Barber Superbike Classic - AMA Pro Superbike!

The San Diego BMW Locust Powered by Lee’s Cycle Race Team left the temperate climate of sunny San Diego and traveled cross-country to compete in the Barber Superbike Classic at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. To say that the weather varied would be a dramatic understatement as conditions ranged from massive thunderstorms with flashing lightning and heavy downpours, to temperatures nearing the 100’s with humidity hovering around 80%. These changing conditions proved to impact the weekend tremendously as track time switched from wet to dry and back again. The full San Diego BMW squad was in attendance for this weekend’s racing. Steve Rapp was once again joined by fellow teammates Chris Trounson, who was cleared to ride after suffering a concussion earlier in the season, and Jeremy Toye, who returned stateside from a frustrating excursion to the Isle on Mann. With the trifecta in full effect, The San Diego BMW Locust Powered by Lee’s squad geared up to take Barber Motorsports Park by Storm…literally.

Even the bikes needed umbrellas on Friday

The first practice of the weekend was hammered by a fast moving thunderhead that turned Barber from the picturesque surroundings of manicured lawns and creative sculptures to a scene resembling the movie Twister. The initial Daytona Sportbike practice was called short due to visible lightning thus delaying the first American Superbike practice and resulting in a later qualifying session at 5:05 in the evening. The mechanics quickly got the bikes set up on rain tires and Thermos Man went to work getting the suspension set for the upcoming wet session. As expected, times were considerably slower in these hazardous conditions and the fast lap of the session was nearly 12 seconds off the dry pace seen later in the weekend. Leading the charge for San Diego BMW/Lees squad in this first practice session was rider Steve Rapp, throwing down an impressive 1:40.758 lap time in the rain, less then 2 seconds off of the pole position, placing him in the 7th slot on the grid. Following Rapp on the time sheets, Jeremy Toye was able to put down an impressive lap of 1:41.451, placing Toye in the top 10, and in the 9th grid spot by the end of the session. Chris Trounson wrapped up the first practice with a respectable 14th position in the adverse conditions.

New conditions brought new beginnings, as well as new soaring temperatures. Hydration was a major factor as both riders and crew attempted to replace fluids as fast as they could sweat them out. The first qualifier on Friday evening was a scorcher. With the temperature hovering around 90 degrees after a massive thunderstorm, the humidity was incredible. With dry track conditions, the lap times fell dramatically. Steve Rapp once again led the charge for the San Diego BMW / Lees team putting down a 1:27.28 in the qualifier and maintaining his position of 7th on the grid. Jeremy Toye struggled with grip and bike setup and ended the qualifier in 13th position with a lap time of 1:29.554. Chris Trounson threw down some very impressive laps, turning a 1:31.156 on his first day ever riding at Barber Motorsports Park!

Weather conditions remained hot and steamy for the final qualifier at 9:30 AM on Saturday morning. Times continued to drop as bike set-ups and rider confidence began to improve. Steve Rapp continued to charge ahead for the team, recording a blazing fast time of 1:26.751, only .84 seconds off of Superbike Champion and pole sitter Josh Hayes. This tremendous effort retained Rapp’s place as 7th on the grid to start Superbike race number one. Chris Trounson continued to impress, as his growing confidence in both the machine and the track were evident in his dropping lap times. Trounson climbed up the standings with a blazing fast lap of 1:29.332, putting him in the 13th position on the grid to start race one. Jeremy Toye continued to struggle with set-up and grip issues and finished right behind Trounson in qualifying with a 1:29.567 lap, placing him next to Trounson on the grid in the 14th grid slot. With qualifying wrapped up, The San Diego BMW Locust Powered by Lee’s Cycle Race Team was ready for racing!

One of Two fan walks this weekend.

Weather proved to be the deciding factor for Superbike Race one at Barber Motorsports Park. After 5 dry laps and with 16 laps remaining in the race, a massive thunderstorm rolled through, showering the track, resulting in a Red Flag situation that stopped the race. Riders and crews rushed to their hot-pits to hear word from AMA officials regarding the race restart. Many teams rolled out their wet bikes and placed them next to their dry bikes and waited for the word. Without the luxury of wet and dry bikes, the San Diego BMW Lee’s Squad was forced to make definitive decisions about using the slicks mounted on the bikes, or switching to rain tires and praying that the track remained wet enough for the tires to remain effective. Word from AMA officials finally reached the riders. It would be a wet race. Of the three San Diego BMW / Lee’s riders, Jeremy Toye was the only rider to chooses to go with rain tires for the race. This proved to be the right decision. Although the storm had passed, and the water appeared to be evaporating, a remaining cloud layer prevented the track from drying out as quickly as some riders and mechanics had expected. Both Rapp and Trounson found themselves on slick tires on a very wet race track. After struggling with set-up all weekend, Toye was able to charge ahead on his rain tires and put down some impressive wets laps, capturing 10th at the end of Superbike Race One. Steve Rapp pulled off an impressive 12th place, riding on slick tires in the rain. Trounson rounded it out for the team with a 15th finish, also riding on slick tires in the wet. The changing weather as well as the changing results demonstrated once again that anything can happen in racing.

Superbike Race Two was what everybody had been waiting for all weekend, a dry race that could showcase the full potential of the Superbike riders as well as their machines. Steve Rapp got a monster start and hung onto the lead pack for the first several laps in 6th position. A blown motor from Tommy Hayden and a crash from Roger put Rapp in an incredible 4th position for the majority of the race. Rapp was able to retain that position until the finish, beating numerous factory riders, and demonstrating that The San Diego BMW Locust Powered by Lee’s Cycle Race Team can hang with, and beat, the big factory teams. Rapp finished a mere 8.637 off of race winner and Yoshimura Factory Suzuki rider Blake Young. Chris Trounson put his head down in the 96 degree heat and finished in a very respectable 11th place for the young Australian in his first ever weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. Toye was running as good as 11th until a Jamie Hacking-esque, tuck the front end and save it, moment forced him to take a detour down the hot pit lane, placing him in 16th position for the remainder of the race. The San Diego BMW Locust Powered by Lee’s Cycle Race Team proved that they are a force to be reckoned with in the AMA paddock and that hard work and determination can achieve similar results as that of a team with an endless budget. Be looking for The San Diego BMW Locust Powered by Lee’s Cycle Race Team to continue to make improvements and get on the podium at the upcoming round in three weeks at Mid Ohio.