Mixed results show the path forward for the Genuine Broaster Chicken Honda Team
Danville, VA – There’s a feeling one gets when things aren’t quite going as planned, the sense of foreboding, the feeling of frustration at the universe for not giving you a break. That’s how it feels when heading into a race weekend when all you need is track time, consistent dry conditions in order to allow for proper set-up and data collection and the weather forecast is showing rain and cold. If it were a solid heavy rain, that’d be better than what the team was looking at when they pulled into Virginia International Raceway. After a muggy set-up day where the threat of rain was high all day, it looked as if the weather experts were wrong. The rain may hold off, until.. Well until it didn’t. On Thursday night, a storm rolled through the track that was one for the ages. Not quite the rip the canopy off the transporter micro-burst that the series experienced the year prior, but a rain that seamed to drain the heavens.
Friday was a chance for the team to develop their wet set-up. With the cold and wet conditions showing no signs of lifting for the day, the team was confident that with the electrical issues behind them, for the most part, they could focus their energy on a proper wet set-up which they had started to track down during their test at the Dunlop Tire Testing Facility. Well, this wouldn’t be development work if everything went according to plan. First time out, Jake didn’t even make it to Turn One before he was seen pushing the bike through the wet grass and soaked red clay. Immediately the crew runs down to the track side to meet Jake and push the bike back to the pits. There’s no time for a deep dive into the inner workings of the electronics, it’s just a “grab and pull” bonanza as connectors are unconnected and reconnected. With no data to help confirm the issue, a reset was conducted. Once that had been done, Jake was sent back out only to meet the same fate. Within seconds he was back to running through the track side muck whilst pushing his bike.
In a scene straight from a Hollywood blockbuster, Crew Chief Scott Jensen directs the crew to make specific adjustments and when completed, to push the bike behind the pit wall. Scott runs down the length of the pit wall, discards his clipboard and jumps on the bike to ride it through the access roads and see for himself what the issue is. On a day that was more Isle of Man than Virginia, this former TT competitor dressed in shorts and crew jacket ran his riders machine through parking lots and access roads to diagnose an invisible issue. Jumping off the CBR and running back to the pits with a sense of urgency, the crew was able to remedy the issue and get Jake back out on the track with minutes to spare. That was all Jake needed! Having lost 80% of the track time, Jake got out and made the most of his remaining minutes. Immediately fast and with increasing pace, Jake finished the session 5th fastest. In an amazing turn of events, the team had turned a possible lost session into a Top 5 performance. Brilliant!
As they headed towards the second practice session of the day, the crew knew one thing for sure.. they had finally resolved the electronics for the day. Now they could really focus on speed. With the weather holding steady at “Who Knows?” the final qualifying session started off with riders going out on wet tires. Within a few laps the track began to show a dry line and so out came the slicks and down went the times. Electronics were not to be a story line in this session. Jake was able to turn consistent laps and get a feel for the bike with a drying track, only to have it start to rain again half way through the session. It’s an odd feeling being at a race track during a qualifying session and hearing silence. The wind picks up, the temp drops and the rain returned to create an uneasy sense of things to come. One rider braved the rain and a ghostly howl emanated from the far corners of an otherwise abandoned track. Though the session was not officially cancelled, no riders save the one, went back out to improve their times. Jake was in Superpole sitting in P8 and feeling good about his chances to improve.
When the team arrived at the track on Saturday morning, Mother Nature had toyed with the paddock. Saturday was to be a colder day without the wet. But heavy overnight rains had left the track damp with water seepage through two of the trickiest corners. The morning warm-up was a toss-up but more importantly, with no more rain in the forecast, Friday’s sessions with respect to set-up were useless. Everyone would now be left to scramble for a workable dry set-up with no data to work with. Superpole was going to be interesting.
By the time Superpole was set to start, the sun had yet to make an appearance and the track was now dry but cold. None of that mattered to Jake. He just got out and rode as fast as the Genuine Broaster Chicken / American Honda would go. With only one lap to set his mark, Jake would climb the timing sheets to P6 for the races and be only .6 off the leaders. That is a huge boost going into race one only a matter of hours away.
What a difference a few hours makes. By the time the riders took their starting positions, the Virginia Sun was out in full glory and temps had increased considerably. Feeling good about his chances to have a strong showing and a positive race, Jake came back from his sighting lap stating that he was ready to get racing. As the revs went up and the riders their bikes at bay until the lights went out, fate was already dealing its hand. As the field wound its way through the woods of Virginia, Jake was in a good positon and appeared to be holding strong. However, by about lap three, Jake knew that something was wrong and his new CBR1000rr SP2 was going in the wrong direction. It was visible on track that he was doing all he could, but eventually he would have to pull into the pits and retire with a fried clutch. It was a hard pill to swallow as Jake and his bike were showing great strides in race pace.
On Sunday morning, the sun was out and conditions were set to be perfect for a new race. Overnight, the 32Crew had rebuilt the clutch and were optimistic about being able to compete with leaders. After a quick 15 minute shake down session in the morning confirmed their optimism, the team prepared for Race Two later in the afternoon. Under ideal conditions, the riders were freed from the Hot Pit to make their sighting lap. Once again, Jake was feeling great and was amped to be racing. Having been moved up one position on the grid due to a rider penalty from race one, Jake was positioned for a cracking start. However, the start would be the most critical part of the race for Jake. Having suffered a clutch failure in race one, he would have to protect this new clutch. When the lights went out, Jake didn’t make the best of starts. A little slower than normal to get off the line, Jake would be back in P8 by Turn 1. As happens at VIR, the riders formed a single file through the first several laps. This allowed Jake to move up the order and dice with the tail of the leading group.
