After an engine blow up at AFM’s first round in Buttonwillow, a clutch explosion at Round 2 at Infineon, and a front brake lock up this Friday practice, Round 3 at Infineon actually ended up amazingly event free for me and my Motion Pro SV650!
The weekend started with AFM’s ladies class: Formula AFemme, which is always great fun. It’s quite exciting starting on the first row, and good preparation for my future! It was exhilarating to see Shelina Moreda blow by me between 2 and 3 on her ZX6, but also disappointing to see Christie Cooley down in turn 7. When Cassie and Jenn both passed me at once into 7 I realized I needed to get back in the game, which I proceeded to do, passing them both back and finishing fourth. The podium is in sight.
It was an amazing relief to actually finish all of the races I started, even though it was bit frustrating having to start from the back of the grid with 40 or so bikes in front of me. Despite the disadvantage of starting in position 40 in Formula IV, I worked my way up to 21st by turn 2 and then peeled off a handful more in the next seven laps, finishing 16th.
Still figuring out my Pirelli tires gave me some trouble in Open Twins when I should’ve been a pound down in the rear. I was, therefore, sliding all over the place coming out of every turn, most notably and frighteningly, turns 5, 6 (the carousel), and 8/8a. But I held it together and finished the race, though behind some of the 1098s that I’ve beaten in the past.
With that pound out, I entered 650 Twins with my game face. Starting on the last row all the way on the inside (yuck!), position 45, I put my head down and hit 19th by the first lap. Every couple laps I dropped a couple of positions, finishing up in 13th. I don’t remember passing all these people, but it was probably because I was taking them in twos and threes into turn 9, which was working quite well for me. Not only did I make up a bunch of much needed points, but I got a new fast lap time as well: 1:51.6.
My weekend certainly wouldn’t have been possible without all my fantastic sponsors: Motion Pro, JST Racing, Catalyst Reaction, Pirelli Tires, Suomy Helmets, Amsoil Race Oil, City Girls Guide, Munroe Motors and Lockhart Phillips. I was unimaginably blessed this weekend with a guest appearance of Peter Lenz’s mechanic Brian Ens, who made my brakes work. So super special thanks to Big B Racing!
Zöe Rem
AFM #925
zoegoesracing.com
April 28, 2009
Round 2 -- over and out
As the weekend came to a close I was in unusally high spirits considering the events, but I think that was due to the beer consumption which started shortly after I pulled off in the middle of the 650 Twins race.
Let's back up: Saturday brought the inaugural run of the Formula AFemme Ladies Class and a switch to Pirelli tires (they squish a lot!). With eleven women signed up, it was a pretty exciting event. Angie Loy came all the way out from Arizona to show the girls how to "git 'er done", as shot out front on her GSXR 750 and smoked the field running :48s! After a short gap was Deb on her little RS125 also rippin it up. Joy Higa was alone in third and in my sights for the entire race was Christie Cooley! I battled a bit with Cassie, and every time I'd sneak away from her and up to Christie there'd be a poor, innocent Clubman Lightweight rider in my way! Quite frustrating. So Cassie gave me a run for my money and Christie stayed in front of me as I blew turn 11 on the last lap, but managed to stay in 5th. It was an exciting day for us all. Though I was three seconds off last year's race pace and didn't feel on it, I still managed to have some fun and was eager for Sunday.
Sunday morning I was feeling decent though there were some unfortunate crashes in the first race. After a helicopter ride and a couple of hours, racing was back on, though there was a heavy weight in the air. My first race was Open Twins before lunch, then I was scheduled for 650 Twins and Formula IV after lunch. Open Twins is one of my favorite races because the pressure's down and I have a pretty good excuse if when I get passed by a 1098. My goal is always to pass BDub #143, but what was unexpected and unacceptable was to get passed by Michael Adrian! This is my race, what are these other 650s doing in Open Twins? I'm not allowed to get passed by 650s in Open Twins! It's just not supposed to happen. I hung onto Adrian and watched him knock plastic with what looked like an RC51, opening up a hole for me to get back by. I passed the RC51 too and hoped that I had put some space between us, but it didn't take long for Adrian to pass me back. Grr, it was on now! I thought I had him coming out of 7 but then Mickey Fibres came out of nowhere and stuffed me on the brakes! What is going on here? I kept up with Mickey and Adrian for a bit, but they slowly started to pull away and before I knew it they were a turn ahead and I no longer had a carrot in front of me to chase. I have yet to check if my lap times dropped for the last two or three laps, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Every lap I saw people behind me in turn 11 and I wasn't sure if it was Open Production coming around, or Open Twins guys trying to get by, but I managed to stave them all off, finishing in 13th place. Not bad for my little SV.
