Message edited by zac4mac on June 24, 2012) | ||
| Dannybuell |
My 96S1 (Lightning heads) has wanted the Nallin Racing Head Service 1250 kit for years. |
