Karl Rehpohl CRA #910, 7/19-20/2003, BIR Hey all, I try to keep these brief, but they never are. So much detail and excitement is packed into one weekend racing that I could write a book covering many pages that spans only three days. The full effect racing has on you is indescribable. Track days are close, but not quite the same. Then you throw in the fun and comradery that takes place and you’ve got tons of material. My goal is to stick to my racing and experiences and let others write their own. Thursday night the van got me to BIR without stalling somewhere along the way, that’s a first and hopefully a sign of a good race weekend to come? Thursday night the stud that holds the oil filter cap on the GS stripped. It was leaking just enough to smoke off the header pipe. I was lucky enough to find a replacement and swap it out. This was the only problem I had with the bike, except for everyone telling me how much smoke it pumps out of the exhaust on deceleration. Friday’s track day with EDGE went really smooth and was very enjoyable. The usual annoyance was present with my poor little POS (piece of sophistication) GS500 not being able to pass anyone on the straights and requiring a pass of a non racer in the corners. I try my damndest to give as much room as possible, but sometimes they don’t take the hint and treat their track day like a race. If you hear someone right on your ass in EVERY corner chances are they’re on a smaller less powerful bike than you and riding faster lap times. WAVE THEM BY ON A STRAIGHT-AWAY!!!!! Or they have no choice but to stuff you on the brakes or in a corner. This did/always get better as the day goes on. There was a guy on GSXR600 and another on a Ducati 998 that never did get the clue though. Pat, Timmy, and Sean all road BIR for the first time and had the usual sh!t-eating grins from rocketing a bike down the main straight and dicing it up in the corners. Tex took Tony’s Hayabusa out for a session and returned with a big grin and the word “195mph, indicated”. If you want to see what your bike can “do” legally, BIR is the place for you. Kent offered me his SV650 to race for the weekend, so I ran two sessions on that to get used to the bike before the weekend. What a night and day difference there is between a 1989 GS500 that’s been beat beyond death and raised from the grave too many times to a 2002 SV650 with only some scratches. The SV is a great racebike when upgraded properly, and Kent’s is done right. Someday I’ll upgrade to one when I can afford the price and the tire expenses of racing one. Everyone had a great day and went REALLY fast. It sucks that Kent’s knee wasn’t quite ready to play on the bike. Considering everyone that guy has done for people on this list, it’s too bad someone can’t donate or borrow him a knee for track days? Tex gives me an old/used rear tire for Kent’s SV so that I can ride a little more confidently in my races. The current one was pretty shagged from its previous two full race weekends and a full track day. Saturday morning rise at 7am and get both the GS and Kent’s SV teched and ready for battle. New tires are put on the GS. Even with Tex’s donation the SV has some pretty worn rubber, we’ll have to see if they’ll make it thru today and tomorrow? 40% chance of rain both Sat. and Sun. Luckily nothing fell during my races. I’m not looking forward to racing in the rain on a bike with race tires, not rain race tires. Race #1, Ultralight Supersport on my GS500: Good start, I’m in second coming into corner 1 and keep the current first place novice about 6 bike lengths in front of me for 2 laps. We then come up on the experts that started on the first line. We pass two of them and the second one slows my competition down so that I can get right on his tail. Lap 3 I’m able to draft pass the novice (yellow plate) and expert (white plate) in front of me to take the lead for novices. Corner 1 and 2 I keep it, but they both out brake me into 3. The three of us then run the next four laps passing and being re-passed, it’s a very close race. I start a BAD habit that bites me. I start getting nervous about when the next pass is going to come and start looking behind me on the straights. Instead of taking the corner how I’ve always taken it, I start determining that someone is right on my ass, so I better take it faster. I’m in the lead with my two nemesi, one actually since the white plate is in a different class. Last lap I come into corner 9 and ride it off the outside….AGAIN!!! It’s the exact same bone-headed crap I did last month when I was leading a race, only difference being that I didn’t crash this time. Off the track on the outside of 9 is mostly grass. There are patches of pavement that span maybe ten feet, then ten feet of grass, then pavement again. I think there are a total of four pavement patches? When I crashed last month it’s because I panicked and clamped on the brakes in the grass, which lead to an instant lock-up and crash. I was probably doing 40-50mph when I left the track this time. I thought “don’t brake on the grass!!” I danced across the pavement patches and grass. Brake on, brake off, brake on, brake off, and so forth until my front tire gently bumped into the tire wall. The bike was still running so I turned it around and pointed it back towards the track. Waited for an opening in the bikes coming by and let out the clutch…stalled the engine. I forgot to shift back down to first gear and was still in third. I lost the race on the second to last corner of the last lap. How great is that? Race #2, Lightweight Supersport on Kent’s SV650: Even better