Dear Ducatisti,
The first race of the year is now complete and it was a very successful weekend. The 848 EVO was an absolute animal and never ceased to thrill. Thanks again, to Paul and the pro’s at GP for putting together such a great machine. The weekend began with a Friday track day, and it was a day of tuning and getting up to pace on a brand new bike. My suspension guru, Curtice Thom from GP, got the settings right the first time, and no other suspension changes were made the whole weekend! That has never happened in the many years I have been roadracing, but I was more than grateful it did. Even though I hold a Pro license, I spent the whole day Friday riding with the novices. Why? They go slowly, so you can really concentrate and learn your race lines. You have to go slow to learn how to go fast. If you can leave your ego in the paddock, this is a great way to get up to speed. Saturday was more of the same, but with the fast group and a good result.
Race day came and it was time to roll out with the Pro’s for practice. The 848 EVO was up to the task and it was great listening to her make pace down the front straight. Practice was over way too soon and the race day jitters began. I think that is one of the toughest things about race day, because with all the adrenalin, you can wear yourself out before you even make it to the starting grid.
Bottom line for the weekend and our GP Team effort was a win in Battle of the Twins Middleweight, with the next competitor 30 seconds behind. In Formula 50, I took third but should have done better. All in all, it was a good first outing and a really enjoyable return to the track. Hope to see you at the Streets of Willow next month.
Racer Rick
