Andreas Schmitt-Sody #675: Motorcycle Racing with SMRI

2009 season

First Race day with SMRI for 2009:

What a weekend. I think this will be remembered by me for a while. My goal for the season was to run 56s after 2 weekends and become an expert. Well, I managed to do it in one day. I am promoted to expert after yesterday and my fastest lap time was a 56.3. I am thrilled. Here now the details:

Amateur GTU First race of the weekend for me. After the morning practice I felled pretty good. Turning already 58s lap time, being one of the fastest Novice racer on the track. Just a small explanation, Amateur class is designed for fast novice and slower expert racers. So I was excited to see where I am at. Only one expert was participating, but I knew he can run 55s but hasn't raced for over a year. Starting from the pole position, I got a good start. Going into turn 1 in first place. With the knowledge of the expert rider behind me I pushed hard. With the new pipe, I don't hear anymore if someone is behind me. Maybe it was a good thing this weekend. It turns out that no one was able to follow me. Putting almost half a lap between me and the second place. Also I lapped the slower rider 2 laps before the end. I just thought they were just slow. Then I looked at the lap times. first 8 laps consistent low 57 and then the bomb:last two laps where 56 with the best lap in the last lap, a 56.6.. Not only clinching my first race win of the season, but also already putting down these times, I was pumped.

Novice GTO Now against the big bikes. Luckily at our track it doesn't matter much. Track record (51.9) is held by a 600. But in this class, there are some faster novices. Starting again from pole (they did the grids on first name alphabetical order, so all the races I got the pole) again I had a good start and got into turn 1 as 1st. But I knew this time, it wouldn't be that easy. One guy with a GSX-R1000 sat one my tale the whole race. I concentrated on covering the inside at all the turns, put my head down and fight. And it worked. Finishing first again. I thought since I was battling with another guy that the lap times where not that great. Wrong! 56.3s is now the official personal best at this track.

Novice GTU With the news already out that I got bumped up to expert during lunch, I wanted to score another win in my last novice race here with SMRI. This time, I somehow missed the started a little and only was second in turn 1. Carlos had a great start. Great guy by the way. OK, now I somehow had to get around him. I tried in turn 3 but he closed it early enough. I was then just sitting for a lap and watching him. Then in turn 1, I had the better entrance speed, he ran a little wide, and I squeezes through the inside. Also got the better drive out and clinched 1st. I pushed as hard as a could but I started feeling tired. So the lap times were "only" 57s and 58s. No new personal best anymore. I also couldn't slow down and rest since I knew that Carlos was able to run 57s too.

Amateur GTO Just coming from the Novice GTU race, I just grabbed a water bottle emptied it and got back on the track. I already felt that I am a little off in the warm up lap. The start was awful. I ended up last even starting from first place (5th place). I was able to hold on for one lap but then the problems started. Running wide in turn 1 and running wide in turn 4. That was it, I decided to save myself and the bike and pulled off. There is still a long season ahead of me and a trashed bike or health wouldn't help at all. Got my points for being 5th and enjoyed watching the rest of the races.

Overall a very successful weekend. Problem now, I have to set new goals for the next race day. Well, now the 55s are the hurdle to take and holding on to Edda or Jason in the Amateur GTU. Also I am thrilled to race now with the Middleweight class. The fastest guy (Mike Shreeve) is in there. I think I would learn a lot! Thanks for Steve from Moto-authority for his support. Also Doug from JD Cycle. Sorry, no pictures. There wasn't any Photographer on site this weekend. Maybe next time.

Excursion to ASMA, Deming:
Got to play a little bit at ASMA's first race weekend. Fun track, nice people and fast. I don't comment much on the results since I was battling for last place anyway. Excuse? No excuse, but several reasons. First, new track, second had to get used to the new bike and third, I crashed. Well, stupidity has to be punished. Not tire warmers, first lap, pushed to hard, low sided. Damage to the bike is just some scratches on the fairing, sliders and case cover. Everything did its job. Oh, by the way, I didn't get hurt either. No pictures since there are no good ones. Can't wait till season starts here at Sandia. See how fast I can get back to my times.

