Mark Bothe
10-15-2008, 03:10 AM
It's the Season ender, so here goes......:)
Also, "see the photos" here. 3 pages!
http://trojan43.smugmug.com/gallery/5940732_udXZP#393416324_NM5Px
The season is now over. Six rounds of heavy competition, broken transmissions, and lessons learned. Too many things to go wrong. To match myself against the likes of Kevin Pinkstaff, his brother Brian Pinkstaff, my pit-mate Dustin Ranck, Greg Levin and David Wallway, I knew I would have to make up a lot of ground, yet without the prospect of crashing. That is a delicate balance. Ride hard in all conditions, score well in all conditions and most importantly finish. Sometimes, over the course of a season, a rider must make choices in a race, choices that could impact an overall finishing spot. Do you take the chance now for immediate reward or sit-back, watch, wait, learn and employ new tactics for a new battle at a later time. As Dirty Harry once said, “A man’s just got to know his limitations” and over the course of a season or even from race to race those limitations can change, change drastically.
My goal for this year was simple. To finish races a mere 24 seconds behind the winner. Not lofty, not arrogant, not stupid. That 24 seconds I felt was attainable, but as I got better, so did the winner. They stepped up, as I stepped up. My riding abilities increased at seemingly the same rate as the winners. How can I accelerate this growth? Where’s that special hormone? Where’s that magic pill? Generally, throughout this year, I would hover around the 34-36 second differential. Which equates to 3 seconds average per lap slower than the leaders. However, this past weekend, I was able to meet my goal and finish 18.3 seconds behind the leader, which is only a mere 1.5 seconds per lap off the leader. This is my measurement. That is my yardstick. I feel too many newer riders focus just on the one fast lap time and how it compares to that other fast lap time. It’s more than that. It’s race craft, it’s traffic, it’s set-up, it’s who you are racing with and against. How do they push you, how do they slow you down. Consistency breeds success. Practice breeds consistency. Knowing where to be. Knowing the thoughts of your fellow racer before they do. Knowing how to they will react to a given action before they do. Understanding the limitations of your bike in any given position on the track. How much will the bike give me? How much will the front be allowed to push? How much, how much, how much….?
These are the things that I got to test in myself. This is why I race. Sure the competition is fun, and of course I want to beat my nearest competitor. But really this was test for me. A 43 year old pharmacist, racing against and learning from kids who have ridden some form of motorcycles since they were 3. It’s about me putting forth my maximum effort and testing my skills against the rider next to me. It is about learning from the more experienced riders. Seeing what they do, understanding what they do, how they do it. Listening to their stories, their anecdotes. Filing it away and being able to recall it in an instant, to play the card as the game is unfolding before you. If you can’t learn from your mistakes then you are not a good student. You’re not a keen observer. You need to be vigilant, be focused and be attentive. If you think you’ve learned it all, guess what, you’re wrong. There is always someone better, someone faster to learn from. Sure every once in a while an old guy gets thrown a bone. And I’ll take it. I’ll take my little trophy and be happy with my small successes. However, a trophy will never validate just how successful I feel. The personal goals that I have attained, and where I was just a few short years ago to where I am now.
I have learned quite a bit about motorcycles and racing in these last 3 years. Riding fast, under control, being smooth, and all the mental aspects of riding and racing. But, I have found that I am most satisfied when I can see someone begin to understand these things too. Someone I may have helped along. A sapling growing into a mature tree. How gratifying is that? Always learning, yet always passing it down. Mentors like Dave Salmi, Oliver Jervis, Kevin Pinkstaff, Brian Pinkstaff, Dustin Ranck, Tom Young and Jason Pridmore. People that have impacted my life, my riding. Some speak a lot, some very little, but each has taught me a lot. Thank you.
Motorcycle racing is about sacrifice. Monetary, personal, mental, and physical. From the guy who wins every race to the guy who struggles to not get lapped by the leader, it’s a sacrifice. Some outsiders will see it, some will not, but all should appreciate it. I know I do.
So, what about those races….