After lunch I lined up for 650 Twins and was feeling good, albeit being gridded in something like the 8th row! I saw Jenn and Christie ahead of me (with points from Buttonwillow) and I knew I had some small targets. My start was acceptable and I pulled around the outside, though turn 2 is always sketch with 40 bikes trying to pile in there at once. After the first half a lap the crowd started to thin out and I started to pick people off. It took me a while to get round Christie, but I managed it. Once again I got passed by Adrian and Mickey but I wasn't letting them get away again! They were right in front of me with someone else too, and there was an annoying guy on a red and blue bike who kept trying to pass me but kept blowing his turns. It was a little frustrating because I kept having to check up on my lines because of his mistakes. Then before I noticed anything, Frost blew by me and snuck in right behind Mickey. Grrrrrr. So Frost, Mickey, Adrian and mystery rider were a clump ahead of me, but I was right on their asses and snuck up on them in 7. Next lap, I thought, I'll get at least two of them into 7, and if not then certainly into 9. But as I came down to 11, I slammed down three gears and heard a hideous sound in my motor. "Oh no", I thought as it sounded like someone was shaking a coffee can full of screws. I didn't freak out for long as I upshifted out of 11 and continued down the front straight, but then it was time to downshift for 1 and nothing was happening! Step on the shifter, nothing! Slam on the shifter! NOTHING! AAAhhhh, I'm going really hot into 1, this is scary! But okay, I made the turn. And now I am bogging up the hill to 2 in 6th gear with my hand up. I finished the lap and came in as practically the whole grid passed by me. I promptly threw my bike on the stand and ripped my helmet off in a fit of fury.
After a once over by Chris V we determined that something inside the clutch must have gone and we should check it out. So we had the bike leaned over on its side against the trailer when Chris realized that the radiator drain plug is part of the clutch cover. Ever read the warning labels on your radiator cap? "Don't open when hot! Contents under pressure! Danger! Will explode in your face and give you hideous burns". So we couldn't do anything while the bike was hot. Boo. With Formula 4 about an hour and a half away we determined the best course of action was to start drinking. Which I promptly did.
Can't wait for May where I will be starting with no points on row 456. Like I need another challenge.
Let's back up: Saturday brought the inaugural run of the Formula AFemme Ladies Class and a switch to Pirelli tires (they squish a lot!). With eleven women signed up, it was a pretty exciting event. Angie Loy came all the way out from Arizona to show the girls how to "git 'er done", as shot out front on her GSXR 750 and smoked the field running :48s! After a short gap was Deb on her little RS125 also rippin it up. Joy Higa was alone in third and in my sights for the entire race was Christie Cooley! I battled a bit with Cassie, and every time I'd sneak away from her and up to Christie there'd be a poor, innocent Clubman Lightweight rider in my way! Quite frustrating. So Cassie gave me a run for my money and Christie stayed in front of me as I blew turn 11 on the last lap, but managed to stay in 5th. It was an exciting day for us all. Though I was three seconds off last year's race pace and didn't feel on it, I still managed to have some fun and was eager for Sunday.
Sunday morning I was feeling decent though there were some unfortunate crashes in the first race. After a helicopter ride and a couple of hours, racing was back on, though there was a heavy weight in the air. My first race was Open Twins before lunch, then I was scheduled for 650 Twins and Formula IV after lunch. Open Twins is one of my favorite races because the pressure's down and I have a pretty good excuse if when I get passed by a 1098. My goal is always to pass BDub #143, but what was unexpected and unacceptable was to get passed by Michael Adrian! This is my race, what are these other 650s doing in Open Twins? I'm not allowed to get passed by 650s in Open Twins! It's just not supposed to happen. I hung onto Adrian and watched him knock plastic with what looked like an RC51, opening up a hole for me to get back by. I passed the RC51 too and hoped that I had put some space between us, but it didn't take long for Adrian to pass me back. Grr, it was on now! I thought I had him coming out of 7 but then Mickey Fibres came out of nowhere and stuffed me on the brakes! What is going on here? I kept up with Mickey and Adrian for a bit, but they slowly started to pull away and before I knew it they were a turn ahead and I no longer had a carrot in front of me to chase. I have yet to check if my lap times dropped for the last two or three laps, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Every lap I saw people behind me in turn 11 and I wasn't sure if it was Open Production coming around, or Open Twins guys trying to get by, but I managed to stave them all off, finishing in 13th place. Not bad for my little SV.
