here's what i thought about the race...
from a financial standpoint, it was a disaster. not as bad as my last race in the rain, but i basically paid for half the track rental outta my own pocket. that sucks, but i'm not gonna cry about it. it's only money, i'll just make more...
the races were awesome. we had just about all the hardcore guys involved. from start to finish in every heat, every final, and even during practice, everyone was going all out. no sandbagging, no cruising, just flat-out racing, whether it was for a trophy, grudge match, or for fun.
the racing was top notch, and there were as many battles for 1st and 2nd as there was for 2nd to last. seemed like everyone had someone to race against. everyone pushed themselves and their bikes to the limit, and a lot of us went over those limits and paid the price, either in flesh or in broken metal.
the track was fast and grippy. easy to hold a line, but really difficult to pass in the corners. i know there were plenty of times i was stuck behind someone, holding back from bumping their rear tire, waiting for the straights to see who's gonna make it to the next corner first.
we can change up the chicanes and the curves next time. i'm thinking take out the S turns in the eastern corner. that'll leave a long sweeper that'll give some room for some interesting pass oppurtunities.
that's another cool thing about that track. there's a lot of different variations that can be made just by blocking off certain areas. i'm hoping to be able to get out there a few times before my september 15th race to try out some different course options.
here's what i didn't like about the track...
i was under the impression that the open gokart practice would be off the track and outta there by 2pm, not snaking in some final laps, then taking 2 hours to load up and get out of the lower pits.
i also didn't like the attitude some of those gokart guys had, when i politely informed them that the track's ours at 2pm, and if they'd please do their best to clear the area as soon as possible.
then, when our races ended at 10pm (exactly. the last bike in the ultimate class rolled off the track at precisely 10pm.) we had 20 or 30 minutes before the lights were shut off, and we had to load up everything in total darkness.
i understand we've only got the track till 10pm, but it woulda been nice if we had another half hour of lights.
the track lighting wasn't that great, either. there are some pretty dim spots, and some that are blacked out completely.
hopefully i can resolve some of these issues for the september race.
also, if any of you have any ideas, suggestions, comments, criticisms, or whatever, send me a message or post it on the forum for discussion. i'm not doing these races to make money (although it would be nice to break even
,) i'm doing it 'cause i love to race.
there were a few regrettable moments. most notable, after someone went offroading out of the Big Monza turn and covered the track with sand, Jim Rust thought he was signalled off the track by the guys who jumped out to clean it off. sorry about that Jim, I didn't have any control over that. i talked to those guys after and they didn't tell you to get off the track, just trying to warn you about the sand. they were spectators, and not "official volunteers."
to sum it all up, i think everyone had a great time. seemed like you could feel all the excitement and positive vibes coming out of everyone there, and i really appreciate you guys coming out. in my opinion, it was the best racing this sport's seen since it started.
thanks, everyone!