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Changes in Latitudes
Jennings GP/Daytona 2004 Race
Report
By Wes Orloff
Dateline February 22nd, Silver Lake, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
It was a balmy 35 degrees. I was cold. I was wet. I was hung
over. The KTM525SX reluctantly barked to life on the 10th
or 11th kick and I struggled to push the heavily studded ice
racer through the slush out onto the frozen (for now….)
lake. Larry Jante on an identical KTM525 and I had decided
to have one more fling on the ice before spring would put
an end to our fun. Larry had become a full ice racing convert
over the winter from his normal woods enduro riding, and had
twisted my arm (not very hard) to go out and play on the ice
one last time this year. I figured it would be a good warm
up for Daytona AHRMA road racing, which I was leaving for
in just a few days… Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite
cold enough to keep the lake frozen completely, and the surface
of the 11” thick ice layer was beginning to melt. Smarter
(non-motorcycle racers) would probably have just called it
a day due to the poor ice conditions (and potential to end
up at the bottom of the lake…), but both Larry and I
had enough concussions in our lives to decide we should ride
anyway. And ride we did…Despite the slushy conditions,
we had a blast running the evenly matched thumpers around
the lake. The slippery surface was perfect road race practice,
as I was continuously losing either the front or rear of the
bike and just having a riot pushing it around. As the hours
went by, our razor sharp studded tires dug deep grooves through
the ice surface and large, deep puddles formed. The fact that
the traction was actually better through the puddles only
caused us to run faster, digging the ice trenches even deeper…
Before long, our mock ice race began to resemble a hydroplane
race, as both bikes left long streaming roostertails of water
in their wake. Despite my awesome Alpinestars cold riding
suit I had used for ice racing all winter, it only took a
couple of miscued moves into Larry’s roost of freezing
H20 to convince me that I had enough. I was still cold. I
was even wetter. And despite repeated KTM induced cold showers,
I was still a little hung over. But I was happy and re-focused
on riding. I wished I was leaving for Daytona that moment.
Dateline February 24th, 34,000 ft, somewhere over the Midwest…
The last two days at work seemed to creep by. Daytona loomed
ahead, but always seemed just a little bit out of reach. On
the plane I reflected on the personally challenging year I
had struggled through. The tight motorcycle racing community
turned out to be the best therapy one could get, and I was
shocked at the response and support I received from these
wonderful people I’m proud to call my friends. Racing
was another matter however, as I had found during my few stints
on a street bike that my mind wasn’t always keeping its
promise to keep my ass safe. Retirement was pondered (is it
possible for never-was-wanna-be to retire???). It had taken
a long time, but I finally felt like getting on a race bike
again. I felt a returned focus and aggressiveness that was
lacking before. Daytona would be the start of a new season
for me, both literally and figuratively. I was determined
to make the best of it. The plane touched down in Tallahassee.
Despite the change in latitude, it was still a balmy 35 degrees.
I was cold. It was wet. Maybe I should work on the hung over
part? Seemed eerily familiar…
Dateline February 25th, Jennings GP Track practice day, Florida
If anything in this world would make one want to work on
a hangover for the next morning, it would have to be Dale’s
jokes. In a word, his jokes are bad. Dale being the part time
comedian (in his mind) and owner/builder of the beautiful
CR450 I was pegged to ride. I had to endure Dale’s wrath
of classics he must have been saving up on his long solo drive
from Iowa, and I soon found myself longing for the relative
peacefulness and seclusion only an open meg race bike at full
honk can make. Luckily for me, Dale is a much better craftsmen
than comedian and had fabricated an absolutely stunning museum
quality Honda CR450 to race in the Premiere 500 class. If
not for a racing shoulder injury years ago, I’m convinced
Dale would be on the bike (and going quicker than me….).
I am proud to run Dales old pro number of #74, as it’s
a lot to live up to. Over the last 3 years, Dale has slowly
and methodically refined the Honda to the point that it could
be a legitimate front runner…or so we hoped. Jennings
would be the first test of all the hard work Dale performed
over the winter.
