Kory Gill Racing
250GP Race Report
AMA National, Laguna Seca Raceway
April 16^th – 19^th, 1998

Summary:

This event was my second race of 1998, my first time to Laguna Seca, and my second AMA National race. Laguna Seca is an 11 turn, 2.238-mile road course. About 60 bikes were present for qualifying, 44 bikes made the final grid (a full grid). Out of 11 rows of 4 bikes each, I started the 17-lap main event in row 8C. I completed 16 laps finishing in 23^rd place. There was 1 restart as my pit mate and friend Bruce Lind went down in the corkscrew on the first lap of the first start; unfortunately, he broke some bones in his foot.  He will be out for a while...bummer!  Two other bikes also went down before/at the corkscrew on the first lap too, I "think" it was Renfrow and Sorenson.   This caused a red flag and a restart.  At the end of the race, 38 bikes crossed the finish line.  Only the top 30 get any points, they are listed below.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
ELF RACE FUELS & LUBRICANTS GRAND PRIX MAIN EVENT
17 LAPS ON A 2.238 MILE ROAD COURSE

Time: 00:26:06.780
Average Speed: 87.419 MPH
Margin Of Victory: 00:00:12.180
*Bonus point paid to the rider leading most laps.

Day 1 – April 16, 1998 – Promoter’s Practice

9:20am - Goal: To learn the track, watch how others go around the track, work on tuning the bike.

This was a 20-minute session. I typically use about 1/2 gallon in 15-20 minutes, so I went out with 1 gallon.  That is exactly the right amount to run out of gas on the next to last lap!  Those hills and fast corners kill you gas mileage, even when you are dog slow like I was out there.  I sputtered up the back section and manage to coast down the corkscrew and into the pits.  I checked the bike out, and no harm was done.  I have been to Laguna a few times before to spectate, but never on the track.   Very intimidating at first.  I don't have lap times, but I put them in the 1:50+ range!

1:20pm – Goal: Go FASTER.

This was a 60-minute session.  I had some time to think about the track, and where I could go faster.  I had yet to find a reference point for turn 1 which is a crest at the top of the straightaway that kinks left a bit after the top.  I finally figured out how to use some telephone poles...worked very cool as in traffic, you could still see them.  So now, instead of letting off at the crest and having to "coast" into turn 2, I could let off at the crest and be full on the gas to this "rubber spot" in the pavement.  Braking into turn 2 would be very important.  It is downhill and requires 4 back shifts.  I was out there for a full 50 minutes learning all I could.  My jetting was 1 jet too rich, so from now on, I had/knew a "perfect" setup upon which to make all future "relative" changes.

9:20am – Goal: Improve on yesterday.

This was a 20-minute session.  I went up 2 nozzle sizes to get more gas in the mid-range since this track has some "longer" mid-throttle sections.   Typically on a 250GP, you are either full on the gas, or not on at all; not at Laguna.  I got 10 laps and had lap times in the 1:42 to 1:41 range.  I was consistent (as usual), but a but off the pace I thought it would take to qualify.  I went out with 2 gallons and used 1.  My clutch basket had 1 of 6 rivets broken when I came to Laguna, upon inspection, 1 more had broken off.  In the process, it ground on my case cover a bit.  At this point, I was concerned, but not worried.

1:55pm – Goal: Faster through turns 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10.

