Macau, a David vs. Goliath Type Story.

Macau Moto GP 2010 from Toze Soares on Vimeo.

Nov. 18 – Breakfast at the buffet and then off to the track. The bike was almost ready to go, but we still had to be there to fuel it up and get the warmers on about an hour before the session. It’s something else being minutes away from our first International session with the real bike, the one we’ve been working towards since April (far beyond the Laguna disaster). It was a success! By the end of the first session, in which we were sitting second most of the time, we were in third right behind Michael Rutter and Stuart Easton. These are two of the biggest names in street racing, and probably the two best here this weekend. Of course there was way more time to be had, and there were some mods to the bike, but we knew it was going to be one of those better weekends.
Our next session was going to be at 330, so Jeremy, Jody, and I split to debrief and get the game plane for Q1.
The clutch, tires, shock, and a few little nick nack things were put on the “To Do” list. It wasn’t supposed to take too long, but we did manage to waste a bunch of time trying to mount the tires on possibly the worst machine ever. Regardless, we got it done and had a bite to eat before Q1.
The improvements helped and Jeremy ended up 3rd for provisional qualifying with a 2:27.3 (faster than he’s ever gone here before). As before we came up with a new game plane for Q2 (at 730AM). There was still plenty to do that night so Jody and I were in the garage until 10, but it all got done.

Nov. 19 – It’s 730 and were back at the track for final qualifying, but I have to say it really makes no sense as to why they have bikes on track before any of the cars, especially after seeing all the dust that was lofting off the ground in the first laps of the session.
The craziest part is that even in dirtier, colder conditions almost every single rider went faster, way faster! Rutter and Easton were trading the lap record in the 23s, while Jeremy dropped his best time even more to a 26.3 and will be starting from the front row in P4.
It was an early day for us because there was only the early qualifying session, and nothing in the afternoon. We had a pretty darn good race setup at this point so we decided to try something. From the qualifying lap charts we could see that the place we were losing the most ground was in the twisty top section. We decided to try the bike with a new offset in the front for more of a different type of steering characteristic. Tomorrow is Race day!

