Biketoberfest 2006 Racereport

The last race of the 2006 Thunder B.E.A.R.S. Season was for the Hillbilly-Motors Raceteam the first rollout of the new Twincarb Thors Hammer Racebike. Since our enginesplash in the practice of the first race of the season at Eurospeedway/Lausitz the Team was working hard on the chassis and suspension setups. We used an old Lightningengine to collect some points but all time we were waiting for the new engine. We got from the factory a old set of empty heads with some singlerunner steeltube manifolds. With that setup we were not so happy so Alex from M-TeK developed an complete new set of runners in casted aluminium to match the flownumbers we think we need to have.

The new engine is based on the experience of our last year 1207cc Shortstroke Attack single carburator engine with the 48mm Mikuni flatslider. The tune up of the singlecarb engine made us big problems last season so the step to the dualcarbs was a logic decission. After finishing the heads and first testassemblys it was quick clear that the very high Mikuni can not be used without getting a very wide setup. We know that we are again stepping for circuit racing on new land, but we agree to give 2 S&S Super G Shortys a chance. We armed the Super G´s up with Thunderjets and Mainairbleeds to give us more adjusting possebilitys in the difficult midregion.

After beeing early on Thursday on the Track we took the Friday time to run the engine in and get a feeling in what direction the jetting of he carbs will go. After the problems at the German TT, were we missed a rain setup, we took the chance of the bad weather on Friday to work out a setup that would be fine if we had on sunday again a wetrace.

The engine was running much to rich in nearly all sections so we start to rejet the Super G´s ending up with the situation that we had not small enough Jets for our needs. And we were laborating on another problem, in long leftturns one cylinder shut off. We did not found that problem before the first timesession on saturday morning and also the midregion was far from good. It was still wet outside and Tommy Schuler was going out for the first time with the twin carburated Thors Hammer.The Bike was going on the topend like hell but we were very happy that Tommy is after a so long time on the Track so experienced that he can ride a bike nearly without mid throttle response and a shut off cylinder....

When he comes in after the practice the Hillbilly-Motors Raceteam was on Pole, if at the second timepractice nothing will change.  

We found out that a faulty floatbowlvalve was the problem why one cylinder shut off from time to time and the track dry up and in he afternoon the second timepractice coming up.

Til than we were more or less happy, the engine was performing very powerful. The only problem we had was that the external starters were not strong enough to start the engine, (because of the slipperclutch we can´t use our rearwheel startmachine) so we convert for this weekend back to the onboardstarter.

The startingprocedure was with the 2 carbs a bit different, but all was looking good when Tommy go out for the second timepractice. Who never run a raceteam can not understand the bad feeling when you are standing behind the wall and after 1 1/2 minute the bike will not show up.... You think what you have made wrong, did the bike crash? The bike was carrying a lamdasytem with extra battery to heat up the O² Sensor, something wrong there?? But than very quick a bad idea comes up in me...

I got a call from our fotographer Olaf Rustanbach, Tommy is standing at the Triple left turn, engine shut off he heared, my idea got more feed.... The practice is 20 minutes, before we will not see the bike, I wish I had a ridersradio...

Back in the paddock Armin our Engineer arrived and we all made long faces, after some minutes of silence I ask him: “did you open the petcock?” “No, I was sure that you have done that” and he and I know that was the problem. A well organized Team with plenty checklists, a fuelengineering that knows how many fuel per Lap we need under dry or wetconditions on any tracks, etc... have forgotten to open the petcock! Since Tommy is at the team it is a ritual that he ask, when he grab the bike: “petcock is open?” and two people say YES! (doubleckecked) and now that! 

It never happend at any time, but now the desaster took place in the timepractice. So we got after Pole in the morning, the 22 in the afternoon...

And we lost the chance to akquise the data we need to come further with the adjusting of the Carburators . The good news is that the slipperclutch ist running now 3 days with one set of ALTO Carbonites.

So one last chance for next morning at the warmup to find a setup. We do some mild changes, to shy to go at that time bigger steps.

Sunday morning, warmup, better -still the bad throttleresponse. That means Thommy adjust the throttle when he go into the corners, unable to change it smoothly! We do some changes and follow with that the direction from the changes before, we wish to have had more tracktime the last days.

They had not enough starters at the classic Superbikes, so they add these starters in the Thunder BEARS field, also these 140-150 HP bikes have on the straits not a bit of a chance to go our speed. Thors Hammer is this day the quickest bike on the track, except in the corners (-: 

In the afternoon the Race, dry condition of course.... Rock´n Roll! Tommy get a perfect powerful start from the 22th in row 6. -go as 12 th in the first turn, but it is quick to see that he cant go with the pace in that condition, not today!

