Blog Posts

New training tool, partnerships, and support for '16!

2/16/2016

Rich has quickly learned that there is no actual "off-season" of racing, there's only "season in which you don't race". He's been continuing to work on his fitness despite the delicious holiday treats that abound, and on the mechanical side as well.

The GrrR6 has been stripped bare for maintenance. The Penske / Ohlins suspension is in th capable hands of Mike Failace of Metric Devil Moto getting refresh and setup for this coming year, and as you can see in the photo (right), the engine is out, headed to Maher Motorsports for a build!

What's not visible is what most people instantly recognize - the tiger bodywork. That's big news for us as well. We are teaming up with DC Paintworx and DrippinWet for paint & graphics this year! Not to worry though, as long as Nicole is still the primary sponsor, the GrrR6 will remain "the tiger bike"!
Also new & exciting is a new training tool in the stable. Rich had always been told that dirt bikes are excellent training tools, and this was only reinforced by taking Aaron Stevenson's excellent Cornerspin school, aptly subtitled "Roadracing in the dirt". We recently found a well-maintained KTM (because orange!) 200 XC-W at a good price, and Rich brought it home recently.

(Above, the new-to-us KTM on its way home, soon to join other orange stablemates!)
(Right, a matching MX stand from our friends at PitPosse supporting the KTM for maintenance and storage. It's lightweight (look at the speed holes!) and strong!)

To round out the news, we're proud to announce that Leatt has joined on as a sponsor! Rich will be using a full compliment of their protective gear, including a neck brace, torso guard, elbow & knee guards, and more! To compliment the Leatt off-road gear, a Scorpion VX-R70 helmet was a natural choice! Rich is really looking forward to using the bike to further enhance his skills & "stay loose" on the race bike!
2016 is going to be awesome - GET IT!!!!

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Welcoming Sidi Sport for 2016!

11/24/2015

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We are proud to announce that Sidi Sport is on-board for our 2016 season! Rich has been wearing Sidi boots for years and they have flawlessly protected his feet and ankles in more incidents than he'd care to mention. We're proud to have them on board!

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"Man plans, God laughs" AKA CCS Atlantic Series Round 7 report, NJMP, Sept. 5-6, 2015

9/7/2015

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Going into the final round of the 2015 CCS Atlantic region race season, my mind was working overtime on strategy, both for tires, and for where I need to place in order to finish strong overall.. Of course, Murphy said "screw you, I have other plans". We tried running a different rear tire on Saturday, and though I really saw some improvements, I didn’t have the confidence to drive as hard out of the turns, and my concentration & lap times suffered. After the races Saturday, I discussed this with "Metric" Mike, and after some good natured ribbing, he put me back on the tire I was most comfortable with for Sunday. I will learn to love the other one, but *I* need more practice on it first.

Rookie's Cup:
There's no 2nd or 3rd overall for this one, and though I was 3rd overall, Glen Mitchell had a 36 point lead on me and Dustin Hughes had 25. There was literally no way of me overcoming that with even a 1st place finish (which earns 35 points), so I dropped it to focus on the others.

Middleweight Superbike:
This field is always strong and tough. Going into it, I was 2nd overall, and figured I'd be able to hold onto a top 3 overall if Jon Follmer didn't show. Jon is talented, and FAST (on a CBR600 even!) Hat-tip to him for a great season!
Saturday, my lack of confidence in the rear tire got in my head and I was off-pace a few seconds, but hung on for an 8th place finish. I was OK with that... Or thought I was.
Sunday, with the developments in another class (you'll read more below), I was riding VERY conservatively, to ensure that I finished, hoping I'd hang onto a 3rd overall, but had a bigger prize in my mind. I gave up 3 spots when i ran wide into T9 (the decreasing right), but throughout the race, wasn't battling very hard with anytone I was near lest I make a mistake and don't score anything! At the end, I ended up 10th. Turns out, if I had raced harder and scored 3 more points total, I could have held on to 3rd overall. Alas, I finished 4th overall for the year. However, ending up behind the likes of Dennis Pryor, Jon Follmer, and Stanislav Tambovtsev, I can still be proud of my finish. I'll probably "aww shucks" myself all winter for it, but 4th is still very good when there were 7 of us battling for the top 3 overall, and big grids of ~30 every race.

