| Author | Message | ||
     Slaughter |
Shawn Higbee freaking DOMINATED the Twins Classes on the Bartels 1125R!! I got in too late last night to really post anything and am HOPING that some others got some photographs yesterday. Higbee showed up with his Bartels Racing leathers - the same ones he raced in during the original 883 series - when Bartels Racing saw Higbee, Bostrom(s), Zemke, Hendley, Ecklund all racing Bartels machinery. Kinda cool bit of history there. Shawn SMASHED the Heavyweight Twins Class lap record. I'll have to wait for when the official results are posted so I know the numbers. The 1125R he was racing is still in nearly street-legal trim... well... he has the lights removed, reflectors off, a loud exhaust and slicks - but the amazing thing is that the 1125R he raced is KICKING Ducati ASS with a motor that is running 91 octane pump gas and hasn't had any tricks done to it - I mean as far as I know, except the pipe - it is still stock. Race 1 for him was the Battle of the Twins (BOTT) Heavyweight. At the start, he admitted he didn't slip the clutch as much as was necessary and with the slight wheelie, had to back off the throttle more than he'd have liked... no matter!!! By turn 2, he was freaking LEADING by a full second - and by turn 5 was 2 seconds in the lead. He was pulling a couple of seconds per lap and even with pit signals showing his lead, he STILL won by more than 12 seconds. The announcer was going NUTS over the PA system. He was really giving the Buell some MAD props - even mentioning the first time that Shawn raced it, it made less noise than his microwave and it still had the STOCK swingarm and belt drive and STILL won! Second race - Formula Twins Heavyweights - almost 3 hours later saw the INFAMOUS Willow Springs winds kicking EVERYBODY's butts - but BADLY. At the start, Shawn got an excellent launch and in the CRAPPY conditions, Shawn put even MORE distance between himself and the field than in the nearly perfect, record-setting conditions earlier. Even though the overall pace was probably averaging 1.5 seconds slower, his confidence and the predictability of the bike's handling still allowed him to push his lead out more than 2 seconds in every lap. He finished more than 15 seconds ahead of second place. He did say that he backed off since he knew he was comfortably in the lead and there was NO WAY he'd be able to break his lap record with the incredible wind gusts. Awesome! At the end of the day, we reviewed the official track photographer images - and I really hate to say that the pictures of Higbee on Bartels' 1125R are some of the most boring racing images imaginable - it is as if Shawn is riding the bike in a private track session - there are NO OTHER MACHINES in any of the photographs. As it went in the races, so it is in the photos, the 1125R with Shawn at the controls is really in a class by itself. He will be getting some of those images and I can post them eventually. Hopefully we'll have one or two with Shawn mixing it up with lapped traffic so it actually LOOKS as if he's racing instead of just having a Sunday ride all my himself (well, a Sunday ride in which you're dragging footpegs and shifter and boot toes!!) I needed to get a post out here HOPING that somebody took some pics. We will have a few images of pit activity taken when the photog came by.... More later when we get some stats and HOPEFULLY some images. Next month Higbee will miss Willow Springs - the MotoST season finale will be at Daytona with an 8-Hour race!!!! Gotta run - this day job keeps interfering with the FUN stuff! Hope it's readable... coffee hasn't yet kicked in. | ||
| Duggram |
Great report! Which Ducati was he up against? Neighbor has a 996 and 1098. I'd love to share the good news with him. Of course pics are important but your report is great. Thanks a lot. | ||
| Court |
Congratulations Shawn ! ! | ||
| Indy_bueller |
Shawn is a helluva rider, by anyones standards. Helluva rider + Helluva bike = Azzkiker! | ||
| Slaughter |
There were 999 and 2 1098s. There were also one or two 848's farther back in the field. The race really was with Shawn against the 1098s of Cusomano and Nolan - both of whom are VERY talented racers with years of experience at Willow. | ||
| Doerman |
I though Cusomano's 1098 is an R. At least that's what the announcer said. But I could be wrong. The other cool part is I noticed an "1125R and Buell buzz" in the cafeteria. A lot of people is waking up to the prowess of the 1125R out at Willow and talking about it. When I left the race on my 1125R I got an unusual amount of thumbs up and smiles. Bodes well for building the 1125R reputation, at least locally. | ||
