Race Report, Round 1, Malaysian Super Series SuperBike Division

[phantom]

Hey, Devil Riders, I've been a stranger for the past few months. I started two new projects in Asia and I've been spending just about every waking moment building the businesses when I'm not flying. As a result I haven't logged onto the forum in a long time!

I have also been prepping for the Sepang Circuit racing season. I took a package deal with Kawasaki Racing to race the Malaysian Super Series, SuperBike Open division, this year:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/CIMG3471email.jpg

The package includes full trackside support, with mechanic, tires, fuel, entry fees, and race-prepped 2008 ZX-10R thrown in.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/DSC04236email.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/FrontStraight.jpg

Round 1 was on the North Track

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/NorthTrack.jpg

for 12 and 13 April.

The new 2008 ZX-10R race bikes will be here in time for Round 2 in May, so I used the 2007 ZX-10R that placed second overall in last season's championship:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/DSC04224email.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/DSC04226email.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/DSC04229email.jpg

[phantom]

The weekend started with setup and handling discussions between me and the crew chief:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/CIMG3441email.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/CIMG3442email.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/CIMG3445email.jpg

In practice I lapped in the 1:14s, and I was hoping to improve as I got more comfortable on the bike.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-355.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-1033.jpg

Qualifying saw my times drop into the high 1:12s

[phantom]

I was gridded P16 out of 23 riders.

Race 1 and Race 2 took place on the Sunday. I was closely matched with a good buddy of mine, Joshua. He is a major in the Malaysian Army, a jumpmaster and instructor. He often travels to Eloy, AZ to go parachuting.
I had a good start and gained 4 positions into the first turn.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-415.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-416.jpg
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-417.jpg

[phantom]

I set out after Mejar Joshua, just ahead of me after Lap 1. I followed him for a couple of laps, studying and looking for weak points. I passed him on the brakes into Turn 1 on Lap 6, and the fight was on!!

We spent the rest of the race battling, overtaking each other seven times. Joshua was ahead coming up on a backmarker, and I hung back until easing past the lapped traffic on the main straight. I planned to wait until the last lap to make my move, but I lost track of the laps remaining. It was already the final lap, and I didn't realize it until comfortably crossing the finish line about 4 bike lengths behind Joshua. Doh!

I finished P13. What a rush!!

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/CIMG3450email.jpg

[phantom]

Surprisingly, my laptimes had not improved from Qual. I posted a best lap of 1:12.4 in Race 1.

Race 2.

I had kept some pace in reserve during Race 1. My gameplan this time was to go all out, race hard the entire 15 laps, and hope to beat Joshua on consistency and stamina. We had a friendly but strange discussion in the garage following the first race. Friendly because we had enjoyed the battle so much, but hostile because despite shaking hands and wishing each other luck, both of us had schemes of crushing the other racer for Race 2.

The Start:

I was gridded on the outside of the 4th row, and Joshua was on the inside of the 3rd row. I got a good start again but I couldn't get to the inside for Turn 1. Several riders went underneath me at turn-in. I didn't see Joshua at all, and he was the last thing on my mind for the first 5 laps. It turns out he had a very poor start and fell back approaching Turn 1, about 2 positions behind me.

I was totally focused on riding hard, not thinking of who was behind or ahead.

In this series of pics, Joshua is on the maroon-colored Number 3 Suzuki in the background, another rider between us:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-439.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-440.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-441.jpg

[phantom]

I lapped hard for the first 5 laps, dismissing my heavy breathing and reminding myself that I had trained hard in the gym for this, I was prepared for the exertion.

Joshua made his way past the racer behind me:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-473.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-474.jpg

while I had a short but closely fought battle into Turn 1 on the brakes and out of Turn 3 against Edham on another Kawasaki:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/amss01171.jpg

[phantom]

On Lap 8 I missed a downshift while braking for Turn 1, exiting One in 4th Gear instead of 2nd. In the short chute between One and Two I hooked my left foot twice upward to grab 2nd Gear and fix the situation. The lapse in concentration and loss in time cost me.