After lunch I lined up for 650 Twins and was feeling good, albeit being gridded in something like the 8th row! I saw Jenn and Christie ahead of me (with points from Buttonwillow) and I knew I had some small targets. My start was acceptable and I pulled around the outside, though turn 2 is always sketch with 40 bikes trying to pile in there at once. After the first half a lap the crowd started to thin out and I started to pick people off. It took me a while to get round Christie, but I managed it. Once again I got passed by Adrian and Mickey but I wasn't letting them get away again! They were right in front of me with someone else too, and there was an annoying guy on a red and blue bike who kept trying to pass me but kept blowing his turns. It was a little frustrating because I kept having to check up on my lines because of his mistakes. Then before I noticed anything, Frost blew by me and snuck in right behind Mickey. Grrrrrr. So Frost, Mickey, Adrian and mystery rider were a clump ahead of me, but I was right on their asses and snuck up on them in 7. Next lap, I thought, I'll get at least two of them into 7, and if not then certainly into 9. But as I came down to 11, I slammed down three gears and heard a hideous sound in my motor. "Oh no", I thought as it sounded like someone was shaking a coffee can full of screws. I didn't freak out for long as I upshifted out of 11 and continued down the front straight, but then it was time to downshift for 1 and nothing was happening! Step on the shifter, nothing! Slam on the shifter! NOTHING! AAAhhhh, I'm going really hot into 1, this is scary! But okay, I made the turn. And now I am bogging up the hill to 2 in 6th gear with my hand up. I finished the lap and came in as practically the whole grid passed by me. I promptly threw my bike on the stand and ripped my helmet off in a fit of fury.
After a once over by Chris V we determined that something inside the clutch must have gone and we should check it out. So we had the bike leaned over on its side against the trailer when Chris realized that the radiator drain plug is part of the clutch cover. Ever read the warning labels on your radiator cap? "Don't open when hot! Contents under pressure! Danger! Will explode in your face and give you hideous burns". So we couldn't do anything while the bike was hot. Boo. With Formula 4 about an hour and a half away we determined the best course of action was to start drinking. Which I promptly did.
Can't wait for May where I will be starting with no points on row 456. Like I need another challenge.
April 22, 2009
April 21, 2009
April 20, 2009
Awaiting Infineon
I'm getting ready for AFM Round 2 at Infineon on April 25th and 26th. Lots of exciting things to come: a) My rebuilt (again) motor will hopefully work and I will be able to race! b) Formula AFemme Exhibition, for the first time ever the ladies will have the track to themselves (almost... we're a wave in the Clubman Lightweight race) to battle it out.
This round should be very exciting. I missed the WERA round in Vegas because my motor wasn't ready yet, so that was quite disappointing. Not only does WERA have a women's class that I'd love to race in, my favorite racer ever was there: Peter Lenz. He just rode at Phoenix this past weekend and came away with 3 1st places and a 3rd (the 3rd was in the 250 class and he's riding a 125). He's my hero and I can't wait to see him in MotoGP in a few more years.
Anyway, back to me: picking up bike tomorrow, getting quick turn throttle from Motion Pro because they are the best ever! And anxiously awaiting Formula AFemme which will be on Saturday, some time after 3pm, so come check it out! We are still working on class sponsors but it may look something like Trackside Moto, Pacific Track Time, Viets Performance, AFMotorsports (Michelin), Pirelli, Tim Scarrot in memory of his friend who passed away in Iraq, and our very own Joy Higa. When we know more we'll have official press stuff supporting all the people who are supporting us!
I should be working right now, so I'll see you all at the races!
This round should be very exciting. I missed the WERA round in Vegas because my motor wasn't ready yet, so that was quite disappointing. Not only does WERA have a women's class that I'd love to race in, my favorite racer ever was there: Peter Lenz. He just rode at Phoenix this past weekend and came away with 3 1st places and a 3rd (the 3rd was in the 250 class and he's riding a 125). He's my hero and I can't wait to see him in MotoGP in a few more years.
Anyway, back to me: picking up bike tomorrow, getting quick turn throttle from Motion Pro because they are the best ever! And anxiously awaiting Formula AFemme which will be on Saturday, some time after 3pm, so come check it out! We are still working on class sponsors but it may look something like Trackside Moto, Pacific Track Time, Viets Performance, AFMotorsports (Michelin), Pirelli, Tim Scarrot in memory of his friend who passed away in Iraq, and our very own Joy Higa. When we know more we'll have official press stuff supporting all the people who are supporting us!
I should be working right now, so I'll see you all at the races!
