OLDER

September 3, 2014

85 Comments GoGo

A Yamaha bit my ACL in half ten years ago. I got it fixed but it’s never been right, so I went to the doc to arrange an MRI. The nurse told me to step up on the scale. I asked her why, it’s an MRI. “Standard proceedure.” Instantly my desperate quest to avoid all things measuring since we quit racing last August, was about to rudely end. I stepped up. Far too quickly she said, “209lbs, ok you can step down now.” I refused to move. “Can I take my wallet out and try again? Maybe kick off my shoes? Is there a men’s room nearby?” She shrugged her shoulders like it didn’t matter, because it didn’t, to anyone other than me. I suggested we cancle the MRI and call an ambulance for the heart attack I was about to have. I’ve never been over 200lbs in my life. She had no response.

It’s not all bad, what comes with age. Among the things you lose, there are also things you gain. There’s a refreshing honesty that can come with getting older. When you’re 18 you wonder what everyone’s thinking about you. When you’re 40 you don’t care. When you’re 18 you hide your mistakes. When you’re 40 you spare yourself that embarrassment.

Don’t dread your birthdays.

KTM RC8R GOGO

Saturday morning in Sonoma found Jeremy and I ready for practice, by the first practice – which is a first for me since moving to California eleven years ago. Alex warned me not to be proud of that, and I am not. What I am proud of though is what being ready meant. Growth. Finally I am achieving the first of my two goals this year – to beat my younger self with my older self. I am also slowly wearing down the lion’s share of excess weight I recently put on my body. Oh the lonely miles I have pedaled to get that number back down below 200.

So things are progressing. I am not satisfied, thankfully, but I am proud to not simply be falling anymore. Still though I went into this weekend afraid. Not afraid of the track, not afraid of our bike or our competitors. I was afraid of me. Sears is a physical track. I am a physical guy. I work with a hammer, remember, and while I do have a delicate touch when a delicate touch is my focus, when it’s not I typically break things. The last weekend we ran at Sears I saw the name Chris Fillmore on our Open Twins grid, riding the HMC KTM RC8R. My heart sank in my chest. Chris is a pro, his bike is unworldly compared to ours and he couldn’t have cared less that we were even there. I should have cared less about him but I couldn’t resist. I made a conscious decision, against the will of my team, to not have a delicate touch that Sunday…   and I ended up on my head. I keep asking myself, “Why did I chase him? Why did I take that risk?” Such a fight makes no sense, looking back, but with my paws wrapped around our KTM’s grips, on that grid, on that day, chasing Fillmore made all the sense in the world to me. It’s a regretful part of my nature. I am a fighter. And sometimes I fight things I should not. So when I saw the AFM put Formula Pacific before Open Twins this weekend, my heart sank again. I want to fight those guys in FP – nothing delicate about it. In fact I want my framing hammer, but we can’t afford even the slightest mistakes for Open Twins right now…

It was Tracy again. It was Paolo, it was Jeremy, it was Alex, Matt and Derek Lafontaine. This time everyone agreed – run just three laps of Formula Pacific, to test our new clutch, to test our new settings, then pull off to fight another day. We’ve got business to take care of in OT.

FORMULA PACIFIC:

We qualified 14th for FP. Embarrassing. Something is wrong out there and I cannot figure it out.  Everyone exits the Carousel, and I mean everyone, much tighter than us, much harder than us. In Saturday practice we made a lot of changes, all of which affected our issues but none of which solved them. I changed my lines, I shifted my weight, I pushed places I don’t typically push, I drove sooner and I drove later. Nothing doing, we were shit coming out of that turn and others. Actually any exit where you have to accelerate hard, we struggled. Which is, well, ridiculous when you think about it.

We missed Sunday morning warm-up due to our clutch. It did nothing but slip all the way around that first lap, so I pulled in. Jeremy had installed a fresh clutch pack the night before and obviously something went together wrong. He took it apart as I watched over his shoulder. He was frustrated, he was panicked, and he was in denial. In fact before he took it apart he looked back at me, trying mostly to convince himself I think, that maybe it just needed to be bled? Nothing doing, I knew something was mechanically wrong inside there, I could feel it in the lever. As he got deeper and deeper into the now disassembled clutch I asked him, “Well, what do you think? Do you see anything wrong yet..?”

