Callaway on Nashville…
- From: TRS Media | Published: May 2nd, 2008 - 5:37 am
…as I came off the tri-oval banking with a huge slam, clearly bottoming out my suspension at 160 I started to wonder exactly what I had got myself in to…
This past weekend we went down to Nashville, TN for the first round of the wera nc regional sprint races. Isn’t nashbilly in the south, you may ask yourself? Why, yes it is. 9 hours south of Detroit to be a bit more precise. So how does a race in nashtucky fit in to the north central schedule? This week-end was combined with the south east and mid central regions. Why? Again, nashcountry is clearly not in the north. It’s kind of central…I guess? 80% of the grids were made up of north central riders, so where was the south east and mid central support? After all, we were south of the mason-dixon…right? I mean, I clearly recall seeing mesh hats with confederate flags on them for sale at the local gas stations…
I have never been to the Nashville Superspeedway. Most every single NC rider that I spoke with had the same silly grin when asked why it was that we ran down here in the land of nash. “Don’t ask…” was a common reply. “I’m wondering the same exact thing right now” was another good one, spoken as yet another rider went down. This time in turn one at about, oh, 140. He cracked his swingarm in three places, sub frame looked like a fat girl was playing trampoline on it, and I’m pretty sure his wheels and triples were toast as well. “I got labeled a whiner when I asked this question last year” another well known rider told me. O.k., so I get it. The general consensus is, yeah it sucks that this race falls in our region, so just shut up and race.
Back to the team…My dad and I drove through the night on Friday and arrived at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. Oh yeah, it was raining. After getting set up in one of the garage spaces, we made our way to tech. Everything went well and we put the warmers on. The rain didn’t let up, it became stronger. I skipped the first round of practice hoping the rain would stop. It clearly had no intentions of slowing down, so I went out on d.o.t.’s and tip toed around the track to get familiar with the layout. “Late on, and early off” is what you always hear about this track with regards to the banking. Well, when you’re entering the banking at about 120 with your knee on the ground, it’s easier said than done. Actually, entering the banking is harder on the bike than exiting most times. I’ve talked with a few riders who have cracked their frames in years past by entering incorrectly. However, there is a smooth line on and off the banking, and once that line was found the track was much more fun.
The sun came out at lunch time and we mounted a new set of Michelins. It looked as if we would get some dry laps after all. I had entered the Middleweight Solo 20, which was race #3. Words can’t describe how anxious I was to get my first race on the new bike under my belt. I didn’t get the best holeshot of my life, but it wasn’t the worst either. Turn two was jam packed and I made it through safely. Being that I was still learning the track, I wasn’t trying to push myself too hard just yet. I followed a few guys, watched their lines, then passed them one at a time. After passing a few, as well as getting passed by a few, I started to feel a bit more comfortable. After four or five laps, there was nobody in sight. I had a clear track in front of me as well as nobody in sight behind me. I started to think that maybe I should pit in and wait for a group of riders to come by to latch on to. I decided against it, and continued on. My times were fairly consistent and I learned where I needed to go faster. All in all, Saturday went well and we knew what we needed to work on for Sunday. Time for much needed rest.
The weather was beautiful on Sunday morning. Chirping birds woke me up and I couldn’t have been any happier knowing the rain was gone…or was it? Morning practices were great. I got with a group of 5 riders and went back and forth all session. I turned a low 1:06, which was far better than my best time in Saturday’s Solo 20. I continued that pace in the second practice session and came off the track very happy, knowing that there were still a few areas where I could improve.
My first race was C-Superstock. The sun stayed out and the track was perfect. I finished in 12th place, which I was not very happy with. I ended up getting stuck behind a pack of 4 slower riders and could not get by them. Considering this was my first point’s race, I played it safe and didn’t push the issue. And then came the rain…
My next two races were in the pouring rain. I finished in 5th place in B-Superstock and C-Superbike. The new Michelin rains were excellent. I was getting so much traction that the bike was pulling the front tire up between turns 2 and 3! Everything was smooth and I was very happy with the results.
The last race of the day was B-Superbike, and the rain was coming to a halt. We decided to stay with the rains, and thing got a bit greasy. I was spinning the rear all over the place and decided to play it safe and maintain the position I had gained. 6th place was the final result. While I knew I could’ve pushed harder, I was still happy with the result and the points gained.
All in all, we were pleased with our first WERA race of the year. My dad was a huge help and I could not have got through the week end without him. It was also nice to work with Dave from Michelin. He went out of his way to help me out and we won’t forget that. Although James couldn’t make the trip, he was there in spirit and was able to help me out via telecommunications on several occasions.
Next on the agenda is Nelson Ledges this coming week end. The whole team will be out, and we’re looking forward to a long, successful week end.
Kevin Callaway
Team-trs.com
WERA #9
