FINALLY!

Jonah and I are driving up to Portland today to meet with the team. Our 2nd bike arrived from Italy about a week ago, and we have one of the Factory mechanics coming this week from Italy to install a new updated motor in Jonah's bike, and help us with our 4 days of testing and racing here locally starting Thursday:D Friday I'll be on track instructing our novice group, which is always a lot of fun, and the rest of the time I'll be helping the 3 mechanics with pulling body work, mixing fuel, changing tires etc. Just generally being a go -fer;) The following wknd we go down to Thunderhill in Willows, our japanese rider and the visiting former japanese national 125 champ will race the 125's, while Jonah runs in the 250 race. The following wknd will be Sears Point AMA 250 racing for us, so hopefully the guys can get onto the track quickly ( 2 friggin' 20 minute practices:mad: ), then do the business. I'm excited to see the kid get on a " fast " machine. He's rode an R-6 in endurance race before at a very competitive pace ( 2nd in MW ) with no time in the saddle, and can flog my R-1 around at about the same pace that I ride when I turn it up without trying too hard, so this should be:cool: As I mentioned before, I spooned some new 208 gp's on the bike, so I'll make sure to turn it up enuf to give you guys my olddog impressions of them;)

Its 9:30 this sunday morning and I already have 600 miles on my bike. I need to change the oil quick to enjoy the rest of this beautiful Sunday. Yesterday I wanted to to buy some Yamalube but instead bought Spectro Synthetic blend because all Yamaha store were close by the time I got out of work. Now I heard people say not to use Full Synthetic oil during break in but is it ok to use Semi- Syn.? I know I'm desperate to ride but if I have to wait than it would be worth it considering I don't want any damage done to the interior of my bike. Please help....

Cool Olddog, I always like to hear about you and your sons racing activities. Rock on old man:rock By the way did you get my e-mail a time ago?

Abe, I'm a virtual idiot:iamwithst on this computer. Basically, hunt and peck, don't know how to send attachments etc. it's sad really;) I'm not sure how to access some of the features on the site, but you can always email me direct @ richnbets@casco.net if you would like. The oil thing? Wrong section, but I do know that Honda says you can breakin with the min/ syn blend, and i'm pretty sure it's that way with Yam too.You might want to go to the Fixing and tweeking section to put out more feelers;)

:cryin :cryin Oh man, I wrote a complete novell to you on your mail. Guess its still out there hehe. Oh well, Ill mail you some other time. Cheers, Abe

I accidentally press reply instead of new thread but thanx for the info I appreciate it.

The Italians and Japanese arrived today, Jonah and I will go up to Portland Thursday. They are sticking the new updated motor in J's RSV-250 Aprilia. The mechanic, Meglia, was Rossi's mechanic's assitant when Rossi won the 125 and 250 titles for Aprilia:cool: We adjusted the clipons and pegs, shift linkage, brake lever etc for J on Sunday. I've been in the garage getting the R-1 ready to teach the track day Friday:p The licensed expert racers are allowed to bring their race bikes OR streetbikes to instruct with. Lots of the guys bring their street Gixxers or R-1's since we just have to tape the headlites and remove the mirrors. I always pull the dust covers off the front brake calipers too, but that's about it. New 208gp's, the new 520 conversion on ( less than 300 miles ), so everything should be good to go;) I've got a friend that just bought a FZR-4x600 with a SBK motor stuffed in it to endurance race that I'll also be testing with him to get suspension and gearing issues mapped out. That'll be a kick We are hoping to get Jonah into the 1:12 or 1:11 range this sorting out wknd before Thill and Sears. If we get the bike dialed in I'm pretty confident he will turn those lap times. The weather Sux at the moment, but the weekend is looking dry and mid 60's:) I'll give a report later and push the OMRRA web site up there too. He'll race in 250gp, 600 SBK, and Formula Ultra. Should be:cool:

Jeez guys, I'm responding to my own posts, but that's OK, I'll just keep telling stories;) My bike and gear are loaded up for tomorrow. Supposed to be EXCELLENT weather this weekend:) Jonah went up today to meet the Italian mechanic and check things out. His teamate Nobi, went out and laid down some 1:14's just braking in the new bike and shaking off the rust ( respectable times ). The visiting japanese 600 rider circulated at 1:16's, which is good on a new track. We only have 31 novices tomorrow ( bad economy no doubt, usually we turn them down at 60 :p ) So I've got a small group to work with. It will be a fun time for me, and hopefully I can help a few of these guys come to grips with " real " racing;) I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing the kid on the 250. He has nothing to prove, but you can bet that he'll want to put in lap times quicker than Nobi's. If he works his way up methodically ( like usual ), he'll do fine;) The Mechanic, Meglia is VERY good, as you would expect an ex factory Aprilia mechanic to be, and he's all primed to get the bike dialed in for Jonah. I'm bringing the R-1 home tomorrow nite ( I THINK ), and if I have time I'll post some more stories................ for myself to read I suppose....... oh well;)