Jeremy is not as old as I am, but he’s also not a kid anymore. He’s somewhere in the middle of the fascinating transition that is life. As I watched over his shoulder with the clutch now in his hands I listened to him speak. “Well maybe last night, with all the horsing around (it wasn’t last night it was yesterday afternoon, and there was no horsing around), it could be someone distracted me or something” (nobody distracts Jeremy, he’s a machine). “I don’t really know for sure but the one thing I have my eye on is this one fiber plate which I’m not sure, but it may be in the wrong place?” At this point I looked down at the clutch plates, all stacked in a row, all with their tabs perfectly in-line. All, that is, except for one. Quietly a smile cracked from my otherwise concerned looking face. “So…. You think that might be our problem?” Jeremy solemnly directed his response toward the clutch – as I was standing behind him, “I can’t say for sure, yet, and again, maybe in the confusion last night something happened..” To that I responded, “You named your son Tru, right?” …That pretty much flushed any tension straight out of the moment, as we both laughingly re-labeled the incident a common mistake. The type humans make.

It’s more common to welcome our new years by grieving our lost ones but I think that’s a mistake. There’s something liberating about growing older.

Just about everyone was in front of us on the grid of FP. That’s my penance for not yet understanding setup like I should. I’m not sure yet why the ridiculous things I do to launch a motorcycle never caught on, but maybe I should be thankful.  We jumped one row off the start to eventually find, yet again, Jason Lauritzen’s back tire going into turn two. My goal was to work our way into the pack of the very guys we ended up among – Jason Lauritzen and Greg McCullough – just to see where our bike was. To see where I was. It took just three laps to confirm my suspicion; we are on the pace and we are off the pace. Mid-turn, and exiting turns, we are shit. My drives out of the Carousel took us so wide that on the last of the three laps we planned to do, I actually went through the dirt. Everyone else around us was mid-track, happily charging up the hill while I was way out wide like I was on a hunting expedition or something. Greg came up to me after the race and mentioned, “Hey, do you know the track goes left there?” Between his comment, and the texts Joe Salas was sending me about our bikes wild looking drives Saturday, you’d think I would catch on to something about our setup. I never did.

OPEN TWINS:

Jeremy said my composure was totally different this round. It was nerves. As I get older I seem to appreciate things more than I used to. When I play ball Friday nights I shake both umpire’s hands before each game. I listen to my wife more now, I call my Mom and I apologize sooner when I screw up. Everything now, including this year’s AFM Open Twins Championship, means more.

We took the hole-shot and built a decent lead right from the start. Things were as good as they were gonna get this weekend. Our setup was still way wrong, we still had no clue why, so I just rode the crap out of it as it was. I pushed hard where it fought me, I forced it places it didn’t want to be, I rode around problems I wished we had solved. I thank our Michelins, which honestly we relied on. They were our crutch. Just past halfway we went hunting again, out near the dirt outside the drive from the Carousel. I moved my body to an awkward position to fight the bike better, and I missed the next upshift. Instead of the next gear I got it stuck in a false neutral that it took me forever to sort out. Bam, Tiger Boy was right up our tailpipe. I saw Jeremy’s signals. He kept telling me to run like hell but I couldn’t anymore. The deeper the race got the harder it was for me to manage decent laps on our bike. I wasn’t tired. I wasn’t making mistakes. Our Michelin band-aid was wearing out. With one lap to go I rode protective lines and guarded our lead. We ran through the checker in first place, and suddenly the weight of six worlds was released from my soul like a flock of white doves. All of the nerves, all of the miles, the decisions to back out of FP to conserve the one tire we had to use for both races, they all paid off.

The two goals I set for myself this year have now increased to three: Beat my younger self with my older self, run sub-1:50s at Thunderhill, and now – win Open Twins.

