Friday, October 25, 2013
I arrive at the race track late Friday night after having attended an old friend’s wedding in Riverside on the way to the race track. I’ve missed the TrackDaz CVMA Friday track day and practice/seat time, but watching Lauren walk down the aisle and marry the man of her dreams was totally worth it.

I receive news that girl friend Jamie Nastal (#431) placed 3rd in her mock-race that afternoon at TrackDaz’s New Racer School, which I’m totally excited about that she stuck it to the boys that hard ;). It also makes me happy that her boyfriend Jason Pridmore (owner/head instructor of STAR School, AMA racer and FIM World Endurance champ) has taken time out of his busy schedule to come support her in her first race, as well as 2-time AMA Supersport champ James Rispoli (#43). I mean c’mon; how cool is it to have two AMA champs pit crewing for you??

Side note: In the two years I’ve been racing, I’ve only had one boyfriend come to support me and have my back. It only happened once (the other rounds he was being paid to crew for another racer, but still made sure to come watch my races and give me a hug after each), it meant the world and showed a lot about him. Seeing a smile on his face and having a hug ready, no matter how busy he might have been, to set some time out for me meant so much to me. So to see Jason out here for Jamie made me very happy for her.

Saturday, October 26, 2013
Pit-mate Simon Barrett (#165) and I head out for a morning practice and I’m feeling pretty comfortable on the bike and I confirm that I feel more confident in the counter-clockwise configuration we’re running this round. Simon confirms that when we come back into the pit and he exclaims that I was moving pretty good and fast for morning practice. We go through qualifying as well and I’m secretly a little stoked when we find that I’ve qualified in front of him for the first time in what has seemed like forever.

Race 6: Femmewalla
I’ve qualified 3rd in Femmewalla and take my spot on the grid behind Joanna Bitter (#9) and Jamie. Sister-from-another-mister AMA pro Melissa Paris (#13) has joined us on the grid this weekend as well. Gridded behind the Modern Vintage Lightweight race, we wait our turn. The green flag goes up and Kate Heffernen (#422) gets ahead of me and Jamie at the start. Jamie takes her position back a couple turns later, dropping under Kate in the bowl. Kate is all over Jamie til I take an opportunity and squeeze in between her and Jamie in turn 5, taking her up the inside.

I’m all over Jamie’s wheel as we make our way around the track. She’s got better drives but I’m faster into corners, coming right up on her rear wheel as we dip into turns on top of each other. I finally get to out-brake her on the third lap into turn 10. For 2 laps, I haul as much as I can, knowing Jamie’s going to be right behind me. She doesn’t so much as show me a wheel as I we catch Richard “Cowboy” Stampp (#41) from the Modern Vintage grid in the 5th lap. I’ve got my eyes set on him and use him as my carrot, hoping I can get in front of him and use him as a barrier between me and Jamie. I plow into the bowl along side him, but he pulls away, being on the inside. I catch him on the back straight and hope he can play some defense for me and put some space between me and Jamie. I motor past his SV650, coming down towards turn 10 and can hear him behind me as we come up and over Garcia Hill. We cross the finish line and I see a couple people on the pit wall cheering and waving their hats in the air, and I’m glad we were able to put on a good show.

I turn back and give Jamie and thumbs up as we go around for our cool down lap, and when we get back into the pits, Simon, Jason and James are waiting for us. Simon says I’ve hit a 2:02 lap time in that race and took second place after Melissa pulled off, which makes me happy considering how off-pace I was last round, but James says I actually hit a 2:01 at some point in the race. I’m stoked!!! I congratulate Jamie on her first race (she podiumed, taking 3rd, afterall!) and head back to the pits.

Race 9: Amateur SuperSport Middleweight
For the first time in a while, the Amateur Middleweight grids are huge at 27 racers. As a safety precaution, race direction decides to split the race into two waves (We all remember what happened my first season of middleweight racing when 30+ amateurs dove into turn 1 at the same time. #RedFlagCrashFest). Simon and I both make the cut for the first wave, so there won’t be too much catching up to do for a good battle.

The race starts and everyone seems to be waiting in line to take the inside line through turn 16. So I swing wide and take the outside, looking to get a good drive and swing around Simon, who got a pretty decent start. As I’m driving out and getting ready to get on the gas and stand the bike up, I see Dallas Brown (#180) lose the rear and tumble, bike and rider spinning and tumbling down the asphalt. Dallas is still tumbling when Rich Hua (#808) fixates on him and tries to go right, around him. He doesn’t swing wide enough though, and clips Dallas, crashing off of his own bike. I stand my bike up and get on the brakes; there are now two riders and bikes on the part of the track I planned to ride through. When I realize I’m about to go into the dirt, I let go of the brake and ride the rear brake until I can get back on the track. The corner worker already has the red flag out before I even get back on the asphalt. I look behind me before entering the bowl, knowing the second wave would have been released. Yup, the entire second wave is right behind me. So we all file in and await the call to return to the grid.

