Cowboy 6

Summit Point Again, What a Weekend! MAY 25-27 2013, Summit Point Raceway, WV This weekend was a challenging one from the start. We had planned on making our normal start Friday evening so we could be set up and ready to go for the MARRC Roadracing School on Saturday morning. However, my military duties found me working until 1500 on Saturday so things had to change. Luke and Cecilia left at 0330 on Saturday in order to take the MARRC Cornerworker School and help working corners on Saturday. While there, they had the duty of staking out a pit spot for the rig when Denise and I arrived. It was a bit crowded this weekend! As we started down the road, reports were coming in that the pits were jam packed and space was at a premium. With our larger RV, this was a real concern. Luke and Cecilia were trying to reassure us but it did not look promising. As we arrived around 2100, they had a very tight spot staked out for us and after 5 attempts, the RV and trailer were squeezed in and locked down. We all went to work quickly to set up the canopy and bikes so the trailer would be empty for Luke to get some sleep. We picked up the Ducati (Athanatius) from European Cycle Services who had brought it to the track following some serious work. We had a lot of work to do to get it ready, including fitting the bodywork for the first time in a year! We also had to fit the new “Franken-tank” and route fuel lines to feed the new carburetors. A little after midnight, we called it a day and hit the sack. Denise would be up at 0500 to start on breakfast for the MARRC crew. Getting the Ducati ready. Morning came way too early and we were back at it again. We put some finishing touches on the Ducati and tech inspection for it and the SV. The first practice was upon us and I was eager to ride the Ducati for the first time since this same race weekend a year ago. Even though we forgot to attach the transponder, I went out. The bike felt good and the engine strong and the front wheel lofted as I accelerated onto the track for the first time. I cautiously entered T-1 on the cold track and rolled on the throttle at the exit. It was here that my heart sank. The engine was bogging and sluggish. It would not accelerate at all. It wasn’t getting fuel. I nursed it around the track to pit-in with the engine sporadically picking up as fuel made its way to the cylinders. Luke had the SV ready (also with a new engine) so I hopped on and went out on it. It was still very cold and we had no blocking on the radiator. So, I came in after only one lap because I didn’t want to hurt the new engine with it dropping to 111 degrees after only two turns. While practice was not going well for us, it was worse for others. Summit Point’s famous deer problem lifted its ugly head yet again. Arnie Hastings ended up in the hospital after hitting one on the front straight with his GSXR 750. Another was hit on the entry to T-4. Later, during the lunch break, Cecilia was able run Luke’s car to the hospital to bring Arnie back. Looking for the fuel problem. We checked the fuel lines and found nothing and buttoned it up for another try. We added some cardboard to the radiator on the SV to keep the temperature up. Third call came and out I went again. The results were the same for the Ducati and now, with the temperature up, I was able to try out the new SV engine. It seemed low on power but really put me out when it started to detonate on hard acceleration. I thought maybe I was hearing things the first time but the next uphill corner proved me right. Not again, I was crushed. I headed back into the pit again after my fourth attempt, on two different bikes to actually complete a lap. The lunch break found Luke and I hard at work trying to fix two bikes. We increased the main jets on the SV from 165 to 172 to add some fuel to stop the detonation. And, after some consultation with others, decided to take the advice of good friend Bob Robbins and ditch the fuel pump and run it on gravity feed. I also looked at the main jetting and after finding the jets too small, I upgraded them as well. Now, we were ready for ASRA Thunderbike qualifying. The bike ran much better. It lasted past T-2 on the first lap for the first time. It continued on and after 8 more turns, I headed down the front straight for the first time this weekend! However, it still acted up here and there. After three sketchy laps, it really started acting like it had fuel problems again. Then coming out of T-8, it was done. I coasted through T-9 and pulled off the track. After a long hard push to pit-in, I made it back to the pit. We would have to use the SV for the Thunderbike race coming up in a few minutes. Still looking for the problem, now with Denise’s help. On the warm-up lap, the SV was still detonating. Extremely discouraged, I returned to the pit. Luke said he had the Ducati running again so I hopped on and headed out. However, I was sent back to the pit because leaving the hot pit lane caused our disqualification. I guess we have no racing today.So, for the rest of the day, we encouraged others, visited friends and worked on the Ducati fueling problem. Without much confidence in the Ducati and knowing the SV was down, I decided to head back home to pick up the other SV so we would have something to run Monday and the following weekend. Nine and a half hours later, I returned with the bike, put it in the pit and at 0100, hit the bed. Monday morning practice would find us finally being able to test the latest “fix” on the Ducati. It felt good on the way out of the pit lane, but then, it always did. But, it kept running. It kept running well. It would just run out of fuel right before the braking point for T-1 but that was it. It ran all the way to the end of the session! We were on for the first race of Monday. Monday would hold more than just racing this weekend. There was mischief and mayhem afoot! I was still a bit nervous but I rolled out on the line. The start was difficult as I had not started a race on this bike in so long. I went through T-1 in 5th but I felt good. I continued on and was able to hold my own. I diced it up with the 4th place rider for a few turns but then, got clear and headed for the 3rd place bike. After dispatching him and then taking second, there was only Art Diaz left between me and victory. I could not believe that after all the work and problems, I was running in second! I chased down Art and finally caught up to him. I followed him around for a lap then tried to make up the last bit of ground going into T-10. I ran out of talent and went wide in the turn so I had it all to do over again. The bike was running well. I caught Art again halfway through the lap and this time, took T-10 at a faster pace than Art which set him up for a pass at the start/finish tower. I held the throttle on as long as I dared and stuck the line through T-1 and came out ahead. From there, I ran like a scalded cat, all the while waiting to hear the rumble of Art’s bike at my rear wheel. Two laps later, I took the checkered for the win! This win was only eclipsed by my first back in 2008. Not only was I on a bike that ran its last race a year ago, I was on the same tires it wore and ran back then too! We had written the bike off this weekend as well due to fuel problems. There were so many things that said this wouldn’t happen but it did. Victory! The second race before lunch was not as good. I was on the SV and only managed a 5th. I was not happy with my performance but it is what it is. Lunchtime was the focus of the day anyway. During the rider’s meeting, I introduced Luke to the crowd and told them he had an announcement. Luke then proceeded to propose marriage to Cecilia. Yes, it’s official, another milestone has been passed. This was the one year anniversary of Luke’s first race event with the team. He thought it would be fitting to do it here and in front of so many friends that he has made over the last year and all the friends Cecilia has made over the years. The CCS crowd seemed pretty pleased at being included in this special moment and there were congratulations abounding. Minutes later, Denise was first to the pavilion where the MARRC crew was eating lunch. She made the announcement and the uproar began. There were smiles, looks of shock and tears all at once. It was a good day. The big question. (for which you should know the answer before asking!) I was asked and delivered the invocation for the day. Memorial Day is always a special one for me. Not only do I make sure to remember our soldiers from years gone by in conflicts before our time, but, I have lost friends and fellow soldiers in my time as well. I have cried with mourning families and watched people’s lives come undone at the loss of their loved ones. As always, I asked God to watch over these families whose pain goes on long after the initial loss. After the invocation, Cecilia let rip with another excellent National Anthem which again, brought cheers. Not bad considering she was sick the entire night before and hoarse from cheering me on during our win on the Ducati earlier. The rest of the day was a bit anti-climatic for our team race wise as I was extremely tired and not riding very well. However, there was yet another traumatic incident as Scott Childers went off in T-3 and hit the tire wall, hard. The track was shut down as his life-flight made its way to the track. We were not sure as to the extent of his injuries other than that there was a leg bone protruding through his leathers. After some time, the report came back and listed his injuries as multiple breaks in his right femur, a broken knee cap, multiple breaks in his right arm, three broken ribs, and a partially deflated lung. We had never had three race bikes at once before! For the last race of the weekend, we managed a 6th place finish with my riding the Ducati two seconds a lap slower than the morning session. I’m not sure what the problem was however, I think several factors were involved. I was very tired, still on the same, year old tires, and a little apprehensive from Scott’s helicopter ride. Another great part of this weekend was the reuniting of old friends. Danny Ronca, Constantine “Rocky” Vondari, Dave Loikits, Bob Michaels, Viki Trifari, Bill Sylvester and Beth Neuer were all long time friends that we had not seen in a long time. It was amazing to see so many all at once! Danny “Angry Snowman” Ronca and Viki Trifari seen for the first time in a two years! So here we are at the end of another weekend full of trials. I can only hope that God has enabled me to handle them with dignity and in a way that brings glory to Him. Sometimes, this is the best work we can do. Luke and Cecilia are headed home. Denise and I are settling in for a few days of vacation in the RV. We will be ready to do it again next weekend with WERA. I also have a sermon to write as I will be doing chapel service next Sunday! Please contact us if you would like us to do something with or for your organization. The schedule fills up quickly so get on the phone! We have plenty of on and off track work to do for Him!