We arrived at the track just in time to meet up with Bob
Foist and Jeff Gunderson. It was a balmy 40 degrees. I was
cold. I was wet. So was the track. Bob had caravaned down
with Dale with his super trick Honda 350 with him. This bike
may not have cosmetically been the most attractive thing there
(but hey, neither were we….), with its raw aluminum tank
and angular bodywork, but it was functionally outstanding
and the craftsmanship Bob put into it was nearly fanatical.
The bike is so good that we were able to stick it on the podium
its first time on the track , at notoriously tricky Mid-Ohio
sports car course last summer…with a broken valve spring
and burnt exhaust valve! Bob had made a couple of improvements
over the winter, so we were excited to see how it worked.
It would be a true test, as perennial 350 champion Buff Harsh
and current #1 plate holder Eric Cook were there…
Despite the rain and cold, we decided to run the bikes in
practice and shake off the rust. It turned out the ice racing
I had done not 3 days earlier was great practice for the ironically
similar conditions at Jennings. The track was amazingly grippy
in the wet, and when combined with the amazing agility of
the 350, we were able to run some surprisingly quick wet lap
times. Practice on Dale’s bike was going well too. Dale
punched the motor out to a full 500cc from a 470cc we had
been running the last two years, and the added displacement
was noticeable right away. The powerband was super friendly
and the bike was launching off of the corners better than
it ever had before. Dale had done a bunch of geometry work,
and we had changed front tires to a new Dunlop compound…both
tricks worked perfectly, as the bike was easier to ride than
ever before. All the changes resulted in a bike that was easy
to ride fast in the challenging conditions.
We only had one little problem during practice…both
bikes were exceeding the track imposed 102 db noise limit…by
a good margin. After being black-flagged 7 times between both
bikes, we finally got them quieted down to acceptable levels.
A little creative shifting and the removal of 7 of the 15
Supertrapp discs got our 350 quieted down, while the 450 took
even more creativity in the form of an inch and a half strap
across each megaphone! Power was down a little, but so was
the noise. I was finally able to get more than two laps at
a time! Things were looking great for the AHRMA round the
following day…except for the weather. Forecast was for
more cold. And more wet. gggrrrrrrr……
Dateline Thursday, February 26th, Jennings GP Track AHRMA
race, Florida
Race day dawned…cold. And wet. I was pretty nervous,
as racing in the rain was never a strength for me. For some
reason, all the ice riding that winter, the beautiful handling
of the bikes, and my new found focus all contributed to a
lot of confidence in the wet. Practice went extremely well,
both bikes running flawlessly through the treacherous conditions.
By first call for the 350 race, we were more than ready to
go.
First up was the 350 race. Race face on. All the trials and
tribulations of the year before disappeared, and my full concentration
was directed at the flagman, looking for the slightest movement.
Green flag drop! I sailed the 350 up to 13,000rpm, gingerly
feeding out the clutch the entire time. I put my head down
right from the first lap and began working my way through
the pack, knowing I would have to ride my heart out to stay
ahead of Erik, Buff, Steve, and the rest of the loaded field.
On the 2nd lap, I took the lead and just kept my head down,
trying to be smooth and consistent on the wet track. The white
flag lap came after what seemed like an eternity, and I turned
around to find myself alone. I cautiously eased through the
last lap to take the checkers! My first win on Bob’s
bike and my first rain win! It turns out both Eric and Buff
had some problems, so I knew it wouldn’t be as easy next
time. Things couldn’t have started the week better…
Next race was on the CR450 in the 500 premiere class. Despite
the wet conditions my confidence was at an all time high.
Dale’s bike was running great and I felt I was riding
well. The challenge was going to be big though, as the field
was loaded with a bunch of fast Norton Manx 500’s. The
biggest challengers were Manx mounted Dave Roper, who took
a strong second here last year, and Pat Mooney, who ran away
with the race last year on a track he calls home on a very
fast Manx. Finishing anywhere close to these guys would be
an accomplishment.
I was gridded on the second row, but managed to make a decent
start and immediately got up to Mooney in 2nd place going
into turn 1. To my amazement, he didn’t take off and
leave me for dead like last year, as Dale’s motor mods
and all my wet track time on the 350 were paying off in spades.
