As the one who caused the...
As the one who caused the damage I felt obligated to fix it. Here Jared Green and I start removing the lower fairing to remove all the debris. A WERA official overlooks our progress.
Lewis comes in, we wait the agonizing seconds while our standard gas can slowly drizzles fuel into the tank, and once it's topped off I hop aboard...and almost stall the bike. The clutch problem was seemingly getting worse and all I could do was pray it wouldn't completely back out. Little did I know the clutch would be the least of my worries. Four laps into my stint I had my targets set on a slower rider. Entering the tricky Attitudes section of the track-a section I had dialed during the school-I misjudged my entry point into the appropriately named Bad Attitude, a downhill left turn preceded by a successive right and left combination, and clipped the raised curbing on the track. Already at full lean, this sent the R6 into a tankslapper from hell. Trying my best to save it, eventually hope was lost and I had to abort, causing this rider to see the ground followed by the sky in rapid succession multiple times. After I finished tasting the local soil samples and becoming overwhelmed with guilt, I picked the bike up and noticed the damage was just a broken footpeg-the foldable clutch lever was still intact!
After limping back to the pits, the team feverishly went to work replacing the footpeg and cleaning out the debris from the underbelly. Unfortunately, Bigelow's limited budget meant that trick bits like dzus fasteners to quickly remove bodywork weren't equipped-simple nuts and bolts kept the fairings in place instead. Throughout it all, everyone stayed calm and focused at the task at hand-our inexperience only overcome by our enthusiasm and commitment to finish the race. Once given the green light by the scrutineers, Atkinson hopped onboard and took off-mainly because he was the only team member in his leathers! With the time lost in the pits we fell towards the bottom of the standings, and though a top-ten finish seemed out of touch, in racing (especially endurance racing) anything can happen.
Not knowing where we were...
Not knowing where we were in the standings, the decision to conserve energy and follow, or push a little and pass weighed on my mind.
Other than a few passes, my...
Other than a few passes, my stint on the R6 was largely alone. With close to an hour on the machine, this allowed me to experiment with different lines and techniques. A luxury not afforded in sprint racing.
The other team members all cycled through their stints without much fuss, each reporting the bike was working great, while those teams pitted next to us were having problems that eventually forced them to retire. Even our tire change went remarkably smoothly without any quick-change equipment on the bike. With all these good omens in place I was more than ready for my second stint and my chance at redemption.
Once the other riders cycled...
Once the other riders cycled through their stints, I was up again. After a rear tire change I was ready for redemption.
Apparently, whatever I did during my tumble cured the clutch issue since it wasn't a problem anymore. At this point the plan was to ride at a steady pace-consistent 2:10s and 2:11s-around Miller's 3.06-mile perimeter course. The hour long stint allowed me to experiment with different lines and techniques instead of charging ahead at full throttle like in sprint races. My early laps involved three dices for position (I later discovered), but at my energy-conserving pace I hesitated on whether to pass or follow. Ultimately I drafted past each rider on the long front straight and left it to them to make their moves. They never did. For the rest of my laps I found myself riding alone when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the entire team along pit wall. I knew the end was in sight. Rounding through Wind Up and the final bend, Release, the team cheered as I crossed the checkered flag. We did it. The Team Zyvax R1 won the race, followed by the Team Zyvax R6 and the Team Hooters Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Riding back to the pits a great feeling of relief came over me. The team were ecstatic that I made up three positions during my stint, bumping us to a top-15 finish. Looking at the final results, however, I knew we could have placed well in the top ten had I not gone down. But as the saying goes, that's racing. Inspired, now Bigelow and the rest of the gang want to do more. And yes, they still asked me to ride with them.