Middleweight Supersport, 5th Place, best time 1:16.625
This was a hard battle. The race began with a red flag after the first complete lap. The President went down in T8, he was OK, but the bike was not. The field was held at grid and we were fired off again. I got an OK start, but ended having to negotiate traffic more than I’d hoped. By the end of the second lap I was up to 5th and in a battle with Kinnie. This lasted the rest of the race. Kinnie would pass me on the straights and I’d pass him everywhere else. He kept it together on the last lap and I was not finding a spot to get by. He rode a good ride. Congrats Ryan. I was able to secure 4th place Season Overall in this class.
450 Superbike, 5th Place, best time 1:16.288
I knew this race was going to be tough. Greg Levin, Dave Wallway and myself were all within 6 points of 3rd place overall. The 3 of us have battled all year. Always good, always fun, always hard. Greg got an awesome start, me mediocre. I slotted behind my teammate Dustin and Greg was in front of Dustin in 3rd position. The 3 of us pushed very hard at the beginning and it took Dustin a couple of laps before he made it past Greg. Greg was riding so good. Dustin was able to break free and that left Greg and myself to do battle for awhile until I made some small mistakes that let me drift away. However, even if I hadn’t had made those mistakes Greg still had me covered and there was no way I was going to match his pace that race. It is my contention that Greg is one of the smoothest riders out there. Effortless. I was able to secure 5th place Season Overall in this class.
Middleweight Superbike, 6th Place, best time 1:16.521
OMRRA #1 plate holder Alan Schmidt came to play with us. He borrowed a stock SV, started at the back and showed us what an SV is capable of. He set the official Supersport SV record of 1:13.747. Amazing. My race again began with a mediocre start followed by much passing and another tussle with Ryan Kinnie. This time was different. I stalked and waited. I know where he is weak. He knows where he is weak. He would run a defensive line in many of the corners that he knew I was stronger, but that made no difference. I was going to pass him where he least expected it. On the brakes into turn one. He is a very late “braker” into that corner, so late that many times he runs it too wide. I kept running into the rev limiter down the front straight, even when I was by myself, so it was even worse when I was in a draft. Ryan could easily pull away from me. However, I was noticing that I could get better drives out of the last corner and only if I was right on his rear tire could I even think of staying in his draft. I was there, I even had to roll out of the throttle to stay in his draft without bouncing the limiter. I waited. To leave the draft was suicide. I waited. Waited until he moved to begin braking. And only then did I move right, hold onto the throttle, emergency brake and flick it on it’s side into turn 1. I know he didn’t expect that, hell even Suitor behind us didn’t expect that. That move was courtesy of Dave Salmi. He taught me that. Over and over again he would show me at trackdays how it’s done. Thanks Dave. Thanks for being patient with me. I was able to pull that card out and use it. I owe you one. I was able to then gap both Ryan and Steve and come away with a hard fought sixth place. I was able to secure 5th place Season Overall in this class.
The results aren’t spectacular, but I’m satisfied. More than anything, however, is that I am lucky to be associated with some of the best riders in the area. Oliver Jervis, the newly crowned #1 plate holder for WMRRA, Kevin Pinkstaff the #2 plate holder for OMRRA, Brian Pinkstaff the #4 Plate holder for OMRRA, and Dave Salmi the #5 plate holder for OMRRA.
I also get to pit with the best pit mate around. A very special person. Thank you Dustin for all your help this year. Major driving force in my riding improvement.
I have been lucky to be surrounded by not only great riders, but great human beings. I get to hang out every weekend with the likes of Matt and Connie Gougler, Cameron Templeton, Jeff Brooks, Brian Moe, Amy, Mike Gray, Tom Young, Dale and Dan Zlock, Brent Prindle and Miriam Hough. But, none of this would be a tenth as fun if Elaine wasn’t there. I’m really happy that she is there every race weekend and we get to share in this experience together.
Thanks to all my sponsors this year. PSSR, Cycle Gear, Sunoco, Ron's Performance Motorcycles, Competition Motors, Pirelli Tires, Moto Interactive, ACME Motowear, Icon Tattoo, Tech Spec, PSI Leathers, Impact Armor, Life Flight Membership services, Richard Petty Enterprises and Al Perierra Painting.
