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Ducati Indianapolis Wins Big at Mid-Ohio
MID
I have to say I was pretty excited as I jumped in my truck and started the 8-hour drive to
Making this an even more exciting weekend was the fact that Matt had decided to come out of his quasi-retirement and actually race. He brought his 848 for Supertwins as well as a 10 year old Ducati 748R. We have ridden on the track together before but I have never seen him actually race. I was looking forward to the spectacle almost as much as I was looking forward to racing myself.
I arrived at the track around 7AM. Matt met me at the front gate and I signed in. I was exhausted from being awake for 25 hours but was catching a second wind with the rise of the sun and smell of race gas. It was time to get down to business; I could sleep when I was dead.
We arrived at the pit area and started setting up, another racer - and the original Carrmoto customer – George Linhart was there as well. I had met George at Blackhawk and liked him instantly. We greeted each other as well as a few other familiar faces and started getting things set up for the day. The plan was for me to miss first practice, as the track is notoriously slippery in the morning. I would ride the second practice at a conservative pace to get a feel for the place, and then qualify that afternoon. In the meantime I needed new tires and when to see the Dunlop guy, Tom. Matt had spoken with him prior to my arrival so he knew I was coming and what tires I wanted to run. The tire change was quick and efficient but also came with a lesson that I will cover later. With new tires installed and cooking in my tire warmers, a cup of coffee in me, and my adrenaline starting to pick up, it was time to take my first laps around this course.
Thankfully Mid Ohio is an AMA track so there is no shortage of video footage to be found on the place. I had prepared by watching the AMA races from this year and the last over and over again as well as reviewing onboard footage Matt had filmed of Ducati Indianapolis mechanic Jason Szczygiel. The onboard stuff is always good but watching the pro’s circulate the technical course was excellent. Seeing their lines through corners and comparing them with the onboard footage I watched gave me not only a feel for the layout of the place but a wider selection of usable lines to try. Also, since Matt was riding his Ducati 848 with similar gearing, I could hear when he down or up shifted as well as what gear he was carrying throughout the entire course. I had watched so much video that I felt like I had ridden the course before.
SATURDAY PRACTICE
We pulled the warmers off at third call and I went onto track. It felt a bit slick on new tires but not overly so. As I circulated during my warm up lap I mentally compared the video I watched to what I was seeing in front of my face shield. I was grateful for everything I had viewed because it did prepare me well. I had reference points to start with, knew the direction of the track and had a few lines in mind to try. What video cannot prepare you for is the grip level of the surface, elevation changes, and camber. These are things you learn during a track walk but because of my limited time, I hadn’t been able to perform one. The video also couldn’t convey just how short and narrow Thunder Alley really feels or how tight the carousel is. I discovered both of these quickly on my warm up lap. As you enter turn 10a, an uphill right hand turn with a blind exit, you’re not really sure what’s there or when you can get on the gas. Mid
These types of things are impossible to experience through video so I got them out of the way during practice. I didn’t push my pace to hard out of the gate but gradually picked up speed as the session went on. The problem came as I started going a bit faster, especially into the fast turn 1. On the brakes, the bike would sort of wallow, not something I had really experience on my rock stable 848 before. Combine that with the rear wheel hop caused by the lack of a slipper clutch during downshifts and that corner was pretty unnerving. The session finished and I went back to the pit to talk things over with Matt.
When I got back we immediately started talking about what I felt on track. I explained the wallow and discussed a few lines through various parts of the course. Both Matt and George were already going very well so this was a huge help. I checked my zip tie and wasn’t surprised to see that I wasn’t braking nearly as hard as I normally due. This was a function of my slower pace during the practice session. Since I really hadn’t pushed, we decided not to change anything on the bike. The wallow would remain a mystery for now. The plan was basically to see how things felt during qualifying now that I had some track time under my belt. Also, the tires were now scrubbed in and the track temperature would be higher later in the day. I took off my leathers and helped Matt and George with tire warmers and stands during their sessions. The discussions continued through lunch. Despite my appearance of waking comprehension and ability to interact, I was getting mentally tired. It was more of an effort to concentrate and process things but I was still functioning and still had work to do.