| Duggram |
Great!! Can't wait to rub it in, I mean tell my neighbor about it over beers tonight. Won't continued success for the 1125 bring more outside parts producers in to play? Which will give us more options? (Message edited by duggram on September 22, 2008) | ||
| What_the |
Morning Heavyweight BOTT results. http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=96887 8 The WSMC race results are usually up pretty quick. http://www.mylaps.com/ | ||
| Slaughter |
MyLaps is the go-to source for unofficial times. Good reference material there and you can analyze lap-to-lap times. Realize they are often mixing two classes so you'd have to know who was racing which classes... but in Higbee's case, he's OBVIOUSLY the fastest in the multi-class racing. Those laptimes are technically "unofficial" - there can always be protests or somebody may be on a borrowed transponder - but the times ARE real! Probably later today we'll see the RRW results. The posted WSMC results seem to take WEEKS to be posted even though the results are FINAL if no protest is filed within 30 minutes. | ||
| Blake |
Nice! Congratulation Shawn Higbee! (Message edited by Blake on September 22, 2008) | ||
| Slaughter |
Just posted on Roadracing World KAL-GARD LUBRICANTS HEAVYWEIGHT TWINS: 1. Shawn Higbee (Buell 1125R) 2. Matt Cusumano (Duc) 3. Eric Nolan (Duc) 4. Rick May (Duc) 5. Jerry Mendzer (Duc) HD BUELL OF GLENDALE FORMULA TWINS HEAVYWEIGHT: 1. Shawn Higbee (Buell 1125R) 2. Matt Cusumano (Duc) 3. Eric Nolan (Duc) 4. Rick May (Duc) 5. Bob Setbacken (Duc) | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Looks like its Duc huntin' season! Great write-up Steve. Sorry I missed it. | ||
| Sparky |
Our Bob Setbacken (ex BadWeB White Lightning piloto) is on a Duc? Small world! | ||
| Slaughter |
Setbacken has been "Duck Racing" for about 4 years now. Used to be a 748... not sure what he's on now. | ||
| Brinnutz |
Congrats Shawn! I'm going to have to start visiting over in this area more often! But, I have a feeling if I do, I'll want to race, and I can't afford it! | ||
| Slaughter |
Just got a few pics of Shawn racing (and winning) NOTE the leathers!! Same leathers he wore when racing the 883 for Bartels "back in the day." Probably post more "war stories" later but this day job thing really is interfering! .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
WAY COOL!!!! I can't tell you how bad I want a 1125R to race next year.... | ||
| Nukeblue |
hey his left knee puck look funny to you?? | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Looks like he has 2 on there.... If it works... it works.. Maybe I could drop a second or 2 with that set up at Mid-Ohio... LOL (I'm thinking about dropping the 9 pistons in the 12 this winter. I may try to recruit you to assist. I'll keep ya posted) | ||
| Slaughter |
Yep - good eye on the pucks. With some of the turns, he was dragging BOTH sides of his knee in places when the bike was really leaned over! Visualize a line that contacts the shifter - and put your knee out and on the ground and the inside of the knee hits the pavement. Wish I had that kind of problem when I raced!!! The only time I dragged the shifter was during one of my dirt/sky/dirt/sky/dirt/sky experiences. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Nuke knows that move....LOL so do i... | ||
| Nukeblue |
hey! yeah, and recently!! and sounds good, i'm thinkin of droppin nine pistons in mine too. but where do i put the other seven?? that would be like 210 more horse! | ||
| Slaughter |
but where do i put the other seven?? D'oH! I just got the joke... it's a slow day for me (Slaughter reaches for ANOTHER Red Bull) 9 pistons, I GET IT!!! | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Kinda hard to balance but the torque will be the BOMB.... | ||
| Fresnobuell |
So the question has been raised....were there any 1098R s in the mix? | ||
| Slaughter |
TWO 1098. One S one R (second and third places) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Sure, Slaughter? The 1125r is beating soundly a 1098r....the 1098r that is essentially a $40K race machine (with traction control and ALL the bells and whistles)? Our $12K 1125r is doing all that? I LOVE IT! Where are all the shit talking Ducati fans now? Anyone??? | ||
| Blake |
Frantically trying to solve the nagging fogged up visor issue. | ||
| Smoke |
CONGRATULATIONS Shawn!!!!!! tim | ||
| Slaughter |
I was told that Cusomano (2nd) was running an "R" I'll have to check it out and find out for sure. Nolan (3rd) runs an "S" for sure. |