April 20-21 2013 Summit Point Raceway, WV The new season is here and we will be quite busy in 2013. This first event for us was sanctioned by WERA. Due to scheduling issues, we will be running a good bit with these folks this year. We will still do two events with CCS but WERA fits us best for 2013. This event would be a “Twin-Sprint” configuration which means all the races are crammed into one day instead of two and that day is duplicated. Bottom line, we run twice as many races as a normal weekend. Winter had been quite busy with maintenance for the race bikes and the building of a new 650cc race engine. Finishing up a week or two prior, the engine was installed and put on the dyno to jet the carbs for the new PowerMist fuel we will use this year. PowerMist has taken on support of our team for 2013 and an eval report will follow after we have some time with the new fuel. The dyno work did not go as planned and after several mishaps on the machine and lasting late into the night, we were satisfied with the jetting. Luke running Drucilla on the dyno. Getting the new (used 2001) RV to the track made me nervous because of the additional size but all went well and we found a good pit spot. Everything was a new learning experience when setting up. We had one of Luke’s brothers, William Sayre, with us and he enrolled in the MARRC Cornerworker School and not only graduated but put in the time to work the whole weekend! Great job! Getting some Scrappy lovin’. Giving some Scrappy lovin’. We unpacked the two SV650s, completed set-up and were ready to go. When it came time to suit up for first practice, I received a rude awakening. I could not zip my leathers! The winter months had been a bit hard on the body and I had gained a few pounds. Well, maybe more than a few. With the help of the crew, the zipper went up and the leather girdle was now installed and very uncomfortable. Out for first practice I went. I wanted to take it easy as I had not ridden this bike or on the track since September. It was also very cold. The session went well but I had noticed the water temp had not risen very much due to the ambient temp so we added a nice cardboard wind blocker to the radiator for round two. Well, round two was a bit of a disaster. Part way through practice, the brand new engine let go. It did not cause a crash and we thank God for that. After transferring the dry set-up to the other bike, we were ready for racing to begin. We were entered in F2 and Lightweight Twins Superbike both days. The first race, LWTSB, went well. I had a great start and ended up 3rd. This race was hard fought with the likes of David Stauffer (#315). In fact, after passing each other back and forth a few times, he drafted me on the run to the finish and only edged me out of second place by .03 of a second. The second race, F2, went a bit better. It all started with a great launch from the flag but somehow, going into T1 I was passed by Sean Mueller (#505) and came out in P2. If this was not disheartening enough, I was passed again in T3 by my buddy David and was now running 3rd! There I stayed for two more laps as I regained my composure and started to pick up my pace. I was braking later, accelerating sooner, and doing anything and everything I could to close the gap to David. Then, on lap three, David made it past Sean into the lead. I had to make a move. So on lap four, I did and got by Sean as well. David had opened up a bit of a gap and it took two more laps to catch him. On lap seven, I passed him on the brakes into T1 and ran! I knew from earlier that I would have to have a bit of a gap to prevent his draft pass to the flag. I held him off for the last two laps and took the checkered for the first win of the season! Winning is always a great way to end the day and today was no exception. Victory, no matter what you are doing, reaffirms you are doing things right. It’s like that feeling you get when you turn away from sin and do the right thing in the eyes of God. It just feels good and you know you are in the right place. Running in third but headed for the win… Victory is sweet! Our win on Saturday left us with a choice to make. I consulted with Luke, our Crew Chief, and we were really hung up on the decision about tires. We had run practice and our two Saturday races on tires that were used last September at VIR. They were old, it was cold and our lap times were about 2-3 seconds off where they should have been (but, so were everyone’s). I saw that David had put on new tires and we didn’t know if we should do the same. Tires are expensive and the Bridgestone money that could follow would require high finishes. If not, we would just be tossing away money. In the end, we chose to keep the old tires on for another day (and then have them for practice in May) rather than spend the money for new ones. With the very cold track temps, it was unlikely that I would be comfortable pushing the bike any harder, even with fresh rubber. Rockin’ the big “B” William Sayre, qualified cornerworker. Saturday evening found me at the MARRC Executive Committee meeting. We discussed some very good issues and they are available in the published minutes at http://www.MARRC.org. While I was at the meeting, the crew was prepping the pit for Sunday’s events. It was very chilly outside, I had no warm clothes and most everyone was either gone or in their campers etc so we did not walk around like we usually do. We retired to the RV with the furnace on, watched a movie and went to sleep. Sunday morning came too early as usual and it was even colder than Saturday. We were missing Cecilia from the crew as she had a work commitment at home. Denise went out to perform her second morning of breakfast preparation for the famished MARRC cornerworkers. She has become quite a hit with them as they can tell she really cares about helping them start their day right. After cooking for MARRC, Denise fired up our pit kitchen and was able to bless many others with a no-charge breakfast courtesy of CSBA Racing. BACON! We skipped practice as the track surface was too cold to trust. We all attended chapel service provided by Mark Merical. It was a good sermon on James chapter one. Throughout the weekend, we did have several opportunities to speak with various folks about our operation. We had fellow Brothers in Christ stop by to encourage as well as curious onlookers. Luke had a fairly long conversation with a young man in particular whom we are praying for now. Helping our competition after a crash, it’s just how we roll. We had the same two races that went off on Saturday but the results were a bit different. We took 4th in the LWT SB race and another 3rd in F2. After the racing was over, we packed up the RV, helped Quentin pack up his tire kit and went to dinner at our traditional post-race Chinese buffet. In all, it was a good weekend. The bike stayed on the rubber side, and we scored some decent finishes. We spent some great time in fellowship with Quentin and made some new friends. We have our sights set on the coming double weekend again at Summit Point in May. Until then, keep us in your prayers. We surely miss all of you in the Big O! Hope to see you soon! Please contact us if you would like us to do something with or for your organization. The schedule fills up quickly so get on the phone! We have plenty of on and off track work to do for Him!