Nov. 20 –I can’t explain it exactly, but when I woke up wayyyy to early this morning, about 450AM, I had a really good feeling about how the day was going to play out. Unfortunately the first practice didn’t follow. The change that we made to the bike with the trail actually ended up hurting the turning characteristics in Sector 2. Instead of aiding in the delay it actually took away feeling and caused Jeremy to have to wait even longer for the bike to do what he wanted. We finished the session down in 9th position with a bad feeling. I told Jeremy that it was going to be ok, and come race time we were going we’re going to give him the best bike he’s ever ridden.
Our race start was pushed back about thirty minutes throughout the day because of all the crash happy cars that were on track before us. I think we saw more red flags then a Fastrack Riders trackday before a WERA weekend! Regardless, we were on the grid at 1515 for the start of the warm up lap. It was a cluster getting out there with all the media, teams, and aux personnel, but what an experience. Standing on the front row of an international grid like that was eye opening.
The sirens kept sounding, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 1 minute. The start was getting close. People cleared the grid. Tire warmers came off. Bikes were started, and visors were dropped. After the warm up lap the riders again took their grid positions with only their bike keeping them company. Man and machine awaited the lights. The scream of the 30 1000cc engines amplified, and when the lights went out the screams turned to howls as thousands of horsepower was poured onto the tarmac.
Jeremy got a great start and ended up 3rd into Lisboa, the first breaking right hander at the end of the straights. Before the end of the second lap Jeremy had already made a shot at Rutter with the horsepower of our S1000RR. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold the line and the number six quickly took back second place and built a gap. The race was settling in nicely with Rutter and Easton clearing off out front while Toye, McGuiness, Johnson, and Andrews battled for third.
On lap 7 of 15 the red flag came out for a fallen campatriot. Chris Peris, on a much harder tire that he was used to running, lost grip and put him off line right into a wall. The sight of him motionless on the tv as he lay there helpless with the bike on top of him was heartbreaking. He was transported to the hospital and minus a bruised lung, back, and a concusion he was ok. The bike on the other hand was a different stroy. It looked like someone planted a small charge of C4 in the frame right at the steering head as it was completely separated from the rest of the motorcycle. I know it sounds cliché, but those parts can be replaced. There wasn’t a person in the garage who was more interested in the bike than Chris’s well being.
On the other side of the American Team’s garage we were deciding on what to do with the tire situation. We had a soft qualifying tire on the spare rim for a short restart, but the officials decided that it would be a 9 lapper. There was no way that the soft tire would hold up for 36 miles so we put the USED race tire back on and accepted the hand we were dealt. Jeremy was going to have to make the best of it and he certainly did!
The start of the second race was almost an exact replica of the first with Rutter and Easton slotting into first and second and the number 57 landing in third. After a few laps the electronic gremlins that we’ve been dealing with all year started rearing their ugly head. With the bike cutting in and out amongst Armco barriers Toye was forced to slow. He was passed by Andrews on the other Paul Bird prepped Kawi. With Toye falling back and Andrews quickly pulling to a two second gap things weren’t looking good, but that wasn’t the end, far from it.
On lap 6 of 9 things started going the other way! The bike cleared its throat of whatever it was that it was choking on and Toye was given full control again. Knowing that we’ve come too far, and put in way too much time he decided to put his head down and make a run for Andrews who was still two seconds ahead.
Overtaken by the red mist Toye kept reeling off laps quicker than he had ever gone before, first matching his qualifying time and then besting it by over a second. On the last lap of the race the 2 second gap was now just over half of a second, and he was right on him. Through the fast bend in the first sector Jeremy blew past Andrews like he was tied to a post, and breaking for Lisboa pulled out every motocross and flat track skill he had. Backing it in and making himself as wide as possible there was no way past for Andrews. The monitors around the track were more interested in covering Easton’s final lap and we didn’t get to see the battle for the last podium position on screen, but our eyes were glued to the last turn. First Easton… then Rutter… and then… a lapped rider (that one freaked us out), but finally the battle for third came into view and blasted across start/finish!
Toye had grabbed the final spot on the podium, and his best result ever here at Macau. As a matter of fact it was the first time an American had been on the box in 10 years when Mark Milled did it back in 2000. Everyone was so excited, but we had no idea where we were supposed to meet the rider. When we walked down to the pit entrance, the marshal told us Jeremy would meet us back at the pit box. When we walked back to our garage the teams were telling us that he would be at Park Ferme, so we all ran down there. Still no Toye…
Aparentely there was a mistake form a track worker when the riders were coming in and he led the podium finishers to the wrong place. Never the less I grabbed my camera and a spot in front of the podium presentation. Jody and I were so excited to take it all in and when Jeremy walked out to take his trophy there was a lot of emotion. We’ve worked insanely hard this year with a lot of highs and lows. It’s nice to know it hasn’t been in vain.
This year we built one hell of a motorcycle! It was really almost like a David vs. Goliath type story. For just being a small shop in San Diego we stuck it to a strong field of international competition. There were many other teams there who have been well supported and running bikes all season. The bike that Jeremy beat out for 3rd was a Paul Bird World Superbike for Pete’s sake! Hopefully this means everything I think it means for the success of this program.
After he was done with the press conference he came back to the garage to see his bike being swarmed by fans. Of course Jody and I gave him a big hug and everyone congratulated him for his strong ride. One belated smoky burn out and a few tears later we were ready to go out and celebrate properly! I don’t remember a whole lot of that story, but I will say the level of celebration definitely was on par with the achievements that day!

San Diego BMW Motorcycles at the WSMC Series Finale

San Diego BMW Motorcycles at the WSMC Series Finale

Some say the world’s easiest job is Weather forecasting in Southern California. “Sunny and seventy, Just like yesterday and tomorrow.” The weather at the November round of Willow Springs Motorcycle Club Races was anything but predictable. Saturday started out with a wet track from the overnight rains. The only rider to venture out for the first round of practice ended up coming back on the crash truck without completing a lap. The morning only got worse as more rain clouds rolled through.

With Jeremy and the rest of the team racing in Macau China, I was at Willow Springs primarily to ensure I kept my points leads in the Formula 40 class and Top Rookie overall. I also had in mind to try to better the Formula 40 lap record, but with the temperature almost 70° colder than last time we were here it seemed unlikely to have the traction to run at that speed. I did however get out in one practice session on Saturday afternoon. The track was still cold and the wind was blowing hard, but I was able to get the fastest lap time of any rider for the day.

Sunday Morning got off to a slightly better start. The track was still wet from more overnight rains and the wind was blowing even harder, but the rain did not return. While the wind made the day uncomfortable, it did help to dry the track out quickly and blew the clouds away. With temps in the forties and 30 MPH winds, it also blew the spectators away. Race one, Open Modified Production, may have had 5 die-hards in the bleachers. I got off to a decent start and was third into turn one. I passed Reno Karimian into second and was chasing the New Number One plate holder, Karl Lowery, when the red flag was thrown. The restart went slightly different. I was still third going into turn two but first two positions had reversed. This allowed me to make a pass on Karl going into turn three and we both passed Reno on the first lap. That’s when it got interesting. The rear tire had been spinning a lot through turn two on both starting laps. I assumed it was due to the cold temperatures, but on the second lap with Karl all over me, it really let loose and I got thrown out of the seat. I barely managed to keep it on the track and lost the lead to Karl. I immediately realized why the tire had been spinning. I had pulled a rookie mistake and forgot to check the rear tire pressure. The rest of the race was like riding with a bowling ball for a rear tire. It was all I could do to hold onto third behind Matt Quiqley on his Kawasaki.

