Racing Reports

March 15 - 16, 2008

THIS RACE: Moroso Motorsports Park, Mar 15 - 16
NEXT RACE: Jennings GP, Apr 5 - 6 The Ducati of Fort Myers / Superbikes & Ski / H2 race team
RESULTS:
Steve Hill: 7/4/2
Scott Robertson: 11/2/6/3/2/6

Race Report: Moroso / "2nd place is the 1st loser..."

Key words for this race: 2nd place is the first loser!

As a result of some bad luck at Homestead and Daytona we're playing a bit of catch-up in points and we're only on the 3rd race of the year. The good news is that we both got on the podium and made up some valuable points on the leaders in each race class. The bad news is that we had to stand down on the 2nd step of the podium and look up at some kid half our age and resist the urge to strange the little bastard... Weather: Sunny with no rain. Perfect all day for Saturday practice. Pretty hot on Sunday with highs around 87. You'd think it was summer already...

The Track: Moroso Motorsports Park is a long piece of crappy blacktop located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The best part about this track is that we won't be going back to race there until they build a new one. That's right sports fans, we have four races in a row at Homestead, a real facility with bleachers and garages and everything! You can see the revised race schedule at www.robertsonracing.com . The Moroso "track" is 2.25 miles with 13 turns of mixed up, patched and bumpy pavement. In addition to motorcycle racing the track also hosts drag racing (oiling down the drag strip) and auto racing (braking bumps and tearing up corners), making motorcycle racing at Moroso all the more interesting. Due to a couple of deaths in the 90's they added 3 "chicanes" (quick left/right or right/left transitions) designed to slow down track speeds. While not a high-speed track like Daytona, the modifications were deemed necessary at Moroso as there are a few awkward obstacles. Obstacles like concrete walls and light poles, tire barriers and an alligator-infested canal that you can end up in (a friend of ours from Lehigh Acres went for a swim this weekend). The end result is a bumpy hodge-podge of crappy corners that we will never see again, thank God. But, as in all racing, all competitors race under the same conditions, so we don't bitch about it too much. You can see the track at http://www.morosomotorsportspark.comThe motto at this track is "Moroso: Tastes like Chicane".

#9 Steve Hill: GT Lights - 7th / Formula 40 - 4th / Lightweight Supersport - 2nd "My most exciting moment", by Steve Hill:

The #9 Fort Myers Ducati / Superbikes & Ski DS1000 was running great and I was at the top of the supersport charts all thru practice. I had a pretty good weekend, ending up 2nd in Lightweight Supersport and 4th in Formula 40. My most exciting moment was between those two races. During the Formula 40 race the left side of my seat mount broke, meaning I had to ride the rest of the race resting on my right butt cheek. I tried to fix it by sandwiching some large washers on a big bolt between the broken fiberglass and headed out for the grid of the Lightweight Supersport race. I had a great start and dove up the inside of several riders to enter turn 1 in 3rd place. I stayed low and inside the 2nd place rider going into turn 2 and leaned waay over to the right, knee dragging on the curbing at the apex of the turn. As I twisted my body back up into the seat for the short straight between T2 and T3 I felt the fiberglass rip and the seat mount gave way again. That damn seat fell down so far that I felt like I was riding side-saddle for the rest of the race. I rode the entire race on the balls of my feet. Can you say "Jacuzzi"?

#12 Scott Robertson: GT Lights - 11th (ugh) / Ultralight Superbike - 2nd / Lightweight GP - 6th / Formula 40 - 3rd / Lightweight Superbike - 2nd / Lightweight Supersport - 6th It was a tough weekend.

Kelly soldiered it out for me even though she was very sick (sorry baby) and neither of my kids could go. It was hot and I was generally not in a racing mood until I had a couple of races under my belt. To top it off, I went to the track with neither of my bikes in the trailer. Saturday morning I took delivery of the #12 Ft. Myers Ducati DS1000 superbike from GMD Computrack (they straightened the bent swingarm) and the 800cc ultralight superbike from Moto Corse Performance (they replaced the crank and lower end) so I basically spent all day in practice just trying to get the gearing and handling sorted out. I felt pretty good for Sunday's races but it was obvious that some guys were faster than me. Guys who shouldn't have been. Race day started out lousy with the GT Lights race on the 1000. I slipped the clutch and bogged, then grabbed too much throttle and almost looped over backward before getting control of myself and wandering my way into turn 1 in about 15th place. I managed to pick off a couple of guys but finished a dismal 11th. I hated the track, my superbike just didn't feel like it was turning in right and my head just wasn't in Next I ran the 800cc ultralight superbike race and I felt great. I had a little trouble with the launch and had the clutch chattering all the way into the first turn. However the bike felt good and I got my act together fast. Some kid (literally, he's like 16) on a supermotard was out in front and built a huge lead while I worked my way around a couple of guys who beat me off the line. I put my head down and tried to reel him in, but only managed to get within about 15 bike lengths by the checkered flag. 2nd place - I'll take it!

Special thanks to Al and Chris from Moto Corse for getting the 800 ready in time for this weekend. They busted their butt and I appreciate their hard work. Stay tuned and please let us know what you think of our exploits. And remember to visit our sponsors:- Ducati of Fort Myers: Located on US 41 in South Fort Myers. Also a dealership for BMW, MV Agusta and Triumph.- H2 Tapas and Wine Bar: Incredible food and atmosphere on Bay Street in downtown Fort Myers- Superbikes & Ski: Fort Myers only independent superbike shop located on Fowler. 939-7788- JW2E: Website development and maintenance (www.jw2e.com)- Signs Now: Fort Myers best sign and sticker shop. 277-0553 Until next time, ride safe and keep the rubber side down, Scott DISCLAIMER: This mailing list is used to keep friends, family and other interested parties updated on the exploits of the Ducati of Fort Myers / H2 / Superbikes 'n Ski / JW2E road race team. Reports of our race results, charity fund-raising and community events will be sent completely randomly and seemingly without reason. If you are not interested in receiving this information, please reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line. No hard feelings. Unless you are a relative. If you know others who would like to receive updates, please pass this along. New subscribers can send their email address to me at umbrellagroup@msn.com