GTU:
What a roller-coaster this one has been throughout the year! I was taken out once at Summit running top 5, and then took myself out at NJMP last round after setting personal bests every lap (running a really strong second at that!). Still, I was 4th in points overall, behind Dennis, Stanislav, just 2 points behind Follmer in 3rd, and just 4 head of Bitting.
Follmer came, saw, and kicked butt, taking a 2nd in this one behind Stanislav. Bitting took 4th, and I held on strong for a 5th. That finish brought me up to 3rd overall, just 2 points ahead of Bitting, but a top 3 nonetheless!!

But the big shocker for me.. Middleweight Formula 40.
Going into this, I was in second, only 6 points ahead of pit-mate and friend Paul, but also a BIG 24 points *behind* Juan Carlos Vasquez, who is an excellent racer, and whose spirit and determination I've come to really respect and admire this year. Coming on HARD was Jack Guyette though, who is blazingly fast, and despite being 31 points behind me coming into this, has been winning, A LOT. I felt I was safe from Jack's attack so long as I finished well, and needed good finishes to stay ahead of Paul as well since he runs strong, and CLEAN. I don't think he's DNF'd a race all year! This is why I ran so cautiously in the Superbike races - I absolutely HAD to finish both of these F40's to keep my second overall!
The shocker of the weekend came Saturday. Carlos was running well in the Grand Prix race (where he was leading the points overall), when Stanislav made a pass on him that was clean, but also tried to get Jack during this same pass at the apex of T7, and couldn't. Trying both was just far too aggressive and ambitious in my opinion. After getting past Carlos, he was going just too fast to make the corner and had to get HARD on the binders not to rear-end Jack, and in the process, got really loose and ran wide - Carlos had nowhere to go. Stas' rear wheel took out Carlos' front, and they were locked together for a second as Carlos crashed and somehow, Stas miraculously didn't. Unfortunately, because of the rug being pulled out from his front tire so abruptly, Carlos came down HARD, and was out for the rest of the day Saturday before he could run the F40 while he was getting medical attention.
I ended up running well in Saturday's race, taking home a 2nd behind Guyette, and suddenly found myself leading the championship, but only by 6 points! Fortunately, Carlos was cleared to race Sunday, and despite bruised ribs and a hurt left thumb, he was back up to speed, taking home a 2nd in one race, and a 4th in Sunday's Grand Prix (which won him the Cup, congrats bud!). I had my work cut out for me as I had to finish in front of, or right behind him. I got a GREAT start, and held the lead for a bit, and then Carlos came past me with a pass into T4 after I ran wide in 3c. I knew Jack was faster than I, but NEEDED him to pass both myself AND Carlos for me to take the overall. When he passed me, I found myself (for the first time) rooting for Jack as I watched them battle it out up front! :laughing: I finally saw Jack's black leathers replaced by Carlos' blue in front of me, breathed a sigh of relief, and made sure to keep enough pace to keep everyone else behind me, while not pushing too hard. I was running alone, and though my competitive spirit said "c'mon, you can go faster through here, harder through there", the big prize at the end kept me calm, I ran clean, and brought home 3rd, with Carlos in 2nd, giving me the 1st place overall by 2 points - Truly the epitome of the ups and downs of racing!

Looking back, I'm amazed at what a wild, fun, crazy roller-coaster of a year it's been. I've gained a bunch of skill, had so many experiences like none other, made many new friends and acquaintances, and wouldn't trade any of it for the world. I'm fortunate to have come through this inaugural season basically intact, and never thought at the outset that I would have won ANYTHING, let alone over a half-dozen race plaques, a race win, top 5 overall in every class I raced, a 3rd overall, and a championship?!?! Wow.
My goal for this year was simple: Build a very competitive machine in all aspects (and try my best to keep it that way, no matter what), so that if I end up sucking, I know it's all me, and not the bike. Go race said bike at every round in my chosen series, and give it my absolute all. The cards will fall where they will fall.
There are few certainties in life, and even fewer in racing, but one thing I am certain of, is there's no WAY I could have done that without all the support from:

