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Jonathan Serrapica
Hello everyone !! we just finished the race weekend, and this time, since i have to fly for 6 hours, i promise to myself that i wanted to be faster
From my seat during Nagoya-Singapore still in pain i will try to prepare the race weekend, hoping that i’m able to keep you attached to the screen for a bit
Wednesday-thursday
I land in japan, for my first time in this beautiful country. time to Find Chris and his wife, rent the car and we are already on the way to the track. everything is clean and precise, after 1 hour and 30 min to look out of the car we arrive to the famous circuit of SUZUKA.the box is already ready and the bikes are in position, weather forecast indicate rain for the whole weekend and a small typhoon on thursday night.i don’t want to spend to much time about this but.. sushi is amazing !!we have to adjust the gearing since the long back straight.There is nothing much do to, the guys already prepared everything, so let’s clean a bit and take a lap of the circuit in a car that was there for a track day.
On thursday is raining, and walk 5.8 km under the rain to check the track is a bit too much, i try to ask the permission to do the check on board of the car, permission approved, let’s go to see the circuit !!
Friday we are finally ready to put the wheels on track, and what track …
SUZUKA CIRCUIT !!
The strategy is quite simple, we have 40 minutes for FreePractice1, i will stay out for the whole session to learn the track.the bike is look good, the gearing seams a bit too long. the seat that we prepared in thailand give me some problem in the braking zones (specially down hill) and in the fast chicanes, but i don’t want to touch anything on the bike.
During the second Free Practice, i go out to the track with a shorter gearing and i feel immediately better, 2 seconds off and i start to have a good feeling, with the bike and with the track.i decide to try to use the stardard seat for the FP3, and with less energy, i’m able to change direction faster, everything is look good, nice feeling, another 2 seconds off.
But i know that i can improve more .The data show us that the front fork are not able to hold the heavy brakes, so, for the saturday morning, we will change the front springs with something harder to improve the stability of the bike in the braking zones and mid corner.
Saturday after a good resting night, i arrive to the circuit full of power and positive.
The weather is nice, no rain, another perfect day to improve and learn.i want to be able to qualify for the race this time. I know i can do it and i want to be closer to the guys. I leave the pit really confident, during the exit lap i feel that the bike is jumping a bit on the straight, i feel like something is not tight correctly, i stop to the pit, the team changed the rear tyre, and leaving again. The feeling doesn’t change, something is wrong, but i decide to ride anyway.
I fell so good with the bike, i brake so late, and i push in the corners, 3 laps, all under the time did in FP3, when, the bike jump a bit too much and i miss the corner, in that moment i think to go back to the pit to check again, drink some water and try to to the last few laps to get the best time, but suddenly i see two fast rider coming, and i changed idea, let’s try to follow them !
Full throttle and i’m able to follow the guys on the long straight, along the fast corner, in the final chicane, wow this is my opportunity to lear from them and go fast! Let’s do a lap with them!
I brake hard for the first and second corners, i’m able to stay with them, full throttle and a bit of brake to do second and third corners, i can see that they gained a bit but not so much, i’m doing good, the bike is doing what i want, nice feeling, entering in turn 5 the bike jump a bit and i have to enter a bit later in the corner, but i feel so good that i’m able to keep the line and change direction in time to turn 6, they are stil there, i look at them, release the brake touch the throttle and …….. i don’t know how to explain well, maybe a picture is better…. :
I lose the front, in time 0 i’m sliding close to the bike and just in a bit the tarmac is finish, we touch the gravel and the bike start to jump, i start to roll, once i stop, i feel ok and i scream “WHYYYYY???” i didn’t do anything different, i was feeling good, i thought i could push more.here to be honest the weekend is quite finished, will be not possible to fix the bike for race1 and we will have to use the spare bike.
The good thought are gone, with the standard bike i know that will be impossible to do a good race.i feel so sad for the team, specially for my mechanics that had a lot of work to do, when i was trying to make them don’t working so much as the other weekends, and i know that i will be not able to give them back neither a good race.
Race1
We leave the pit with the bike that the boys were able to assemble, and already in the sighting lap the bike is wobbling every time i open the throttle, i’m super concentrate to do my best since the boys put a lot of effort to give me a bike to ride.red light on and…. goooo!
The start is not bad, but i’m able to stay with the group only few corner, doesn’t matter, i have to give my 120%, not for me, but for them.every lap i try to understand where i can improve and how i can try to keep the bike on the ground, the time laps are quit high, but every lap i’m a bit faster.
Chris from the pit after the first lap was thinking that i was coming back to the pit since he saw how much the bike was wobbling and he was scared too, but i finished the race, 14th place, 2 points and the pace that was better every lap despite all the problem that the bike had.
I have to thanks a lot the boys for the job they done, i was able to ride in race1 and this time i’m happy, i finished the race.
The evening will be long, everyone is giving an help to fix the bike for the next day.here the full team to work on my bike during the saturday night.
Sunday
I arrive to the circuit relaxed, the track is dry and we can finally try the bike with all the settings, hoping that we didn’t forget anything.
We have only 20 minutes of warmup to test, is not a lot time to go out and try to find the right feeling, the time-laps are so high the bike is not behave like the previous one, i’m not able to brake hard and when i try to do it she is moving so much, the front is not precise and is not turning as i wish.
I think about some modification don in thailand that maybe we forgot to check, and we adjust that too for the race2, to test we have to wait for the race.neither the time to think about that, the rain start to drop heavily, race postponed about 1 hour, in the pit lane the water was touching 4cm ! Was look like a river.
The idea is to touch the bike the minimum, but time to think about that and front fork and rear shock was already changed. to discover if what is done is good, we have to go out !
I’m leaving the pit and i try to take the confidence with the water and the bike, maybe my head is not working well after the crash and i’m not able to try to push as i usually do.
The light are on, off and goooooo!
The start is not so good, i follow the other rider but already in turn1 i feel that the bike is really hard to turn, and once she start to turn, then i’m not able to pull her back straight to open the throttle.there is nothing to do, after few corner i’m already by myself, also on the wet that usually is my strength .
The setting is far to be good and since i already made a mistake in the quelifying i don’t want to crash again, i just want to finish the race and learn from this weekend again.
I finish the race with a lot of pain, probably from the crash and from the effort that i needed to make the bike turning. another disappointment for my team and for my supporters that at least in the wet they were expecting a good race, we have to change approach, like this is not possible to improve.
Let’s keep positive, for the next round Filippo will be back and i will be ready to learn more and apply it faster as i can, the next round i have only 1 goal, BE WITH THE GROUP!
See you in china the 8th august !!!