WSMC round 10, '98

FROGMAN RACING

FROM: STEVE ALLEN aka FROGMAN, WSMC #18, AHRMA #100

DATE: October 20, 1998

REA: WSMC Round #10 (10/17-18)

Hello all!

Sunday was a complete blast! I have been REAL busy lately as usual, except that I have just returned from a 2 week vacation in southern France.... Anyhow, I did the usual 3:30am Sunday departure to get to the track and race. I was greeted by a wonderfully beautiful sunny desert morning with absolutely no wind. The temp never got above 70F where it hovered for most of the day....

First race of the day was the Formula Singles race. I have a new clutch and made good use of it getting the holeshot into T1 and trying to settle into a pace... Larry on his Ducati supermono went hauling past and then on the 2nd lap, Trevor and Carlin Dunne made it around. Usually, they go by and disappear so I end up cruising around without getting in touch with them or being challenged... This time was different. They seemed to be slowing eachother down and I was able to show the two of them my wheel several times.... I had the last lap, T9 draft move all planned out when..... we came up to the first wave slow pokes. Trev & his son Carlin got around him going into T1 and I got bagged coming into T2 behind this guy. That was that unfortunately as the 2 of them got an advantage and I couldn't catch up completely by the checkers. So, I ended up 4th by only a few yards in that race.....

Next race was the 500 Singles and man was I primed up and ready to go! The 30 second board goes sideways and the green flag dropped.... SEE YA! I get the hole shot and lead into the first turn as usual. T3 is getting close and as I turn in I sense a wheel up the inside so my brain says "he'll never make it, let him go ahead" and so I sit up, grab brakes and Carlin goes up the inside in a desperate move to get the lead. He barely clears my front wheel and down he goes. I anticipated this thing so immediately I give the bars a tug, twist the throttle and narrowly miss his spinning bike as he slides by. The rest of the field is RIGHT behind and has no choice but to grab brakes and go into Carlin avoidance mode and meanwhile, I'm off! I'm 300 feet ahead until T6 on the white flag lap when I miss a shift and apparently, the rest of the gang got right up on my ass! Not close enough, as I won my first race of the 1998 season right then!

Lastly came the Lightweight Vintage race which was really uneventful and I gathered a 4th place behind the 2 stroke field.... I am currently 3rd in the 500 Singles class, 3rd in the Lightweight Vintage class, 4th in the Formula Singles class and moved up to 13th in the WSMC Overall Points Championship. My next race will be at Willow Springs November 14-15.

The Frogman's Sponsors:

PROGRESSIVE AUTO ART Restorations, Graffix & Street Rods, TK3 Privateer Race Glass,

AVON Race Tyres, GALFER Brake Systems, MOTUL Lubricants, PRO * LAP Professional Leather Services,

CENTRAL COAST POWDER COATINGS, SIGMAN GRAPHICS Signs & T-shirts.

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