The Race Circuit is an unending collection of high speed, elbow rubbing, and knee-dragging memories that follows Go Fast Dont Crash rider Dean Dufrene from apex to apex.
Hey race fans, just wanted to update you on what’s going on with the number 171 machine. We leave for round four of the WERA Nationals Thursday at Summit Point, followed by round 5 at VIR the very next weekend. The race report will follow shortly after we get back the week of August 7-13. We are leading the points in C Superstock and one point back in C Superbike. These two rounds will be the ultimate test as the pressure mounts. It will be the first time I go into a race leading the points, and I have to admit, it’s an awesome feeling and I don’t want to ever let it go. I feel really confident in being able to ride at the front with the other very fast and talented Novice riders. Tim Hunt @ Apex Race Services has helped me with my race craft as well as the confidence to win each time we grid up, and that’s the plans from here out. Good Luck to all the other racers, family, friends, and supporters. If you don’t have anything to do please come out and support us and help the sport grow! I also wanted to thank all of my sponsors one more time for helping me make these two rounds:
Ok, don't flame me too bad for borrowing that from the AMA. The GoFast-DontCrash team is ready and can't wait to get back to racing. We tested at Tally earlier this year when it was cold, wet, and snowing so a chance to ride this fun little track in the dry is making me anxious. Schedule is posted here.
This fun little course is known as a place where riders, teams and manufacturers do lots of testing so I woulnd't be surprised to see some of the faster guys in the country show up. That makes for good racing as Tim Hunt, Luie Z., and Jake Lewis aim to continue their awesome results from Roebling on their KWS Motorsports sponsored bikes.
My weekend didn't quite go as planned and was as much about divinity as it was racing. First there was a death in the family that caused a late start to my 16 plus hour drive. We planned on missing the first practice session, but found some oil on the front tire that caused us to miss the second practice. I was focused and knew that adversity is part of it, so I shook it off and tried to get some laps in. Then I noticed fork oil on my caliper and after cleaning it off and running one more session, I took the forks off and spoke to Lenny at Race Tech. Lenny agreed to change the dust seal and put some cross hatches on the forks to help secure a full seal. Lenny got my forks back in record time, but practice was over. We talked about some things with the bike and he wanted me to try a different spring on the rear as well.
With lack of sleep from the long travel, I opted to get to the track in the morning take the shock off have him install the new spring and then get some practice in to see if I liked it. Like I said, this was a weekend that the higher powers to be would be in full control of. All I could do was go along for the ride and see what was in this blessing for me. So off comes the shock, and then another round of bad news. The rear shock needed to be re-valved. Lenny didn't have any Penske parts, but he worked some paddock magic and we came away with something utterly amazing. I was at TWS last October when Lenny came down to work with John Keene and seen how fast he made John go that weekend, so I was totally pumped to have the opportunity to work with him. Sunday come not come quick enough and Saturday I would not see the track from the seat of a bike, but everyone cheered me up anyway repeating something I said last year at the GNF. "Superstars don't need practice."
In the midst of all this, a late entry to the endurance line up was the Run 1/Mousebox Racing Yamaha R6 that would be ridden by AMA Supersport Daytona winner Miles Thorton and Tim Hunt. So it looked like I would be doing some pit stop duties. Tim rode the wheels off that thing with 3 laps of practice. He took the green flag and immediately battled for first place while dropping some 1:13xx's until a loose clip-on caused him to back it off and ride more cautiously. The team finished 1st in class and second overall. It was my first exeperience in the pits with a team of this caliper and I was blessed to have the chance to help them. Thanks for the invite!
Sunday brought cloudy skies, a chilly wind and the threat of rain. Everyone kept telling me I could do it, and I was trying to remain optimisitic and just do what I could do. Lenny found me early Sunday and we set the bike up for stability. He came to me and told me what he wanted me to do the first four laps and then waited for me on pit wall. I came in and told him the bike felt really stabile, but it needed to turn quicker. He got down underneath the bike and lifted the rear ride height. Practice session was over so we came back in. He immediately found me again, explaining what he did and why and how the bike would feel different next time out. I again put in a few laps to feel the different in handling and then tried to lay some laps down. We started on Friday doing 27's. In the first practice we did some 25's with the change to the rear we dropped to 23's. Lenny said he would get me into the teens which was my goal the whole time. Third practice came and the confidence and stability of the bike brought me a 19.5xx. Lenny came to me and said now change the tire pressures. So, again, I made a bold move swapped tires and pressures and it was time to go racing. I immediately notice the front absorbed some of the bumps better and felt extremely stable. With all the things that surrounded me on this race weekend I lost focus and forgot to lower my shield. As the 1 board went sidewayz I took my hand off the throttle and slammed it shut, but going back to throttle and whacking it open only caused me to wheelie down the front straightaway. I think I made it to turn 1 in 6th or 7th. Disappointing because I knew I couldn't pass easy on this track with as little practice time I had, and if I didn't get out front and follow, it would be the kind of race it was. I was faster than the guys in front of me but I struggled to get around them. I finished 5th and was able to get into the 18xx's. This would be my best starting position of the day and I botched it.