MOTO-D Racing PRO-Series Dual Temp Tire Warmers Our team has used several types and brands of warmers over the years. When Scott at MOTO-D told me about his product, I could not help but be interested. Those of you who have been using warmers for any length of time understand that for some reason, they can be very fragile. I have, more than once, come out to my bike just before first call only to find a cold tire. The warmer had given up the fight at the worst possible time! One of the most saleable features of the MOTO-D Tire Warmers is the 2 Year “Burnout Proof” Warranty. Yes, a two (2) year no hassle warranty! On a set of warmers that retails for only $349 in the first place, this is unreal! There are other brands that cost twice the money and expect you to just buy new ones when they quit after a season. I also understand that a good warranty means nothing if the product doesn’t work. Well, I am here to tell you that the MOTO-D warmers perform well beyond what their affordable price may indicate to gear snobs. Running bikes that can tend to be on the low side of the grid’s horsepower numbers, I have worked hard on my starts. This means that I need to have tires that are up to temp for turn 1 without question. I need to be confident that my grip is there or my efforts at the green flag will be squandered by those who are braver than I on that first initial turn in. I found that not only do these warmers heat up the tires and wheels as needed, but they do it quickly. I was completely satisfied with the heat penetration of these warmers. The PRO-Series units are handcrafted in Europe and have a carbon weave exterior shell that provides extreme insulation. They also have Nomex lining that is thermally stable, provides insulation, and is flame retardant. The heat penetration and distribution provided by these materials was right on target. I ran 4 races that weekend and was able to hammer turn 1 with confidence each and every time. If you are looking for your first set of warmers or replacing a set with shorted wires or a faulty controller, these are the warmers you want! They are a great value and sport that two year warranty should something go wrong. They also have a PRO-Series Digital unit which has a slim backlit LCD controller for the ultimate control that retails for $449. If you are a track day person and on a tight budget, MOTO-D has warmers for you too. Why waste track time, tires, and gas warming up your rubber? Or, worse yet, go into a turn too early and lowside your machine. I am willing to bet you will do more than $199 worth of damage to your bike and gear in that one crash. To prevent such disasters, MOTO-D offers entry level aluminized dual temp warmers for only $199! Better yet, they sport the same 2 year warranty! Not to insult anyone but, MOTO-D will even replace your warmers if you are a bone-head and burn them up from leaving them on! This will only happen once though so learn your lesson quickly! I will follow this up with a durability update once we have more time on them. I am also considering trying a set of the MOTO-D Digital Warmers so I have more temperature options available. You can purchase your next set of warmers at http://www.motodracing.com . When you order, tell Scott that “Cowboy 6” sent you and he will hook you up with a discount on your purchase. Until next time, keep the rubber side down and leave nothing on the track but blackies!

Monday was here and we were ready to start our last day. Because it was a holiday, all four of us were in attendance again, all day. It was bitter sweet as we were indeed tired but the work we were doing was definitely worth it. As we moved into the evening hours, the crowd was dwindling and we prepared to pack up. Just then, a security cart came around and the driver stopped to talk. He thanked us for not leaving early (apparently this was a problem) and the conversation turned to the 180 Movie. I explained it to him and ended up talking to him for 20 minutes! He and another man in the cart drove away with copies of the movie. As we closed the trailer for the last time and prepared to crawl our way through the mass of people and vehicles still scurrying about the fairgrounds, we reflected on what had transpired over the last six days of the fair and all the work we did in preparation. What were the end results? We had brought many different groups of people together reaching all the way to California. We had sacrificed our time, money and energy in order to make this happen. In return, we had talked to thousands of people about the crisis of abortion, the murder of children in the womb and the need to stand up and do something about it. We had shared the Gospel with hundreds, and had someone accept Christ right there in our humble fair tent! Was it worth it? Do you even have to ask? Please contact us if you would like us to do something with or for your organization. The schedule fills up quickly so get on the phone! We have plenty of on and off track work to do for Him! ………….Joe (Cowboy 6) Cotterino

Project 180 29 AUG to 3 SEP: Meshoppen, PA It is funny that when most people think of our ministry, they think that we race motorcycles and practice being nice to people. We do indeed do that however, we do so much more. In addition to doing chapel service on Sundays, handing out free Bibles and spiritual counseling, we venture out beyond the track too. This year, we have stepped up our game and increased our volume to the point of making some serious noise in the name of the Lord! Honestly I cannot remember exactly when the Lord put the idea in my head to take on what we have been doing for the last six days. I do know that it was Him and that hopefully, He is smiling at our efforts. Vision has not always been one of my strong points. This project though, was broadcast on a big-screen in my head and what needed to happen was perfectly clear. I remember the first time I watched the 180 Movie. I was already staunchly against abortion, but this 33 minute movie made me cry. Right then and there, God put it in my head that I had to get this word and logic out to as much of the world to which I have access. I asked Cecilia to contact both of our somewhat local county fairs that were coming during the summer to get the dates, costs and any other pertinent information that we may need. She did so and after consulting our existing schedule, we determined that the Wyoming County Fair would be the one for us. The cost would be high for our rental space, but not insurmountable. After contacting the fair officials a few more times, we sent in our payment for our own little piece of real estate at the fair in August. I contacted Living Waters, home of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. After speaking with a few folks there, we received a generous donation of movie DVDs, a banner and other assorted items to get us started. After doing some math to flesh out our material needs, I created a budget, put it to paper and drafted a support letter to take to our church and a few others. Cecilia, Luke and I all delivered a set of these documents to our churches and a few additional groups and the ball was rolling. As things usually occur, papers get lost and people get busy. With only a few weeks left until the event, we still had no support from anyone. We renewed our efforts and reminded everyone of our project. Knowing we needed the materials regardless of support, I placed a substantial order with Living Waters to make sure we were supplied. With the bank account empty, we prepared for the rain of God’s blessing. Surprisingly, we received many declinations. Considering that there was no minimum support designated, I found that a bit discouraging. However, we did have two churches come through and we were overjoyed at God’s blessing! The two donations that we received took a nice bite out of the funding issue. With all of the planning and logistics handled, we were now ready to execute. It all started on Monday the 27th. We had just driven home from Summit Point the day before and I had been at work since 0630. But, we had to unload the trailer and re-load with the items we would need. We drove the 40 minutes North to the fairgrounds and proceeded to enter another world! Thankfully, the staff at the fair (thanks Kim!) were very friendly, helpful and accommodating. Site selection and trailer drop-off were relatively painless and we were on our way. Tuesday night found us back at the fairground setting up vinyl walls and making the floor plan for our area. We were ready! Due to my need to pay the mortgage, Denise had to go it alone on Wednesday morning. Cecilia helped her set up but had to run to work right after. Now, Denise just had to hold her own until we could rescue her after work. When I arrived that first day, I had already been texting with her to make sure she was OK throughout the day. I found her in our tent tired but in good spirits. She had already made a friend across the lane. His name was David. He was a genuine Israeli Jewish man who was thrilled at what we were doing to save the lives of the unborn. When I arrived, true to her form, Denise had already told David our life story and he knew me better than I knew myself! Dave kept an eye on Denise for the three days she would be there on her own and brought us coffee in the morning as well as samples of food almost every day. God could not have provided us with a better fair neighbor. Thanks David! We continued on sharing stories and talking to people through the night until 1100 pm rolled in and we were done for the day. We packed up the trailer and our tired but encouraged crew headed home. The alarm would sound in just a few hours so we needed to get to bed as soon as we could. Thursday and Friday brought more of the same. Denise opened with Cecilia’s help. Then after work, Luke, Cecilia and I arrived to finish out the evening. We were exhausted but overjoyed at how the Lord was using us. There was a constant supply of people to reach out to as the days rolled on. Finally, Saturday arrived and Denise would have me to help her in the morning. On top of that, I was able to get more than four hours sleep for the first time in a week! We were energized from the start and with more help, the area was set up much more quickly. People started rolling in and we went non-stop all day until closing. Sunday was more of the same and we had the added bonus of having several visitors who were friends that we had not seen in a while. Among the thousands we spoke with, there were a few special cases that really stood out. Here are a few of them: First, when talking with people, we found that while many were against abortion in general, they were willing to make an exception in the case of rape. I understood this thought process as I used to think that way many years ago myself. The problem is, do we punish the child for the crime of the father? Ray Comfort addresses this issue in the film and most times, when explained, people understand and are willing to change their mind. We even had a woman tell Denise that she had become pregnant as a result of rape but she not only allowed her innocent baby to be born but kept her. The daughter is now 34 years old and very happy to be alive. One night, we had a young man visit our tent. Luke talked with him about the bike and our team. He had questions about my number and Luke shared the verse with him. The conversation then moved to religion and how this young man had read some of the Bible but was not sure about where he was. Luke then walked him down the Romans Road and then, right there, under our tent, he gave his life to Christ. Luke made sure he had our contact information and encouraged him to find a local Bible based church to attend. One afternoon, I was speaking to a wonderful family who was at the fair three generations deep. There were the grandparents, parents and children all in a group. In speaking with the middle generation father with regard to a question he asked, a grumpy woman from the Democrat booth happened to be walking by. She had heard me talking to him and felt it necessary to stick her nose into our conversation. As she put her head over the shoulder of the man’s wife, she indignantly informed me that “You should be talking to her! It’s her choice. It’s her choice!” I almost chuckled while she ranted and when I saw her 4 inch Obama button on her chest, her problem became obvious. After she moved on, the family I was speaking to were shaking their heads. I felt sorry for her and the misery that must be her life without God in it. Later that day, we did a little commando run on the Democrat booth. Denise distracted them with a feigned interest while I provided several “180 Movie” cards as free donations to their booth area. We were, on one afternoon, accosted by a 60 year old man who kept yelling things like “what are you made of?” I responded “mostly water” but he continued with telling us we were stupid, didn’t know anything and that “we were made of pyramids of light.” He stayed to engage us for about 10 minutes but as it became obvious that he did not want a conversation but merely an opportunity to share his lunacy, I subtly indicated to Cecilia and Luke to disengage and move on.

