Mike
07-01-2008, 09:19 AM
Subject: Bedford, Pennsylvania 1/2 mile Twins National 6-27-08
Bedford, PA was a brand new track for us, as we had never had a race here before. It had red clay and looked like some really odd shaped corners, with a threat of some rain, well maybe lots of rain today. But DeeDee, Garrett, Kody and myself were all here two years ago for a local county fair that we stumbled upon on our way to the Hagerstown 1/2 mile that year. So I already had one up on the boys I was figuring, as I had been here before and they hadn't. Even though it was for a fair, hahaha.
After last weekend in Tennessee, I knew Rob and Larry had a great bike for me for tonight, as we were planning on running the same bike as we did at last weekends red clay 1/2 mile, but this time we were gonna get that win we deserved last weekend.
Mother nature decided to give us a major watering of the track not long after we all lined up in the trucks to get into the pit area, which was inside the track. This rain would stop after about half an hour, which would also delay our program by a few hours, but better weather was in the forecast now, and we just had to get the track dried out now and get it ready to race on. After a two hour or so delay, the track crew had it ready to play on.
During practice I was feeling really good, and everything was going smooth. A little change of gearing here and a little suspension tweaking there, and we'd be ready for battle. The track was very tacky in places, and then dry in places too, but all in all it was pretty consistent, and very raceable. We made it through all of qualifying with no hiccups or bike problems this time, so that was nice for a change, and this would let me take a little breather and focus on what I came here to do. I ended up I think 6th in final practice/qualifying, so this meant it would be heat race time now.
In my heat race, I would have Jared Mees and others. I knew Jared was going pretty good so far tonight, but I also knew I was feeling great too. At the flash of the green I was off and the holeshot was mine. Jared tried to poke it under me in turn one, but I wasn't gonna let that happen. I kept the hammer down and came out of turn two with the lead. I put in a few great laps, charging hard every section of the track. I was kind of having a hard time in the middle of turns three and four, right where there was a bump that was caused from all of us crossing the track with the race trucks to get into the pit area. Everyone had to deal with this bump though, but I just knew there was a better way to get through it faster. I'll work on that every lap I told myself. I kept putting in some great laps, and after ten laps, I came home with the heat race win, and looked back to see I had put a huge gap on Mess in second.
I felt like I might of had a pretty fast heat race time overall, but after all was said and done, mine was fourth fast which kind of surprised me, but I was still ready and knew the start of the final was where I was going to work next.
For the final, we had not made any changes to the bike, just myself. I got myself ready and knew what I had to do. On the front row with me was Smith, Coolbeth, Johnson, Carr and Sam Halbert. I picked out a good starting spot, as all the spots looked good, so I knew I just had to really work on getting a great start and get to the front fast. Like real fast, as it still bugged me about not getting out of turn two first last weekend in Tennessee, as I know I could have won that race if that had happened. The flash of the light goes, and Johnson had the holeshot going into turn one, but I was right on his outer hip and tried rolling around the outside of him coming out of turn two, which worked perfect. I had the lead coming out of two and heading down the back stretch, then just as I entered turn three, I hit that dang bump again, and the front end of my bike tucked under me, and I just about went down. Woooo, good save! But that bump was the whole width of the track, so you were gonna hit no matter where you went, it was just who could deal with it the best I guess. Then right away, red lights came on as Jake Johnson had entered turn three in second right behind me, and I guess he didn't have a good save like I did over that bump, as he went down, but was up and ok on our cool down lap. Ok, another total restart. I launched out of the hole great this time as Halbert and I had a drag race to turn one, but my motor was built by Rob and Larry with some brand new designed WISECO pistons (Thanks to Dave Fussner at Wiseco for them) in there and that solved that drag race problem. The lead was mine going into turn one, and I got int there hot, and grabbed a handful and got it turned and launched out turn two. This bike was flat fast and I was ready to ride the wheels off it right now. Catch me if ya can boys, cuz I'm goin' thataway! This was the holeshot I deserved last weekend, and I was determined to make good use of it. After a few laps, I could tell that things were going my way, as the bike was just working great, but I was still not totally happy with how I was getting through that dang bum in turn three. More speed is what I knew I needed there, but that's a hard thing to make yourself do, when you are almost loosing it is every lap there. But I was finally able to talk myself into getting in there faster, which did help going through that bump, but I was not able to do it every lap. I was just railing this bike through turns one and two though, I