We ate some lunch and returned to the pits to prepare for qualifying. We checked various parts of the motorcycles to ensure they were not coming lose and there were no leaks. We also checked tire pressure. These are basic checks that I encourage all riders – not just rookies - to perform prior to departure onto the track. By checking for leaks, making sure your levers are secure and functioning properly, making sure your steering damper is on the correct setting, checking your safety wiring, and basically making sure nuts are tight, you can prevent a possible accident in the future. I had performed all these basic checks minus one prior to my practice session. I had not checked my tire pressure. My assumption was that the tire technician checked it after he mounts your tires. Never assume; it will make an ass of you and me. When I checked my pressure I found the reason for the aforementioned wallow. My front and rear tires were at nearly 40lbs PSI!!!! I was lucky I didn’t crash. After the initial shock of being an idiot wore off, we laughed a bit about how lucky I was. After adjusting the tires to the correct pressure, I was ready for qualifying.
SATURDAY QUALIFICATION
Matt and I were in the same qualifying group and we wanted to be the first two riders on the track. I knew Matt would clear off rather quickly leaving me by my lonesome but this would give both of us clear track; we would maximize this to turn the fastest laps possible during this session. Also, following him was more practice for me.
As this was my first ever qualification session, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Watching Motogp qualification was always thrilling during the last three minutes. Riders would put on fresh tires and attempt to blast out one final flying lap. Most of them make some comment about “closing my eyes and hoping it would stick” with regards to the speeds they were able to do for one lap. I had 12 minutes to see if I could do something similar.
Ideally I’d get a good flying lap in with clear track, the clouds would open with rookie race God’s smiling upon me, and everything would come together. However, I am a realist and had no illusions of putting together some perfect lap around this place. Magic wouldn’t fly here; only hard work, focus, and testicles would get the job done. Talent probably wouldn’t have hurt either. In place of these qualities I had tenacity, determination, and a good plan.
We were the first ones on the track and I hung onto Matt as long as I could before he became a spec in the distance. This gave me clear track (only a couple of experts came past) and got my confidence up quickly. I steadily built my pace, braking later and getting on the gas earlier. Although I still struggled with Thunder Alley a bit I had good reference points and was improving with every lap. The adjustment in tire pressure was evident immediately. No more wallow. My 848 was back to having a rock solid front end that I could trust completely. The back end hopping was still there and will stay until I have a slipper clutch installed.
Qualification ended too quickly; I was going faster and faster and having fun doing it. I came in and stopped to talk with an AMA rep (Grif Allen) to find out my qualification time. I was third! This was a good thing. My goal was to put it on the front row. I figured my start wouldn’t be good during the race and by starting up front there would be less people to pass as the race went on. I was a couple of 100’s behind the guy in second but a massive eight seconds behind the guy on pole. He was on a Ducati 1098 and was putting that motor to good use.
Matt did as good as expected in qualification. He was on pole! This actually turned out to be his second pole position of the day. Not only had he ridden his 748R to pole in the Thunderbike class he had just claimed pole position on the same bike in the Supertwins class. It was a great day for the Indy Ducati guys because George had also qualified on the front row for Lightweight Superbike.. Now all we had to do was convert our qualifying success to race success and the weekend would be complete.
