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Ducati ST4
Racing is a chance to clear my head and shake out the cobwebs. All month long I think about the track, the turns, my lines, and what I need to improve upon. When the race weekend finally comes, I get up early Saturday morning, get a double Latte, and hit the road. As a member of the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club, or WSMC, I race there every month. The drive to Rosamond, where Willow is located, isn't bad, about 2 CD's, and it's a chance for me to catch up on what my daughter is listening to. I usually get there around 7:30, and get the bike into tech by 8, which leaves me another 40 minutes or so to get my act together before my first track session.
I race Twins. I am currently competing in the Middleweight Battle of the Twins class, which has Buells, Ducati 748's, and Suzuki SV650's as the prime candidates for racemobiles. I also am in the Formula 40 class, which is just a bunch of 40 year old people racing whatever they brought, and Formula Twins, which is basically an open class race on bikes that have to have two cylinders to be legal. In 2004 I started racing the Formula 2 class, but I'm not up to that level yet and runnig near the back
CURRENT BIKE INFO:
748cc (45.6cu. in.) V-Twin motor, 4-valve per cylinder desmodromic
valve configuration.
Bore 88mm/3.5in, Stroke 61.5mm/2.4in
Approx. 110 bhp @11000rpm. 7.7kg-m/55.66ft-lb torque.
Marvic Wheels, Termi Exhaust, Ohlins R/T Suspension both ends.
Bike weighs 198kg/436ls lbs dry, yielding about 4 lb/hp.
55.5in (1410mm) wheelbase.
3.6-3.8in (91-97mm) Trail, 23-24 deg rake.
Dunlop Slicks, 120/60 front, 195/70 rear
Brembo Brakes, Galfer Pads
Ohlins steering damper
The Ducati Race Story:
I started riding a Ducati 748RS in 2003. It actually was sold as an R,
but it has an RS motor originally built by Jeff Nash of AMS. I bought
it from an ex-Pro-Thunder racer when that class was killed by the AMA.
It's not that the Buell was slow, but this bike is FAST. I got the bike
and just started racing it. I had heard that these bikes are picky about
valve bits and pieces, and it is all true. It ruined the half-rings at
every race, and then almost dropped a valve. With the goal of making it
more reliable, and getting all I could out of the motor, I reworked the
heads and installed MBP collets. Guy Martin rocks! Once I got it set up,
added a Power Commander, and broke it in, it dynoed at 110 bhp at Willow
Springs, which is about 2500 ft elevation. That equates to about 118 bhp
at sea level, which for a 748cc twin is quite admirable, almost astounding!
In addition, I checked it after every outing for five events, including
the October race, (Sat/Sun) the November Race, (Sat/Sun) and a track day
at Sears Point (Infinion). The valves have not moved even 0.001"
since the collets were installed. I am happy, and the bike is fast.
A review of my goals for 2005
- Don't Crash! OK, I have a problem with this...
- Get the bike back on the grid consistently by May. Well, I did get out by June, and ended up with an OK season, getting a third place overall in F-Twins, but I really sucked in BOTT MW.
- Consistently run 1:26s laps. I guess I am going to have to keep working on this. I had a lot of trouble getting under 1:30, with 1:29 about the best I could do.
- Qualify for the Toyota 200. I bailed. focused on getting my act together. Maybe this year, but I am not going to stress on this one..
Goals for 2006
- Don't Crash! I WILL NOT CRASH THIS YEAR!
- Get the bike back on the grid consistently. With the new 999 this should be much easier, but I need to get my times down.
- Consistently run 1:26s laps. I guess I am going to have to keep working on this.
- Ride more tracks. I want to get out to Fontana, Infineon, Las Vegas, and Laguna.
DUCATI 999S 2006 - ???
DUCATI 748RS 2003 - 2005
Buell S1W Jan 2003-Apr 2003
Buell S1W Oct 2001- Dec2002