mean I tell you, my bike was flat working down there on that end of the track, but I knew that I could here someone right behind me while I was going through turn one each lap, as I guess the wall there just carried the sounds more? But I was so fast right there I felt, that I could figure out how someone could hang with me there. I mean I could get in there to turn one real hot, then just grab a huge handful and go crazy fast through the middle of the turn, which gave me some fast exits speeds. Thats what dirttrack racing is all about, corner speed, I like to think I'm the king of corner speed. I kind of consider myself a momentum freak, as years of racing in off road races in the woods and mud and slime has taught me that. I knew not to look back as they were there, as I could hear them, right on my butt. Wow, they must be hauling the mail, because my bike is flat working and they are somehow hangin' with me? I put in lap after lap, and just kept getting faster at both ends of the track it felt like. Now we had the five to go board out, and I was not about to give in now as I put in my best lap of the race on lap 20, as I found out later. Charge, charge, as I'm pushing it so hard.I was not on the dangerous edge, but just feeling one with the bike everywhere. I knew when it was close to pushing my front end, and I could adjust at that instant. White flag out, one to go. I still hear that dang bike, right there, but I hammered turn one and two killer, and knew I had a great shot at the win now, just nothing stupid in this turn three now. I rolled through the bump spot real good, grabbed a handful and pointed here to the finish line, and knew that with all this power, and my bike pointed straight at the line, there was not any bike here that could pass me now. The win was ours, and just as I crossed the line, I took a peak over my shoulder to see who was hounding me, but no one was to my inside, so I looked over my other shoulder, and dang Coolbeth was way back there in 2nd, about 3 1/2 seconds back. I guess that turn one corner was echoing motor noises or something, because I sure thought I could hear someone right there the whole race. But I guess that just pushed me that much harder every lap for 25 laps. That win felt great and made me feel like I got some redemption from last weekends race. Coolbeth was second, with Bryan Smith third. This moved me up to second in the points, now only 14 behind Coolbeth and one in front of Smith.
That was a great night after a lengthy rain delay, but the track crew gave us a great track to race tonight. Now we had a seven hour drive overnight to get to Lima, Ohio for tomorrow's national 1/2 mile there on a cushion style track. Could I do two national wins in a row, on the same weekend? I think I can.
Until tomorrow, G'day! Later. Joe
Bedford, PA was a brand new track for us, as we had never had a race here before. It had red clay and looked like some really odd shaped corners, with a threat of some rain, well maybe lots of rain today. But DeeDee, Garrett, Kody and myself were all here two years ago for a local county fair that we stumbled upon on our way to the Hagerstown 1/2 mile that year. So I already had one up on the boys I was figuring, as I had been here before and they hadn't. Even though it was for a fair, hahaha.
After last weekend in Tennessee, I knew Rob and Larry had a great bike for me for tonight, as we were planning on running the same bike as we did at last weekends red clay 1/2 mile, but this time we were gonna get that win we deserved last weekend.
Mother nature decided to give us a major watering of the track not long after we all lined up in the trucks to get into the pit area, which was inside the track. This rain would stop after about half an hour, which would also delay our program by a few hours, but better weather was in the forecast now, and we just had to get the track dried out now and get it ready to race on. After a two hour or so delay, the track crew had it ready to play on.
During practice I was feeling really good, and everything was going smooth. A little change of gearing here and a little suspension tweaking there, and we'd be ready for battle. The track was very tacky in places, and then dry in places too, but all in all it was pretty consistent, and very raceable. We made it through all of qualifying with no hiccups or bike problems this time, so that was nice for a change, and this would let me take a little breather and focus on what I came here to do. I ended up I think 6th in final practice/qualifying, so this meant it would be heat race time now.
In my heat race, I would have Jared Mees and others. I knew Jared was going pretty good so far tonight, but I also knew I was feeling great too. At the flash of the green I was off and the holeshot was mine. Jared tried to poke it under me in turn one, but I wasn't gonna let that happen. I kept the hammer down and came out of turn two with the lead. I put in a few great laps, charging hard every section of the track. I was kind of having a hard time in the middle of turns three and four, right where there was a bump that was caused from all of us crossing the track with the race trucks to get into the pit area. Everyone had to deal with this bump though, but I just knew there was a better way to get through it faster. I'll work on that every lap I told myself. I kept putting in some great laps, and after ten laps, I came home with the heat race win, and looked back to see I had put a huge gap on Mess in second.