Once qualifying was done, the AMA held a BBQ for all the riders and people present. Barbequed pulled pork sandwiches and chips hit the spot along with a few beers. I had been awake for about 38 hours and was starting to feel it. Everyone was in a festive mood but I was smoked. It was bedtime for this monkey. We went back to the trailer where Matt did some organizing for the next day. I managed to talk with him for about three minutes before the sand man claimed me. I had moved down the list of priorities of work all day and finally had arrived at sleep. Matts Note: I kept talking to him for several minutes before I knew he was asleep and then there were no signs of life. J
RACE DAY
After sleeping for about 10 hours it was time to get up and start the day. Good days generally start with a run and some coffee. This morning only coffee was available and I wasn’t complaining. We had a bit of breakfast and got things set up for the day. There was only one practice session scheduled and I decided not to ride in it. After the qualifying session I was at the point where I needed to work on increasing my speed rather than learning the track. Since it was a particularly cool morning and the track was slick, we decided this was the best course of action. That meant the only time I would be on the track would be in the supertwins race mid afternoon. I helped Matt and George around the pit and watched some of the early expert races, studying lines and various other aspects of race craft. There is always more to learn, especially for a novice and watching experts is a great way to do it.
MATT’S THUNDERBIKE RACE
Speaking of watching experts, I was looking forward to watching Matt in the Thunderbike race. There were a couple of fast guys out there so I knew it would be a good one. He was on pole but a bad launch could erase that. So could a jump-start. Normally WERA and CCS races are started with the wave of a green flag. Since this was an AMA sponsored event, lights were used. The pattern was simple enough: one board goes sideways, red lights come on, red lights go out, race starts. However, not being used to this had created problems with many racers throughout the course of the day. Racers generally are very good at repeating steps. You brake at the same spot, turn at the same spot, take the same line, and accelerate at the same time. Changing the routine can cause problems. Riders were lurching forward when the lights came on. The rule of the day was any movement inside the starting box was considered a jumpstart. So when the lights came on and Matt lurched forward about a foot, this was a jumpstart, despite the fact that he reset himself. I saw him jump and reset and sure enough so did the marshals. As Matt lead onto the front straight at the end of the first lap, he was shown the infamous meatball flag, the signal of a jump start and subsequent stop and go penalty. This penalty has to be served within two laps and in an eight lap race, pretty much means your day is done.
At the start of the third lap Matt came screaming into the pit to serve his penalty. He managed to stop a couple feet past the marshal before being waved to continue. This moved him from first to last in the race with just five laps remaining. As he rocketed out of hot pit lane, the front tire pawing at the air a foot or so off the ground, you could sense the determination. The red mist had descended; it was time to race. I was no longer acting as a human pit board to indicate how much or how little of a lead he had or what place he was in. I was pumping my fist, urging him to go faster and faster every lap. This race wasn’t over yet and I knew it. The commentators were already pronouncing that Matt had lost the race and with a little luck he would finish third. This was before they started tripping over themselves verbally attempting to keep up with the rate he was passing other riders. He was lapping two seconds a lap faster than anyone on the track and nearly a second faster than his own pole position time. One and a half laps later he was in third. By lap seven, he was on the leaders. Halfway through the final lap he was in second, on the leader’s back tire, attempting to pass at every single corner regardless of whether or not anyone thought it could be done. The leader, Joel Spalding was riding the wheels off his Buell in a valiant effort to maintain the lead. Heading into the carousel for the final time the commentators began to explain that it looked like Matt Carr would have to settle for second when the crafty veteran racer once again proved that a race wasn’t over until someone crossed the finish line. Spalding took the usual inside line through the carousel as Matt did the unthinkable; he rode around the outside of Spalding! This put him on the inside when the carousel flicked left, leading onto the start finish straight. Spalding had no choice, he had to yield the line and settle for second place. The crowd was electric, the announcers proclaiming it race of the day and one of the best moves they had seen in years.
When he got back to the pit, a small crowd had gathered. Most people friends or acquaintances Matt had made either through the business or over the years. His father, mother, and sister and came out to watch the races and were not disappointed. I don’t think anyone could have been after watching a ride like that. I congratulated him heartily as did George. There was still a lot of excitement in the air but we needed to get back down to business. Matt and I still had the supertwins race while George had a lightweight race to ride it. There would be time for celebration at the end of the day.
SUPERTWINS
This time Matt and I were the last out of pit lane for the warm up lap. By leaving towards the end, you are able to practice starts in hot pit lane as well as spend less time sitting on the grid, allowing your tires to cool off less. Matt opted to practice his start and I decided not to. I had practiced a bit of clutch slipping earlier and was quietly confident I could get off the line reasonably well. If you’ve ever read anything else I’ve written about any race weekend, you will know that starting is not exactly my forte. I’m usually pretty horrible. Sitting on the grid nervously awaiting the start, I ease off the line in an effort to get a good drive but not wheelie. My thought process this time around was different. I would calm myself down on the line and focus on getting off as quickly as possible. I already knew what I had to do going into turn one so I didn’t worry about that. I also planned to keep my foot over my rear brake to control any wheelie that may occur. Little things help also. I noticed that I had a tendancy to hold my throttle with a bit lower of a grip, this prevented me from rolling on the throttle harder and more fully because it limited the backwards rotation of my hand at the wrist. I adjusted my grip accordingly and focused intently on the lights. Matt had warmed me earlier of the urge to start when the lights initially flashed on; this is what had happened to him during the thunderbike race and probably would have happened to me as well. However, being mentally prepared for it, I did not react when they came on. They flashed on, the revs went up, the lights went out and we were off. This was a two wave race and the experts had already cleared the first turn. We were positioned at the exit of the last corner so I had a bit of ground before having to brake. This meant that I would build up enough speed to brake but not so much that I would use my normal brake marker. It also meant that horsepower would play a roll and if the guy on the 1098 got off the line cleanly, he would check out. All of these thoughts were distant echoes on the corners of my consciousness as I waited for the red lights to disappear.
When the lights went off I was ready. I got off the line cleanly and quickly with only one bike ahead of me much to my surprise. My hand position paid off as I was able to rotate the throttle to the stop quickly and rocket forward. My front tire was in the air but only a foot or so, allowing me to still control the bike with my body as needed. I shifted into second and the tire lowered only to come back up again. No worries there; I was already closing on the Buell and lining up and inside pass for turn one. Sure enough, he hit the brakes earlier than me and I went right by. The only thing ahead of me was clear racetrack, just how I wanted it.
That was by far the best start of my life but I had no time to dwell on it. It was over but the race was still going. I had figured out turn one quickly and could get through there fast. I knew the 1098 was somewhere behind me and would come past if I allowed him to so I put my head down. You can carry a lot of speed through turn two but have to be pretty fast with a downshift on the brakes while transitioning to turn three. I had used the line and method Matt explained to me earlier but it upset the bike quite a bit, a byproduct of rear wheel hop and my lack of skill. With this in mind I carried a lot of speed but not so much that I couldn’t control it. I lead through the keyhole and onto the back straight. Right about that time Mr 1098 blew past me like I was parked. I knew it would happen eventually but was hoping it would have taken longer. Well, that whole giving up thing can go to hell. He passed me so it was race on. Going into the braking area at the end of the back straight I was able to close a lot of distance. Through the esses I was on his back tire. My confidence had grown through Thunder Alley and into the left before the carousel but not enough for me to feel confident passing there. Unfortunately this cost me. We hit the front straight and he pulled a gap. I caught back up going into two and through the keyhole only to have him rocket out and gap me on the back straight. I wasn’t able to make up enough time in the turns to compensate for his straight-line speed. This is not to say he was slow in the turns, just that I could get my 848 through there faster.
Despite the fact that he was steadily checking out, I continued to ride faster and faster. This paid off; it was the first time I’ve ever caught any experts and passed them. As I chased the ever vanishing 1098 I came in sight of a pair of white plates ahead of me, one a Buell and the other an Aprilia Mille. I figured if I couldn’t catch the 1098, I could at least get them. Sure enough, I past the Buell down the back straight on the power, and one lap later did the same thing to the Mille, only this time on the brakes. One lap after that pass the checkered flag was out and my race day was finished. I had rode as hard as ever and had a blast doing it. My fastest lap turned out to be a 1:39.6. Not bad for a rookie with only two practice sessions I suppose.