Joshua went inside on the brakes into Turn 1, exiting ahead:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-550.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-551.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-552.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-553.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-554.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-555.jpg

[phantom]

For the next several laps Joshua and I battled fiercely, with overtakes happening on the brakes into One and Four.

Turn 4 was my weak point, but for reasons that would not seem immediately obvious: I was still searching for my best line thru Three. Three is a 4th Gear right-hander, the fastest turn on the circuit. My exit speed would vary widely with each line adjustment, and that made my braking point for Turn 4 erratic and inconsistent. As a result, I was easy pickings for Joshua on the brakes into Four.

Joshua would overtake into Four, but I had a better line thru 5, 6, and 7, which would set me up to retake him on the brakes for One. Over the next 5 laps we put on a good show for the spectators, crossing the Start/Finish line within bike lengths and battling on the brakes into One.

This sequence of photos exiting Four and entering Five shows Joshua with a significant advantage that I had to work very hard to overcome:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-914.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-915.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-916.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-917.jpg

[phantom]

But he made an error on the next lap, braking a bit too late, missing his turn-in, and losing momentum on the exit of Four. You can see how his error sacrificed his exit; he doesn't use all of the track to the rider's left. My line uses all of track left, and I see an opportunity to go under him (rider's left) into Five:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-995.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-996.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-997.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-998.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R1-13-04-08-999.jpg

To gain position I would have to accelerate HARD out of Four to place myself on Joshua's left and push him wide at turn-in for Five. In a momentary judgement call, I declined.

The entry into Five is downhill and off camber, executed on a slightly closed throttle. Front tire traction is critical because of the forward weight transfer and the load from turning in. It leaves little spare traction for braking, which is what I would have to do to hold my line and entry into Five.

It was possible that I might not gain CLEAR advantage by turn-in to Five, and Joshua could realize my threat too late after commiting to turn-in. With him committed and me closing, I would have to brake and he would have to balk his turn-in. I foresaw three possible outcomes:

1. Successful but daring and aggressive pass,
or
2. I don't get ahead before Joshua turns in, and we collide,
or
3. I lose the front under brake-turning and crash both of us out, like Pedrosa did to Hayden at Estoril in 2006:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Scratch%20Pad/PedrHaydenEstoril.jpg

[phantom]

Instead, I'm patient and I fall into line behind Joshua. That patience pays off on the exit of Seven. Our bikes are evenly matched in acceleration, but I'm close enough to get a tow.

I focus on getting a good drive out of Seven, exiting 2 bike lengths behind Joshua. I tuck into his slipstream and hold the throttle pinned. My shoulders are hit with a rapid, flapping side-to-side buffet in Joshua's wake. I wait patiently for the closure to develop. Depth perception shows me closing- 1 3/4 bike lengths . . . 1 1/2 . . . 1 . . . 1/2 . . .

The buffet fades to gentle licks of wind, and I'm in the bubble. But when to exit? It's now a waiting game: do I exit now, pull alongside, and hope that enough closure carries me past Joshua before the braking zone? Or do I stay tucked ever longer, gaining more closure, but possibly missing my braking marker?

Again I'm conservative and I pull out of his wake with more than 1/4 bike length remaining. I offset to Joshua's left and enter a time warp.
I claw my way beside Joshua, even with his rear tire. . . swingarm . . . rearset . . . frame slider . . . handlebar. It was a snail's race and battle of nerves, trying to get past him before the braking point.

Who's going to brake first? Joshua comes out of his tuck a microsecond before I do, and for the first 20 meters we are handlebar-to-handlebar. Upright with chest and helmet in the wind, I could reach over and literally pat Joshua on the middle of his back. At 140mph.