I was able to hang on his back tire the entire first lap and
was really looking forward to the race when we were suddenly
red flagged as we went across the start/finish line side by
side. There was a rider on a Drixton Honda who laid it down
in the treacherous conditions causing a red flag. We would
have to re-start the race. As I sat on the grid, I noticed
the bike was getting a bunch more attention after running
up front with Pat! I just hoped I could repeat my start…
As luck would have it, we did get a good start on the 2nd
re-start and actually led for a millisecond going into turn
1. The bike was feeling great and I was content to stalk Pat
and look for a weak spot (yeah, right….) to try to get
around. That plan was going well until the 2nd lap when Dave
got around me. The rest of the race was spent passing and
getting passed by Dave, as Pat managed to stay just ahead
of our battle for second. By now it had stopped raining, and
the pace was slowly being upped to the point I felt a little
unconfident of the tires ability to stick on the cold, damp
track surface. I hung with those guys right up until the last
lap when a lapper slowed me down just enough to lose touch.
I finished in a safe 3rd spot maybe 20yards behind. A huge
improvement from last year when Pat cleaned our clocks by
over a mile! The week couldn’t have started better. Tomorrow
was the WERA race day at Jennings that we planned on running
with Bob Foists 350 only. Forecast was for cold. And wet.
I was beginning to think my 1:4 pants to shorts ratio packed
in my carry on bag may have been backwards.
Dateline Friday, February 27th, Jennings GP Track WERA race,
Jennings, Florida
Friday dawned cold. But not so wet. But did I mention the
cold?. Foolish me coming to Florida thinking it would be warm.
Although the forecast was for drier weather, the temperature
was still in the 40’s with no signs of improving much.
This led to an interesting situation, as cold pavement in
my mind was worse than wet, as tires never get fully up to
temperature and can let go with unpredictable results. Greatly
improved my chances at crashing at a faster speed…
The WERA run race day was outstanding. Very well organized
with 4 full practices before noon (and an awards ceremony).
Really great bunch of people as well that made the day thoroughly
enjoyable. Practice went well on the 350, with incredible
traction for the conditions from the Dunlop’s . Lap times
dropped by nearly 7 seconds from my wet practice times. I
was confident heading into the first V1 race we were entered
in…maybe a little too confident as it turns out. We had
befriended Steve O., Eric Cook and Buff Harsh over the last
couple of days. I knew these guys were fast, but I had never
really run head to head with them, or even practiced with
them. Wasn’t sure what to expect.
V1 race got off to a great start as I was able to move up
from the 3rd row grid position to the lead by turn two. I
glanced back to see both Eric and Buff right on my tail and
I knew right away this wasn’t going to be easy. I was
riding at what I considered a good pace, but wasn’t getting
away by any means. I had a feeling Eric and Buff were just
checking out what we had. Within 3 laps, they had seen enough,
and both Eric and Buff went by and proceeded to take the pace
up to a whole ‘nother level. My lap time indicator was
showing 3 seconds a lap faster than my best practice lap as
we had a great 3 way dice with those guys. We each seemed
to have strong points on the track, but unfortunately they
were both stronger than me through the tight infield and I
was having a tough time catching back up by the start finish
line. For the last 2 laps I hung out back in 3rd and was going
to try and make a banzai lap at the white flag to catch up.
All was for naught however as I ran up on a lapper I couldn't
pass safely and had to check up, allowing those guys to get
away just enough so that I couldn’t catch up. I would
settle for a very hard fought 3rd and the funniest 350 race
I’ve had to date! The finish was so close between Buff
and Eric, that no was sure who won until nearly an hour after
the race (Eric snuck it out….). All the respect in the
world to Eric and Buff, as I probably had a better handling
bike (based on the chatter I saw those guys riding through),
yet they beat me fair and square. I looked forward to a re-match
in the quickly approaching V2 race…
In between races, I went back to talk with Buff about our
prior race and was surprised when he actually gave me some
hints for getting through the infield better. We were both
intently babbling away when we realized that final call had
been made for the V2 race! I sprinted out of Buff’s pit
for my 350 and nearly passed it as Jeff was sprinting with
the bike the other way towards the grid. In a scene out of
the keystone cops, I hopped around and met Jeff, struggled
to put my leathers and helmet on, and just barely made it
out onto the sighting lap. Eric hadn't entered the race, preferring
to save his bike for Daytona, so it would be me and Buff.
I nailed the start and went into the lead, and immediately
put my head down running as hard as I could, putting the lessons
learned from the race before and Buff’s advice into practice.