OK, here are some updates for the new season that comes up. I am still a novice, but that is deserved. I did some modes to the bike. I installed a new rear shock, a full exhaust system and changed the internals of the forks. Here are some pics:

2008 season

So, season is over. Bike is taken apart. I am waiting for my forks to be worked by Dave at Single Track Mind in Colorado. People told me he is a great suspension guy. I will give my two cents as soon as I can try them. Also I am waiting for a full race exhaust system. There was a problem with the one I already received. It just didn't fit. So I hope I will get a replacement soon. Then I will post pictures of my "new" bike. Are you getting tired of the paint job? Hey, me too. Do you want to pay for it? Just kidding.

I didn't make it to an expert. Well, I missed 2 races. So I think there are the few seconds that some of the others could scrap off. But I am feeling good with what I achieved for my first season. A few wins, couple of second places and a few third places. Will get two trophies from the season standings. I think I am 4th in GTU and 5th in GTO. Not to bad for missing two races. That is killing you. Can't catch up with that during the season.

In the mean time I played a little bit at a track day in Deming at the Arroyo Seco Raceway. Great People, fun track! I probably will race a couple of races there instead of with MRA. Why? Just cheaper. Don't forget, I am still a student and race on a budget. Here is my first try of a video that I made:

More to come as soon as my bike is back together and the new season started. Have a great end of the year!

Races 24th of August

It was a hot weekend. On Saturday at Practice, I started of and something didn't feel right. But even with that, I did 59s during the session. This bad feeling went worse every session. My rear was just slipping like crazy. I thought something is wrong with my setup. I actually went of the track once. Luckily it was in turn 7. So I just rode it straight into the pits. At lunch, I talked to other racers. Everyone said they have problems with the tires slipping and getting greasy. But it didn't help my mood. My plan was to do consistent 57s this weekend and maybe hit the 56 at some point.

So for Sunday, I was testing in the practice and when there is no improvement I will change tires. First session in the morning, everything felt better, but then when it started to heat up again, back to slipping all over the place. So at lunch, I changed tires. A new front and a used rear. The rear only had one race weekend on it and had enough meat. Hope that makes it better.

First Race: Novice GTU:
Since Ryan and Mike moved to the experts now, only Zach was left that was faster then me. I got a great start. Went into turn 1 as first. I like to start on the outside. Since you can just go ahead and pull in. I wasn't on the outside, but one in. Still better then pole in my opinion. To do so, you block off everyone else. Tires felt much better. But after a few laps, Zach passed me and was gone. He was running 57s and 56s and I wasn't there yet. So I was racing lonely in second. Well another trophy and podium finish. Now already 3 trophies at home. But I wasn't happy with my times. Still no 58.

Novice GTO:
This time I had the outside in first row (4th starting position). I didn't expect much since John, Jason, Mike and Dan are racing faster times then me before. The start was great again. Didn't end up first, but third. I was right behind Edda and Mike. I was surprised to hold on to Mike and Edda. Then 2 laps in, Zach passed me again. No surprise here. Half way through the race, My rear started slipping again. But this time I somehow dealt with it. I looked back and I had Dan right on my ass. I was fighting him off the whole race. Which kind of made me loose the touch to Edda and Mike in front of me. But it was worth it. I could keep Dan behind me the whole time. Lap times dropped to 58s with a 58 flat as fasted lap. Ended up 4th. I was surprised that I caught up to Jason in the last lap. I guess he had trouble with his suspension the whole weekend. Also John couldn't keep up this weekend. The tires and the track were just not a good combination this weekend. But this race made me happy again. I could pull something off even with sliding tires.

Novice Open:
Warm up lap was already bad. My rear had no grip left. So I decided to keep it slow. Don't want to crash. This time, starting position was in second row and the inside. But even I dislike this position, I got another great start. Again, pulled in third after the first turn. But my rear! No traction out of the turn. I had to let pass Dan and Mike. I saw Jason behind me. He passed my in turn 3 after half the race. I had no problems to keep up with him. I investigated where he was slower and where I can take him Laid out my plan for the last lap. Didn't want to do anything before that since there might be the possibility of me blowing one corner. But then red flag. So ended up 6th. Well that is racing. I was wondering who crashed. Well, it was on the exit of turn 3. Davinia crashed. Not again. Actually, it was not a surprise to me that a bad crash happened this weekend. With tires being greasy, I thought more will happen. But not Davinia again. She just recovered from here crash couple month ago and had some 59s now. Hope she is OK!