Round 7 here we come…

Stay safe and thanks for reading,
GoGo








85 People reacted on this

  5. I have not checked in here for some time as I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂

  6. My developer is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on a variety of websites for about a year and am concerned about switching to another platform. I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  7. Thank you for some other informative site. Where else could I get that kind of info written in such an ideal way? I’ve a undertaking that I’m simply now working on, and I’ve been on the glance out for such info.

    2. Thanks for your writing. I would also like to say that your health insurance broker also works well with the benefit of the actual coordinators of any group insurance policies. The health agent is given an index of benefits searched for by someone or a group coordinator. What a broker does is find individuals as well as coordinators which usually best match those requirements. Then he reveals his advice and if the two of you agree, the actual broker formulates a contract between the 2 parties.

    3. I was recommended this blog through my cousin. I’m no longer sure whether or not this publish is written by means of him as no one else know such certain about my problem. You’re incredible! Thank you!

    4. Thanks for your post. One other thing is that individual states in the United states of america have their unique laws that affect home owners, which makes it quite hard for the our lawmakers to come up with a brand new set of recommendations concerning foreclosure on house owners. The problem is that each state provides own laws and regulations which may interact in an unwanted manner in regards to foreclosure guidelines.

    6. I?m now not sure the place you are getting your information, however good topic. I must spend a while learning more or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful information I was in search of this information for my mission.

    7. I have noticed that over the course of developing a relationship with real estate managers, you’ll be able to get them to understand that, in every real estate transaction, a fee is paid. In the long run, FSBO sellers never “save” the payment. Rather, they fight to earn the commission by means of doing a strong agent’s occupation. In the process, they commit their money plus time to execute, as best they might, the assignments of an real estate agent. Those assignments include displaying the home by means of marketing, representing the home to buyers, creating a sense of buyer desperation in order to trigger an offer, arranging home inspections, controlling qualification investigations with the loan provider, supervising fixes, and assisting the closing of the deal.

    8. Thanks , I’ve recently been looking for info about this topic for ages and yours is the best I have discovered so far. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?

    9. certainly like your web site but you need to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very troublesome to tell the truth nevertheless I?ll certainly come back again.

    10. Thanks for your information on this blog. A single thing I would want to say is purchasing consumer electronics items on the Internet is not new. Actually, in the past decades alone, the market for online electronic products has grown a great deal. Today, you will discover practically any type of electronic unit and tools on the Internet, which include cameras as well as camcorders to computer elements and video gaming consoles.

    11. I?m no longer sure the place you’re getting your info, but good topic. I must spend some time studying much more or figuring out more. Thank you for wonderful information I used to be on the lookout for this info for my mission.

    12. I’m curious to find out what blog system you are utilizing? I’m having some minor security problems with my latest blog and I would like to find something more safe. Do you have any recommendations?

    13. Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people think about worries that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

    14. I’m impressed by the quality of this content! The author has clearly put a tremendous amount of effort into researching and arranging the information. It’s refreshing to come across an article that not only offers valuable information but also keeps the readers engaged from start to finish. Great job to her for making such a remarkable piece!

    15. Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your web-site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you have on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched everywhere and just could not come across. What an ideal website.

    16. One more thing I would like to talk about is that as opposed to trying to accommodate all your online degree courses on days and nights that you finish off work (considering that people are exhausted when they come home), try to arrange most of your instructional classes on the week-ends and only one or two courses on weekdays, even if it means taking some time away from your saturday and sunday. This is really good because on the week-ends, you will be much more rested in addition to concentrated upon school work. Thanks alot : ) for the different recommendations I have figured out from your website.

    17. It is indeed my belief that mesothelioma is usually the most dangerous cancer. It has unusual properties. The more I actually look at it the more I am confident it does not work like a real solid human cancer. When mesothelioma is often a rogue viral infection, hence there is the possibility of developing a vaccine along with offering vaccination for asbestos uncovered people who are vulnerable to high risk involving developing long run asbestos connected malignancies. Thanks for sharing your ideas about this important ailment.

    18. certainly like your web-site but you need to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to tell the truth nevertheless I?ll surely come back again.

    19. Thanks for the diverse tips provided on this site. I have realized that many insurance firms offer shoppers generous discounts if they prefer to insure a couple of cars together. A significant amount of households possess several cars these days, specially those with mature teenage kids still living at home, and the savings in policies can soon begin. So it pays to look for a great deal.