Ask Scott but I would say a medium would do fine for you.

JCopeland: Please then, call Scott and place an order! Don't forget to mention our team for your discount! Cheers! jbot: I have never used psycleskins so I can't help you there. Sorry.

Moto-D Racing products One piece undersuit product review. I am writing this in an effort to provide a candid and fair review of the new one piece undersuit that is available from Moto-D. I ordered two of these suits in preparation for our 2012 race season. I had previously used Under Armour in a two piece configuration. I was not unhappy with the performance of the UA product but it is very expensive and had started to come apart at several of the seams. I was also not particularly happy with the overlap of the upper and lower garments that created a double layer in the waist area. Upon arrival, I found the Moto-D suits to be of good quality. I tried on my medium suit and found both the arms and legs to be too long. Otherwise the fit was fine. After making this situation known to Scott at Moto-D, he immediately sent “small” replacements. They fit a bit better. There is still a bit of extra length in the arms. It is not uncomfortable or intrusive and I can easily understand that others with longer arms than I would need the excess. I was pleasantly surprised to find a stirrup at the bottom of each leg. This comes in handy when getting into leathers and boots as the Moto-D suits do not fit as tightly as UA. Our team’s first weekend of trial with these suits surely put them to the test. It was upward of 100 deg Fahrenheit with little wind at the track. True to the claims of Moto-D, these suits worked wonders in aiding entry and exit of our race leathers. We had zero issues with sticking and zero issues with zippers, materials and stitching. In fact, these suits worked so well, the only recommendation we could possibly offer would be to provide them in lighter colors to avoid the sunlight/heat absorption that black seems to provide. If you are wearing cotton t-shirts and shorts under your leathers, you absolutely need to get yourself one of these undersuits. If you are like I was and using UA, you need to check these out. At $64.95 they are far cheaper and I feel that they work better. Being one piece, there are no annoying gaps or overlaps either. One last thing. These suits are not just for track junkies. They make a great first layer for street riding and come in a “Fall/Cold” version for those colder days on the road. You can purchase yours directly from Moto-D at this website: www.motodracing.com When you call in, tell Scott “Cowboy 6 sent me” and he will give you a discounted price on your purchase! Until next time, keep the rubber side down and leave nothing on the track but blackies!

Sold!

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel- which means, God with us." Matthew 1:23 Have a very blessed Christmas! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDczc9qI_1E&feature=related

I'll go $1000 if she is interested.

Sweet! You guys should link up with us and come to Summit Point this spring. You would love that track.

Still for sale....

Next up was the Lightweight Formula 40 event. With the suspension changes made, I was hopeful for a better result. With the drop of the flag, the Ducati leaped forward and into the lead. I held the lead through T1 and was very happy to feel a reduction in the wallowing. It was not completely gone but it was much better. My lap times were down by a full second but still not to where I wanted to be. But, it was enough. I led flag to flag for the second win of the season on the new Ducati. Last up was Ultralight Superbike. I was very excited to run this race because it had a very large field and I thought I would do well. I was gridded on the second row and while I made a great start, it was not enough to take the holeshot. I ended up 4th through T1. For several laps I held my own, having passed a rider for third. On lap 4, Travis McNerney passed me in T14 because I was a bit lazy. I followed him through the last few turns counting on a good drive from T17 to propel me past him using the draft. I made a slight mistake in T16 preventing me from being where I needed to be so I had to wait until the braking zone of T1 to make my move. Travis stayed in the center of the track after passing start/finish and the kink. I thought to myself “Ah, guarding the inside line are we?” In response, I decided to delay my braking a bit and run up on his left side. The point was to make up the necessary space on the brakes and turn to his inside after he executed his turn-in. The problem was, as I rushed up on Travis’ left, full on the brakes, he swerved to the left to maximize his arc through the right hand corner. This move resulted in us clashing bars, my braking effort being cancelled and going straight off the track into the grass covered run off. This was not my first rodeo so I immediately started to try to slow the bike with gentle pressure on the brakes. My slight pumping was ill timed with a bump and I went down on my left side. After a few flips and a long slide, I came to a stop. That stop was quickly interrupted by my being impaled by a motorcycle. I was rolled over yet again thinking “wow, my bike caught up with me.” But, it was not my bike. It was Travis who had also exited the track. He had not been able to avoid my carcass and had unintentionally used me as a ramp. His front tire had caught me just below my left armpit and he completely ran over my chest. Ouch! Regardless, seeing stars and all, I shook it off and got up and went to my bike. After picking it up and getting it started, I discovered that the shift rod had been broken. I was done. Instead of a hard fought battle and decent result, I had finished dead last with a broken bike. I was happy though that I was not seriously hurt and thanked God for protecting me. Now it was time for seeing what the crew was made of. Denise had “mama bear syndrome” and would not let me do anything. Cecilia and Jake had to do all the packing up and putting away. The bikes were in the trailer in no time and tied down. The canopy came down and was stowed. The tools were put away and the RV made travel ready. All I did was supervise and direct. Without my help, it did take a bit longer but they did a great job. We ended up leaving a bit later than planned and it was obvious that we would not make it to our usual dining establishment. The crew was very hungry and we had a long standing tradition of hitting a particular Chinese buffet on the trip home. Because we had such a late start, we would not get to this restaurant before closing. So, about an hour into our trip home, it was decided that we would hit Kentucky Fried Chicken instead. After another thirty minutes of driving we finally saw a sign for one. Once we exited the highway, the sign then said the KFC was over two miles down the road. It was suggested that we get back on the highway but I felt we should just go on and finish what we started. As we headed for the KFC, I spotted a shopping center about 2 miles into our trip. In it was a Chinese buffet and the lights were on. I slammed on the brakes and turned into the lot. Upon entering the facility, our team shirts were recognized by several people at one of the only two tables occupied in the restaurant. As it turned out, the CSBA missionary from Africa, Wim Van Rensburg, was sitting there with a pastor whose church he was visiting (Dennis Nichols and his wife Ellen) as well as Bill Allen (one of the original founding members of the CSBA) and his wife Cindy. I had never met this missionary in all the years I have been with the CSBA. I knew he had come to the US to garner support but I thought he was in Florida. This meeting was not only a blessing for all of us but it was so obvious who created the environment for this meeting. God does this sort of thing all the time. Many call it coincidence but, the fact is that God creates these situations so that His will can be accomplished by His faithful servants. In my example, God created the environment for us to have this meeting of Brothers and Sisters that had never met before. It was His will that we get to embrace each other in encouragement. A few years ago, my partner, Art Lohman, was injured in an accident in our mission field at Daytona only to end up sharing the Gospel with a sick old man in the hospital. A man he would have never met otherwise. We sat and enjoyed our meal simply amazed at what God did that night. When we were finished, we piled back into the RV and headed North, into the night. It had been a good year. It was a year of trials and tribulations, as well as victory and disappointment. But, we had faced it together and made new friends along the way. Our team had started over and now was already growing. The off season is here and we will be preparing for 2012. The year-end report/summary will be out soon. Please contact us if you would like us to do something with or for your organization. The schedule fills up quickly so get on the phone! We have plenty of on and off track work to do for Him! ………….Joe (Cowboy 6) Cotterino