Thanks everyone and all the corner workers for a wonderful 2008 racing season!
Also, "see the photos" here. 3 pages!
http://trojan43.smugmug.com/gallery/5940732_udXZP#393416324_NM5Px
The season is now over. Six rounds of heavy competition, broken transmissions, and lessons learned. Too many things to go wrong. To match myself against the likes of Kevin Pinkstaff, his brother Brian Pinkstaff, my pit-mate Dustin Ranck, Greg Levin and David Wallway, I knew I would have to make up a lot of ground, yet without the prospect of crashing. That is a delicate balance. Ride hard in all conditions, score well in all conditions and most importantly finish. Sometimes, over the course of a season, a rider must make choices in a race, choices that could impact an overall finishing spot. Do you take the chance now for immediate reward or sit-back, watch, wait, learn and employ new tactics for a new battle at a later time. As Dirty Harry once said, “A man’s just got to know his limitations” and over the course of a season or even from race to race those limitations can change, change drastically.
My goal for this year was simple. To finish races a mere 24 seconds behind the winner. Not lofty, not arrogant, not stupid. That 24 seconds I felt was attainable, but as I got better, so did the winner. They stepped up, as I stepped up. My riding abilities increased at seemingly the same rate as the winners. How can I accelerate this growth? Where’s that special hormone? Where’s that magic pill? Generally, throughout this year, I would hover around the 34-36 second differential. Which equates to 3 seconds average per lap slower than the leaders. However, this past weekend, I was able to meet my goal and finish 18.3 seconds behind the leader, which is only a mere 1.5 seconds per lap off the leader. This is my measurement. That is my yardstick. I feel too many newer riders focus just on the one fast lap time and how it compares to that other fast lap time. It’s more than that. It’s race craft, it’s traffic, it’s set-up, it’s who you are racing with and against. How do they push you, how do they slow you down. Consistency breeds success. Practice breeds consistency. Knowing where to be. Knowing the thoughts of your fellow racer before they do. Knowing how to they will react to a given action before they do. Understanding the limitations of your bike in any given position on the track. How much will the bike give me? How much will the front be allowed to push? How much, how much, how much….?
These are the things that I got to test in myself. This is why I race. Sure the competition is fun, and of course I want to beat my nearest competitor. But really this was test for me. A 43 year old pharmacist, racing against and learning from kids who have ridden some form of motorcycles since they were 3. It’s about me putting forth my maximum effort and testing my skills against the rider next to me. It is about learning from the more experienced riders. Seeing what they do, understanding what they do, how they do it. Listening to their stories, their anecdotes. Filing it away and being able to recall it in an instant, to play the card as the game is unfolding before you. If you can’t learn from your mistakes then you are not a good student. You’re not a keen observer. You need to be vigilant, be focused and be attentive. If you think you’ve learned it all, guess what, you’re wrong. There is always someone better, someone faster to learn from. Sure every once in a while an old guy gets thrown a bone. And I’ll take it. I’ll take my little trophy and be happy with my small successes. However, a trophy will never validate just how successful I feel. The personal goals that I have attained, and where I was just a few short years ago to where I am now.
I have learned quite a bit about motorcycles and racing in these last 3 years. Riding fast, under control, being smooth, and all the mental aspects of riding and racing. But, I have found that I am most satisfied when I can see someone begin to understand these things too. Someone I may have helped along. A sapling growing into a mature tree. How gratifying is that? Always learning, yet always passing it down. Mentors like Dave Salmi, Oliver Jervis, Kevin Pinkstaff, Brian Pinkstaff, Dustin Ranck, Tom Young and Jason Pridmore. People that have impacted my life, my riding. Some speak a lot, some very little, but each has taught me a lot. Thank you.
Motorcycle racing is about sacrifice. Monetary, personal, mental, and physical. From the guy who wins every race to the guy who struggles to not get lapped by the leader, it’s a sacrifice. Some outsiders will see it, some will not, but all should appreciate it. I know I do.
So, what about those races….