Overall, I it wasn't too bad. Everyone had problems. Made me feel not so miserable even I couldn't achieve my goal. Got another Podium finish. Now it is time ot take a break. I will go to Germany for 1.5 Weeks the next race weekend. So next race is that last with the SMRI for this season in October.

Adventure with MRA, August 9th and 10th

So, it was time for another WOW series of our ladies in Pueblo, CO. Yoyo and Mitch offered me a space in their trailer. So I was able to afford racing up there in the Novice Class. First time on the track. It is another awesome experience!

Practice: Well, I had three sessions to get used to the new track and race. The first time out on it, I felt like someone who never was on a motorcycle before. A local race showed me the lines around, but it didn't feel right. Second session, Donna was showing me around on a slightly different line. It felt much better and was going to pick up speed. Third session, hitting the line better and better, getting faster and feeling good for the races.

Novice GTU: I started in the second wave. Got a good start, but was passed on the long straight on the brakes. I still didn't have the guts to brake late. Coming towards the end with 145Mph is scary. But after a few laps, I caught up with the slower riders of the first wave. Battled with some other riders after that. I didn't know where to pass people yet. So I hesitated several times. I think it costs me a few positions. Nevertheless, I ended up 20th out of 30th. Not bad for my first race there.

Novice GTO: I didn't expect much against the big bikes. On the straight, I just have no chance at all. I started in the second wave again. Had a great start. Went into turn on as the leading bike of the second wave. After that, I was pretty much alone. Wasn't fast enough to catch up with the first one. Several Bikes crashed during that race, making me move up a few spots. I thought I was getting more and more consistent. But after looking at my lap times, they were differing of about 4 seconds. Ended up 25th of 32.

I felt good about the weekend. It was a great experience. A new track, race with different people. The pictures show what I did wrong. I am still crossing up a lot. I started working on that the last time at Sandia. But here, I was more battling with finding the line rather my positioning, If I get the automatism in my riding position, I might actually pick up some more speed faster at other tracks!

Special Thanks to Phil from NMPixel for making the following race pictures and let me use it .

Race Weekend July 19th and 20th: I didn't post anything about my second weekend. Well to sum it up, it was kind of wired weekend. Didn't get better results, but pushed my lap times to a 58.2s. Here are now a more detailed report for the 3rd race weekend in my life:

Practice on Saturday was OK, I was working on my riding position. It felt much faster, but I ended up breaking to early, so my times where back at a minute. I didn't race the endurance race since the last time, it was just pure torture to me. No fun at all. But...
Exhibition Race:
This was a race in front of a car crowed. A lot of fun. They let some Novice Racers race in it with the fast expert. I was nervous and then after I saw the grids scared. Pole Position with Mike Shreeve all the way in the back. I thought I will get pushed around in turn 1. But it wasn't actually not bad. I got a good start. Of course, a lot of experts where flying by me. I thought, actually, that all passed me. But midway through the race I got passed bu two more. If I would have known that some of them where behind me, I might have pushed harder.

Sunday:
Practice was better: I forced myself to brake later and got down to a 58.8 again. Gave me confidence!

First Race: Novice GTU Well, it was a great start. I was in first ow, but in fourth position. My front wheel came off the ground for about a foot for the first 30 yards. I just slammed the door in turn one. I didn't want anyone to get by me and it worked. Then it was a lonely race in first place. I pushed my lap time to a 58.07 and got the win. First win! But I have to mention that the people who normally finish in front of me where at Laguna Seca to watch MotoGP.

Second Race: Novice GTO So, again with the big bikes. My start was awful. I ended up in the end of the pack of 7 riders. That kind of was the race for me in respect of position. It took me one lap to get around the slower guy. Another racer had the same problem like me (John Vargo #220, Ducati 1098). So we two lost the contact to the racers in front of us. But we had a good race anyway. I was behind him for a 2 to 3 laps. Then he ran wide in turn 1 and I came from underneath him. I was pushing as hard as I could, one for chasing down the guys in front of me and second for holding of the Ducati. I was surprised that he didn't make a move at all. He had much more power out of the turns. Then at the end, I guess he had a false neutral in turn 7 and ran into the pits. So ended up 5th place. But the amazing thing where my lap times. First time a 57.6s and consistent under 58 and 57s the whole race.