Hey Olddog, I´m reading´em!:yesnod

I too read.. just don't know what to reply :D Keep up the good work? :) Do take pictures

Will this race be televised? If so I want to watch it :yesnod

Not the best of wknds. I'll write a longer explanation, but briefly, the R-1 defied gravity going into turn 1 in the 3rd session:( We had just told the novices that we were going to start picking up the pace, and that I would be coming up thru them to get them used to having guys come by. We were maybe doing 100mph going in (way slow, Jonah''s onboard telemetry showed him at almost 164 mph going into the same corner:eek: ) At any rate, I pulled around the outside of the trailing guy, set it into the turn, gas on..................... BANG, clipons full lock to the left, a big shake, the ass end kicks out, and instant hi side. Absolutely the wierdest crash I've had at the track. No BIG speed, or huge lean angles, no big load on the front:confused: Just a " Sh*t happens " deal. VERY embarassing. Couldn't find oil or coolant on the track, the tires weren't real warm, but not stone cold either. Got the right side pretty extensively, and broke my right clavical in 3 spots. Gotta see a Ortopedic surgeon this afternoon to see whether they will plate it or not ( hope NOT ). I've broken this 2 other times, but it seemed like this was a little more painful than the other times. I'm OK, just a little disgusted and naturally embarassed by it all. Doesn't matter really tho. You have to accept the fact that motorbikes can, and DO sometimes crash for reasons that are uncertain. Wish I had a better story i.e. " I decided to try and reel off a 1:12 and overshot T7 at 150 mph:lol , but such is not the case. Jonah did FANTASTIC!!:) His RSV blew up 3 times, but we stuck him on Nobi's and he went quick right off. He buried the field by about 30 seconds in his first 250 gp race, and running alone ran consistent low 1:13's. He thought that he could have definitely knocked another 1-2 seconds off, but didn't want to wad the one bike we had running. The Italian Mechanics were VERY impressed by the kid;) Ito won the 125 race on Jonah's Championship winning bike from last season, and took a VERY close 2nd in MWSB ( built SV-650's, air cooled built 2 valve 900cc Duc's etc), in a field of about 35 bikes. Yasu, the 600 rider took 8th in both 600 SB and 600 SS. Top 10 is VERY respectable here, we have a lot of VERY quick local pros. Thill next week, then SEARS. They are doing a short blurb on the team and Jonah in the paper, I'll link to it later. Thanks for the interest guys;)

Sorry to hear about your mishap. Keep us posted though...interesting reading. :thumbup

No surgery is suggested, and the Doc says that even shattered it should heal quickly:) A deal like that REALLY does make a guy stop and think:confused: Not even what I would consider a hot street pace........... hmmmmm. It was really fun to see Jonah on a " fast" bike. He had such great drives out of turns 4 and 9 that he could actually stay with the faster 750ss Gixxers in fast practice:p and the real time telemetry they downloaded after each session was WAY :cool: . A map of throttle position, gear selection, rpms, cylinder head temp etc. All VERY revealing. 164mph at the braking zone of T1!! :eek: That's faster than nearly all the 600ss bikes. Amazing. So , all in all, a decent wknd. The bike can be fixed ( Le'me tell you guys that DON"T like frame savers..........You are fools. So far as I can tell, only the ehaust can, upper, mid, lower right side really got Knarfed, so really not too bad for around a 70-80mph hi-side.................... GADS:p what am I saying?:lol

Sorry to hear about you bailing off Olddog, but that's good, no knife action:) Do you have to wear one of those cupless bras to keep your bits pulled back into line?? Cool stuff about Jonah, keep us updated...... Hey, has your wife given you any grief about pitching the bike, or has she ever gone through similar stuff with her old-school horsepower?!:lol

Very interresting reading as always:thumbup Keep it up, and hope you be good as new in no time. :hellobye

My first service 600 miles i used semi sythetic castrol. My second on 850 to 900 i service it again used full sythetic. I'm planning to serivce it again after 1200miles then after than its normal servicing then:cool:

She has always been very supportive thru my little episodes. I know it bothers her, but she never presses me about things. The old figure 8 restraints that you are referencing are out of the norm now. They just tend to sling em' and let them heal ( unless you are a young factory rider type that can't afford to miss the points;) ) I'm going to take the bike apart and look at it. Unless there's something sinister going on, it's mainly the can, right side glass, and a new tank. The guys are heading down to thill Thursday, practice Fri, and race Sat and Sun. Traveling that distance would be a drag for me right now, so I'm shooting to help them at the Sears Point national the week after. Good news! :) We found out there WILL be a promotors practice either Thurs or Fri, and this will REALLY help Jonah. I'll check in later;)

I won't be with the team this wknd @ Thill, but if any of you northern Cal guys swing by, check out the guys;) Ito and Nobi are having a smack down on the 125's. Nobi has done 2:01's there, Ito did 2:02's his first visit last year, so it should be good. Jonah is aiming for the 1:58 range with the 250. The fastest 250 guy we saw there last year did 58's, so we will see. I believe the motorbike lap record is a 56, and the track is virtually all fairly hi speed corners connecting with very little true straights. ( other than the awkward backwards chicane) That's why a well ridden 125 can post such close lap times to the bigger machinery since they carry more absolute corner speed than any other class of bikes. It kills me to miss this round:cryin , but I'd be very little help with one arm, and the 10 hour drive both ways would be VERYYYYYYYYY uncomfortable at this point. I'll keep you posted;)

Olddog sorry to hear about your unfortunate highside !! Hope ya get better soon :thumbup Keep the posts comming they are very interesting to read :thumbup

Thanks for the update Rich. Hope your collars better.