    22. Hiya very cool website!! Guy .. Excellent .. Wonderful .. I’ll bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally?I am satisfied to find a lot of helpful info right here in the post, we’d like develop more techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .

    23. What i do not understood is actually how you are not actually much more well-liked than you may be right now. You’re so intelligent. You realize therefore considerably relating to this subject, produced me personally consider it from numerous varied angles. Its like men and women aren’t fascinated unless it?s one thing to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs great. Always maintain it up!

    24. I really appreciate this post. I?ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again

    25. I’m impressed by the quality of this content! The author has obviously put a tremendous amount of effort into exploring and organizing the information. It’s inspiring to come across an article that not only offers valuable information but also keeps the readers engaged from start to finish. Great job to him for creating such a masterpiece!

    26. I have seen a great deal of useful things on your web site about computers. However, I have the opinion that lap tops are still more or less not powerful more than enough to be a sensible choice if you usually do tasks that require plenty of power, such as video croping and editing. But for world wide web surfing, microsoft word processing, and most other popular computer functions they are okay, provided you cannot mind the little screen size. Many thanks sharing your ideas.

    27. You actually make it seem so easy along with your presentation however I in finding this topic to be really one thing that I feel I might by no means understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I am taking a look ahead to your subsequent put up, I?ll try to get the dangle of it!

    28. Appreciating the commitment you put into your website and in depth information you present. It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed information. Wonderful read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.

    29. Thanks for sharing all these wonderful content. In addition, an excellent travel plus medical insurance plan can often eliminate those problems that come with travelling abroad. Any medical crisis can in the near future become too expensive and that’s absolute to quickly slam a financial stress on the family’s finances. Putting in place the perfect travel insurance deal prior to setting off is well worth the time and effort. Cheers

    30. I have really learned new things through the blog post. Yet another thing to I have observed is that generally, FSBO sellers can reject an individual. Remember, they will prefer to never use your services. But if you maintain a reliable, professional relationship, offering assistance and remaining in contact for four to five weeks, you will usually be able to win a discussion. From there, a listing follows. Cheers

    31. Aw, this was a really nice post. In thought I want to put in writing like this additionally ? taking time and precise effort to make a very good article? but what can I say? I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get something done.

    32. What an insightful and thoroughly-researched article! The author’s meticulousness and ability to present complex ideas in a digestible manner is truly admirable. I’m extremely impressed by the scope of knowledge showcased in this piece. Thank you, author, for providing your knowledge with us. This article has been a true revelation!

    33. One thing I’ve noticed is that often there are plenty of myths regarding the finance institutions intentions while talking about property foreclosure. One fairy tale in particular is that often the bank wants your house. The bank wants your hard earned dollars, not your home. They want the amount of money they lent you along with interest. Preventing the bank will draw some sort of foreclosed final result. Thanks for your post.

    34. There are actually a lot of particulars like that to take into consideration. That could be a great point to carry up. I supply the ideas above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up where an important factor might be working in trustworthy good faith. I don?t know if finest practices have emerged round things like that, however I am positive that your job is clearly identified as a good game. Both boys and girls feel the affect of only a moment?s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.

    36. Also a thing to mention is that an online business administration program is designed for people to be able to efficiently proceed to bachelor degree courses. The Ninety credit diploma meets the lower bachelor education requirements then when you earn your own associate of arts in BA online, you should have access to up to date technologies with this field. Several reasons why students have to get their associate degree in business is because they can be interested in this area and want to obtain the general education necessary just before jumping in a bachelor diploma program. Thanks for the tips you provide as part of your blog.

    37. Definitely imagine that that you stated. Your favourite justification appeared to be on the web the simplest thing to consider of. I say to you, I certainly get irked at the same time as people think about worries that they just do not realize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest and defined out the entire thing with no need side-effects , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

    38. Excellent post however , I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Many thanks!

    39. Thanks for this glorious article. One other thing is that many digital cameras are available equipped with any zoom lens that permits more or less of that scene to generally be included by simply ‘zooming’ in and out. Most of these changes in {focus|focusing|concentration|target|the a**** length are usually reflected inside the viewfinder and on significant display screen on the back of any camera.