Race 2-B Superstock
I once again had some confidence in the bike and myself after dropping some time and felt like I had a chance here. I was on the third row and hoped to get a good start this time. I came out of turn 1 in third and felt like I had the speed to finally get on the podium, if not the race win. I rode hard and I rode fast, maybe too fast. After getting out motored on the straighaways, I began working on getting in deeper in turn one. I figured that was my only chance. I got into second and was having trouble getting around the guy in front of me who was a slower, more erractic rider with a super fast bike. Lap 3 brought 4 or 5 bikes by me coming down the long front straightaway. I remember Tim telling me that turn 1 is so wide and grips all the way to the edge, so I went deep, grabbed three gears at the 4,3,2 boards , light brake pressure and got out of there in second again. This time the leader checked out. he was noticably quicker in certain sections and plus had Abe Stacey's old bike which is super fast. It was only when the erractic rider came back around me that I knew I needed to find some time in turn 9 leading us onto the front straightaway. So, I started pushing harder and it seems I just lost the front some how and ended up dirt tracking the bike as I headed for some trees. The Texas Tornado Boot Camp skills I learned on March 6th came into play here. I controlled the bikes speed with the front and rear brakes and got it slowed down enough to not have to lay it down or jump off and watch it get demolished in the trees. I even had time to attempt to get it sliding sidewayz and back in the direction of the track. Only problem was I on DOT's not knobby's. LOL I hit a patch of softer earth and we hit the ground. I was able to get it back up make another lap get re-teched and salvage points in the race. Finished 13th.
Race 3 C superstock
Well, this is the meat grinder class and I had a wave two start. After getting the bike cleaned off and ready to race again, I didn't have any confidence woes. I got a decent start and was able to catch up to the first wave. The only problem is that my right clip on came loose and started moving as I put input into the bars. Divinity!!! Again, this weekend was just different. It really wasn't in my control, none of them are, but this time I realized that. Again, I relied on my training from the boot camp, and the fact that the endurance team had the same problem on Saturday. I focused on what I could do to still be in control of the bike and didn't panic. My times were still in the 19's and I used this race as a drill to help me in the future. Mid corner I would release pressure on the bars and try to feel what it was tellling me. Something I learned from the one hand drills at the bootcamp. Finished 12th
Turn 5 Roebling Road Raceway
Stalking my next victim!
All in all it was a sucessful weekend and we learned what it takes to ride up front during a national, how to overcome adversity during a race weekend (no matter what part LOL) and most of all, how if he brings you to it, he can bring you through it. The bike is working great but we are down on power and the budget we have doesn't allow for any upgrades so we will have to hope that my talent alone can continue to evolve and keep up with the front pack. This year racing the WERA Nationals and being in the paddock with the likes of Jake Lewis, Tim Hunt, and KWS Motorsports really is a big deal. Learning a new track everytime I race while trying to be competitive is exciting but can be difficult. I have learned that before, but didn't have the pressure of doing well. This year I want to win races, and I am pretty confident that I will, but that only makes it tougher. Please enjoy the video. The last lap is my fastest lap of 1:17.9 and I felt we were getting faster. As you can see, I am still new to this.
This weekend would not have been possible without the following:
Lenny Albin-Race Tech Lenny worked magic on my GSXR. If he did wonders to the stuff thats on there I can't wait until we can switch to Race Tech fully.
Tim Hunt-Tim had a really busy weekend, but he has done so much for me the past couple months none of this would even be imaginable without his support
Colin Edwards and the whole Texas Tornado Bootcamp staff-Thanks for allowing me out to your place to eat, drink and ride motorcycles. I look forward to doing it again and learning more. I learned some skills that I was able to practice this past weekend. I had a rough one, but without the skills I learned it would not have been a successful weekend for me.
Joe Prussiano & Linz Leard-two gentleman who have always answered my questions and helped me rather it was track related or not! See you two soon!
Track Junkie Racing-Larry Ray-Larry thanks for all the parts at great prices and all the conversations we had. You believed in me when no one else would!
Jonathan Boswell-Mousebox Racing-Thanks for the lines and helping get the bike back together after I went dirt tracking! I hope to see you every round!
The whole crew who was out there! Matt, Jamie, Leigh, Ben, Eric, Jake, Luie, Mike, Jay! Thanks and let's do it again at Talladega!
This weekend we head to Roebling Road Raceway where Tim owns the track record. I was working on the new website-adding sponsors' links to the Sponsors page when I ran across this article where EBC is chronicling Tim's huge success on two wheels. While Tim Hunt is widely known in the WERA and AMA paddock, not many people in my region or area have heard the name. I find this amazing becuase Tim has been so successful the last few years- winning a ton of races and a shocking number of championships in numerous different classes. What is even more amazing is that he has only been racing motorcycles since 2005 and winning championships since 2006.
His latest and probably most noteworthy championship is the last one he received at the GNF last year. It was Tim's first multi-race National Championship and one he never thought would be possible when he first started racing in 2005. Here is a nice article that appeared in motorcycle-usa.com last September.