An up and down day for Jonah yesterday. Riding GREAT! Came from the last row of MWSB with about 35 riders entered ( all on 600's except him). Got a great start, passing about 10 600's in turns 1 and 2 . By the 2nd lap he made a pass for second on the brakes going down into turn 10 ( NO WAY will a 600 stay with a well ridden 250 on the brakes;) ) Anyways, the 600 guy did a Ruben Zaux boner move like the one that took out Chili in the last WSB round, clipping Jonah from behind, pushing Jonah out into the run off, and crashing himself out all at once. Jonah thought it better just to come in rather than go up thru the hoards of 600's again in anger. He told me he was visibly catching the local hotshot 600 guy that was leading, and figured he'd have got him in the next lap or 2. His lap times aren't as low as he'd like, but no one is dropping under 2 minutes where we thought everyone would be. He has MWGP before noon today, and feels pretty confident there, he'll call me in between. Then Formula Ultra which pays $ 1500 for 1st place. we will see, top 5 would be GREAT there. Nobi and Ito race in the GPRU national today also. Vickey Jackson- Bell and about 10 other extremely fast 125 racers will all line up, it should be good. More reports later. It is VERY hard not to be there helping, but Sears Point is next wknd, and I'll be ready;)

So far an EXCELLENT day for team Veloce:) Jonah buried the field of 45 riders in MWGP, besting local hotshot Jeff Woods in the process. He had just done the podium interview when he called, and obviously was pleased;) Nobi collected poll position, then pulled away to win the 125 national in style. Even with 25lbs of weight added ( he weighs 105 ) he ripped a 1:59.5 during the race! Jonah has to run Formula Ultra this afternoon, and thinks a spot within the top 5 is possible. I'll keep you posted;) It KILLS me to not be there, but Sears is next week!

When jonah started out for the F-ultra warm up lap the Aprilia made bad noises. They pulled back in and hurridly installed new clutch plates, hoping to start from back of the grid. The CCS officials refused to let him do that, and a rather LARGE group of local fans and racers along the pit area raised a stink about not letting Jonah out. They wouldn't reconsider, started the race, and there was a pile up causing a red flag. They pushed the Aprilia out, hoping to grid at the back on the restart, but again , no go. The fans and racers were even more vocal ( Jonah went down and thanked them all later:) ) The start was again red flagged due to a first lap pile up, so it was OK;) On the 250 so far in 2 outings, 2 dominating wins:cool: Spiros, the team owner told me the kid is really fast and comfortable on the bike, and he was over the moon with Nobi and jonah's wins. Ito, the 2000 Japan 125 champ never got his rythm going and never got below 2:05's taking a respectable 8th place in the national. Yasu, the 600 rider also had troubles coming to grips with Thill and also never broke a 2:05. Look for # 173 in the 250 AMA at Sears next wknd, we are pretty sure Jonah will mix it up.;) The old cripple will be there too, so come on by and say hello:hellobye

Thats great Oldog !! Took out the local favorite huh :thumbup Good luck at Sears next week :yesnod I'll be rooting for ya :rock Oh and get well soon ;^)

It's a nerve racking , but FUN thing for both of us:) I'm so proud of his demeanor, composure, and ability...... and to see a really good kid have success, especially if it's your kid, is almost indescribable:) I'm looking for www.roadracingworld.com to do some reporting on that CCS event, since there were lot's of guys like us tuning up for next weeks Sears Point event. Jonah hasn't been to sears before, but his ability to go fast and run up front at Thunderhill is a good indication that with a days practice ( thurs ), he may come to terms with Sears, which is also considered a technical " riders " track.;) Thanks for putting up with the talk, but I figure that some of you guys will see him at some point ( maybe WSB wknd at Laguna? ), and it IS kinda' cool to know someone a little that's doing it, if only thru his sad, beat up, old man;)

Way to go:thumbup

the guys take off for sonoma tomorrow, I'll follow after work. There IS a promoter practice Thurs, so J will get some time to learn the circuit:) Fri, 2 timed qualifying sessions. Go to www.amaproracing.com then the event date , then go to AMA 250. They have it all on there. IF Jonah is within 5-6 seconds of Oliver and Sorenson by Friday, he'll do good in the race;) Generally, he picks up between 3-5 seconds in the race itself, and he's a skillful techical track rider, so sears should suit him. The bike is a ROCKET:eek: , we have the suspension dialed for him, and initial gearing for thill should be close. Think good thoughts guys!:thumbup

Tell J good luck:)