Third Race: Novice Open Again, a bad start. But this time I got around the slower guys quicker. And ended up in battling for 4th with a GSX-R750. To run it down, I had another 57s lap. the other guy turned his head twice and couldn't see me so he thought he was alone. I guess otherwise, I couldn't explain the easy pass out of turn 3. I just accelerated by him like he was standing. Then I was busy battling him off. So my times went back to 59. Also my body was getting tired. In the last lap, we run up to a bike to lap. I hesitated a little at the entrance of turn 2, and he shot by me. I couldn't get it back till the end of the race. So ended up 5th again.

So overall I achieved my goal to push the lap times to a 57. Next time, I would like to see a 56 and stabilize the other times to 57. So a lot work to do!

Previous Race reports:

After a rough start in the season, dropping my bike on the trailer, bended my front brake rotors and unable to race the first race, I finally got to race this race weekend (05/18/2008). On Saturday, I run 1:04 times. First time on slicks and only getting used to the track again after half a year of break. But the times dropped on Sundays. I was running low 1:00 or high 59s. Not to bad, gave me confidence for the races.

First Race of the Day: Open Beginners
Was a good race to get used to. Started from the pole, but didn't had a good start. So I had 5 people passing me in turn 1. Worked my way up to 3rd. Passed John on his 1098 in the hair pin in the inside. Was an amazing feeling. Then the next lap, I took Jason. Oh man, that was a perfect executed pass. I knew he was slower in the rear part of the track (turn 4,5,6). So I started to approach him in turn 4, carried a lot of speed in turn 5 (double apex), came out side by side, opened the throttle and just swept by him in turn 6. I was proud of me. Also Jason gave me complements for this pass. Then the Brandon, guy in second crashed in the hair pin (turn 3). Almost lost the 2nd place in the end because I didn't realize that right behind me was John with his 1098. Lesson learned and lucky to be 2nd! Also not allowed to race this class any more. To fast for it! Well, I had no shot for first place since Mike Hall is just fast. His fasted lap is a high 56.

Second Race: Novice GTO
Screwed up the start again. This time I was in second row, but I had second gear in. Idiot!. So got to like 8 place. But worked my way through to 4th. Don't remember much about the battles since all the races where some amazing battles. A few laps more and I might have gotten the guy in front of me since his tires went bad. Also Edda ran out of gas in front of me.

Third Race: Novice GTU
Start was better. Didn't let many people by. But ended up in fifth place (started from fifth). But it was an amazing race for me. Was behind a guy which was very hard to pass. He made himself wide and had a very good line. I tried a lot, but didn't get by him. I was faster then him in the turns, but he had the better acceleration. I knew as soon as I was by him, it would be over since I was faster overall. But there is this saying: It is easy to catch up on the guy in front of you, but a complete different story to get by him. Then during the end of the race we ran into a slower rider to be laped. She took the inside line in turn 6, the guy in front of me too. I just opened the throttle and took the outside. Was the right choice. He got held up by the laped rider enough to get by. After that I was gone and closed the gap to the third, But not enough race left to actually reached him. But it was an awesome fight for fourth place.

Fourth and last one: Novice Open
Another amazing race. Start was ok. Ended up in 7th after turn one with Dan Tarr on the Duc right behind me and 3 guys right in front of me. When I tried to take Mike in front of me, Dan just shot by all of us and took 3rd in the end. Not my league yet. But this group of four where entertaining the crowed. First, Mike in front of me. I got him in turn one, but he got me right back in turn three. Was my fault. I went into this turn to slow. But next lap I got Mike and Jason at once. Mike tried to get by Jason in turn 3, but has to slow down and I just accelerated out of it got by Mike and took Jason in turn 4. Amazing. So I was in 5th with one more guy in front of me from this nice group. I think it took me a few laps because I wasn't sure how close the guys were behind me. But I got him in turn 6 again. Then it wasn't a big problem anymore to keep that place sine the guys behind me where battling.

Conclusion: Mike Hall, Edda, Ryan and Dan Tarr are out of my reach. I am getting more and more comfortable. Got my time under a minute which was my first goal. Had some amazing battles and a lot of fun. Slicks are great. I think I should change my sprockets to get more acceleration out of the turns. I can't wait for the next races!

My first race ever: 10/07/2007 Open beginner class
Finished in 5th place.

Here some picks of the track days from earlier times: