7-28/29-07: WERA Regional @ Roebling Road, GA
By: Tony Pavilonis #554
Friday:
We decided to try something new, something we have been wanting to do for a long time ...... bring the dogs to the track with us. Anyone who knows my dogs knows that they are both Weimaraners, brothers in fact. One is 110lbs and the other is 80lbs, they are a handful. So we headed down early just to do a test run.
We got to the track Friday evening and proceeded to park the trailer and disconnect. The plan was to walk the dogs around the area for an hour or so and see how they reacted to the environment. They did good, but it was tough to handle them and do all the necessary setup at the same time. Anyway, we dropped off the trailer and headed back to the house. I plan on bringing to dogs to the track in the future but this wasn't a good weekend for it.
Saturday:
I got back to the track at about 8am and the plan was to proceeded to check in at registration and then to tech inspection and then head home by 11am. That took about 30 minutes total and things were looking good until I noticed that the front tire was turned to the left even though my handlebars were straight. Apparently the crash at Road Atlanta had caused more damage then I thought. Uh Oh. Change of plans.
The rest of Saturday was spent tearing down my bike and trying to straighten out the front end and re assemble it while under a 10'x10' EZ UP in a lightening storm. I never did get it straight.
Sunday:
Race #1 - A Superstock: 3rd Place
Got a good start, felt good .......... found myself in 2nd place chasing #998 Andy Anderson on his Yamaha R1.
I was later passed by #890 Jim Wirth which put me in 3rd ( but still in front of my boys pictured above # 789 Chris Vanover and #155 Scotty Rock ;-) ) where I stayed until I was passed going into Turn 4 on the last lap by #191 Bill Meister. I stayed close to him through the back section and then drafted him to the finish line. I broke out of the draft at the last instant and passed him back, beating him for third by only .0001 of a second according to official timing. It was so close that they couldn't tell at the line and technology prevailed. It doesn't get any closer than that. I got on the Podium once again, cool!
Race #2 - B Superstock: DNS
After crashing out of 4th place in B Superstock at Road Atlanta thus earning no points, I decided to not run B Superstock at Jennings and concentrate on the 2 Championships I was top 3 in ..... A Superstock and Formula 1. I decided not to run my B Superstock race again this weekend and will do the same next race.
Race #3 - Formula 1: 8th Place
There is nothing I can say about this one, I got a good start and just faded back.
I started getting passed by some fast guys on fast bikes and just couldn't reel them back in. I found myself about 3 or 4 bike lengths behind a 750 and a ZX 10R coming out of the last turn onto the straight away but could not run them down before the finish line, although it was pretty close but close doesn't count and I finished 8th.