The race restarts after a break and cleanup (Dallas ends up getting transported to a helicopter to be sent to a hospital). I don’t know where Simon went on the start, but Jamie’s in front of me, behind Philip Blake (#232) and in front of Ryan Kessel (#135). The four of us chase Philip around, and after about three laps, Ryan is able to pass both Jamie and Philip and checks out. I’m all over Jamie’s wheel, who is all over Philip’s, but neither of us can find an opening anywhere to get through.

I make a couple attempts in the inside of various turns on the brakes since Philip takes such wide lines, but I’m not able to get through without the fear of getting t-boned. I’m still behind Jamie and Philip when we cross the white flag, indicating the last lap, and I know Simon can’t be far behind me. I start getting frustrated, and think for a minute “I’ll be damned if I’m stuck here all race!” I sack up and grab an opportunity to pass Jamie on the brakes going into 7. She’s so close to Philip I don’t need any work to catch him as I’m immediately on his wheel. I take a chance and bolt into the inside of Philip in turn 5 and make the pass stick, crossing the finish line ahead of our group. At some point before the checkers, Jamie’s also able to get past Philip, but Simon didn’t have enough time. I finish the race in 7th; the highest I’ve ever finished in Amateur SuperSport Middleweight, running 2:03 consistently through the race, which tells me I probably had more in me if I could have gotten around Philip earlier.

We cap the night off, celebrating track owners Micky and Aimee Grana’s daughter Emily’s 13th birthday with a costume party. People are dressed up as monsters, nuns, unicorns, cowboys and horses… There’s music, there’s dancing (lead by yours truly, thank you), and there’s cupcakes! The entire paddock comes together and sings “Happy Birthday” to a very embarrassed 13 year old Emily, who we find out is getting an AP Moto Arts SV built for her! I’m super excited for her and can’t wait to ride with her come Femmewalla’s all-girls track day in December!

Sunday, October 27, 2013
Race 5: Femmewalla
I take my place on the front row next to Joanna, as Jamie has left for the weekend, but Lea Cutshall (#24) has arrived for the weekend, gridded behind us since she missed qualifying yesterday. Melissa’s missing too, I’m not sure what happened to her.

The race starts and Joanna has a huge wheelie off the start and I capitalize on it throttling past her and following Kate into turn 16. Damn that Kate has great starts… Joanna comes around and passes me in the bowl, and I curse under my breath as I let off the throttle just slightly to avoid hitting her as she dips her bike across mine towards the curb, and she passes Kate before going up turn 12.

I come alongside Kate in turns 7 and 5 but can’t get around until I get a really good stinkin’ drive out of turn 1 and motor past her. Two laps later, I’m still all alone crossing the cross flags and grid-staff David Martin (#60) is showing me that I’ve got a huge gap. I should have known Lea was behind me in the 5th lap as I exit turn 16 and see Kate coming down the front straight; Lea would be closer than that. Either I start to relax or Lea finds some mojo in lap 5 because out of nowhere, she comes along side of me in turn 10. We’re both hard on brakes, playing a game of “chicken” and who’s going to stay on the brakes longer and who’s going to come out in front. She wins as I miss my shift to second gear and bog up turn 9 with no drive coming out of 8. I’m still on her on the brakes but I can’t get around her and finish the race in 3rd about 3 bike lengths behind her.

Race 8: Amateur SuperSport Middleweight
Today, race direction decides to have our race start in one wave instead of two like yesterday. Simon and I talk about needing to get a good start and start ahead of Philip so we don’t get a re-run of yesterday. I get a pretty good start but I’m spooked when a rider on a R6 floats my way. Two riders end up between me and Simon but I get past them by the 2nd lap. I spend half the race driving and catching on Simon. Ryan shows me a wheel at some point but I shut the door on him. He gets around me later anyway.
I try to get past Simon on the brakes into 10 but fail. I try it again in the 4th lap and make it stick. I can hear his Daytona right behind me and take tighter lines, especially in corners I’ve known him to make passes on. And I’m able to stay ahead of him as I see Philip in the distance and start gaining on him. I finish the race in 6th, and look back at Simon, who is shaking his fist at me and indicating he was “this” close to beating me. We’ll have to see once he sends me the video footage he had of the race ;).

In all, it was a great weekend and I had a LOT more fun than I had last round. Thank you to Anton Sohn, Jorge Covarrubias and Rudy Chavez for the hospitality. Thank you Jamie Nastal and Simon Barrett for the awesome competition and being great sports(wo)men. Thank you Nathan for the delicious sammiches! Thank you Aimee and Micky (as always) for the awesome race club. Thank you Robert at CaliPhotography for the awesome shots. Thank you Ryan for bringing my bike out to the track for me and storing it until the next round. Thank you Marissa for coming to Laura’s wedding with me and being my wing-woman during the dance portion of Emily’s party!! Thank you Duncan for the chapstick, knowing my lips are always chapped for a few days after race weekend, even though it was the wrong flavor chapstick (lol)… Thank you Todd for lending me your warmers and gas can again, don’t know what I’d do without cha! And thank you Krystyna for texting me in the morning and wishing me luck!