I glanced back once on the opening lap to see Buff right on
my tail. This would be a dogfight, and I was determined not
to let him get away. After leading for 3 more laps, I quickly
glanced back, and was surprised to see…nothing. The next
lap I noticed Buff off the side of the track, upright thankfully.
I took the white flag lap and eased the pace a little in order
to bring it home in one piece and got the win. Turns out that
my conversation with Buff in the pit was enough distraction
for him to forget to fill his fuel tank. Not really the way
I would want to win, but…
Mother Nature had one more trick up her sleeve, as the day
had been cold and damp up to this point. Just as the 12th
and final race of the day took the checkered flag, the clouds
broke and the sun came out. Forecasted high for tomorrow was
70 degrees…Things were looking bright for Daytona, literally.
Dateline Saturday, February 28th, on the road to Daytona
Beach, Florida
After some well deserved rest, Dale and I hopped in the truck
and caravaned the 5 hours from Jennings to Daytona beach with
Bob and Jeff in tow. The trip seemed a lot longer however,
as amazingly enough, Dale had well over 5 hours of well rehearsed
bad joke material. It was a promisingly beautiful and sunny
morning, and the temperature slowly crept up as we made our
way towards the East coast. Upon arrival at Daytona, we met
up with Mike Chappman, Dale’s brother-in-law, who owns
a boat repair/storage facility right off of hwy 1 not 100
yards south of the famous (infamous?) Iron Horse Saloon. We
made the mandatory (and enjoyable) rest stop on Mike’s
front lawn to watch the parade of the first wave of bike week
participants, clogging the highway on their way to the Ironhorse
and its free beer happy hour. Although I wouldn’t admit
it to Dale at the time, I secretly wanted to check out the
place and see what the other non-racing Daytona bike week
was all about.
After visiting with Mike, we headed over to Tony and Vicky
Davis’s place who lived just up the road. Tony went to
Med school with Dale’s daughter and is an ER doctor in
Ormond beach. Vicky also works in the medical field as a nurse.
I can’t even begin to thank them enough for the graciousness
and hospitality they showed, especially considering we were
complete strangers save for a few phone calls. They went out
of their way to make us feel comfortable. Definitely something
to the phrase ‘Southern Hospitality’…
Since we weren’t racing until Monday, I could indulge
a little on Saturday night. Tony and Vicky’s son Trevor
and daughter-in-law Mellissa were up for a wedding came over
and joined us in a few drinks. Before long, the crowd had
thinned to the three of us.
Dateline: Saturday/Sunday, February 28th, Ormond Beach, Florida
Trevor: Have you ever been to the Ironhorse?
Wes: ‘No’
It could have been cold and damp, but I probably wouldn’t
have noticed by this point. I’ll plead the 5th for the
rest of the evening’s activities, but thanks to Trevor,
Mellissa, and her friend Jennifer, I got the entire bike week
experience in one night (and a good portion of the morning….).
The Ironhorse was everything I could (and couldn’t) imagine.
I felt like I was on the movie set for ‘The Road Warrior’.
The night was appropriately capped off by some authentic Swamp
Muddin’ in a pick up truck. Life doesn’t get any
better…
Dateline: Sunday, February 29th, Motorcycle Mechanic’s
Institute, AHRMA tech
Let just say I was moving a little slower than normal…The
team had met at MMI for the AHRMA tech, which is quite an
event onto itself. We registered for /Monday and Tuesdays
races, got the bikes tech’ed, and checked out all the
cool bikes. My headache eventually disappeared around dinnertime…
My new friend Jennifer ( 5’11”Abercrombie and Fitch
jeans model and all around great person….ahh the life
of a professional AHRMA racer). was nice enough to give me
a guided local tour of all the Daytona hot spots, including
David Alan Coe concert back at the Iron Horse. Unfortunately,
we had to cut the evening short due to race duties the next
day (and fear of Dale’s wrath), not that I could sleep
anyway. Daytona will do that to you…
Dateline: Monday, March 1st, Daytona International Speedway
It was sunny. It was warm. For the first time in memory,
the weather in Daytona was beautiful for the race. Bob, Jeff,
and Dale and new recruit Mike, had set up pits and gotten
the 350 and 500 prepped and ready to go. The race schedule
was pretty compressed in order to get all the races in on
the nearly 4 mile track. Practice on the 350 went great, with
the exception of the difficulty I was having launching the
bike with the tall gearing. The bike was on rails around the
infield, but seemed like it was in slow motion out on the
banking just due to the immensity of the place. The CR was
running great and was actually a little under geared from
Daytona gearing we used last year. Physical proof that Dale’s
motor work was worthwhile. Unfortunately we didn’t have
any taller gearing, so we would just have to wing it a little
on the back straight. I was feeling pretty confident, until
a freight train consisting of Mooney, Roper and Nichols on
their Norton Manx’s went by me on the banking like I
had the brakes on…ohh well, a top 5 wouldn’t be
bad either.