I felt like I might of had a pretty fast heat race time overall, but after all was said and done, mine was fourth fast which kind of surprised me, but I was still ready and knew the start of the final was where I was going to work next.
For the final, we had not made any changes to the bike, just myself. I got myself ready and knew what I had to do. On the front row with me was Smith, Coolbeth, Johnson, Carr and Sam Halbert. I picked out a good starting spot, as all the spots looked good, so I knew I just had to really work on getting a great start and get to the front fast. Like real fast, as it still bugged me about not getting out of turn two first last weekend in Tennessee, as I know I could have won that race if that had happened. The flash of the light goes, and Johnson had the holeshot going into turn one, but I was right on his outer hip and tried rolling around the outside of him coming out of turn two, which worked perfect. I had the lead coming out of two and heading down the back stretch, then just as I entered turn three, I hit that dang bump again, and the front end of my bike tucked under me, and I just about went down. Woooo, good save! But that bump was the whole width of the track, so you were gonna hit no matter where you went, it was just who could deal with it the best I guess. Then right away, red lights came on as Jake Johnson had entered turn three in second right behind me, and I guess he didn't have a good save like I did over that bump, as he went down, but was up and ok on our cool down lap. Ok, another total restart. I launched out of the hole great this time as Halbert and I had a drag race to turn one, but my motor was built by Rob and Larry with some brand new designed WISECO pistons (Thanks to Dave Fussner at Wiseco for them) in there and that solved that drag race problem. The lead was mine going into turn one, and I got int there hot, and grabbed a handful and got it turned and launched out turn two. This bike was flat fast and I was ready to ride the wheels off it right now. Catch me if ya can boys, cuz I'm goin' thataway! This was the holeshot I deserved last weekend, and I was determined to make good use of it. After a few laps, I could tell that things were going my way, as the bike was just working great, but I was still not totally happy with how I was getting through that dang bum in turn three. More speed is what I knew I needed there, but that's a hard thing to make yourself do, when you are almost loosing it is every lap there. But I was finally able to talk myself into getting in there faster, which did help going through that bump, but I was not able to do it every lap. I was just railing this bike through turns one and two though, I mean I tell you, my bike was flat working down there on that end of the track, but I knew that I could here someone right behind me while I was going through turn one each lap, as I guess the wall there just carried the sounds more? But I was so fast right there I felt, that I could figure out how someone could hang with me there. I mean I could get in there to turn one real hot, then just grab a huge handful and go crazy fast through the middle of the turn, which gave me some fast exits speeds. Thats what dirttrack racing is all about, corner speed, I like to think I'm the king of corner speed. I kind of consider myself a momentum freak, as years of racing in off road races in the woods and mud and slime has taught me that. I knew not to look back as they were there, as I could hear them, right on my butt. Wow, they must be hauling the mail, because my bike is flat working and they are somehow hangin' with me? I put in lap after lap, and just kept getting faster at both ends of the track it felt like. Now we had the five to go board out, and I was not about to give in now as I put in my best lap of the race on lap 20, as I found out later. Charge, charge, as I'm pushing it so hard.I was not on the dangerous edge, but just feeling one with the bike everywhere. I knew when it was close to pushing my front end, and I could adjust at that instant. White flag out, one to go. I still hear that dang bike, right there, but I hammered turn one and two killer, and knew I had a great shot at the win now, just nothing stupid in this turn three now. I rolled through the bump spot real good, grabbed a handful and pointed here to the finish line, and knew that with all this power, and my bike pointed straight at the line, there was not any bike here that could pass me now. The win was ours, and just as I crossed the line, I took a peak over my shoulder to see who was hounding me, but no one was to my inside, so I looked over my other shoulder, and dang Coolbeth was way back there in 2nd, about 3 1/2 seconds back. I guess that turn one corner was echoing motor noises or something, because I sure thought I could hear someone right there the whole race. But I guess that just pushed me that much harder every lap for 25 laps. That win felt great and made me feel like I got some redemption from last weekends race. Coolbeth was second, with Bryan Smith third. This moved me up to second in the points, now only 14 behind Coolbeth and one in front of Smith.
That was a great night after a lengthy rain delay, but the track crew gave us a great track to race tonight. Now we had a seven hour drive overnight to get to Lima, Ohio for tomorrow's national 1/2 mile there on a cushion style track. Could I do two national wins in a row, on the same weekend? I think I can.
Until tomorrow, G'day! Later. Joe