Middleweight Supersport, 5th Place, best time 1:16.625
This was a hard battle. The race began with a red flag after the first complete lap. The President went down in T8, he was OK, but the bike was not. The field was held at grid and we were fired off again. I got an OK start, but ended having to negotiate traffic more than I’d hoped. By the end of the second lap I was up to 5th and in a battle with Kinnie. This lasted the rest of the race. Kinnie would pass me on the straights and I’d pass him everywhere else. He kept it together on the last lap and I was not finding a spot to get by. He rode a good ride. Congrats Ryan. I was able to secure 4th place Season Overall in this class.
450 Superbike, 5th Place, best time 1:16.288
I knew this race was going to be tough. Greg Levin, Dave Wallway and myself were all within 6 points of 3rd place overall. The 3 of us have battled all year. Always good, always fun, always hard. Greg got an awesome start, me mediocre. I slotted behind my teammate Dustin and Greg was in front of Dustin in 3rd position. The 3 of us pushed very hard at the beginning and it took Dustin a couple of laps before he made it past Greg. Greg was riding so good. Dustin was able to break free and that left Greg and myself to do battle for awhile until I made some small mistakes that let me drift away. However, even if I hadn’t had made those mistakes Greg still had me covered and there was no way I was going to match his pace that race. It is my contention that Greg is one of the smoothest riders out there. Effortless. I was able to secure 5th place Season Overall in this class.
Middleweight Superbike, 6th Place, best time 1:16.521
OMRRA #1 plate holder Alan Schmidt came to play with us. He borrowed a stock SV, started at the back and showed us what an SV is capable of. He set the official Supersport SV record of 1:13.747. Amazing. My race again began with a mediocre start followed by much passing and another tussle with Ryan Kinnie. This time was different. I stalked and waited. I know where he is weak. He knows where he is weak. He would run a defensive line in many of the corners that he knew I was stronger, but that made no difference. I was going to pass him where he least expected it. On the brakes into turn one. He is a very late “braker” into that corner, so late that many times he runs it too wide. I kept running into the rev limiter down the front straight, even when I was by myself, so it was even worse when I was in a draft. Ryan could easily pull away from me. However, I was noticing that I could get better drives out of the last corner and only if I was right on his rear tire could I even think of staying in his draft. I was there, I even had to roll out of the throttle to stay in his draft without bouncing the limiter. I waited. To leave the draft was suicide. I waited. Waited until he moved to begin braking. And only then did I move right, hold onto the throttle, emergency brake and flick it on it’s side into turn 1. I know he didn’t expect that, hell even Suitor behind us didn’t expect that. That move was courtesy of Dave Salmi. He taught me that. Over and over again he would show me at trackdays how it’s done. Thanks Dave. Thanks for being patient with me. I was able to pull that card out and use it. I owe you one. I was able to then gap both Ryan and Steve and come away with a hard fought sixth place. I was able to secure 5th place Season Overall in this class.
The results aren’t spectacular, but I’m satisfied. More than anything, however, is that I am lucky to be associated with some of the best riders in the area. Oliver Jervis, the newly crowned #1 plate holder for WMRRA, Kevin Pinkstaff the #2 plate holder for OMRRA, Brian Pinkstaff the #4 Plate holder for OMRRA, and Dave Salmi the #5 plate holder for OMRRA.
I also get to pit with the best pit mate around. A very special person. Thank you Dustin for all your help this year. Major driving force in my riding improvement.
I have been lucky to be surrounded by not only great riders, but great human beings. I get to hang out every weekend with the likes of Matt and Connie Gougler, Cameron Templeton, Jeff Brooks, Brian Moe, Amy, Mike Gray, Tom Young, Dale and Dan Zlock, Brent Prindle and Miriam Hough. But, none of this would be a tenth as fun if Elaine wasn’t there. I’m really happy that she is there every race weekend and we get to share in this experience together.
Thanks to all my sponsors this year. PSSR, Cycle Gear, Sunoco, Ron's Performance Motorcycles, Competition Motors, Pirelli Tires, Moto Interactive, ACME Motowear, Icon Tattoo, Tech Spec, PSI Leathers, Impact Armor, Life Flight Membership services, Richard Petty Enterprises and Al Perierra Painting.
Thanks everyone and all the corner workers for a wonderful 2008 racing season!