Tommy fight the bike more ad more in front, but the leaders are to far and we end up on 4th for this weekend. For us ok and we leave the track with he feeling that when we have the right jetting on the two carbs the bike have the drivebility and is able to go 2-3 sec/lap quicker on that track.

Like I wrote before, racersluck is also one major thing you have to have, closed petcock is bad luck and of course the Team missed the 3rd place of the Thunder BEARS Championship with 1 point! 

Some seasons are, when you look back, made to let the Team grow... -and after the season is before the season (-: 

Have fun!

Jens

German:

Das letzte Rennen des Jahres zur Thunder B.E.A.R.S. Serie. Nach dem Motorschaden zum Saisonbeginn setzten wir einen fast serienmässigen Lightningmotor ein um wenigstens einige Punkte einzusammeln, während wir auf den neuen Motor warteten. Nun war er fertig der M-TeK Twincarb Shortstroke Attack 1207cc Kurzhubmotor. Das Werk hatte einen Satz Zylinderköpfe spendiert, zusammen mit einigen Stahlrohr Ansaugstücken. Mit diesen waren jedoch die vorgesehenen Flussraten nicht zu realisieren. Also baute Alex Kucis von M-TeK Engineering einen Satz gegossene Aluminium Ansaugstücke. Bei der ersten Anprobe im Fahrzeug war dann schnell klar dass der im bisherigen 2005er Motor eingesetzte 48mm Mikuni Flachschiebervergaser wegen seiner Bauhöhe nicht einsetzbar sein wird. Also beschlossen wir den bei unserem Dragbike bewährten, aber auf der Rundstrecke wenig bewährten S&S Vergaser einzusetzen.

Also wurden 2 S&S super G Shorty Vergaser mit Thunderjetsystemen und Mainairbleed aufgerüstet.

Das Bike wurde, wie immer in letzter Minute fertig und wir fuhren Donnerstag bereits nach Oschersleben um den vollen Freitag zum Testen zur Verfügung zu haben. Zuerst rollten wir den Motor ein und nutzen das schlechte Wetter um, nach den Erfahrungen bei der German TT, ein vernünftiges Regensetup zu finden. Das Bike lief erheblich zu fett und am Ende des Tages hatten wir keine kleineren Düsen mehr zur Verfügung.

Während die Topleistung des Bikes bereits gigantisch war, machte uns der mittlere Bereich und die Gasannahme in schnellen Wechseln noch echte Kopfschmerzen.

Schnell war das erste Zeittraining zu fahren und es regnete.... “ok, machen wir das beste daraus  “ sagte Tommy Schuler und stellte Thors Hammer auf die (vorläufige) Pole. Breites grinsen beim Team, trotz der Sorge um die schlechte Gasannahme im mittleren Bereich. Wir setzen das Lambdasystem wieder auf und warteten auf das zweite Zeittraining. Die Strecke trocknete, wir starteten das Bike und Tommy fuhr raus auf den Track. 

Leider kommt er nicht weit, vor der Dreifach Links stirbt der Motor ab. Ende des Zeittrainings und 22. Startplatz sind die Quittung für einen vergessenen Benzinhahn! Bittere Pille für das Team, aber “shit happends” -wir konzentrieren uns auf das Warmup am Sonntagmorgen und hoffen dort noch etwas Daten zu sammeln um dem Problem der schlechten Gasannahme auf die Spur zu kommen. Es ist ganz klar ein eigentlich einfaches Abstimmungsproblem der beiden Vergaser, aber wir hatten zu wenig Tracktime um die notwendigen Tests durchzuführen.

Beim Warmup stellen wir fest das Motorrad geht im oberen Bereich hervorragend und distanziert auf den Geraden selbst die heute mit uns startenden Superbikes nach dem US AMA Reglement, die trotz ihrer 140-150 PS keinen Stich machen. Aber in den Kurvenkombinationen muss Tommy mit einer Gassgriffstellung durchrollen, Racing geht anders....

Im Rennen am Nachmittag geht Tommy mit einen hervorragenden kraftvollen Start direkt nach durch das Feld und fährt nach und nach vom 22. Platz weiter nach vorne. Am Ende ist es der 4. Patz und das Team ist nicht unzufrieden....

Etwas Glück gehört zum Racing und unsere Saison war es dieses Jahr definitiv nicht! Den dritten Platz in der Meisterschaft haben wir verpasst -um einen Punkt.... Aber nach der Saison ist vor der Saison (-:

See ya on the Track!

Jens

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