I came back to the pit to discover that Matt had done it again, this time without the extra challenge of a stop and go penalty. He had beaten Joel again despite the fact that Joel was riding a Buell 1125R. Rather than a dramatic last lap pass, Matt had taken the lead with a few laps remaining and eased away for the win, his second of the day.
LIGHTWEIGHT SUPERBIKE
Lightweight Superbike was a pure Ducati vs. Suzuki affair with IndyDucati’s George Linhart’s DS1000SS, Robert Buroker’s Paul Smart, Eddie Rusch’s SV650, and teenager Corey Alexander’s SV650 all starting the race from the front row after solid qualifying efforts on Saturday. Running nose to tail right from the start Alexander showed strong as he did all weekend and was leading the two Ducatis and Rusch’s Suzuki on the opening laps. A blanket could have draped across all four bikes as they snaked around Mid-Ohios undulating layout and the race was so close not even the announcers could keep the positions in order until they arrived onto the front straight. On the second lap Alexander found a false neutral and low sided out of T11 uninjured opening the door for any one of the remaining three riders at the front. It was exciting to watch from the T1 grandstands as the riders appeared from under the T1 bridge, rocketed past the grandstands, and then reappeared from the keyhole while constantly swapping positions in the draft down the back straight. Linhart’s bike was the strongest of the lot but ran into a major problem midway through the race and this was visable as he wiggled out of the corners, engine droning as the rear tire spun and lost traction. He was within several bike lengths of the lead with two to go but had to nurse the throttle and settled for the final podium spot as the race wound down. It appeared as Linhart might get second but Rusch made an incredibly gutsy pass at the entrance to Thunder Alley and Linhart’s tire could not handle a rematch. Buroker rode a smart race and pulled a comfortable gap on Rusch and Linhart by the last lap.
LESSONS LEARNED
I’ve done a lot of thinking about this weekend. The basic changes I made in my starting procedure – both mentally and physically – worked well. Now I need to practice them. There is no point practicing bad technique, that’s part of the reason I didn’t practice my start earlier when Matt did. Now that I have an improved technique, I can work on it and continue to refine it.
From now on I will always check my tire pressure. I was very lucky not to have crashed. Had I done so, I would have had no one to blame but myself. Getting a good pre-race inspection routine and sticking to it is a great way to help your bike run longer and to prevent a crash because of something stupid like a lose brake line or fluid leak. Or over inflated tires for that matter!
When that 1098 came past me on the back straight I was a bit frustrated. The rules allow for larger displacement twins (i.e. 1098’s, 1198’s, and 1125R’s) but I chose to run an 848. My initial thought was to get with Matt and Bill after the race and procure myself something with about 300cc more engine capacity, transfer my track bits, and never get past on a straight that badly again. Then reality set in.
I caught the guy on the brakes and through the esses. This may have been a function of the lighter 848, better suspension, etc. I will never know. What I do know is that it takes a faster rider to win on a motorcycle with a smaller displacement. Matt beat 1125’s and an 1198 on a 10-year-old 748R. How? It’s simple: skill. Getting a larger motorcycle isn’t going to make me a better rider, it’s just going to give me more engine. I’m in this to improve my skill and I feel that continuing to race a Ducati 848 will do just that. The bike has plenty of power and handles beautifully. Currently I cannot ride this bike to its limit and until I do so, there is no reason for me to move up in displacement. That is a lazy mans way of going faster. Can’t corner faster? Just add horsepower! I want to win. I am incredibly competitive in everything I do. However, improving my skill and winning through superior skill are more important to me than just winning. This may sound a little too intense coming from a first year novice but I personally believe that if you enter a race with no desire to win you should stick to track days.