The Formula 40 race went a little better. I adjusted the rear Dunlop’s pressure and put a new Slick up front. I took the hole shot and never looked back. I ran some respectable times, but not close enough to beat the record on an icy cold track. Frankly, I didn’t think I would be able to run that quick with the weather, but in the Premier class I found more speed and actually ran considerably quicker than the record. I did complete my main goal for the weekend though; this win clinched the Formula 40 Championship, and the Top Rookie Classification. I was relieved to have the pressure off, especially after how close I came to making a mess of it in the first race.

As I mentioned the Formula 1 class is the premier class. It is only open to those riders who have qualified as Pro level with WSMC, and it draws the best riders from all classes. I have only raced it twice before, as this is my first season on a liter bike. I only had time to install a new rear Dunlop between races, and this time managed to remember to check the tire pressure. On the out lap I noticed we had a new rider added to the starting lineup. Bobby Fong was joining the grid on his Ducati. That meant I was not gridded last. You see, in club racing, a riders position on the grid is decided by the current championship points of each rider in that class. Since that was Bobbies first time competing in this class, he had fewer points than I did. So he was last on the grid. Lot of good it did me though, as on the start I went into turn one right behind him. I was able to get around him and Reno on the first lap and crossed the line at the end of lap one in fifth position behind Lowery, Higby, Prince, and Duran. I had lost a little ground to the leading pack in the first lap, but was able to reel them back in and to get around Higby as he faded back due to the blistering pace and the relative lack of power with his Buell. So at the end of lap 3, I was 4th and had caught right up to the pack. Duran had passed Prince, and I was able to use the power of the S1000RR to get by him as well. I ran third from lap 4 through 9, trying to find a way around Duran, all the while Duran was trying to find a way around Lowery. You could have thrown a blanket over the four of us. I tried to get up the inside of Duran on lap 10 in turn 8. 160 mph, knees on the ground, tires sliding as I surged forward into turn nine. Duran had the better line and closed the door leaving me very close to touching his rear wheel with my front. I had to check up to avoid hitting him and lost the drive. This allowed Prince to get by and I was relegated to 4th. The three of them all posted their fastest laps of the race in lap 11 making it impossible to make up the lost time.

I was thrilled with this finish. I would have loved to get on the podium, but finishing fourth was three positions better than last month and my best finish in Formula 1 so far. I had bettered my best lap at the track and ran well under my goal for the weekend (albeit in the wrong race). Also, Lowery, Duran, and Prince finished in the same positions in the WSMC over-all points as they did it the race, so they will be the guys to beat next year.

With one more race left in the day the weather began to worsen. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped down to 44° before the Open Superbike Race. The grid was smaller that it should have been, as some competitors opted to pass on the last race of the year, but I was just not ready to quit riding yet. I was wishing I had heated grips on my race bike though. I got the hole-shot and lead into turn three when I saw another red flag. Turns out Prince had high-sided in turn one and injured his foot. On the restart, I was second into turn one but led out of it and just enjoyed the last laps of the season. I had a sizable lead at the finish, and had secured third position in the Open Superbike Championship.

For Me, (Gary Orr, Owner of San Diego BMW Motorcycles), coming back to the competition of racing has been amazing. After more than a 15-year layoff, to return with a Stock bike that truly is competitive with the best super-bikes is a dream come true. The S1000RR has consistently been the best bike on the grid this season. After just 7 months of development (including a lot of rider on the job training) I have won Two WSMC Championships (Formula 40 and Solo GTO), a California State Championship (Formula 40), and the WSMC Top Rookie Award. Perhaps most importantly we have a truly competitive team in place for next season. I plan to take the next step in competing with the Formula 1 class next year. That of building a Super-Bike engine to go with the platform we have developed.

I would like to thank everyone for a great year, starting with thanking God for keeping me safe. I can’t thank our staff at San Diego BMW Motorcycles enough for covering for me at the shop and doing such a great job while I was away. My new friends Jeremy Toye and Lee’s Cycles have helped me in so many ways. They helped me to set up the bike, allowed me to see that the bike and I were capable of more than I thought possible, and helped to develop the rear suspension components I am using. (They are also building the engine I will use next year). Also, thank you to Tim Chin and X-Dot Racing for building the front suspension, and for making this same fork kit available through our service department. Jason Turner worked tirelessly to set-up my bike and made it absolutely the best for me, and he did this in addition to managing the entire team and designed several parts in the process. Finally, I want to thank my wife Heather and Brother in Law Michael for allowing me to take the time away from our shop and our personal lives to participate in all these races.