On top of being a top notch racer, Tim is one of the most humble people I know. He is always willing to lend a helping hand. In December of last year, Tim made the journey from Tennessee to Houston Texas to work with a few racers at MSR-H when a local trackday guy was having trouble with his clutch. The rider asked me if I knew how to adjust the slipper clutch, which I did because Allan Campbell helped me adjust mine earlier in the year. When Tim heard the person ask, he without hesitation, grabbed some tools and commenced to show the rider how to properly adjust the clutch.
Race fans should be on the lookout for Round One of the WERA National Series as Tim 'aims' to break his own track record. In tests, Tim has been pretty close, so I look for him to break it come race day. I will be there first hand to report and congratualte Tim if he does succeed in this goal. Oh yeah and I will be there trying to accomplish my goal of winning my first race! So stay tuned for more from Roebling Road and the GoFast-DontCrash Race Team!
Every time I go to the track I am amazed at the youth and how fast they are. I was listening to a favorite radio station of mine and they were releasing the next moto champion for 2011 and giving away custom pilot leathers/boots and a 4 day pass to Collin Edwards' bootcamp.
I was surprised to hear Austin Gore (CMRA #69) was runner-up for the second year in a row for 150cc 4 stroke/85cc 2 stroke class. When it came down ot it, the reason Aaron didn't win it was because his competition also raced another organization against another talented rider that the company had been watching.
All of this talk made me think of a good friend and a very young and talented rider-Jose Silva. Jose is 17 and very fast. He was bumped to expert after his first year of racing but decided to protest and stay novice. While I respect his decision, I know Jose has aspirations to be much more than a club racer, and hope he choses not to stay novice for very long. He has the talent to move up to expert and get the much needed attention and face time so he can start to gain the sponsors needed to help him acheive his dreams of being 'thenextrossi'
He started his 2011 season by going to Las Vegas and racing with WERA West. Jose walked away with three victories-Mediumweight Solo, C Superstock and B Superstock. He intends to continue his success the weekend of February18-20 at The Mercedes Benz Course of Sugarland, better known as MSR-H in Angleton, Texas for the CMRA 2011 Season opener.
So here's to Jose and his awesome start to a young racing career where the sky is the limit! Go get em Jose!
The Southeast and Mid-Central regions started their season this past weekend. Weather was less than favorable with rain, sleet, and snow falling on Friday and Saturday causing the cancellation of the Friday trackday. Saturday's horrendous weather didn't stop WERA from putting on a show though. I have to commend WERA officials and all the corner workers for enduring the conditions so that we could play. By the time the Solo 20 events rolled around, the rain and snow had already passed, leaving a wet and cold track.
Dean Dufrene managed to get a few laps around Talladega before he gridded up. Dean appeared to have the holeshot but settled down into 4th place before the end of the first lap, which is where he would finish the race. "We felt if we could finish in the top 5 during the solo that we would have accomplished a great feat. With around 6 wet, and snowy laps to learn the track, we really couldn't ask for more. Tim Hunt, Aaron Ralph and Matt Ting-Ting were instrumental in me doing as well as I did. Tim worked so hard in the offseason to prep my bike and make sure I had a bike that could win. After this past weekend, I am confident I have that tool."
As Sunday's dawn approached, the team's hopes of decent weather were stymied by 25 degree temps and ice covered grounds. The team opted to skip the first morning's warm up and let the sun melt the ice away before getting on track. Race 3 was Dean's first race.
C Superbike Race 3
Dean was gridded on the fourth row. He got a decent start and was battling for third as the bikes entered the 90's for the first time. On the second lap there was a crash involving two riders one bike behind Dean. The race was red flagged due to the injured rider. The re-start seen Dean again get a good start and into third place entering turn 1. #171 stayed in third for a few laps. The lack of practice time caused Dean to make some mistakes which cost him 3 positions. The promising sign was Dean recorded his fastest laps in Laps 9 and 10 of 10. He finished 6th in this race.
C Superstock Race 14
From the fourth row Dean again settled behind the two leaders and was able to follow for two laps. The story of this race was Dean's weakest corner being the fastest corner on the track. Dean wouldn't give his position up without a fight. The battle for 5th was all Dean could manage and he almost pulled it off. On the last lap, Dean was attempting to pass in Farmer's corner, but outbroke himself and couldnt stop the bike and ran off. He still finished 6th and was able to keep his times respectable and more consistent.
This race weekend was a warmup for the WERA National in April. The team was able to gain some data and accumulate a few laps at Talladega. "I love racing WERA and hanging out with the team. Plus they are smoking fast so we can definately learn alot by being around them."
Tim Hunt continued his amazing streak and won 3 of 3 races. None of them were close as Tim and his KWS Motorsports GSXR 1000 was in command of each race from the very beginning. In two of those races teamate and friend Ben Kirby finished second. "Tim's bike was a rocket ship out there today. And what was even more impressive is he did it with one practice session all weekend."
Dean would like to thank the following people who are instrumental in the successful weekend:
Tim Hunt/Apex Roadracing
Larry Ray/Track Junkie Racing
Dunlop Tires
EBC Brakes
Vortex Racing
Team Privateer/LP Racing