My sponsors, helping to make this obnoxiously expensive sport *slightly* less obnoxious. Scorpion, Pit Posse, Woodcraft, Yoshimura, Vortex, Justin/Trackside Parts Club, ATech Customs, and Team Pro-motion, which thanks to Andy Reiss' awesome GPMoto race series, put the spark to my fuel to get out and race motorcycles.
Mike of Metric Devil Moto for his wisdom in servicing, setting up, tweaking the excellent Ohlins & Penske suspension, putting me on the best Pirelli tires for each track, but equally as much, your "tough love" advice, which we all know and enjoy. There's truly no way this season would have gone nearly as well without you in my corner, and even though you have faster guys with far more on the line than I, you always somehow made time to help ME be MY best. I'm eternally grateful, more than words can say.
Chris Maher/Maher Motorsports for the tuning and upcoming engine build!
Certainly, the best bike in the paddock won't win a single race if you can't get it onto the grid, and my incredible race family is to thank for that. Paul & Katharine Robson, John England, Leo & Misha Vitalin, the John Bonelli's, Enrique & Valerie Biosca, Jake the Tank Driver, Dennis Pryor, and EVERYONE else who has lent a hand or offered support, as well as all the CCS officials (especially you, David Graham!) and cornerworkers, I truly and sincerely thank you for everything.
Lastly, and most importantly, absolutely NONE of this would have happened without my truly better half, Nicole. You were right there, sharing the front seat of this crazy roller coaster with your unwavering support, patience, encouragement, cheering, (did I mention patience?), and love throughout the year. I don't know what the hell I did so right to have made you love me, but there's no one I'd rather be on this ride with.

Thanks for an amazing 2015, and I look forward to starting all over again in 2016!

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Laissez les bons temps rouler - Summit Point Round 6 race recap

8/24/2015

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The weather was PERFECT in West Virginia for Round 6 of the CCS Atlantic Series championship at Summit Point, and though Rich has struggled with Summit previously, hopes were high for a strong showing in this weekend's racing!

First up for Rich on Saturday was the 25 minute GTU. There are several racers who are strong at Summit, and they showed it! Despite a good start and leading the field, the front-runners caught up, pushing Rich back into a still respectable 10th (of 34) at the finish. HUGE shout-out to fellow racer Paul Robson, who after a Team Pro-Motion track day the weekend before, dropped several seconds off his times and came past him to take a well-earned 8th! Rich did set a new personal best in that race however, which bodes well for the rest of the weekend!

Next up was Formula 40 middleweight, combined amateur/expert. The time between the first wave (experts) and us in the 2nd wave was shorter than usual, and Rich got caught off guard at the green flag, lofting the front wheel of the GrrR6, allowing Jack Guyette and Carlos Vasquez to rocket past him towards turn 1. Rich knew Paul would be coming for him again, but was able to set up 3 experts coming out of 1, and with the confidence of a fresh Pirelli slick on the back, he gave the GrrR6 the beans while cranked over and chicane’d around the 3 of them through T2 and into T3. That move bought him the cushion he needed... and it turns out he needed it! Rich caught up to another expert who was a litter faster in the back section, and though he would reel him in from T9 to T4-T5, just couldn’t get around him, and ended up running about a second off pace for the last 4 laps of the race, but it was enough to get on the box in 3rd!

A great cookout was had Saturday evening with the contributions of our "pit posse", fueling everyone for Sunday's events! After a quick suspension adjustment by the wizard Michael Failace of Metric Devil Moto (only the second adjustment ALL YEAR, and only because Rich's pace has improved, I should add), we were ready for the day!

Race 1 was Middleweight Superbike, and another big grid of 33! Rich and the GrrR6 got a VERY good launch and led the race for ~2 laps before Stanislav & Dennis Pryor came past, followed closely by Jeremiah Walker on his MV Agusta 800. Rich did his best to keep up, but he had other issues to worry about, namely Korey Hopkins and Jon Follmer! A few good battles were had, and he was able to hold them off to take home 4th, and another personal best.

The last of the day for us was the combined GTO/GTU/GTL Rookie’s cup. Nothing like coming up on a Ninja 250 at a 50 MPH closing speed heading into T1! There were several riders who went off in this race, and Rich had made a mental mistake about rules for passing under a standing vs. waving yellow, and lost a spot because of it. Another time a rider broke the rules and passed 3 of us going into T1 under a waving yellow, but the marshal missed it, so that was another spot. Oh well, that's racing! Even with the rookie mistake (See what I did there?), Rich managed to take home a 5th.

