San Diego BMW Motorcycles at the WSMC Series Finale

San Diego BMW Motorcycles at the WSMC Series Finale

Some say the world’s easiest job is Weather forecasting in Southern California. “Sunny and seventy, Just like yesterday and tomorrow.” The weather at the November round of Willow Springs Motorcycle Club Races was anything but predictable. Saturday started out with a wet track from the overnight rains. The only rider to venture out for the first round of practice ended up coming back on the crash truck without completing a lap. The morning only got worse as more rain clouds rolled through.

With Jeremy and the rest of the team racing in Macau China, I was at Willow Springs primarily to ensure I kept my points leads in the Formula 40 class and Top Rookie overall. I also had in mind to try to better the Formula 40 lap record, but with the temperature almost 70° colder than last time we were here it seemed unlikely to have the traction to run at that speed. I did however get out in one practice session on Saturday afternoon. The track was still cold and the wind was blowing hard, but I was able to get the fastest lap time of any rider for the day.

Sunday Morning got off to a slightly better start. The track was still wet from more overnight rains and the wind was blowing even harder, but the rain did not return. While the wind made the day uncomfortable, it did help to dry the track out quickly and blew the clouds away. With temps in the forties and 30 MPH winds, it also blew the spectators away. Race one, Open Modified Production, may have had 5 die-hards in the bleachers. I got off to a decent start and was third into turn one. I passed Reno Karimian into second and was chasing the New Number One plate holder, Karl Lowery, when the red flag was thrown. The restart went slightly different. I was still third going into turn two but first two positions had reversed. This allowed me to make a pass on Karl going into turn three and we both passed Reno on the first lap. That’s when it got interesting. The rear tire had been spinning a lot through turn two on both starting laps. I assumed it was due to the cold temperatures, but on the second lap with Karl all over me, it really let loose and I got thrown out of the seat. I barely managed to keep it on the track and lost the lead to Karl. I immediately realized why the tire had been spinning. I had pulled a rookie mistake and forgot to check the rear tire pressure. The rest of the race was like riding with a bowling ball for a rear tire. It was all I could do to hold onto third behind Matt Quiqley on his Kawasaki.

The Formula 40 race went a little better. I adjusted the rear Dunlop’s pressure and put a new Slick up front. I took the hole shot and never looked back. I ran some respectable times, but not close enough to beat the record on an icy cold track. Frankly, I didn’t think I would be able to run that quick with the weather, but in the Premier class I found more speed and actually ran considerably quicker than the record. I did complete my main goal for the weekend though; this win clinched the Formula 40 Championship, and the Top Rookie Classification. I was relieved to have the pressure off, especially after how close I came to making a mess of it in the first race.

As I mentioned the Formula 1 class is the premier class. It is only open to those riders who have qualified as Pro level with WSMC, and it draws the best riders from all classes. I have only raced it twice before, as this is my first season on a liter bike. I only had time to install a new rear Dunlop between races, and this time managed to remember to check the tire pressure. On the out lap I noticed we had a new rider added to the starting lineup. Bobby Fong was joining the grid on his Ducati. That meant I was not gridded last. You see, in club racing, a riders position on the grid is decided by the current championship points of each rider in that class. Since that was Bobbies first time competing in this class, he had fewer points than I did. So he was last on the grid. Lot of good it did me though, as on the start I went into turn one right behind him. I was able to get around him and Reno on the first lap and crossed the line at the end of lap one in fifth position behind Lowery, Higby, Prince, and Duran. I had lost a little ground to the leading pack in the first lap, but was able to reel them back in and to get around Higby as he faded back due to the blistering pace and the relative lack of power with his Buell. So at the end of lap 3, I was 4th and had caught right up to the pack. Duran had passed Prince, and I was able to use the power of the S1000RR to get by him as well. I ran third from lap 4 through 9, trying to find a way around Duran, all the while Duran was trying to find a way around Lowery. You could have thrown a blanket over the four of us. I tried to get up the inside of Duran on lap 10 in turn 8. 160 mph, knees on the ground, tires sliding as I surged forward into turn nine. Duran had the better line and closed the door leaving me very close to touching his rear wheel with my front. I had to check up to avoid hitting him and lost the drive. This allowed Prince to get by and I was relegated to 4th. The three of them all posted their fastest laps of the race in lap 11 making it impossible to make up the lost time.

I was thrilled with this finish. I would have loved to get on the podium, but finishing fourth was three positions better than last month and my best finish in Formula 1 so far. I had bettered my best lap at the track and ran well under my goal for the weekend (albeit in the wrong race). Also, Lowery, Duran, and Prince finished in the same positions in the WSMC over-all points as they did it the race, so they will be the guys to beat next year.

With one more race left in the day the weather began to worsen. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped down to 44° before the Open Superbike Race. The grid was smaller that it should have been, as some competitors opted to pass on the last race of the year, but I was just not ready to quit riding yet. I was wishing I had heated grips on my race bike though. I got the hole-shot and lead into turn three when I saw another red flag. Turns out Prince had high-sided in turn one and injured his foot. On the restart, I was second into turn one but led out of it and just enjoyed the last laps of the season. I had a sizable lead at the finish, and had secured third position in the Open Superbike Championship.

For Me, (Gary Orr, Owner of San Diego BMW Motorcycles), coming back to the competition of racing has been amazing. After more than a 15-year layoff, to return with a Stock bike that truly is competitive with the best super-bikes is a dream come true. The S1000RR has consistently been the best bike on the grid this season. After just 7 months of development (including a lot of rider on the job training) I have won Two WSMC Championships (Formula 40 and Solo GTO), a California State Championship (Formula 40), and the WSMC Top Rookie Award. Perhaps most importantly we have a truly competitive team in place for next season. I plan to take the next step in competing with the Formula 1 class next year. That of building a Super-Bike engine to go with the platform we have developed.

I would like to thank everyone for a great year, starting with thanking God for keeping me safe. I can’t thank our staff at San Diego BMW Motorcycles enough for covering for me at the shop and doing such a great job while I was away. My new friends Jeremy Toye and Lee’s Cycles have helped me in so many ways. They helped me to set up the bike, allowed me to see that the bike and I were capable of more than I thought possible, and helped to develop the rear suspension components I am using. (They are also building the engine I will use next year). Also, thank you to Tim Chin and X-Dot Racing for building the front suspension, and for making this same fork kit available through our service department. Jason Turner worked tirelessly to set-up my bike and made it absolutely the best for me, and he did this in addition to managing the entire team and designed several parts in the process. Finally, I want to thank my wife Heather and Brother in Law Michael for allowing me to take the time away from our shop and our personal lives to participate in all these races.