VIR: Our Last Event for 2011 SEP 24-25 2011 Virginia International Raceway, VA We set out on Friday morning super early to get a jump on things for the weekend. We made pretty good time and encountered plenty of rain on the way. When we arrived at VIR, we found that it had been raining all day and I did not miss any decent track time. We found our pit spot and set up quickly. We still had time to register and complete tech prior to darkness setting in. We were sitting pretty good for the weekend. With many still not there yet, our visitation rounds were done quickly. Denise kicked breakfast into full gear as she did not have cornerworkers to cook for this weekend. We set about inviting everyone we came across and the food went fast. I went out for the first round of practice with the track still a little damp. I was not thrilled with the lap times but the day was young. Then, by the time the second round came, it had started to rain. Both bikes were on dry tires so we just had to pass. After lunch was ASRA Thunderbike qualifying. Lucky for me, it was still raining! Cecilia and Jake had the rains on the SV and gas was topped off. I went out with the hope of doing well. Success was ours today. I had a number in my mind that I had to hit based on the USGPRU qualifying time set just before my session. My goal was to beat it. On the third lap, I did so. Then on the 5th lap, I did even better. I was thrilled with the results and returned to the pit lane for weigh-in and to find that I was on the POLE for the race on Sunday! A few more qualifying sessions and the GT races followed then my first race was up. It had stopped raining and it was time to take the Ducati out for this one. I had an awesome start with the front wheel staying airborne for the first three gears. I went through T1 in fourth place and over the next few laps, pulled into third for the finish. Starting the weekend on the podium is a good thing. I wish I could have done better but it was not to be. My helmet was still being forced down over my eyes in corners. I had the hump reduced by Lizzy Leathers (great workmanship btw) but now it must be something else. The distraction of constantly pushing up on the chin bar with my left hand or with my chin definitely slowed me down. I had also been fighting with the steering damper which wasn’t working. I found that the bracket was actually spinning on the fork leg negating any action by the damper itself. Some creative metal work to include the use of a beer can found in the trash, made it tight again for the day to come. Saturday was coming to an end but Denise had made an arrangement with our neighbors to have a get-together for dinner. So, we brought food to contribute and empty bellies. We had a great meal with great company then, with darkness setting in as well as fatigue, we called it a night and hit the rack. Sunday morning found Denise up early cooking again. We had plenty of visitors for breakfast and felt blessed to be able to provide it. We had three races, chapel and the invocation ahead and it would be a busy day. I went out for practice and found the damper working now. Our first event of the day was chapel. Ray Rizzo did the honors and the turnout was decent considering the number of people at the track this weekend. With chapel complete, Cecilia and I headed for the control building where I delivered the last invocation of the year. While I was speaking, it finally hit me that this was it. We would not get to see most of these people until next year. Sure we can keep in touch via the various social network solutions but they are cold and impersonal. There is nothing like giving someone a genuine warm hug or watching the look on their face when you poke fun at them. No one is going to open their heart and tell you their troubles on the web either. That takes a face to face. We are surely going to be eager for Spring. After I asked God to protect everyone in the off season, Cecilia proceeded with her last, awesome rendition of our National Anthem. She was followed by the usual applause and we walked back to the pits, holding hands and satisfied with jobs well done. Now, it was time to put on the game face. The team had worked hard all year up to this point. We had changed out engines, sent the Ducati to Duc Pond Motorsports for repairs, sopped up countless quarts of spewed oil, and much more. It was now time to finish well. I have raised my daughter with a warrior ethos. No matter what we do, we will do it to our best ability. Nothing gets left on the table. It was now my turn to set the example. My results for this weekend would mean nothing for the season. We had 2nd place locked up in all three classes and I was too far behind first to make a challenge. But, regardless, we put forth our best efforts and left nothing on the table. The first race for us was ASRA Thunderbike that we had qualified on top Saturday. I gridded up against some serious machinery but I was confident I would do well. Other than starting quite well, the race was a bit uneventful. With everything working and finally at race pace on the Ducati, I found a bit of a handling problem. I was not pulling the lap times I should have been but I did finish in a lonely fourth place. I found the bike wallowing at the rear under power on corner exit. A quick check with some folks to confirm my solution and I was busy dialing both a bit more preload and some rebound damping on the rear shock. I was hoping we did the right thing as there was only the next race to figure it out.

Well, Kirk Cameron is not in this one. And, the idea is to support it in the theater to send a message that wholesome movies will bring viewers. It is a shame that the theater is all but empty for this show but the latest smut-fest, gay promo flick is standing room only..... It would be nice to be able to take our kids to the movies every once in a while. I have found that they don't much care about the skills of the cast .

If you haven't seen this movie, you should. I took the family to see it last night, it was excellent. http://www.courageousmovie.com/ It's playing at: EASTON TOWN CENTER 30 275 EASTON TOWNE CENTER COLUMBUS, OH 43219 DUBLIN VILLAGE 18 6700 VILLAGE PARKWAY DUBLIN, OH 43017 GEORGESVILLE SQUARE 16 1800 GEORGESVILLE SQ DR COLUMBUS, OH 43228 MARCUS THEATRES 17 1776 HILL ROAD NORTH PICKERINGTON, OH 43146 And a few others... Enjoy!

Wish I could have been there!

Thanks guys!

So our day of racing ended with a second and two wins. Not a bad day at work I say. I was very pleased at the Ducati win though. We all have worked so hard trying to bring this bike together. It had all started with a bare frame on a December morning, now, here we were, overcoming all adversity and challenge, to stand on the top box with a win! The “Birthday Crew”: Ray Rizzo, Danny Ronca, Jon Helmbach, Jimmy Cohrs, Constantine Vondari, Cecilia Cotterino, Jake Johnson, Alex Shaw Saturday evening it rained on and off and kept everything pretty wet. That did not dampen spirits as this was the first annual August Birthday Bash! Lucy Wesson, of Vondari Racing fame, discovered that there were a very large number of our group of buddies that had birthdays in August. Cecilia and Jake being among them, they were co-guests of honor. We had the cake stored in our RV and Danny Ronca provided dinner via NY Sicilian pizza (to die for BTW). So we all crowded under canopies and dodged raindrops to celebrate the birth of some awesome people. Nick, Viki, and Danny With the party dying down and the rain not, we retired again to the RV to wind down with a movie. This time it was “The Last Sin Eater.” This is a favorite of mine with an awesome but sometimes subtle story line. After the movie we again retired to our sleeping quarters to regenerate for the day to come. God had answered my prayers with my being given the nod to do chapel service in the morning. I was stoked! Two wins, ok, but now this! We have been praying about our ministry all season and I finally felt I had an answer. This is the reason we are here, to bring the love of Christ to our fellow racers and families. To share His word on Sunday morning with those who would not get to church that day or maybe would not have even gone otherwise. I could barely fall asleep. Chapel Service on Sunday…. Sunday AM was finally here. I again, melted at the sight of the three girls sleeping innocently and at peace in the RV. Denise was out making breakfast, and I had only to help out anyone who needed it and do final prep for my sermon. We had made arrangements to use the classroom for chapel service as the grass area to the Apple Chapel was very wet from the weather, and I needed to bring the Ducati into the service as part of the message. Besides, a bunch of non-racing side car folks had turned the chapel into their own personal campground and would need chasing off to use the facility. I spent the morning working on the finishing touches to the sermon and getting everything organized in the new “chapel.” I had also invited a few people to the service that normally do not attend. After the riders meeting, we headed over to start. To my immense pleasure and glory to Him, two of the special invitees came! I was overwhelmed with joy. It was so good to see them sitting there. Now, I thought to myself, “just don’t mess this up.” I prayed right there again that God would let me speak His message in a clear and flawless manner. It worked out wonderfully. My message was about Charles Spurgeon’s “Wordless Book” that I had turned into the “Wordless Bike.” The original wordless book was only three colors, black, red, and white. These, of course, are our team colors. Team colors that, hopefully, will strike a memory chord with everyone there the next time they see our bikes etc. After hitting my 10 minute mark on the nose, I had indeed done what was needed. I had discussed that black stood for our sin, red for the blood of Christ that washes away our sin, and pure white that represents our sanctified state as a result of His sacrifice. I also shared other passages from Romans and John reiterating the fact that we are indeed all sinners and the wages of sin is death. That the only redemption available is through Jesus on the cross and the best thing of all was that this gift is free for the taking. The team all felt I did a good job as did many who came to me after the service with hugs and encouragement. I only hope that He was pleased with his servant’s work this day. Our Crew for the weekend. With chapel complete, I delivered Sunday’s invocation and Cecilia repeated an excellent anthem performance. Now we were ready to pack up and watch a little racing to cheer on our buddies After this, we had to leave a bit early. I had work to complete by midnight for school and we still had a long drive home. Besides the girls were getting calls from parents worried about Hurricane Irene and all. We felt it was just best to get a move on. We of course, stopped by our favorite Chinese Buffet on the way home where I treated all to a filling dinner for their hard work over the weekend. Theresa and Caitlin had truly grown on all of us these past three days. They are two awesome girls who are a joy to be around. I feel like I gained two more daughters, and Cecilia two new sisters. They were and are truly a blessing. The entire drive home, I was basking in the brilliance of God. I could not believe what He had done this weekend. The team had arrived Thursday with nothing but apprehension and anticipation. We were now leaving with a spiritual recharge, a re-focus for our efforts, new and stronger friendships and some race wins to boot! VIR is just around the corner. Stay tuned for more! We have plenty of on and off track work to do for Him! ………….Joe (Cowboy 6) Cotterino