All in all, a great weekend. Once on the box, and all top-10 finishes. We're really looking forward to the final round at NJMP in just 2 weeks' time! Thanks as always to our 'pit posse' (especially helping get Rich out to the grid for Race 3!), Metric Devil Moto, Trackside Parts Club, Scorpion USA, PitPosse Motorsports, Yoshimura, Woodcraft CFM, Vortex, Team Pro-Motion, ATech Customs, Braking, Pirelli, Penske Racing Shocks, all the MARRC volunteers and CCS crew, and of course- the one, the only, operations manager/cheerleader/pit crew/chef/umbrella hottie Nicole!

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"Racing", A.K.A. The world's biggest roller coaster of emotions - Get your ticket!

7/20/2015

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Before this season, Mike Failace of Metric Devil Moto told Rich "Racing will bring you the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows", and that certainly rang true this weekend, and we're not talking the weather! That at least was a constant...HOT! It ranged from hot & uncomfortable to REALLY hot and uncomfortable this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports park, with the high temps ranging from 90 to over 95°, and relative humidity at 85%+! However, coming off a good practice session with Team Pro-Motion over the July 4th weekend where Rich had set a personal best, he was hoping to make a good showing and drop a second..maybe even 2(?!), and had a fresh set of MDM-supplied Pirelli slicks ready to help him do just that! Heck, the wristbands for this weekend were even tiger striped - how cool is THAT?!?!

First up, the 25 minute GTU. GET IT! He got a very good start and was leading the race for a little bit, but Stanislav is an amazing pilot, frequently turning times that would put him high in the results of any expert race, and eventually, put a good clean pass on Rich. The running joke around our paddock is "There's Stanislav, and then there's everyone else". However, although Rich heard another bike near him for a few laps (Turned out to be Darroch Malone, who ended up taking a well-earned 2nd place), no one else had passed him several laps in, and he knew why! The GrrR6 and Rich had "clicked", and the tiger bike was a Maher Motorsports tuned, VP fueled, rocket on wheels! The lap times reflected this synergy as well, with several 1:31's and a couple of 1:30's, new personal bests!
Those laps weren't without some drama though, as thanks to Rich being more aggressive with the bars, the clutch side clip-on rotated back on lap 3, pulling the remote adjuster for the front brakes TAUT, and he suddenly found himself with NO brakes heading into T5! He squeezed as hard as he could and something must have moved a little and gave him the brakes he needed, but for the next 2 laps, every time he was straight up and down, he could be seen banging on the LH clip-on trying to get it moved back into place! It seemed to have worked though, but he was still cautious about pulling too hard on that bar at every turn!
At any rate, Rich had just crossed the line at the halfway flag to begin Lap 8, and was going well. However, as you'll see in the video, he just asked too much of the rear tire as the track started downhill, and with the front tire just skimming the ground, low-sided at a GPS-indicated 76mph. Because he's tall and lanky when at 195-200lbs, his off-the-rack suit has always been a little loose in the arms. At his current 172lbs, it's even more so. As Rich was sliding down the asphalt on my forearm and thigh, the sleeve of his suit pulled back up his arm, exposing his forearm, and earned him some "road rash" there, before sending him for a series of barrel rolls. Thanks to some luck and the Hit-Air air vest from Trackside Parts Club, he suffered no other injury and was up on his feet quickly. The GrrR6, however, ended up coming to rest on track, on the racing line, so we're sorry for the surprise that it surely caused the other racers as they crested the blind T2 before the red flag could be seen! Kudos to the safety crew and EMS who arrived so quickly after the crash and got the track re-opened in what must have been record time!
Back in the pits, John, Misha, and Rich's other amazing pit pals jumped right in, offering their assistance, but the bike wasn't too bad, and we had a lot of time until the next race. Rich's wife/pit boss/umbrella girl went to work, putting her art degree to use with racer's tape as her medium. She patched all the damage, and even re-created the stripes!! With that, we were ready for Formula 40.

Middleweight Formula 40 (combined EX and AM) was up next. Rich again got an excellent start, squirming the front tire under the brakes into T1 to try and take the lead from the start... and did for quite a while, until Jack Guyette caught and ultimately passed him. Unfortunately (for Jack), he had to retire early with a mechanical issue, giving Rich the win with a 5.5 second margin! This was his first career victory, and a great comeback from the day's earlier mishap.