March 23, 2009
AFM Round 1: Tornado at Buttonwillow
The first race of the year managed to creep up on me, but I went down to the distant, smelly land of Buttonwillow feeling fairly prepared with all of my equipment; my mind had yet to follow. After the tedious drive down and the 45 minutes it took to blow an air mattress up with a bicycle pump, I wound up comfortably asleep beneath an EZ-Up.
Friday morning found me realizing all that I still had to do before my bike was ready to race, but when I finally got on the bike all of my nervousness drifted away and I set in to exploring my freshly built motor and remembering how to ride a road bike. As the afternoon ended, I set up pit with the ever so generous and helpful Chris Van Andel from Motion Pro.
During Saturday practice, the bike felt great again and I was starting to feel more comfortable on it, yet still trying to master the uneven surface and combination of technical turns and speed sections that BW offers. Catalyst Reaction had done wonders to my suspension and Buttonwillow felt like a road course instead of a motocross track! Chris V gave me a tremendous amount of help dialing the bike in, as well as the Peter Lenz crew. Pitting next to 11 yr old 125GP racer Peter Lenz just made me feel like a better rider. Check him out at www. peterlenz.com.
As I came around the sweeper and into the esses after the checker was thrown on my session, I was excited and pumped to get my race face on. But as I was leaned over in the last turn of the last lap of the last session, turning the throttle on, my bike started to bog. I stood up and looked down to see the RPMs dropping. Confused, I thought perhaps I had mis-shifted, and I dropped a gear, but they were still going down and I was still on the gas. I tried revving again and my little SV wouldn't go above six grand. As I pulled into the exit lane, I got off the gas and pulled the clutch in and the engine just shut off! I coasted to the pit, confused and a little worried. After getting my leathers off and trying not to stress, I came outside and told Chris what had happened. He tried to start the bike and it made a hugh "kachunk" noise. Now I was starting to worry a lot! Chris tried turning then engine over manually and it wouldn't go passed half way. Something was seriously wrong. After talking to Gregg Spears, it dawned on me that tomorrow was no longer race day for me. My motor was blown.
I was a little more than upset as I watched Peter smoke everyone in his clubman race. As I calmed down and thought about my options, Chris V mentioned that a racer was renting out Ninja 250s. I laughed at first, but then started to actually consider it. I'd get to ride a bike, which would be fun, regardless of the bike, and wait: I qualify for Formula IV, one of the classes I'd race on the SV! That means I could get some points for Round 2 at Infineon. It was a done deal. I rented the Ninja from Rich with racebikerentals.com and I was back in the game (sort of).
Saturday night brought 65 mph winds and torrential downpour which destroyed the EZ-Up nest under which I was attempting to sleep. After finally falling asleep just before dawn, I was awoken by my 6am alarm. I heard the rain and rolled over to go back to sleep. Seven o'clock brought a bit of blue sky to dry up the rain and figured it was time to get up though I was hesitant to leave my haven. The realization that I needed to register the Ninja 250 was enough to get me up and ready for the one practice session I'd get on the Ninja.
The first practice session was hardly a practice: it was more of an observation of where the puddles were on the track. Fortunately, the shotty Buttonwillow surface was particularly good at staying dry and the track seemed to be okay. So I gridded up for 250 Production, the first race of the day, ready to get all I could out of that lawn mower.
The flag was down and we were off, and I got a pretty good start! I came into turn 1 in fifth place. I confidently creeped up on a Ninja, and then it was fourth. Before I knew it, third place was mine. But by this point, first and second place were already a few turns ahead of me. I tried to catch up, but they just seemed to be pulling away from me. Before long, I couldn't see them anymore and I couldn't hear any one else behind me either. I rode alone into a third place finish and just enjoyed being on a bike and on a track when hours before I hadn't thought that possible.
Formula IV was a Ninja's nightmare. I did not get a good start, which is the only thing I had going for me. So after one pass and one lap, I was again alone. But I didn't come in last and I got points for Round 2, and that was my goal.
Out of a horrendous situation, I came away with an awesome trophy and a better starting position for one of my three classes in Round 2. And I wont be the only one at the back of the grid. Buttonwillow turned out to be an anti-SV weekend with two blown engines, two blown transmissions and a couple big crashes as well. And that's racing.
Friday morning found me realizing all that I still had to do before my bike was ready to race, but when I finally got on the bike all of my nervousness drifted away and I set in to exploring my freshly built motor and remembering how to ride a road bike. As the afternoon ended, I set up pit with the ever so generous and helpful Chris Van Andel from Motion Pro.