This was another 20-minute session.  My goal might seem pretty hefty, but Laguna is a track where everything "flows".  To go fast in turn 3, you must be fast in turn 2, etc.  I needed to pick up the pace everywhere.  I felt faster out there, but I think I was just smoother.  I was still turning 1:42 lap times.   My best was a 1:41.94.  Damn!  I was at a "plateau".   Tomorrow was qualifying.  I had to figure out where I was slow and how to go faster.  I went out with 2 gallons, but used 1.5 gallons...a bit more fuel than in the morning.  Upon inspection of the bike, there were more metal fragments in the lower fairing!  Pull the clutch off, and sure enough, 2 more rivets had broken off.   It was now unusable, and the case while not broken, probably would not handle much more abuse.  Well, off to look for a spare to beg, buy, borrow, or steal (well, not steal).  Gary Georges from Wilson's Motorcycle had a spare, but it had one rivet that was loose.  If I used it, it would probably break, but it might be possible to fix it.  This was lead #1.  Jim Sidell (sp?) from World Sports had a spare basket and rivets at home, but his wife who could have brought them down, already left.   Darn!  The Ulrich's who have like 3 extra motors would not part out their motors...in a way, I understand, but in a way, I don't.  Keep looking!  Finally, I ran across Andrew Edwards.  He had a spare to loan me!  Andrew is a really nice guy.  He dared me to try to break his spare...if I did, it was fix or replace with new at his choosing.  Great!  I was back in business!  Oh yeah, Gary Georges had a spare side cover, so I decided to replace mine and bought one of his spares.   Andrew and Gary are way cool!

8:30am – Goal: Try something different and see how/if it works.

If you don't try something different, you will never know if it is better or worse!   I dropped my gearing from 14/40 to 14/39.  I figured this would be good for some faster times since I was "trained" to go into turns at X rpms, which now would be a bit faster (at the same rpm) because of the new gearing.  Well, kind of.   I ran consistent 1:41 lap times.  A bit better than before, but not much.   The only plus side of this was that this was the first practice of the day for me, and "you always run a bit slower in the morning".  I had put a new front on for this practice to break it in.  I had also put in new pistons and rings.

2:00pm – Qualifying Heat #1 (my group) – 5 laps.

Goal: Make the main event.

Due to my getting "points" in Phoenix, I was automatically gridded ahead of anyone without points.  I was in the fourth row for my qualifier.  The top 22 would go to the main event.  The other 8 would go home.  (the same would be true for the #2 qualifier as well).  I had a new rear tire on which I broke in on the warm-up lap.  (gotta love slicks)  This was my first race start at Laguna...the unknown await over the crest of turn 1 as we all pile into turn 2.  I got a decent start, but got passed by about 4 people as I tried to find a line through the corner.   I tried my hardest to stay with and pass whoever was in front of me.  We got red-flagged as someone pitched it in turn 4 (cold new tires) in a high side.  I got a better start on the second start, and basically held my position in the event.  I finished 15^th I think...good enough for the main event!  I would be in row 8C.  I beat Andrew Edwards, and as it turns out, he was 2 spots from making the main.   Remember, he loaned me a clutch basket.  We joked a bit about how if I didn't have a clutch and wasn't in the qualifier, he might have made the main.  At least he didn't take his clutch back!  Since he had a long drive back to Idaho, he let me keep the clutch and just mail it back to him after the race.  I told you he was a cool guy!

9:15am – Goal: take it easy, check the bike out.

I went out and ran some 1:42 laps to get the cob webs out of my head and double check how the bike was running.  The main thing was to get a good plug chop right before the corkscrew to check jetting.  Upon inspection, I was getting some detonation on the top cylinder.  I checked the deck height, and somehow, where I had zero before, I now had slightly plus numbers.  With my high compression heads, I have to be at zero or less!  Well, I had nothing to do till 3pm, so I put in thicker base gaskets.   To be safe, I backed my timing from 1.6/1.6 to 1.5/1.5 (stock).  First you finish, then you finish first.