Sunday morning, Race 1 was Rookie's Cup, which combines everything from fire-breathing 1000cc GTO bikes to the Ultralight 300's! Another good start, and he's in the lead again, running strong and in the lead until a red flag on lap 3 caused a re-start. On pit road while waiting for the track to be cleared, Rich's wife got to actually be the umbrella girl that we've always joked with her about being, shading him from the scorching sun (much to the envy of the other racers) and brought water to share amongst them. MANY thanks to Mark Schweber for the sleeved shirt and another racer whose name escapes me for loaning her closed-toed shoes at the last moment so Nicole could be granted access to the hot pit lane!

The re-start turned into QUITE an event! The first wave was released, and Rich's group was given the "1 board", but while they were waiting to be released, a GTO racer's bike shut off in the middle of T1, and he came to a stop right on racing line just after the apex of T1. He tried to re-start his bike instead of pushing it off the track, and the confusion caused by this meant that the GTU and GTL racers were still at the 1 board, which means in gear, head down, at launch RPM, ready to GO!! They waited, and waited, and waited... What should have been 10-15 seconds turned into to 45! The coolant temp on the GrrR6 was at 230 and quickly climbing, and Rich was just a second or 2 away from having to "jump the start" and pulling away in order to save the engine (at the expense of a DQ), just to get some airflow through the radiator. Suddenly, the number board was lowered, the red flag came out, and before he had time to figure out what was going on, he heard people yelling. A look over his right shoulder showed white steam POURING from one racer's bike, grey smoke from another, and then the most dreaded word.. "FIRE!" He looked down to make sure it's wasn't him, but over his left shoulder, the bike to his 7 o'clock had flames quickly engulfing his machine! (Fortunately, the rider dis-mounted quickly and the safety crew quickly extinguished the fire, and both rider and machine are OK and continued racing that day!) Needless to say, the race was re-scheduled, to occur after race 4.
Everything went off cleanly on the next re-start, but Rich was was off-pace and was passed by several riders, and dropped as low as 8th or 9th before getting into the groove and passing some of them back, bringing home a 5th.

Middleweight Superbike was the penultimate race of the day, and everyone was exhausted. Rich played it safe and brought home an 8th place finish, but knows more endurance is needed in the future so he can battle no matter what the conditions!

All in all, it was a successful weekend, and one that it wouldn't have happened without the support of everyone who is making this season possible.. Nicole for her tireless contributions whether it's keeping Rich on-schedule, properly fed & hydrated, getting the bike on & off the stands, helping with repairs, or even providing shade and water - she's amazing. Also, our sponsors Keystoneriders.com, Metric Devil Moto, Trackside Parts Club, Scorpion Sports, PitPosse, Yoshimura, Woodcraft CFM, Vortex Racing, ATech Customs, Team ProMotion, Maher Motorsports, as well as our pit buddies, the amazing CCS staff, corner workers, & EMS who battled the heat this weekend, and EVERYONE who sends positive energy our way.. Thanks for your support, and we'll see you at Summit Point in August!

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Round 4, Summit Point, June 27-28 "Getting my feet wet - literally"

6/29/2015

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Round 4 of the 2015 CCS Atlantic Series brought a very steady downpour of rain for Saturday's racing. Time to put the Metric Devil Moto supplied Pirelli Rain tires to use! Up until Saturday, Rich had only turned a total of 3 laps in the rain, and certainly had never raced in it! 1 of those laps was at Summit Point in 2010, which ended with a high-side crash, resulting in Class3 A/C separation/broken clavicle/SLAP tear to his shoulder that took surgery and nearly a year of PT to heal. To say the least, rain was not something he was looking forward to. But this, my friends, is racing. Control your fear, rely on your skill, and get out there!
The GrrR6 was very pleased with the repairs, fresh paint, and graphics applied by ATech Customs after the last round, and agreed to cooperate in the rain and reward smooth, deliberate inputs by not putting a wheel wrong all day, and Rich brought home a 7th in Middleweight Superbike, and followed it up by taking home 3rd in Middleweight Formula 40, behind friend and fellow Team Pro-Motion member Paul Robson, who took home 2nd! As happy as he was with those finishes, Rich was happier to see that the forecast for Sunday was rain-free. A fresh set of Superbike slicks were mounted up, fingers were crossed, and we looked forward to Sunday.

