I did it, I really did it.

OK, I wasn't going to write about crashing anymore, because it seems to be a frequent (hmmm) topic around me. Unfortunately though, it seems to be one of the ways I choose to entertain those around me. Maybe I should take up tap dancing instead.

Nah. Blisters...

So there I was, at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park for my second track day. What's a track day the reader asks. A track day is an event hosted my any number of companies or organizations that allow the non-racing public to use race courses on their personal motorcycles and cars.

No speed limits. No cars (on moto days). No paint stripes. No bots dots. You kiddin' me? Where do I sign up? Exactly!

So annnyway, there I was at Willow (the big track) on my second day. The first was at the California Speedway, in Fontana. That was cool because Jeremy Toye, a local AMA racer was there and was FAST AS SHIT! Also cool because there was an AMA race there the following week so I got to watch the pros take the same turns I had been taking at like three times the speed. Sweet.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Willow. So I was feeling good and moving along pretty well. There had been a lot of crashes that day, and we kept getting pulled off the track so they could clean up the various messes. A few guys went to the hospital, but it seemed like it was mostly precautionary. No one got hurt too badly that I could see. I was getting a little uptight that we kept getting pulled off the track, and made some smartass comments about the crashers F-ing it up for everyone else. Dumb.

So I think it was my third session (20 minutes each) and I was going at it with this guy on a beat up CBR F3, which is a bit faster than my SV in the straights. Three guys passed me through turn 2, a long sweeping right hander, and I wanted to get it back into 3, a sharp uphill left that leads into 4a and 4b, a double apex right. (OK. Visualize me with my hands as motorclycles demonstrating the turn like I was a Top Gun pilot. "Becasue I was...inverted.") I braked late into 3 and charged up the hill. I had passed all three and knew they were there. I went too fast into 4a, and wide into 4b. Oops.

Ever notice how most things bad, and hardly anything good start with "Oops?"

You put gas in the car, right?

"Oops"

Did you turn off the oven?

"Oops"

And my personal fav: "You're on the pill right?"

Big F-ing "OOPS"

But I digress...

"Oh well, I'll just roll off the track and stop in the dirt." About the same time I remembered Brian had told me that there is really no safe runoff at Willow Springs. Funny how the brain works. Brian was right. He has been here before. I rolled into soft dirt, with walnut to baseball sized rocks for traction. I was doing OK until I realized that there was only about thirty feet of this refuge. It terminated in a six foot high berm meant to keep me in the lion's den. I realized I wasn't going to make it and pretty much dove off of the bike.

The rules there are pretty simple. "You crash, get the hell away from your bike." So I did. And sat there looking at my moto. About thirty seconds later, I heard a wicked squealing. This drew my attention to.....

A pretty (used to be), yellow (now yellow and black), Ducati (still Italian) was sliding and spinning across the top of turn 3 into 4. The rider, also in yellow followed a few feet behind, clearly concerned about his motorcycle and keeping an eye on her. "Ciao, bella!"

The rider behind was a real team player and offered to give the Ducatista a hand, but was shunned. The second rider stopped, made sure there were no autographs to sign, and split. This, of course red flagged the session. Which meant I immediately ran to my bike and righted it, as I was sure the oil from the crankcase was flowing into the cylinders.

Hallelujah! She fired right up. The safety workers came by, asked if I was OK, and I headed off to straighten this, clean that, and finish out my day. The rest of the day went well and there were no more crashes in any group.

A week or so later, and I am checking the SV rider forum I am part of and see nothing but a video that appears to be of a yellow Ducati and rider, sliding through turns 3 and 4 at Willow.

Small world. The only thing I would like to have seen is my sorry butt standing on the berm, wondering how I could have crashed. Again.



Enjoy the video.

Ducati video