3pm – 250GP Main Event – 17 Laps

.This was it!  I was in the main event at an AMA National race at Laguna Seca!   The air was getting thinner, so I went down 2 more jet sizes from the morning (which was 2 down from the previous day).  Hey, "feed the motor what it wants" as Bruce Lind says.  The sidecars which ran in the morning (I was a passenger on one all weekend, but that's another story) left oil (well one did, not all) on the line from turn 2 to turn 11.  There were two races before mine, so the track was in pretty good shape.  You could still see the grease sweep all over the track, but it was not a super big deal.  Starting from row 8, turn 2 was wild (as usual).   44 guys all trying to get the best position possible.  I settled in about 30^th I guess.   I was on it hard up the hill to 6, and gassing it hard to the top of the hill where the corkscrew is.  By the time I got to the corkscrew, yellow flags were waving.  I think it was Renfrow and Sorenson (don't quote me on that) that tangled at the top before the turn.  When I got there and popped over, I saw Bruce Lind's bike sliding the rear as it high-sided him off.  I watched him tumble as his bike spun, flipped, and then whacked a hay bale (all in about .half a second).  I was bummed that it was Bruce that crashed...I think it is harder the better you know someone, but I feel bad anytime any racer crashes.  Well that lasted about 1 microsecond, then it was back to my own race!  At turn 11, the red flags were out.

Well, just like BOTH qualifiers, there was a red flag and a restart.  To me, that was one more Laguna start under my belt!  On the restart, I got a better start and held (defended is more like it) my line over the crest and into turn 2.  By turn 4, we were pretty well sorted out.  Well, it looked like we were going to have a race!  I was in about 28^th place in the back of a group of 4 bikes.   The race was 17 laps, so I sat back and watched for mistakes these guys would make.   I got by one guy under braking, then he got me back later.  I later set him up in turn 11 and powered by him big time over the crest and did some wild late braking into turn 2.  I ended up getting passed back again when I missed a shift.  Both the guys in front of me were dropping anchor in turns 5, 6, and the corkscrew.  I knew if I could get them, I could lose them.  The next lap, I set up one guy into turn 5, and powered extra hard with the rear wheel sliding up the hill to turn 6.  I out-braked the next guy enough to be right on his tail.  I was on it hard again and got setup good for the corkscrew knowing he would drop anchor.  My plan was coming together.   I got better drive down the corkscrew and carried that through turn 9 and came out ahead by turn 11.  There was no traffic in front of me and I kept on the gas like all 43 riders were on my tail.  This was about the time the halfway flags came out.   My right hand was going numb, and my left leg was getting tired (probably from the side cars and this race/battle)  There was one rider a ways in front of me, and for the rest of the race, I tried to reel him in.  By the end, I was closer, but I never did get him.  It was kind of nice running the last half by myself as I did not have to worry about getting taken out.  About this time though, the leaders started coming by.  First Sands and Foster between turns 3 and 4, then a lap later Roberts.and Mori.up the hill into 6.  I stayed on the gas and tried to hold my line (and be predictable), but they were in just the spot that I missed my brake marker.  I was in way late, way fast, and blew my downshift before turn 6.  I made it through, but Bobby Keith got caught behind me.  I knew by the way he shook his hand at me, that he was running right with these guys...now he was 2 bike lengths back.  I felt bad for holding up leaders, but there was nothing I could do.  As the race went on, I got more tired, and picked off by leaders here and there.  I was tiring and knew my brain and concentration were about gone and compensated in my riding.  Finally the white flag came out, and I spend what little energy I had to make it one more lap without crashing, holding a tight line in case any leaders were coming by, and made the checkered flag.  I was very happy!  I qualified and finished at Laguna!  Having no idea where I finished, I was stunned at first to learn I got 23^rd place, but after it sank in, I am sure I had a glowing smile on my face...it sure felt like it.   I set a new personal best lap time of 1:37.83.  I can't wait for next year there!

My racing could not be possible without the help of my family, friends, and sponsors.   I would like to thank:
I-90 Motorsports,
Sandro at Galfer,
Kristen at Motul,
Jon at White Brothers,
Terry at TPowell Photography,
Northwest Link for hosting this web site,
Janet, my fianc�e,
Gary Georges and Andrew Edwards for help with parts, and
Bruce and Edith Lind and Rob Reich for transport help.

For other race reports, please see http://korygill.net/korygillracing-retro/racereports.html.

I hope you enjoyed my race report. If you have questions, comments, or want any specifics on my race setup or anything else, just ask.

Kory Gill
#150 AMA/WMRRA/OMRRA in 1998

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