Sunday started off slightly damp for practice, but by the time the GTU race came, the track was dry, and everyone was ready to GET IT!! Due to low turnout for the Expert GTU, the officials combined Amateur and Expert classes for this race. We double-checked the Dzus fasteners on the bike so that when the likes of Shepherd, Xavier, Jimmy and the rest of the experts came by, they didn't suck the Sharkskinz clean off the GrrR6! :)
The Amateur class, however, had no such issues with a solid grid of 25 entries. Rich lined up and got a good start, battling in some excellent racing, and brought home a 7th place.
The Rookie's Cup race was up next, bringing some excellent racers also in their first year of CCS competition - Rich fought hard and brought home a 5th in that one with #437 Nick Pasani nipping at his heels!
The 2nd Middleweight Superbike race was towards the end of the day, and brought some incredibly strong competition, and everyone brought their A-game for sure. Despite turning some decent lap times in the latter stages, some mistakes early on cost him position, and ended up finishing 11th, again with #437 Nick Pasani hot on his tail!
The 2nd Middleweight Formula 40 race was the last race of the weekend, and Rich ran strong holding off (up?) the well-ridden #933 of Roger Marquez as long as he could and brought home another plaque, taking 3rd in that race as well! Congrats to Roger on a great race.
As always, we couldn't have done it without the help of the Trackside Parts Club, Metric Devil Moto for the suspension build, tuning, trackside support, a kick in the butt when needed, and the Pirelli's, Scorpion for the EXO-R2000 helmet staying fog-free, Woodcraft CFM for the warmers, clip-ons, rearsets (and more), PitPosse for the organization, storage, and tie-downs, Yoshimura exhaust, Vortex Racing for the chain & sprockets, letting us dial in just the right gearing, Maher Motorsports for the tune on the engine, and of course, the best pit-friends a team could want.. Paul, Katharine, John, Leo (Heal up quick buddy!), Misha, Pete, and those who couldn't make it but offered their support & encouragement. Of course, we have to make special mention for Rich's wife, Nicole, for keeping him (relatively) sane, and being a great cheerleader/bike stand & tire warmer operator/photographer/chef!!
We finally have a camera mounted on the tail, and it really shows where Rich can pick up some time around Summit (mainly, T4, 5, and 6), so that's something to work on for next time and maybe break into those elusive 1:19's?! Who knows, but up next, NJMP! See you there!

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Round 3, Summit Point, May 24-25 "Challenges"

5/27/2015

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Memorial Day weekend's racing proved to be quite challenging for Rich and his crew. The competition was stiff, and clearly there were some very fast racers who really knew their way around Summit Point's 10 snaking turns!
Rich was really looking forward to the 25 minute long GTU race as the first of the weekend, and was leading the points in GTU going into this event. A huge field of over 40 racers set off, all in search of a win. While battling for a top 5 spot on lap 12, another rider attempted a pass up the inside of turn1, but wasn't far enough forward to be seen and collided with Rich, upsetting the chassis and sending Rich and the GrrR6 off into the dirt. Rich just slid and was OK, but the bike took a small tumble and wasn't quite as fortunate.
Back in the pits, Rich, his wife Nicole, and several fellow friends/racers all helped for the next few hours to get the bike cleaned up, the needed parts replaced, and get him back out for the next race with literally just seconds to spare before having to start from pit road!
Unfortunately, the Middleweight Formula40 race didn't end any better. After a good start, Rich was up in the top 5, when a piece of debris hit the radiator, and unbeknownst to Rich, began spraying the front tire with water. Pirelli Superbike slicks are amazing tires, but not even they can offer the needed side grip while being sprayed with hot water. With no warning, as Rich got to full lean in the tight right hander of turn 6, the front end tucked, yet again sending him and his Yamaha off into the dirt. Rich quickly hopped up and ran to the bike with hopes of re-entering the race, but upon righting it, the cloud of steam coming from the bodywork told him the race was over. Back to the pits for another damage assessment, parts replacement, and another plan.
Monday morning brought a hunt for a spare radiator. One was located, but upon installation, turned out to have a hole as well! Fortunately, racer Jimmy Fotinopoulos #517 also had one, and more importantly, it was leak-free! It did require a little trackside ingenuity by Rich and John England #711A to be operational and safe, however. While performing that task, a radiator guard was made and installed thanks to Paul Robson's donation of the needed material. Pictured below is Rich buttoning up radiator #3!

