Pacific Region Supersport Lap Times

[raptorduck952]

I am just wondering what are competitive lap times for the front of an Amateur 600 Supersport pack at the Pacific Region tracks (Streets of Willow, Buttonwillow, Thunderhill, Las Vegas). AFM posts their lap times, but CSS does not.

Thanks,

[GPgofast]

At Las Vegas Classic course I was timed running 1:28's and finished near top 10. Thunderhill race I was running 2:12-2:13's in the races and finished about 12th. Be forewarned the top AMATEUR finisher(s) in the Pacific region usually can run with the experts. Lanksy was running 1:21's-1:22's at Las Vegas. I'm not sure what time Sanders was running to win the Amateur races at the last Thunderhill but he nearlly caught the expert lead pack from the second wave from what I was told. Top 5 amateur's at T-hill were running close to 2;05's-2:07's except for the SUPER fast guys who I would assume would be running well under 2:00.

[raptorduck952]

Thanks. I will be riding Thunderhill for the first time next month and although I have ridden the Las Vegas course at the Spencer school, I do not know my lap times there. What about Buttonwillow and Streets of Wilow? I just did BW for the first time a few weeks ago and have some experience on the Streets course. I am trying to gauage whether I would be competitive or whether I should sit out another season and get more track time.

[Eric Kelcher]

I thought Fast Freddie was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?  ???

[raptorduck952]

I could be wrong. I thought that the outside 2.2 mile road course Freddie runs was the same course CSS runs on. He also runs a 1.1 mile course inside the NASCAR track.

[Dave_Alexander]

I am trying to gauage whether I would be competitive or whether I should sit out another season and get more track time.

If you have the basic skills to be safe on the track, start now.  Nothing will bring you up to speed quicker than actual racing.  Most people who start racing are surprised to find out how slow they are, but the biggest leaps in ability come in those first few weekends.  You don't need to be competitive to begin, you just need to be safe.

[GPgofast]

If you have the basic skills to be safe on the track, start now.  Nothing will bring you up to speed quicker than actual racing.  Most people who start racing are surprised to find out how slow they are, but the biggest leaps in ability come in those first few weekends.  You don't need to be competitive to begin, you just need to be safe.

I agree 100%. Thunderhill is my "main" track. Before my first race, the fastest I had ever been around was a 2:19 on my stock street RC. My first race on my F4i racebike I was able to run 2:12-2:13's. Since that race I have done suspension and at a track day was able to easily run 2:07's without doing ANYTHING scary. Either the bike is better(it is) or I am riding better, but picking up 6 seconds is a huge improvement that I attribute soley to racing. Begining of the year I was STOKED to run in the teens at Thunderhill. To get OUT of the teens was huge. Now I hope to break into the 2:05 range. GET OUT AND RACE!!! Track days won't make you improve as much as race time.

[GPgofast]

I could be wrong. I thought that the outside 2.2 mile road course Freddie runs was the same course CSS runs on. He also runs a 1.1 mile course inside the NASCAR track.

The classic course that we ran at in May was supposed to be 1.8 miles long and is completely outside the tri-oval. It is near the "Bull ring". GP

[raptorduck952]

I dunno then. The LV course we ran at Spencer was clockwise with 9 turns, including a hairpin at turn 4, a very fast and very wide back straight into a very fast turn 6, and braking bumps at the end of the front straight just before turn 1. It is completely flat. Don't know my lap times there.

I know I will get faster by racing, I just did not want to start at the very back of the pack or be so slow as to endanger other riders. At the Streets of Willow I most recently ran in the 1:31s in March. When I tried Buttonwillow for the first time a few weeks ago, the fastest I ran was the 2:12s. The only other tracks I have lap times on are Laguna (1:47s) and Sears (1:55s on AMA config). Compared to other riders I have ridden with, those times are fast, but I did not know how they compare to CCS racers. I want to at least look like I belong.

[Litespeed]

I believe that the front runners were going 1:55-1:56 at buttonwillow.  I managed a 9th place finish with lap times in the 2:04's.    As far as Vegas, I believe Dave Sanders was also in the 1:21's all weekend and although I didn't get many lap times I was running in the 27's and got 9th there as well.  I haven't been to the other tracks.  The most important thing for the race will be getting a good start.  When there are a lot of bikes out there people like to bunch up behind the slower riders (like me) and it makes it difficult because you have to figure out how to pass 3 people at a time instead of one and you are also worried about exposing your back side.  I usually get great starts and then fade slightly as my arms try to fall off because I road to many hard practice laps on friday.

[raptorduck952]

I think I might be able to race then? I decided to ask the question to begin with because I did not want to be that really slow rider holding everybody up.

Maybe if I get some more experience at Buttonwillow and other tracks I might be able to get my lap times down. One day at BW and Sears is probably not enough before racing next year. I have also never ridden Thunderhill. I have track time planned again this year on all those tracks, even Laguna just for kicks.

If I can get under 1:30 at the Streets of Willow, would that be competitive for a top 10 or top 20 or top 1/2? That is the only track where I have more than a couple days experience.

Thanks to all.

[GPgofast]

 ;DHey Litespeed. Your being a little modest. I had to check LV results. You finished 7th!!!! not 9th. If you are getting that close to a top five you should brag a little more. Especially when you figure how many cherry pickers(sand baggers) finished in front of you. Kind of tough being an amateur when there are 3-4 guys that are nearlly as fast or faster than the top experts racing that weekend. I checked because I finished 9th(my first top ten and I'm bragging!!!!) ;D