Summit Point Final Round for 2011 AUG 26-28 2011 Summit Point Raceway, WV This weekend was a big one for the team. It would not only be a weekend with some new faces as company, but it was the first weekend back for the Ducati. If you have read the previous reports from this season, you would know that we have been having more than our fair share of issues and problems with the newest addition to the paddock and what was supposed to be the superstar performer of the team, the Ducati 1000SS. On top of it all, I had been hard at work on a sermon that I was eager to deliver on Sunday. We had two wonderful young ladies join us this weekend. They were Caitlin and Theresa. These are friends of Cecilia from Grace Fellowship Church in Tunkhannock, PA. Denise did not know these girls very well and I had never even met them. But, this weekend would change all that. Denise, Cecilia and I arrived at the track around 2000 hrs Thursday evening. There was just enough daylight to get power and set up the RV and basic pit area. I went over and met with Rick Beggs of R&R Cycles to let him know we were there and to get the lowdown on the race school and track day. We were all pretty tired and with the pits a virtual ghost town, we hit the hay. Friday AM arrived and at 0600, Denise was already over at the pavilion setting up breakfast for the MARRC corner-working crew. There was a bit of an issue with the grill and coffee, so after getting a phone call, I went to help her out. A few minutes later, the grill was warming up, the brand new coffee pot was diagnosed as broken and Simon had arrived to dig out the old pot and get it going. The rider’s meeting was followed by a ton of bikes coming in for tech inspection. Most of the time, this is just a formality but I found a few problems that morning including a set of brake pads that were to the metal. After tech, I went over to get my bike squared away. I had planned on running only the Ducati this day. With all the problems this season, I really only had a limited amount of seat time on this bike. So, I would get some today. With the SV solid again having the “junkyard dog” between the frame rails, I was determined to either get the Ducati tamed or crash it in the process. If I did go down, I would have the trusty SV to run all of my races for the weekend. Jake’s first safetywire job. So, out I went, albeit on month old tires with a few heat cycles in them. I had missed the first session due to working tech but then I went out as a control rider for the beginner group. With the racer practice coming next, I just hung out in the cold pit lane and went right out again. The first session was not too bad. I had the bike to 1:24’s the first time out. The bike felt solid and I now had a baseline. Jake had now arrived with Theresa and Caitlin. We said our hellos, and had introductions but it was back to work for now. For several reasons, I decided to bag the beginner group (there were a ton of CRs out there anyway) and just work on sorting out the Duc. This worked well as I eventually had her down to consistent 1:20’s at the end of the day. I knew that with fresh rubber and more time, I could do better but, this did put me in the realm needed to be competitive in Lightweight for the weekend. I was no longer faster on the SV! It may sound simple to you but this was major ground gained! I passed on the last practice session in favor of prepping the bikes for CCS tech. With registration and tech complete, we were ready to start the evening activities. Friday night was a great one. We, including Theresa and Caitlin, were able to do our walk around and visit just about every pit in the paddock including our sidecar buddies that we only get to see once a year. After an evening spreading encouragement, we decided we were a bit tired and headed for the RV. We all decided to wind down with a movie. Jake had brought one with him so we put it in. Immediately flags went up as the screen was filled with inappropriate images. We had no idea this movie had this in it. Off it went. Cecilia confirmed the inappropriateness via Kids in Mind (something we should have checked first!) and we switched gears to watch Penelope. The girls liked it and honestly, I thought it was pretty cute too. With the movie over, we all called it a night. Cecilia moved to the kitchen table convert-a-bed and Theresa squeezed onto the sofa bed with Caitlin. Jake headed off to the man cave trailer that was more of a walk-in freezer due to the oversized AC unit on the roof. MARRC workers getting’ the early morning grub. Saturday morning had arrived. Denise was again up early to prep breakfast for MARRC. As I rolled out of bed, Tori greeted me and I stumbled into the main area of the RV. There I stood looking at three cute little girls all snuggled in covers sleeping away. I felt a strange kind of peace come over me as my eyes teared a bit in recognition of how God has blessed my life. I didn’t have it in me to wake them yet so I just went outside to get things in order. Getting bikes ready to win takes teamwork. For first practice I took out the SV. I hadn’t been on it yet and I wanted to get a warm and fuzzy after the engine swap before the first race. Then, it started raining! The forecast was for sunny skies today but the weather people were wrong again. A quick switch of wheels on the SV and I went out on the rains for the first time this season. This race day would be a pain for everyone as it refused to make up its mind what to do. It would clear up and dry out then two minutes later, pour down rain. After the riders meeting, I did the invocation and Cecilia sang the anthem (better than ever I might add), and the day was in full swing. For my first race, I ended up going out on the rain tire shod SV only to overheat the rear tire on the second lap. Even with the holeshot, Joey Thomas passed me the second time through T9 and that was it. My rear gave way on the exit of T1 and I knew I would not be able to keep up. A dry line was forming, the rain I had hoped would come again didn’t and there were not enough puddles on the track to keep the tires cool. On lap three, I looked behind me on the front straight and saw no one. I had a very comfortable second place and decided to cool it and just ride it out. The new Sidi boots feel awesome. The second race for the day was in more dry conditions so out on the Ducati for the first time, I noticed several bikes still on rains. It had rained on and off a few times between races but I felt the DOTs would do better. Of course, it could rain any second, and my chances would be ruined. As we gridded up, the sky stayed neutral. I waved to Jenny in the tower and made ready. I always have had problems launching the Ducati so I was fully engaged in concentration. As the flag dropped, Joey Thomas leaped ahead of me by a bike length. But he wheelied it just as I hooked up. The Ducati leaped forward and roared past everyone and sped me through T1 in the lead! I couldn’t believe it. With the fuel pressure finally adjusted to a good number, the TPO Parts “BeastR” velocity stacks were finally working correctly. This bike was flying! I must have induced a few stress fractures in my helmet from my grin. The bike was working like a champ as we danced our way around the circuit. With the power that I had on tap, I was completely confident that if I led into a corner, I would lead out too. There would be no power mismatch today! This held true and as I looked back after taking the checkered flag and our Ducati’s first win, I saw no one! It had been a walk away as well! Joey was one of those on rains and without a drop being shed during the race, he didn’t have a chance. The last race of the day was Ultra Light Superbike. This one proved to be a problem because of the weather. The Ducati is ineligible for this race so we had to keep swapping tires back and forth as the weather changed. We ended up with the rains within minutes of the start. Then, it started to pour! Excellent! Not only do I love to race in the rain, but, this surely eliminated any sort of tire question. So, out I went on the rain shod SV. When the flag dropped, so did the hammer. The SV launched with authority and left all in the puddles as we entered T1. As I headed down the front straight to complete lap one, Chaplain Ray Rizzo was at the wall with his arms spread indicating a sizable lead. The second time around was a repeat. The third time, Ray did nothing. I was wondering if the lead ran him out of arm length or if he did not want to discourage me by telling me there was someone on my tail. After the race, it was the former that held true. It was another walk-away win with the entire front straight plus, separating me from second place. I love racing in the rain!

