RACE REPORT:
In order to speed up track changes
between the touring car and motorcycles, we decided upon the standard oval with a tight chicane up front. This allowed the
bikes to hit top speed and also made for some pretty interesting overtaking opportunities in the infield, which became critical
between the three TT bikes of Kevin, Ian, and Crommie.
The two qualifiers ended with Ian as the TQ and
Kevin not too far behind. “Gremlins” started to show up on Crommie’s ride, with a broken retaining chain
link sidelining him for the first qualifier. A rather MacGyver-like fix with a few e-clips connected the chain back up during
the break, but a broken steering fuel tube later on put him out of the Main.
So in the final race it was the familiar matchup
between Kevin and Ian, both on Novak-powered bikes. Kevin definitely had the speed advantage in the back straight due to a
lighter chassis and rider, while Ian quickly caught up nimbly in the slow S-turn. In motorcycling it is particularly true
that “the person who crashes the least, wins” and this was definitely the case. Ian’s crashes in the early
part of the race resulted in a one lap lead for Kevin. And even though there was some very TIGHT, CLEAN racing around the
track for the last final minutes, Ian was still exactly one lap down and Kevin wheelied to victory – literally! (after
running over a strategically placed fire hose)