During Saturday practice, the bike felt great again and I was starting to feel more comfortable on it, yet still trying to master the uneven surface and combination of technical turns and speed sections that BW offers. Catalyst Reaction had done wonders to my suspension and Buttonwillow felt like a road course instead of a motocross track! Chris V gave me a tremendous amount of help dialing the bike in, as well as the Peter Lenz crew. Pitting next to 11 yr old 125GP racer Peter Lenz just made me feel like a better rider. Check him out at www. peterlenz.com.
As I came around the sweeper and into the esses after the checker was thrown on my session, I was excited and pumped to get my race face on. But as I was leaned over in the last turn of the last lap of the last session, turning the throttle on, my bike started to bog. I stood up and looked down to see the RPMs dropping. Confused, I thought perhaps I had mis-shifted, and I dropped a gear, but they were still going down and I was still on the gas. I tried revving again and my little SV wouldn't go above six grand. As I pulled into the exit lane, I got off the gas and pulled the clutch in and the engine just shut off! I coasted to the pit, confused and a little worried. After getting my leathers off and trying not to stress, I came outside and told Chris what had happened. He tried to start the bike and it made a hugh "kachunk" noise. Now I was starting to worry a lot! Chris tried turning then engine over manually and it wouldn't go passed half way. Something was seriously wrong. After talking to Gregg Spears, it dawned on me that tomorrow was no longer race day for me. My motor was blown.
I was a little more than upset as I watched Peter smoke everyone in his clubman race. As I calmed down and thought about my options, Chris V mentioned that a racer was renting out Ninja 250s. I laughed at first, but then started to actually consider it. I'd get to ride a bike, which would be fun, regardless of the bike, and wait: I qualify for Formula IV, one of the classes I'd race on the SV! That means I could get some points for Round 2 at Infineon. It was a done deal. I rented the Ninja from Rich with racebikerentals.com and I was back in the game (sort of).
Saturday night brought 65 mph winds and torrential downpour which destroyed the EZ-Up nest under which I was attempting to sleep. After finally falling asleep just before dawn, I was awoken by my 6am alarm. I heard the rain and rolled over to go back to sleep. Seven o'clock brought a bit of blue sky to dry up the rain and figured it was time to get up though I was hesitant to leave my haven. The realization that I needed to register the Ninja 250 was enough to get me up and ready for the one practice session I'd get on the Ninja.
The first practice session was hardly a practice: it was more of an observation of where the puddles were on the track. Fortunately, the shotty Buttonwillow surface was particularly good at staying dry and the track seemed to be okay. So I gridded up for 250 Production, the first race of the day, ready to get all I could out of that lawn mower.
The flag was down and we were off, and I got a pretty good start! I came into turn 1 in fifth place. I confidently creeped up on a Ninja, and then it was fourth. Before I knew it, third place was mine. But by this point, first and second place were already a few turns ahead of me. I tried to catch up, but they just seemed to be pulling away from me. Before long, I couldn't see them anymore and I couldn't hear any one else behind me either. I rode alone into a third place finish and just enjoyed being on a bike and on a track when hours before I hadn't thought that possible.
Formula IV was a Ninja's nightmare. I did not get a good start, which is the only thing I had going for me. So after one pass and one lap, I was again alone. But I didn't come in last and I got points for Round 2, and that was my goal.
Out of a horrendous situation, I came away with an awesome trophy and a better starting position for one of my three classes in Round 2. And I wont be the only one at the back of the grid. Buttonwillow turned out to be an anti-SV weekend with two blown engines, two blown transmissions and a couple big crashes as well. And that's racing.
March 10, 2009
Pre-season '09
Trying to scramble things together a bit last minute. How does this always seem to happen? I'm well on my way though, don't worry. Just waiting to get body work painted and initial suspension set up from Catalyst Reaction. In the mean time, I've been dirtbiking as much as possible to try and prepare for the season. In addition, I've got myself on a rigorous work out schedule, so my guns are getting pretty loaded. Unfortunately, I love eating too much to reign myself in all the time, so I'm not as fit as I'd wish to be, but I'm getting there.
First race is March 21st and 22nd at Buttonwillow, so less than two weeks to finish up my preparations. I'll also be entering as many WERA races as possible, so you can find me in Vegas on April 11th and 12th too!
Thanks for reading, and feel free to contact me if you realize that your business could benefit from having a female motorbike racer as a company representive.
First race is March 21st and 22nd at Buttonwillow, so less than two weeks to finish up my preparations. I'll also be entering as many WERA races as possible, so you can find me in Vegas on April 11th and 12th too!
Thanks for reading, and feel free to contact me if you realize that your business could benefit from having a female motorbike racer as a company representive.
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