start, considering I’ve never launched an SV during a race before. I started row three and pull past row two and even with row one. Coming into turn 1 I’m in 6-9nth place and it’s tight into turn 2 were I pass two guys. Turn three tells me the SV can break later than my GS, four riders come by me on the brakes and I’m in 8th place. I come thru the infield and back onto the straight with corner 9 slowing me WAY down as usual. Get back on the straight and fellow MN-Sportbike list member Mike Berg is about three bike lengths behind me. There’s no one in front of me and no one for a long ways behind Mike. We make our way thru the race, just the two of us. I start feeling the rear slide on lap 4 on corner 3 exit and corner 8 mid corner. This slide also makes me nervous in turns one and two. Also right-handers, but taken at 140+mph. I start rolling of in turn 1 and more so in turn 2, which gives Mike a great opportunity to make up time on me. He does just that and closes the gap. What I wouldn’t give for new tires right about now!! My brain thinks of only two things, keeping Mike behind me and that I’m riding Kent’s bike which I can’t possibly consider crashing. The last lap coming into corner 3 there are MANY bikes stacked on the outside of the corner and a waving yellow flag at the corner station. There are bike parts and paint/rubber skids from the crash at the end of the braking zone thru the corner entrance. I see three bikes and one is blue with number 95…Tex’s bike and number. I think, “That sucks” for a total of .00005 seconds before I lean it over into the turn. Right before this race I was talking with Tex about how I didn’t have the liquid cash to pay for Kent’s SV if I crashed it. He replied, “Me too, I can’t afford another crash this year”. Last lap, coming into Turn 9 I play it safe and take it REALLY slow…..”Made it”. Mike is right there into 10 and by the timing light and checkered flag it’s MAYBE a couple of feet because I could see his tire in my peripheral vision. With the crash in corner three taking out the first three novice racers I get 5th place. Mike has a lap timer on his SV and shows me the times. Steady 2:02 laps with a 2:01 on the last lap. According to the official times from the CRA I cut a 2:01.7 and Mike did a 2:01.6. Fastest time I’ve ever gone around the track. What a great race…thank you Mike and Kent!! Seeing how the tire on the SV is sliding when I push for faster cornering I opt to send it home with Kent on Saturday night. I just don’t feel comfortable racing it without new rubber and after seeing Tex’s dinged up bike from something he didn’t cause it’s an easy decision to make. Race #3, Ultralight Superbike on my GS500 (Sunday): Off to a great start and leading the novice field into turn 1. The same guy that was behind me Saturday and won that race is behind me today, number 336, Todd Counters. I ride my race like it should be ridden. Turn 1 and 2 full throttle, top speed, no hesitation, knee down in every corner but 9 (and of course 1 and 2). Second to last lap, corner one there is a turtle about 6-8 inches in diameter sunning itself in the middle of the frickin racetrack!! Can you say “target fixation”? “Don’t look at the turtle!!!”, I’m screaming to myself in my helmet. Last lap and now there are three of the little bastards. One in turn 1 and two in turn 2. I come around the last corner and there’s the checkered flag, my new best friend because I’m exhausted. New personal best, a 2:05 on the GS and my first win. When I started racing this year I told myself it was just for fun, to try and see what the fuss was all about? It is fun, but winning a race is certainly an energizing event to say the least. It felt REALLY, REALLY good, especially on a bike that I’ve had mechanical problems in just finishing races so far this year. Race #4, Ultralight GP on my GS500: This race is won by 125cc two-strokes and the GS500 riders just follow at a distance. This race is the exact copy of the Supersport that took place on Saturday. Todd and that white-plate are dicing it up with me and passing each other all thru the race. Last lap Todd passes me on the straight between turn 9 and turn 10. I try to cut him low on turn 10 and he keeps his new lead by a tire. He takes 3rd place by a tire, two 125cc novices take first and second, Adam is one of them. I took fourth, but I cut a 2:04 flat while doing it, my new best on the GS. It was great to have so much company this weekend. John, Richard, Brent, Robin, significant others, wives, kids, dogs all stopped in to hang out and watch the bikes wiz by. Kyle, Carrie, Tony, and any other list members that tend corners…THANK YOU!! It makes doing this venture so much more reassuring knowing there’s overly competent people there to make sure the worst doesn’t get even worse. Everyone’s invited to MAM next month. It’s kind of a drive, but the track is much smaller and you can see all the action as it goes down. Every corner is viewable from the grandstands. And it’s always nice to have friends around during the day and after the racing to BS with. Kent you’re a saint. Tex, sorry about the crash you were forced to endure. Put that bike back together and kick some ass the rest of the season!! The rest of the GS squad, you looked great during the Sportsman race that I watched from 8. Dave, get that bike running. The race weekends keep getting more fun every time. If this keeps up I’ll never be able to stop smiling. As always thanks to Bridgestone for keeping me upright and Lockhard Phillips for the support. Ride fast, ride safe, Karl Suzuki GS500 CRA #910   Copyright TeamPoop 2003