The last blog post about my 2022 WERA race preparation was pretty full. I announced my return to racing after more than a decade away. I talked about building the race bike. Getting my race license was discussed, as was blowing my race engine at a track day.
Well, the drama continues, or history repeats itself, or something like that. This post is pretty full, too.
First, though, I want to mention how truly thankful I am for all of you who’ve sponsored this effort. I appreciate everything you do for me, and hope that you find value in what I try to give in return.
2022 WERA race preparation – the bike
Now, back to our regularly scheduled 2022 WERA race preparation recap. I got the new (to me, from eBay Motors) engine installed in the race motorcycle, and everything seemed to be working well. The race motorcycle started, ran, revved, and went through the gears successfully. In the interest of not going out for my very first race in more than a decade on a completely untested engine, I booked a track day at Jennings GP. Notably, Jennings GP is the same track where I took race licensing school and blew the engine, but it seemed to be the only track day I could find that fit into my schedule.
2022 WERA race preparation – 3 great sessions
When I went out for the first track session, everything seemed to be working pretty good. The engine ran fine, and in spite of the very cold weather, I was feeling okay on the track. The tires were sticking and everything seemed all right. I had to modify a couple shift points due to some slight differences in the character of this engine, but all was good.
Next two sessions, I felt like I was running on rails! I was riding steadily a full second faster than my best prior times at this track, and was on the verge of breaking another second down.
2022 WERA race preparation – something goes awry
For the last track session before we broke for lunch, I fire up the race bike and head for pit out to get on the track. Just as I’m getting out of hot pit the overheat warning light on the dash goes on. The race motorcycle is running a little hot, which is odd because it’s still pretty cold – barely 55 degrees outside.
I get through an initial lap and pit back in to check things out. There’s a little water in the motorcycle’s belly pan, and none in the radiator or the overflow bottle. Then I see the oil through the sight glass. It’s overfull, and murky. Our day is over, as it’s pretty likely I’ve either blown a head gasket or I have a cracked head and all the water is now in the oil.
We’re going back to the mechanical drawing board, apparently. While the cylinder head gasket is an inexpensive part, it’s a very involved fix. Half of the engine pretty much has to come apart. A cracked head would be bad, but I’m pretty sure the cylinder head from the old engine is still intact, so at least we have the parts.
I ordered the necessary parts this morning. They should be here in three days. This upcoming weekend will be a make or break moment for us. If I don’t get this engine back together, it’s pretty unlikely I’ll make it to the first race.