Instead, I steer into him, in a move to establish dominance. He doesn't yield. He feathers the brakes and edges ahead just as we tip into Turn 1. I trailbrake, easing front brake pressure as my lean angle increases. Joshua goes too deep, and I get underneath him:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-670.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-671.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-672.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/phntomf16/Sepang/MSS2008%20Rd%201/R2-13-04-08-673.jpg

[phantom]

I know is isn't over, and I set about nailing the turn 2 - 3 - 4 sequence. I go slightly wider before turning in to Three with a quicker steering effort. The effect is that it straightens Three, I get on the throttle sooner, and have more exit speed up the slight rise toward Turn 4.

The next vital step is to precisely judge the braking point of Four.
I momentarily change my mental focus. Instead of watching my braking point approach, I glance at the tachometer then concentrate on my peripheral vision. What am I doing? I'm deliberately sensing exit speed to use that information to judge the absolute latest point that I can brake for Four. RPM noted, about 250 revs higher. Brake NOW!!

It wasn't perfect judgement, but I had compressed my braking zone enough to do the trick. Comfortable from repeatedly taking me on the brakes here in Race 1 and the previous laps of this Race 2, Joshua was caught off guard. I had removed his margin of advantage, and he braked too late. He went past me, straightlining the turn-in point. I tip in, apex, and exit, but I don't look back to see if he made the turn. A large part of me wants to, because he's my friend, but my trust in his abilities allows me to refocus on my riding.
I'm on it hard, now. Two laps left, and I go all-out to turn my fastest laps and secure my position.

Yellow flags on my next approach to Turn 4. I see his bike upright in the gravel, marshallers steadying it while Joshua climbs aboard. Into Five I feel sad, shaking my head behind my windscreen because Joshua deserves better. He's a more than worthy opponent, and I am honored and indebted to him for granting me such a phenomenal battle.

You deserved a better finish, Joshua. Thanks for the best race of my life, buddy.

photos courtesy Armand21.com

[Jordan]

Outstanding update! your a lucky man getting race a racetrack like that and have kawi sponser you!

[357Magnum]

glad to see ya back Kelly. I missed your write ups! :)

[phantom]

Outstanding update! your a lucky man getting race a racetrack like that and have kawi sponser you!

I really wish I was sponsored, but at 40 years old I'm in it for the fun. I'm a "pay" rider, actually: I paid Team Kawasaki to provide the bike and package.

After Round 1 and some thought, I declined the rest of the season for a number of reasons:

1. I had to learn the ZX-10R 3 days before the race, and I would have to learn/tune/setup the new 2008 ZX-10R for Round 2 if I stuck with the package deal.

2. The Kawasaki deal ain't cheap.

3. Why purchase a new bike when I have my Gixxer gathering dust in the garage in Glendale?

4. In the long run I would save money by shipping the Gixxer from AZ to Sepang and ride/race it rather than hire/rent/buy a bike at Sepang. And I already know the Gixxer well.

-- ---------

Richie,

Yeah, I haven't been back to the USA since January, but I was stateside for a short 6 days last week to get another load of tires, organize the garage, and ship my track bike to Sepang.

I have another race, Round 2, at Sepang this weekend.

I won't be stateside much for the rest of this year. I'm focused on two new businesses out here: motorsports tourism / putting on trackdays at Sepang Circuit, and using PC simulation to instruct/train/entertain in motorsports. My partner, Kim, is handling the tire sales, so anyone may make a purchase at anytime by contacting me or her.

I may make 2 or 3 more short trips to AZ to check on things.

As it is, I shipped my K5 (GSX-R1000 trackbike) to Sepang to race it for the rest of this season. The 1995 BMW is sidelined with a failed headgasket / warped or cracked cylinder head at 193,000miles, and I don't intend to rebuild/repair it until the end of this year.

For now, all my resources (time, money, efforts) are going into getting these new businesses up and running. With any luck I'll be able to offer Devil Riders reduced rates on package deals for weekend trackdays at Sepang Circuit, all-inclusive of hotel accomodations, transportation, bike hire, and riding gear, by the end of this year. Wish me luck!!

[Blue Devil]

that would be sweet. Good to see you back on. Always love reading your stories. There always well organized and best of all they come with pictures