He he, I think I do!

Sunday AM, Denise was up a 0500 and out the door. I was up a little later and began to prep the pit and recover from the rain that night. With a wet track and a lame Duck, I decided to skip the one practice round. We would rather save the tires on the SV since it would have to run all three races today. Donnie Unger from The Duck Pond had diagnosed the SS with having a bad starter solenoid. With no spare and a propensity for stalling, I did not want to risk running it. I had a meeting with the owner of CCS to discuss a few team issues so I missed chapel service. But, I was able to give the invocation again and Cecilia sang the anthem and was followed by a healthy round of applause from the paddock. For Sunday, the race order was different. We had no back-to-back (nice!). The first race of the day was Ultra Light Superbike. This was the SV’s race anyway. With nice hot tires and leathers without issues, I headed out on the warm-up lap and gridded on row two. Arnie didn’t arrive on the grid, bummer, but I was ready. When the flag dropped, I had a perfect launch and took the holeshot. I did not know this but by the time I hit T10 I had already pulled a significant lead over the rest of the field. I don’t look behind so I kept pushing for the rest of the race and ended up winning by over 20 seconds. I was very happy to have gotten my lap times back to where they should be. My biggest fan…. With one race in between my first two for rest and re-fuel, I was ready to go back out for LW40. On the out lap, the bike sounded strange and was missing a lot. I pulled over before gridding to peek through the frame to ensure I was’t losing a coil wire. Nothing looked out of place so I took my place on the grid. When the flag dropped, I took off. The bike spit and coughed its way through T1 almost throwing me off. Bikes were passing me right and left. I kept hoping it would clear out. It seemed like it wanted to as it would pick up and run like normal for a spell. I made it around one lap and decided to pull in the next time around. I would at least get points for last place. I never made it. The bike completely died in T6 so I coasted to T8 and pulled off the track. After receiving a courtesy ride from my MARRC buddies, we found the quick connect to the battery had crumbled to pieces yet again. A quick search through the spares provided a new replacement and the bike was good as new. The last race of the day and weekend would turn out to be the best. It was Thunderbike again and I was dreading it because I was not on the Ducati. I asked God to keep me safe and help me do my best. With a bit of confidence from my win earlier and knowledge of my lap times, I was getting myself in the zone and determined. On the outlap, I was thrilled to feel the engine pull as it should, reaffirming the fix. I had a brief second where my heart jumped into my throat as I realized I never checked my grid before leaving the pit. But, my memory won the day and I took up my proper position at the center of row two. Look what God lets me do! I looked way down the track to turn one, my immediate target. I looked at the bikes in front of me that blocked my path. I looked over at the starter. Time seemed to slow down as I fixed my gaze on Jenny who had the number board showing “3.” She changed it to “2.” Visor down, the “1” board is up, a voice in my helmet said “watch the flag, watch the flag.” As I fed the clutch to feel it grab just so slightly, out of the corner of my eye I saw the “1” turn to “ -- “ as it was laid sideways. The flag twitched as the starter’s arm moved to wave it. I rolled on the throttle and fed the clutch. With the front wheel slightly in the air, the little SV lurched forward and rocketed between the thundering Buell and booming Ducatis of my rivals for the moment. Within seconds, Joey Thomas came beside, and then by me. This was normal as my SV was no match for the Ducati under power. However, I had such a good start, I was still on the rear wheel of the Thomas machine as he hit the brakes for T1. I wasn’t ready to do that yet so I pulled to the inside and passed him on the brakes into the turn. With my knee puck scraping, I found neutral throttle, got the bike turned and opened it up immediately. The twin FCR 41s were howling only to be drowned out by the Hindle exhaust making its presence known. Upon the entry to T3, Joey was not trying to pass as he had on other occasions. I sped to T4 staying on the throttle after a quick check to set the turn. Hard on the brakes downshifting twice into T5 still slowing hard as I leaned into the turn trailbraking like a madman. Determined to keep my advantage, I kept my entry speed into T6 (a problem spot for me) as high as I could. Hard on the gas to T7, slight roll off the throttle to tighten the corner approach, back on the throttle grabbing another gear as I transitioned my body left for T8, back to the right for T9 and early on the throttle hard through it as Joey’s bike has twice the torque of the SV and can easily pull by going up the hill. Still no Thomas Ducati. Downshift for T10, hanging way off and on the throttle, the front tire is struggling for grip as I pull my body forward to give it what it wants. I cross the start finish still in first! Within a second, Thomas is on me. He pulls by under the awesome power of the Ducati coupled with the draft he had from me. I thought, “OK, here it goes….” As we approached T1, I was still close enough and again, I passed him under brakes! I could not believe I was leading the second lap! As we repeated this dance for several more laps, I was again put on the brink of failure as on lap 5, Joey pulled by me coming out of T9. Now he would lead through T10 and have a clean run down the 3000 ft straight. I would never catch him now. As we entered 10, I was determined to stay as close as I could. Joey wouldn’t get his usual “runaway by a mile” win if I could help it. As we exited T10, I was on the throttle earlier and was able to stay near enough to pick up the draft! I tucked in behind my awesome Zero Gravity Double Bubble and thought to myself “think small, think small, become Danny Pedrosa!” My face looked like Rossi’s “wide eyed, mouth open” helmet as the big Ducati sucked me down the front straight. I waited for Joey to come up from his tuck as an indicator that he would be braking and pulled out to his inside. My rear wheel left the ground, my arms shuddered, and my knees gripped the tank as my Yamaha R6 calipers squeezed the life out my EBC rotors with their EBC pads. I downshifted three times, dropping the clutch lever to let the slipper do its job. The rear of the bike danced from right to left in protest until I started turning in still on the brakes hard. As the bike turned I released pressure on the brake lever accordingly, I was so far off the bike, I thought my head was leading the front wheel! I hit the apex and rolled on the throttle, the bike struggled for grip. The rear tire spun just enough for the rear of the bike to lose grip just for an instant rotating a few degrees in favor of my turn. Going through the gears and back down into T3, Joey had not come back on me, it was done! I took the white flag and headed into T1 for the last time waiting for my ritual duel with Joey but he didn’t come! I thought he would take me in T9 again so I didn’t let up. I pushed as hard as I could so he would not be close enough to get me. He had never passed me prior to start/finish so I felt if I could lead through T10, the race was mine. As my little SV grunted up the hill without the sound of Joey coming beside me, I waited as late as I could to brake for 10, as I went through for the last time, the front tire slid a bit but my knee relieved the pressure, on the gas hard for the last time I cut to the inside to break any draft, shifted to 6th with the throttle pinned and waited. No Joey! The Checkered was mine! I was amazed at what had just happened as I circled the track on the cool-down lap. Cornerworkers were again waving with a passion and Guz, again at the edge of the track, with my MARRC shirt stretched out and waving! I felt like a celebrity as I came off the track and several people were taking photos. But, that was nothing compared to what my pit looked like. I had stopped to thank Joey for a great race on the way back. By the time I turned the corner to my pit area, there were at least 12 people (including Vondari Racing) cheering, clapping and taking pictures! It was almost embarrassing, but pretty cool. Victory is sweet! As we cleaned up our area and packed to leave, Donnie Unger took the Ducati to his trailer to see what he could do with it at The Duc Pond. I made sure Lizzy had my new leathers back to shrink that speed hump. We went over and helped put down John Dodson’s canopies due to the coming storm, gave Gian a hug and wished him well as he watched everyone hitch up his gear for the ride home, and said our goodbyes. On the way home we were joined by Danny (Davey) Loikits and Beth for dinner at our usual Chinese Buffet. A good meal and conversation was had by all. After the meal, I talked with Jake to see what he thought of the whole deal. He said he loved it and wanted to commit to all of the events. I told him he did a great job and that he earned his team shirt. Probation period is over. (Special thanks to Mike Porter for the great action photos!) Stay tuned for more! We have plenty off track work to do for Him! ………….Joe (Cowboy 6) Cotterino

