AFM at Thunderhill was a lot of fun. We had some issues with my race bike on Friday practice so once again I found my self on the back up bike for the race weekend. Saturday was AFM practice and I got the chance to run with some fast guys and figure out a few little things I could do better.

AFM doesn’t do qualifying before the races so the grids are based on points, since AFM isn’t one of our regular series we would have to start on the back row. Fortunately they have a rule called KFG (known fast guy) which states that if you can run within three seconds of the fastest lap of the previous race you will be able to start on the fourth row.

Sunday was race day and the grids were packed, around 60 people in each race. My first race of the day was 750 production, in which I had to start on the fourth row. I got a good start and got up to eight or so by the end of the first lap. I worked my way up to third and set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:52.977. I made up a little ground on first and and second (who were both on 750’s) but the race just wasn’t long enough to make up all the distance. So I played it safe and got a podium finish with plenty of room between me and fourth place.

My second race of the day was 600 superbike and again I was on the fourth row. I got a better start this time and was up to third by lap two. We had switched tire compounds between races and I was having a difficult time finding traction. My fastest time was about a second slower then my fastest in the first race so again I played it safe and got another podium.

The third and final race of the day was 600 production and I felt that I had a g really good chance of running with the top two. I got off the line fairly well and was out of traffic by lap three. I set my sights on the front two who were about three seconds ahead of me. Every lap I could see that I was gaining a little and with two laps to go I was within a couple bike lengths. The last lap we came down the front straight and I was close enough to get in there draft and was planning were I could make a pass. They began racing each other and got in to a turn a little hot and had to scrub off a lot of speed. I saw my chance to make my pass and went around the out side of second place. He tried to get on the gas early and took me wide, we almost made contact and I was forced on to the curbing and he got the position back. At the line less then a second separated us and I also set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:52.474.

All to gather it was a good weekend and I was on the box in all my races and really got the bike figured out.

Tags: Garrett Willis by Garrett Willis
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Just wanted to let you know how our race weekend went, Finally took the boys and did an AFM race at Thunder hill, I was not to sure of letting them do it on the fact that they might have to start at the back of the grid and they did start 67 bikes in one of there races. But I used it too as a warm up race to try and get use to the new Pirelli tires for us. We had been using Dunlop but had some not so good tires and where having to buy all of our tires and Pirelli offered me a deal which would cut our tire bill in half so it wasn’t a very hard decision to make. As long as the boys liked them which they did we where going to run on Pirelli’s.

The people at AFM told me that if they boys could get to with in three seconds of the previous race winners time in practice they would give them a fourth row start. So I let them do it, we where going to go out to New Mexico but that would have taken a bit more time to get out there and I think it worked out better in the way we got more track time as well. We got to practice all day on Friday and Saturday up until 3:30. So with all that time I got to spend some good laps on some different tires and the boys got well with in three seconds of the past winners time so they got moved up to the fourth row for there three races.

The only trouble we had all weekend was Friday when Garrett lost his race bike engine, so we had to put him on the back up bike which is the same bike wise but not as good engine wise. There first race was 750 production, they both came from the fourth row and had a great first race, Garrett worked his way up to third while Jett ended up fifth. Jett is getting his speed back but lacks the race experience Garrett has from the years of racing he has under his belt.

There second race was 600 superbike, again they started on the fourth row and again Garrett came through to take third, Jett worked his way up to tenth. This race they had started almost 60 riders so it had some excitement in it to watch, Garrett posted one of the fastest time for 600 and missed getting the track record by no more than a tenth of a second. Not so bad for his first AFM race and on a bike that was not as good as his race bike.

The next race was my race, Formula Pacific, I had not been able to go look at my grid position on the account of I had no time, I was busy all weekend just keep the boy’s bikes going and ready. So I had Jett and Garrett look for me and they said I was last row and maybe on the sixth row. When I got out the there must have been about 40 riders and I felt I was on the tenth row. My start wasn’t the best and the first two laps I had to about come to a stop up in turn five just because I had so many guys in front of me. Once I kind of got through some of the other riders and got some clear track we where able to set a new track record by about a second, but ended up running out of time to take the win. We ended up finishing second so my weekend went about as good as it could have to plan.

The last race was the boy’s 600 production race. Again from the fourth row Jett and Garrett started and again Garrett worked his way through some of the other riders and was racing for the win on the last lap but got run off the track and had to settle for third. Jett had a go on the first lap trying to get through them with Garrett but was pushed off the track exiting turn six, so he still worked his way back up to tenth and had a good race. So all in all it was a very good weekend for me and the boy’s and just want to say thanks for all of your help and support. I think these two have a future on these motorcycles if I can keep bikes under them.

Thanks
Doug

Tags: Doug Chandler by Doug Chandler
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