First race of the day was on Dale’s CR450 in the 500
premiere class. Unfortunately, AHRMA had scheduled Premiere
500 and the Sportsman 350 race (which I was leading the points
in thanks to my Jennings win) in the same race, forcing us
to make a decision to race the CR. I was pumped all day for
the race and confident of a good result as Jeff bump started
me out of the pits. Everything was looking until halfway around
on the warm up lap when the bike started losing power. By
the time I had gotten through the chicane, the CR was running
on a single cylinder. As everyone else rolled into their grid
positions, I rode the crippled Honda back behind the pit wall
to a dejected team. We had burned up a camshaft when a two
dollar oil feed line broke. All that work and anticipation
for half a warm up lap. As disappointed as I was, I think
Dale felt ten times worse! I could tell he was upset as he
had stopped telling his horrible jokes for the first time
all week. I almost wanted to hear one at that moment…..almost.
I couldn’t complain or feel too bad though, as its not
often one gets the opportunity to ride such a well prepared
bike, and I was excited by the potential the bike had at Jennings.
I look forward to racing the bike next time…
Our dejection was short lived, as next up was Bob’s
350 which we would be running as an underdog in the Sportsman
500 class against bikes with up to 500cc displacement. This
would also be the first time we would race against the fast
350 of Buff Harsh which would provide a great benchmark. On
the downside, I was gridded dead last on row 11!
We managed to get a good start and found ourselves leading
the race by the second lap! Bob’s bike had everybody
covered in the handling and braking department, and only gave
away a little in the top speed department to Buff and the
pursuing Triumph 500 of Jesse Morris. We had a great 3 way
battle the entire race, but unfortunately, no matter how hard
I rode through the infield and chicane, the other two bikes
would catch and pass me on the banking and lead across the
start/finish line. It didn’t help that they were riding
great either…On the 2nd to last lap, I made a banzai
run through the infield and chicane in a unsuccessful attempt
to shake my pursuers, only to be rewarded by a faces shield
full of oil as I pulled into the draft of the oil-puking Triumph.
The thought of an oil coated front tire was enough to bridal
in any enthusiasm for last lap blitz through the infield,
so I followed in 3rd place hoping for the Triumph to expire
and maybe race Buff for the win. As it turned out, the Triumph
lasted (and won!), with Buff , also falling victim to a Triumph
induced oil bath, finishing in second and me in 3rd. One second
covered the three of us at the finish. Bob’s awesome
350 took home another podium in a very entertaining race!
After a wonderful meal prepared by the Davis’s, and
despite my excitement about the next day’s races, I was
ready to hit the sack. Thoughts of an early bed time were
only re-enforced as Dale, realizing I was onto his play list,
realized he had a captive audience in the Davis’s and
started in on with his top 100 one-liners…I went to bed
thinking of the poor Davis's. This would be a true test of
Southern Hospitality.
Dateline: Tuesday, March 2nd, Daytona International Speedway
Due to the unforeseen demise of the premiere 500 bike, we
would be riding the Honda 350 in both sportsman 350 and sportsman
500. Again, the last day of the event was looking like it
would have gorgeous weather. We spent the morning practice
experimenting with different gearing and exhaust combinations
in an effort to get a little more speed on the banking. The
race combination we came up with seemed to be working pretty
well in practice, but we weren’t really running with
anybody on the track so it was hard to tell just how effective
the changes would be..
First race up was the sportsman 350 race, where we would
be up against Eric Cook (current #1 plate holder in WERA).
Buff was passing on this race to concentrate on his 500, so
it made it a little easier on us. I would be starting from
the last row, while Eric was three rows ahead of me. I knew
I would have to catch Eric in the infield of the first lap,
as I knew he had a fast bike and I didn’t think I would
be able to hang with him without the benefit of his draft.
This put a premium on a good start…
So, of course, at the drop of the green flag, I got my worst
start of the week! I was gridded at the back of a pack of
extremely loud open meg bikes, and was having a hard time
hearing my own bike to see how high I was revving it. At the
drop of the flag, I bogged the motor and stumbled off the
line in dead last. By the time I got up to speed, Eric was
already slicing through the pack into. I put my head down
and went off in pursuit, but had a tough time with traffic
and couldn’t make a couple of the passes I attempted.
By the time I got through the infield, Eric was in the lead
and I was in 4th. I made it up to 2nd through the chicane,
but Eric had a good lead and I couldn’t get to his draft.
I figured I might have a chance still if I could make a good
run through the infield.
I discovered the other problem the next lap through the infield.
Since we changed the gearing to optimize the speed on the
banking, I ended up shooting myself in the foot through the
infield and chicane, as the gearing and shift points were
completely wrong for those sections. I didn’t notice
it as a problem during practice riding at 9/10ths, as we weren’t
up to balls out race pace needed to chase Eric.
As the race wore on, Eric pulled a little distance on me
every lap. By the halfway flags, it was obvious I wasn’t
going to catch him, so I settled in to a comfortable, safe
pace and brought it home in 2nd place. Ah well, that was about
the best we could have done, all things considered.
Next up was the Sportsman 500 race we would again contest
on the 350. I went into the race with a false sense of confidence,
as both of the 2 bikes that finished ahead of me the day before
in this race weren’t entered. I didn’t even bother
changing the gearing as I thought I had this one in the bag
if I could just finish…this was my race to lose….
…which I managed to do! Things were going very much
to plan the first lap of the race, as despite my last row
start I was able to take the lead by the first chicane. Had
a hell of a time getting by a BMW (of all things….) piloted
by Ralph Auer. The beemer got in my draft and went by on the
banking, No worries I thought, I just need to blow this guy
off for good through the infield next lap. To my surprise,
the BMW was glued to me through the infield…..and drafted
by again on the banking, then proceeded to smoke me through
the chicane where my bad gearing choice was hurting me. I
still was confident I was going to get this one though, and
decided to try and put on a complete banzai lap through the
infield again. I managed to get by the beemer, but to add
to my troubles, the heavily overworked Dunlop finally went
off. I suffered both front and rear slides way up on the pucker
factor…as I glance behind me, I got a face full of BMW,
who again passed me on the banking. I began to panic, and
managed to stay with the BMW exchanging the lead right up
to the last lap, where I got a big front end slide in turn
1, and decided it better to bring it home in one piece in
2nd, which I had to settle for. It was a fun race, but disappointing
as I felt I should have won. Lap times were 3seconds a lap
down from the prior day. Not the way I wanted to end what
turned out to be an incredible Daytona week, What could have
been….
A lot of people I have to thank for making this such a fun
and rewarding week (7 podiums in 8 races!). First off so much
thanks goes out to Bob Foist and Dale Coffman, for letting
me ride their incredibly well prepared bikes and making all
the sacrifices it takes to go racing. I couldn’t afford
to do this on my own, and it’s a true joy to be involved
with these guys. We just need to get a good joke book from
the 20th century or newer for Dale…
Thanks to Jeff Gunderson and Mike Chapman for all the help
in the pits
A huge thanks goes out to the Davis family for their gracious
accommodations in Daytona (and great drugs….).
Thanks to Trevor, Mellissa, and Jennifer for the guided tour
of the non-racing part of bike week. I feel lucky to have
met you and had a great time!
Thanks to all our sponsors who help us out with their products/support:
Alpinestars http://www.alpinestars.com/
Advanced Sleeve http://www.advancedsleeve.com/
Wiseco pistons http://wiseco.com/
CometicGasket http://www.cometic.com/
RJ Performance http://www.spidergrips.com/
Spider Grips http://www.rjperformance.com/
Fuel Café, Milwaukee http://www.fuelcafe.com/
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