    40. A large percentage of of whatever you point out is supprisingly appropriate and it makes me wonder the reason why I hadn’t looked at this in this light previously. Your article really did switch the light on for me as far as this specific subject goes. However at this time there is actually one particular issue I am not necessarily too cozy with and whilst I try to reconcile that with the actual core theme of the point, permit me see just what the rest of the readers have to point out.Nicely done.

    41. Good article. It is unfortunate that over the last ten years, the travel industry has had to deal with terrorism, SARS, tsunamis, flu virus, swine flu, and the first ever real global downturn. Through it all the industry has really proven to be powerful, resilient in addition to dynamic, locating new ways to deal with trouble. There are always fresh problems and opportunities to which the sector must all over again adapt and act in response.

    43. Howdy, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam responses? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any support is very much appreciated.

    49. You could definitely see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.

    52. Out of my investigation, shopping for electronic products online may be easily expensive, yet there are some tricks and tips that you can use to help you get the best offers. There are usually ways to discover discount deals that could make one to possess the best gadgets products at the smallest prices. Interesting blog post.

    53. Please let me know if you’re looking for a author for your blog. You have some really good articles and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please blast me an email if interested. Thanks!

    55. This is very interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I’ve shared your website in my social networks!

    58. An interesting dialogue is value comment. I believe that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo topic however typically people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers

    59. affordablecanvaspaintings.com.au is Australia Popular Online 100 percent Handmade Art Store. We deliver Budget Handmade Canvas Paintings, Abstract Art, Oil Paintings, Artwork Sale, Acrylic Wall Art Paintings, Custom Art, Oil Portraits, Pet Paintings, Building Paintings etc. 1000+ Designs To Choose From, Highly Experienced Artists team, Up-to 50 percent OFF SALE and FREE Delivery Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and all regional areas. We ship worldwide international locations. Order Online Your Handmade Art Today.

    60. I?m no longer certain the place you are getting your information, however good topic. I needs to spend a while finding out much more or working out more. Thank you for wonderful information I used to be looking for this info for my mission.

    61. Appreciate it for the article — clear and useful.

      Great read! Well-structured and to the point.
      Good overview. Helpful summary.
      Easy to follow. Exactly what I needed.
      Thanks for the tips. Keeping this for later.
      Brief yet valuable. Well done.
      I like the examples. Very clear.
      Well done! Looking forward to more.
      Appreciate the effort that went into this. Quality read.

      Clean formatting and plain language — great job.

    62. Many thanks for your post. I would like to write my opinion that the expense of car insurance varies from one plan to another, due to the fact there are so many different facets which play a role in the overall cost. For example, the model and make of the car will have a large bearing on the cost. A reliable ancient family car or truck will have a more affordable premium when compared to a flashy fancy car.

    65. Great goods from you, man. I’ve take into account your stuff prior to and you are just extremely magnificent. I really like what you have obtained here, certainly like what you’re stating and the way in which by which you assert it. You are making it enjoyable and you continue to take care of to stay it wise. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is actually a terrific site.

    66. naturally like your website but you have to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to inform the reality then again I will certainly come again again.

    67. Thanks for these guidelines. One thing I additionally believe is the fact that credit cards featuring a 0 monthly interest often attract consumers together with zero interest, instant endorsement and easy on the net balance transfers, however beware of the most recognized factor that will certainly void your own 0 easy neighborhood annual percentage rate plus throw you out into the terrible house quick.

  8. I feel this is one of the such a lot important info for me. And i am happy reading your article. However wanna remark on some basic issues, The website taste is ideal, the articles is really great : D. Good activity, cheers

  10. certainly like your web site however you need to take a look at the spelling on several of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to tell the truth on the other hand I’ll surely come again again.

  13. Once I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now each time a remark is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!

  16. Hello! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website? I’m getting fed up of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

  17. I am not sure where you are getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful information I was looking for this information for my mission.

Leave a Reply to this content Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *