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Jennings Race Report
By Rhiannon Lucente
March 19-26
Jennings GP, FL
Round 1 - WERA National Challenge Series
Sam West and I pulled into Jennings GP at 11PM on Saturday
night, after a 14 hour drive. By Sunday morning I was ready
to start learning the 2005 Yamaha R6, the track, and the Michelin
tires. I had 4 days to get everything figured out, and get
up to speed.
Sunday went well, with minimal changes and lots of laps.
We left the suspension settings right where Thermosman (Mike
Fitzgerald) set them in October. I learned the layout of the
track while getting acclimated to riding an inline four again.
The Michelin tires felt great, and I only pulled in to make
a few changes to the Cyclecat rearsets. After the riding was
completed, Chris Jensen (Parts Unlimited) went over suspension
with me. We recorded all the settings, and he explained what
each adjustment was for. We accomplished what we set out to
do, and were very satisfied with the outcome.
Monday was the day to learn suspension. Chris Jensen went
over all of the adjustments one more time, and we proceeded
to send me out with one maximum setting for each session.
I articulated what I felt after each session, and we recorded
it. At the end of the day I was surprised at what I could,
or could not, feel. It was a great learning tool, and I am
glad we got the opportunity to do it. Sam also changed the
rearsets to Vortex, and we decided to stick with them for
the rest of the weekend. Again, we accomplished a lot in one
day, and were very happy with what we achieved. We were right
on schedule.
Wednesday was our private track day, so I didn't have to
worry about traffic around the course. We wanted to use this
day to dial in the bike, and find more speed. Since there
were only five of us utilizing the track (and never at the
same time), it gave me a great chance to ride a clean track.
We mounted some fresh rubber, and out I went. I found a few
more seconds, and developed my riding a bit more. Only one
change was made to the suspension, and the Michelin guys were
making sure that the wear patterns, and temperatures, were
normal. We pushed the limits of the tires by putting 103 laps
on them! I was very surprised at how my lap times were nearly
the same, and the tires still had traction. We were still
right on schedule, and making progress every time I went out.
Friday was our first time out with the guys I would be competing
with. We went out for practice with fresh tires and shorter
gearing, and I worked my way through traffic. There were 45
bikes on track, and we were all trying to get around each
other. That afternoon I went out for 600 Superstock qualifying,
and a fresh rear tire. There was an incident on the second
lap (red flag), and I think it threw me off. When we got back
out my lap times were over a second slower than in practice!
I knew I would have my work cut out for me during the race,
since I was starting on the 15th row! Not the best end to
the day, but definitely not the worst.
Sunday was the final day I would have to get my head in
order, and ride hard. I tried a few things in practice to
get a stronger drive out of the infield, and they seemed to
work. When we pulled up for the 600 Superstock warm-up lap,
we had a long delay without tire warmers on hot pit. I was
a bit nervous about the cold tires, but I gridded up for my
race, took a deep breath, and made a plan to get to the front
of the second wave. When the flag dropped I looked for a window,
and found one. Halfway around the first lap I worked my way
up to 18th place (from 32nd). Unfortunately the tire had a
cold spot on the right side, and the machine kept stepping
out hard. A few guys got by me on the first two laps, even
though I took defensive lines. After the ten laps, and the
checkered flag, I had slipped back to 32nd again. It was a
major accomplishment to finish that race, even though I was
at the back of the pack.
When I lined up for the 600 Superbike race, I had the same
intention to get a great start and chase the first wave. It
worked, and I got the holeshot for the second wave. Unfortunately,
I slipped in behind an unpredictable guy in the first wave,
and had a hard time passing him in the fast stuff. I ended
up finishing 16th.
There was a lot to learn this weekend (the track, the machine,
the tires), and I did it all amidst the fastest privateers
in the country (Robert Jensen, Larry Denning, Lee Acree…).
We may not have accomplished all of our goals, but we definitely
accomplished all of the important ones. I didn't crash, I
didn't get lapped, and I didn't finish last. I have mixed
emotions about my performance, but this was an excellent learning
tool on what I need to work on. A lot was learned during this
event, and I am happy with how the weekend went. I feel I
can only get faster from here.
Thank you to everyone who is supporting Team West/OneFastGirl
this year, and I am certain that the 2006 season will be extremely
rewarding for all that are involved! I would like to send
a special 'Thank You' out to Chris Jensen, and Peter Christian,
for the overwhelming support.
I'm faster than your girlfriend, BRRAAAPP.
www.onefastgirl.com
rhiannon@onefastgirl.com
Rhiannon Lucente #66
2006 Support
Sam West ChickenHawk
Komodo Leathers Smith Optics
Spyder Leatherworks PowerMist
Cycle Dynamics OGIO
Columbus BMW/Ducati Lithium Motorsports
Leo Vince Exhausts MBP Performance
EK Chains Cyclecat
SBS Brake Pads
Ohlins
Beechwold Hardware
Arai Helmets
Vortex
Hotbodies
MSP Suzuki
Triple Nickel Motorcycle Supply
Yuasa Batteries
Michelin Tires
Motorex USA
KWS Motorsports
Honda Northwest
MotoCorse
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