Summit Point Round 2 for 2011 JUL 1-3 2011 Summit Point Raceway, WV This weekend was set to be the best weekend for our team in a long time. We have been struggling with our roles and wondering what God has in mind for us. First, I would like to say that we were blessed with a probational team member for the weekend. His name is Jake Johnson. More on him later. This weekend started off clean with a good departure time and no problems. We made our routine fuel and food stop for some chicken fingers and arrived at Summit Point with plenty of daylight left for set-up. The MARRC road race school on Friday was a nice day. With the “Junkyard Dog” engine in the SV, I could run cheap pump gas all day. I was blessed with having a good student for the day and was able to watch him improve. I was also able to collect my brand new AGV leathers that Lizzy Leather Works had sewn up a bit for me. They look really nice! This was my first ever new set of leathers so I was a pretty happy with the whole deal. I didn’t want to risk scuffing them in practice so I would reserve the first wear for Saturday’s races. The adjustable fuel pressure regulator had arrived from TPO Parts so I installed that on the Ducati. It had been re-calibrated (thanks Allan!) and I was hopeful for a successful weekend on this new bike. With this being a twin sprint weekend, I would get plenty of seat time on the new ride. That night, we had dinner with our MARRC crew. They are really growing on us. There are some real characters in the organization and they all seem to get genuine enjoyment from what they do. Saturday morning arrived and things were hopping. Denise was up and out to help new MARRC member (from CSBA) Sarah Treese prepare breakfast for the corner-working crew. No tech inspection was conducted Friday night so I had to get up early to beat the crowd. With help from Cecilia and Jake, we were done with both bikes in record time. With fresh Bridgestones from Mize Mobile mounted on the SV wheels, a little wrenching and we were set for the day. I saddled up the Ducati and headed out for the first practice session. It ran fairly well, but still had a bit of an issue at part throttle on corner exit. I found that if I gave it a bit more throttle than I wanted to, it would “get over it” and pull away clean. Lap times were still miserable at 1:27. With a few minor adjustments between sessions, I headed out for the second practice and tucked in behind Mark Evry. This time, I was determined to do better. After following Mark for a few laps to build my confidence, I was able to increase my lean angle on this skyscraper of a bike and improved my laps to 1:23s. The Bridgestone R10s were rock solid (as they should be at this slow pace) but I could tell they would be quite awesome as I went faster. Pit chicks, Denise and Cecilia, sporting the new crew shirts. They both love them because they’re “girly.” After delivering the invocation, I headed back to the pit. The team and “proby”, Jake, would be up for a coordination challenge as the first two races were not only back-to-back but required a bike change as well. We discussed what would happen, laid out a timeline and everyone seemed comfortable with what would need to happen. Well, except Denise of course. She is our resident “Nervous Nellie” and would not be comfortable until it was finished. The Ducati still would not idle so it had to be fed some throttle in the pit to keep going. This resulted in a very hot header pipe which melted the rear tire warmer! There is always something, right? I went out on the Ducati first for LW40. The race went well but with my not meshing with this bike quite yet and other ergonomic issues, I settled in for a lonely third place behind Joey Thomas and Art Diaz. I had a good lead on the rest of the field but those two were too far ahead to catch. But, with only a few laps left in the race, Thomas went down on the entry to T6 and while thankfully unhurt, he handed me second! The new leathers are lookin' spiffy! After the cool-down lap, the Ducati roared into the pits where the SV was being prepped for departure by Team CSBA Racing. Warmers were coming off, stands removed, water thrust into my hand, the Ducati sprung into the air behind me on its stands and the transponder migrated to the next bike. After a few heavy breaths and some water chugging, I fired the SV and pulled away with several pats to the back. The ULSBK race was to be a bit interesting. I had a great start and passed everyone into T1 in the lead. This is what I was hoping for so I put myself to work to keep it. Entering T3 I noticed my helmet was pushed down over my eyes a bit. As I exited, and headed to T4, I pushed up on the chin bar to put it back in place. As I entered T4, it was right back again but worse! And even worse through T5 and by the time I tried to look through the long sweeper of T6, all I could really see was Arnie Hastings passing me on the inside! It turns out that the speed hump on my nice new leathers was hitting my helmet and pushing it down over my eyes! The only cure for this mid-race was to change my riding style by not hanging off the bike as much and literally be out of position. Well, the SV doesn’t like that and responded with very slow steering. I did manage to hold on to second but I was not happy to be taken out of the fight with Arnie. When I returned to the pits, I changed into my old leathers for the third race of the day. This third event was Thunderbike and we were all set to go and waited until third call to fire the Ducati. It had been leaning out from getting hot so I did not want a long pit-run time. When third call came, I hit the starter button. Nothing happened. I hit it again, nothing. I recycled the master switch, heard the fuel pump run and again, nothing. In a panic, I yelled “switch to the SV!” The crew responded and the transponder jumped bikes, we added fuel and fired it off. I missed the warm-up lap but I was allowed to take my grid space. Again, I gridded up behind Art and Joey. This was ok except I was on stone cold tires. The SV was done for the day so we had let them go. Needless to say, T1 was a bit scary and I did not get comfortable until well into the second lap. I did manage to maintain third though. All in all, not a bad day but I was eager for the re-run that was to come Sunday. Upon my return from my last race, I was informed that one of our buddies Gian had been in a crash in T4, the fastest corner on the circuit. His bike was destroyed and he was not well. He had refused ambulance transport to the hospital but after a few minutes agreed to be driven there. We all prayed for his well being and waited for news. The news would come later as Danny Ronca came back from the hospital. Gian had a mild concussion and a badly pulled groin. He would be scanned and tested with the results coming in an hour or so. We ate some dinner and waited for the word. When it did come, it was good news. Gian would be OK but would be kept for observation overnight. Danny had made plans and coordinated getting people and equipment home and everything was set. Looking for corner speed on the SV. As we made final checks on the bikes for the night, Joey Thomas came by looking for a brake line. It seems his was damaged in his T6 crash earlier. I had no spare lines for the Ducati as I had to buy a set for a Yamaha at VIR to temp fix mine. Well, Joey runs a GSXR front end on his superbike so normal Ducati lines were not needed. I remembered I had the other line left from the Yamaha set and went to get it. Joey compared it to the damaged one in his hand and said it should work. He tried it and came back later to say it worked perfect and thanks. Denise promptly informed me that this indeed was why I had to buy those lines (that really didn’t work for me) at VIR. I had questioned that earlier as I ended up using an old SV brake line to fix my problem after I paid (money I really didn’t have to spare) on the new ones. I did this of course, only to end up not running the Ducati anyway due to the injection issues. God was setting things up for us to be able to help a friend. Joey had been looking all over the paddock for the brake line and I was his absolute last chance. This reminded me that we rarely see God’s plan until it’s executed. And even then, we can be blind to it. That night, Denise and I made our rounds to visit people and lend a hand or a smile as needed. It started to get dark and most people were either gone or waiting for the fireworks to start. We sat on the asphalt looking to the sky in anticipation. With only sporadic pops and sparks, I headed out to talk to a few more people. When I came back, the crew was watching a movie. Then the fireworks started, the movie paused and we watched the display. Once finished, I was quite tired. Denise had to get up early again to prepare breakfast so we finished off the movie and hit the hay.

Bumpster!