After having a decent battle for much of the race with Mathew Scholtz and Kyle Wyman, Jake wouldn’t be able to maintain the pace. Feeling as if his clutch may be letting go again, he went into protection mode and maintained a solid pace and finished the race in a solitary seventh position. While it’s still not the position that the team would want to be in, it was a finish. It was more than that, it was another solid race wherein the new Genuine Broaster Chicken / American Honda showed consistent pace and faster trap speeds than at previous tracks. Race two showed that the forward progress is still happening and that the team is moving in the right direction.
It’s only Round Three and when things aren’t going your way it can feel like three years. But what is keeping the team going and motivated is the fact that they see the progress and they know where they need to go. The team sponsors stand behind the plan and with go fast parts due to arrive shortly, the development of the bike will continue at an increased pace. At the time of this release, the team is outside Pittsburgh, PA for the MotoAmerica test. This test is desperately needed to give the team valuable information and provide Jake seat time. Looking ahead to Road America, the team knows this will be a major challenge as Road America is a horsepower track with three long straightaways where deficits in power can’t be masked. The only way to know how things will go down in Elkhart Lake, is to get there and run it at full tilt which is something that they know how to do well.
Jake Gagne – Superbike
“This weekend was a pretty good weekend for us. I mean, taking the mechanical out of the equation in race one, we had a very good overall weekend. Once Scotty and the guys got the bike working on Friday I was immediately feeling good on the bike. I was able to ride around and have fun again on this new Genuine Broaster Chicken / American Honda CBR1000rr SP2.
The bike is a lot of fun to be sure. When I went out for Superpole I was feeling really good and felt that we would be running up close for the races. In race one, I felt the clutch going by like lap three or four. I tried all I could but I had to call it. But, in race two I knew we could be up there. I messed the start a bit and got crowded out into turn one. I felt great on the bike and was running well until about the ¾ mark of the race. I could kinda feel the clutch going again and I began to loose contact with the main chase group. I was stoked to be able to bring the bike home and complete the race. We’re still not at the front but I know we’re going to get there. I’m beginning to really feel confident on this new bike and I just want to thank the whole crew and all the sponsors for just working so hard to get this effort going.”
Danny Walker – Team Principal
“You know, it’s a strange thing to say that this was a very positive weekend when the results were so mixed, but in all honesty it was a very successful outing for the team. I’m not going to say that we have 100% resolved the electronics issues that we’ve had but we did find solutions that worked well for the weekend.
In the wet, we are right there in the midst of the battles. Jake’s times when the track was slick were very impressive and right about where we’re used to being in those sketchy circumstances. When the track was dry we were clearing gaining ground on the leaders. Superpole showed us that we getting close. To be only .6 of the leaders is awesome for us at this point.
Obviously having a clutch go in race one was a complete bummer. We knew we had the bike that Jake was happy with and we were certain that we could’ve put on a good show. Race Two, while not quite great at the end, showed us that the progress is advancing. Prior to the end of the race where Jake believed the clutch may be slipping again, he was running a very strong pace and showed great competitiveness. We’re now heading to the MotoAmerica Test in Pittsburgh and there, we’re going to get what we need, which is seat time! I’m very excited to see the continued progress of this new bike and to see how the team rallies around the entire effort.”
Scott Jensen – Crew Chief
“Coming out of VIR we are feeling pretty confident in our progress with the 2017 CBR1000RR SP2. We are learning which areas we need to work on and which areas the bike is already good. Penske brought us a new shock for the event that was a pretty good step forward from what we were running previously which gave Jake more confidence in the bike and more grip in the middle of the corner.
From here we go to the Pittsburgh test and hope to make some more progress on the electronics. After the test the semi is going home for me to get some engine work done before the Road America round so we are all excited to see what we can do with a little more motor!!! ”
More, from a press release issued by Hindle:
Bobby Fong wins at Virginia International Raceway
Port Perry, Ontario (May 17, 2017) – Bobby Fong, on the Hindle-powered Quicksilver Latus Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R, brings home two back-to-back 1st place finishes in the Bazaaz Superstock 1000 class this past weekend at Virginia International Raceway during Round 3 of MotoAmerica. Fong also placed 3rd and 4th in the Motul Superbike races, which coincide with the Bazaaz Superstock 1000 races.
“It was a really good weekend especially with the motorcycle, with more horsepower and the new technology for the Kawasaki ZX-10R. It has been amazing. The acceleration out of the corner and the added performance allowed me to get two first place finishes in Superstock and a 3rd and 4th in Superbike” said Fong on his oustanding weekend. “The bike looks great and performs amazing with the pipe on, and putting Hindle on the box is always a great thing. We are happy to be on board with Hindle this year and we appreciate the support.
George Latus, team owner Quicksilver Latus Motors Racing Kawasaki, adds: “We’ve had a great start to the season. We’re currently in 1st place with 4 wins and a 2nd. Our Quicksilver Latus Motors Racing Kawasaki ZX 10R is the perfect weapon for the MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 class. Our Hindle Exhaust System gives us winning power. Hindle Exhausts have been on our race bikes for years. They provide the kind of solid, dependable performance we’ve come to depend on”.
Fong, from Stockton, California, started racing in the Superstock 1000 class in 2016 and finished the season with 4 wins and a 2nd place in the Championship points. Fong is currently leading the 2017 Bazaaz Superstock 1000 championship points heading into Round 4 at Road America in Wisconsin, June 2-4. For more information, check out www.motoamerica.com.
If you’re looking to add more performance, better sound and awesome weight savings to your Kawasaki ZX-10R, pick up the same Hindle Exhaust System here for your bike or contact Woodcraft Technologies in the USA to order.