The Rookie's Cup GTU race was next. With one eye on the temperature display, Rich went back out, holding back a little "just in case", but still managed a 9th place finish.
Middleweight Superbike always brings great racing, and this was no exception. The temperature was up around 90°, and there had been several red flags in races prior as riders and machines failed. Still a little "off pace", Rich managed to bring home another top 10 finish, taking 7th in the field of 33.
With almost a month until Round 4 (at Summit Point again), the grrR6 will be getting some needed TLC, Atech Customs will be doing their magic on the Sharkskinz bodywork to make it perfect again, and Rich will be training hard to be able to excel in the hot days that are sure to come!
Throughout the season, the "track family" of Paul & Katharine Robson, Leo & his Dad Misha Vitalin, Enrique & Val Biosca, John & Renee England, fast guy Dennis Pryor, and John Bonelli have been a huge help with everything from an encouraging hand gesture, to the needed support when the chips are down.. This weekend wouldn't have ended with any finishes at all if it weren't for their support. Best of all, Rich's wife Nicole was able to attend, and besides being Rich's biggest fan, was also a HUGE help in the pits!
Looking forward to June...

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Round 2, NJMP, May 2-3 (AKA "Old habits die hard")

5/4/2015

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A 4th in Rookie's Cup, 5th in the grueling GTU, 5th in Middleweight Superbike, and 6th in Middleweight Formula 40 rounds out Rich's results from the 2nd round of the 2015 CCS Atlantic Championship Series. The racing was fast, tough, and fun!

May 2nd brought beautiful weather (and Rich) to New Jersey Motorsports Park with high hopes. Unlike CMP the previous round, Rich has been riding this track since 2009, so the thought was that he'd be able to focus just on picking up speed, since he didn't have to learn the track, right? Not exactly. Despite a good practice day Friday, a little problem was identified, and it certainly isn't with the bike! Although the MDM-prepared R6 is certainly faster than his previous motorcycle, his previous bike had a ton of low-end torque, meaning he was able to get away with some "bad" habits and still circle the course relatively quickly. Though Maher Motorsports dia a great job tuning the 600cc screamer in the R6, it doesn't have the crutch of 70+ pounds of torque the Aprilia had, and as such, forces a "proper" style, or you get left in the proverbial dust.
Though Rich set a new personal best lap time (by several seconds and again, at the end of the 25 minute GTU race!), we know where we need to improve, and more seat time on the R6 is the prescription, to be filled by our friends at Team Pro-Motion!

In addition to the great friends that are part of our growing "track family", and the tireless crew at CCS (without which none of this would be possible), Rich also wants to send a special thanks to ATech Customs for getting a replacement numberplate to him in the nick of time, and Trackside Parts Club for always having that needed part! Finally, to Mike / MDM - not only are they the Pirelli tire and Penske racing shock shop, but Mike Failace is also spot-on with all his advice and has played a HUGE role in Rich's success thus far, and certainly in the future! Also, a big thanks for Rich's father-in-law, Nick, for coming out on Saturday, and long-time friend David for coming out (and helping out!) on Sunday.

Thanks to all, see you at Summit Point, WV in a few short weeks!!

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Round 1, Carolina Motorsports Park, April 11-12

4/14/2015

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The weather forecast cleared up and the sun was shining for the opening round of the CCS Atlantic Series, held at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC. Rich had never laid eyes on this track before the practice day on Friday.
However, he came out strong on Saturday and again on Sunday, taking a 2nd in the 25-minute GTU race, a 2nd and 3rd in Middleweight Formula 40, and a 7th and 9th in Middleweight Superbike! The 9th place finish was had even while a mechanical problem was developing, one that kept him from competing in the Rookie's Cup Challenge.
Rich's MDM-prepared, Pirelli-shod R6 proved that they're going to be formidable competition in 2015!

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The reveal!

4/9/2015

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It all finally came together, and the GrrR6 is ready for the track, and looks the part too! Rich's lead sponsor (and his better half ) is a big fan of tigers, and her vision was to have the paint and graphics resemble one. ATech Customs did a GREAT job of turning Nicole's vision into a reality!

Rich would like to again thank ATech for not only working on a tight timeline, but for the quality of their work, and the great racer logo!