Bruce Thee, AFM 401 (my new number for 2012)I have a long and storied road racing history. After a 5-year hiatus from motorcycles, I bought a new BMW K1200GT in May, 2009. Soon thereafter, my good buddy Dan talked me into participating in a rider improvement day at Thunderhill Raceway, my first track day ever. I told my wife it was the most fun I’d ever had with my clothes on...it was the beginning of an expensive obsession.
If I was going to be a serious "track day speedracer," the BMW would never do. In October I took delivery of my new 2010 Ducati 1198S. In early November I took the new Duc to Thunderhill and had a great time motoring around in the C group on my shinny new Duc and new Ducati leathers - such a stud - or should that be squid? November 28th I did my second track day on my new Ducati and managed to low side it in turn 10. The mechanical damage was minor: a lever, a shifter and a kickstand, but the bodywork was a killer.
After my wife reminded me that I'm not Bill Gates I decided I needed something cheap to buy and cheap to fix; the night I crashed the Duc I met a guy that had a bike that fit the bill, a race prepped Suzuki SV650. We worked out a deal that night and I rode it on the next day. A couple riders made derisive comments about the squid riding the Suzuki wearing Ducati leathers, but I was ready for them "that dirty SOB that sold it to me told me it was a Ducati - it's a V Twin!"
I decided to try amateur racing on the SV; my plan was to attend a bunch of track days in 2010 with the aim of getting my competition license in late 2010 and then racing in 2011. I started track days in February and by the end of June had managed to get in 10 more track days. In July I was diagnosed with stage 2 throat cancer and I was told that my treatment and recovery would take 6 months or more, so I decided to try and get in some racing before starting my treatment. Two weeks later I took the New Racer School and got the thumbs up from my NRS instructor.
I managed to compete in two race weekends before I started chemotherapy; the first weekend at Thunderhill I placed 13th of 22 in the Clubman race and dead last in Formula 40, Formula 4 and 650 Twins. I was pretty happy with my clubman results. I lost my nerve in turn 16, stood it up and cut across the infield to the access road and ended up half way to the other side of the track, then got it turned around, back up the access road, waited for the track to clear and back on the track. I probably gave up a half dozen places, so 13th wasn't too bad for my first rodeo. My second race weekend was at Infineon; I raced in the Clubman race and placed 13th out of 22. I did the dirt bike imitation first at turn 1 and later took the direct route through the chicane (I didn't bother with the turning part); it was only a week before my next trip to MD Anderson in Houston for a biopsy, so I called it a weekend.
For 2011 I plan to compete in the AFM series on the SV650, recovery permitting. It's March 1 and I'm still on a feeding tube; if I can't get off the tube and start eating I won't race in the first round at Buttonwillow. The weekends I compete I’ll race in the Clubman Lightweight, Formula 4, Formula 40 Lightweight and 650 Twins classes.
Update as of October 2011Now that 2011 is over I'm getting ready for th e 2012 season. I'm pretty much recovered from the cancer treatment and I'm working out with Rob Conaster and getting much stronger. By the begining of the 2012 season I should be in the best shape I've been in for the last 10 years. I'm also rebuilding the SV; Zorn has the engine for a rebuild and after replacing the rest of the broken parts, it should be better than before. I may even shop around for a back up bike, funds permitting.
So at this point it looks like I'll be a team of one unless I find someone else who wants to play. Come on Alberto! |