Galfer Motorcycle Brakes Blog

My dad and I drove out to the track Friday morning to ride my CM Motorsports/Outlaw Racing backed CBR600 at the TrackDaz event. We arrived early that morning and got setup in time for the second session of the day. I went out on track and felt everything out, getting used to the bike again because it was only my second weekend on the bike. When I came in after my first session of the day the bike was too stiff, so we made a few suspension changes. Throughout the day I continued working with Tige Daane from CM Motorsports to get the bike dialed in. In my last session I set my best lap for the day which was a 1:55.6. I was happy with the outcome of the day and had a lot of fun!

Saturday was filled with two sessions of practice, qualifying, and three races. I went out for my first practice session and felt even more comfortable on the bike, with a change in our settings. My fastest lap was a 1:55.1. Then the second session came and we gathered more information about the bike, we were ready for qualifying. I went out for my qualifying session and put down my personal best lap in this direction, at a 1:52.798. I qualified 3rd with Loren Black in 1st at a 1:52.071, Ben Truslow in 2nd with a 1:52.781, and Daytona Anderson in 4th with a 1:52.825. Between 2nd place and 4th place there was only 0.04 seconds. Everyone knew the races were going to be close.

In my first race, Formula Middleweight, I got a good start and was in 2nd place in T1. I was behind Loren Black and just in front of Ryan Matter. Loren was slowly getting away and Ryan knew he needed to get past me. On the first lap Ryan got a drive down the back straight and passed me. While I followed Loren and Ryan for a few laps I set my new personal best at a 1:52.459 and finished 3rd. That was my first podium in the 600 class and I was very excited.

My next race, SuperSport Middleweight, was awesome. I got a great start and was in 2nd place in T1 again with Loren leading and Ryan behind me. On the first lap Ryan passed me on the brakes into T8, but he went a little too deep, so I fought back and went right back underneath him. I knew he was right on the back of me, so I was pushing hard. He tried to make a few more moves, but he couldn’t get through. The battle went down to the last lap, when I made a mistake into T3 and didn’t get a good drive out. It let him get right up alongside me and passed me entering T4. I tried fighting back, but couldn’t quite get it done. I finished 3rd 0.6 seconds behind Ryan and I was very proud of my performance.

The third race of the day was the Team Challenge. We were team Outlaw Racing, which consisted of Daytona Anderson, and Ben Truslow, and I. I started the race from the second row, got an amazing, and was in 1st by T1. I put my head down and started gapping the field. I put about a 30 second gap on the 2nd place team, and then came in for a pit stop, where Ben Truslow went out. Ben rode for 20 minutes like me and then pitted to let Daytona ride the last 20 minutes. We finished in 1st with a 2-3 lap lead. It was amazing because it was our first team race and we won. Our team went to sleep with a pleasing result.

On Sunday I had one practice session and three races. My practice went well and I felt good about the upcoming races. My first race was the Middleweight Shootout.  I started in the 3rd spot on the front row and got a good start, which put me in 3rd at T1. I had Loren and Ryan in front of me and knew I had to push to keep up. I quickly made a move on Ryan by getting a good drive onto the back straight and passed him under braking into T8. At that point Ryan and Rocco Horvath were right on my tail for the battle for 2nd. I kept them behind me and set a personal best lap at a 1:51.657 until the 4th lap came and I picked up what we think was a screw and I got a flat rear tire. I kept on riding hard to try and get a 2nd place finish, but I was losing too much air to keep any traction. They got by me and I quickly lost ground as the tire deflated all the way down to 10 lbs of pressure. I was very happy with my 4th place finish because I was leading two AMA professionals up until the tire problem.

In my second race, Formula Middleweight, I started from the front row and didn’t get a great start, which put me into 4th position at T1, with Loren, Ryan, and Ben in front of me. I also had Rocco directly behind me. First I had to get by Ben to try and stick with Loren and Ryan. I got Ben on the first lap on the brakes into T15 and by that time, Loren and Ryan were gone. In the mean time Ben fought right back and passed me entering T3, but ran wide, so I passed him right back into T4. During this lap Loren crashed in T9, which moved everyone up one spot. Then the next lap around, I saw someone showing me their wheel in a few spots. I figured it was Ben, but found out it was actually Rocco on lap 5 when he almost passed me entering T3, but I held him off. It was the last lap and Rocco and I were coming into T8, a common place to pass under braking, I knew he was going to try to make a pass and he did. He got up right alongside of me and made a great pass. I wasn’t going to let this happen, so when we entered the corner I was about a wheel length behind and when he turned in I did the same, putting my body on top of his bike and just when he slowed for the quick flick right, I gave a little more gas and stuffed him into the sharp right hander. Then we had a few turns to go and he was aggressive, but I kept closing the door on him and I finished in 2nd. That was my first 2nd place in a 600 race and I beat a professional AMA racer to get it, it was quite rewarding.  That race was very fun and had a few good battles.

The last race of the day was SuperSport Middleweight, where I started on the front row and got a good start. I was in T1 in 3rd place with Ben and Ryan in front of me. It took Ryan two laps to get past Ben and then once Ryan got by I passed Ben two corners later entering T8 on the brakes. After that Ryan made a gap and we stayed single file until the finish, where I finished in 2nd about a second back.

Overall the weekend was very fun and successful and it couldn’t have been done without all of my wonderful sponsors.

Thank you to my current Sponsors:

• CM Motorsports
• Outlaw Racing
• Share A Sale
• Concept Five
• Fastrack Riders
• GPR Stabilizer
• Next Moto Champion
• Race Tech
• Mid Cities Honda
• ProSpeed
• Power Stands Racing
• TrackDaz
• NEXX Helmets
• Advanced Motorcycle Gear
• Falco
• BARF Racing
• California Superbike School
• Shorai Power
• Motul Lubricants
• Spark
• Zero Gravity
• Lockhart Phillips
• Galfer
• Cycle Gear

For the final and 11th round of the WSMC Championship, it was back to Willow Springs, thankfully on the bigger track. Willow Springs can be found on: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=willow%20

Last meeting was on the less preferred shorter circuit in reverse direction. While it is great to have diversity of circuits available, we are yet to find any rider that enjoys the shorter circuit, so going to the bigger International circuit was welcomed by the team.
In the gap between races, Team Jake had time to repair the bike from last outing and also make major improvements to the rear suspension, plus make a few small ‘adjustments’ to the engine to get it running as Suzuki originally intended. (Thanks to the team at AIP)

Saturday Practice
Weather – COLD ! Really, really, cold. It was made worse via a stiff, changing breeze. There was no sun and some very threatening clouds pretended to be about to rain most of the day.

Jake took to the track and the bike was perfect in the engine department, but lacking in chassis setup. The wind factor also made it difficult to get accurate feedback in the few session allowed to us.

However, we did find some improvement and with the welcome advice of fellow countryman and AMA racer David Anthony, a setting was found that allowed Jake to use the bike to it’s fullest.

One interesting thing happened late in the day was that Jake got a little out of shape on turn 9 at somewhere over 100 mph and was put offline. When it all hooked up again, he was heading directly for a big traffic cone on the infield and managed to hit this with his head. He was over that far !

Anyway, other than a small bell ringing, he came out of it 100% thanks to the Xpeed helmet. The XCF3000 model in solid carbon proved to be a truly comfortable, light and stylish helmet.

The fog free visor would prove to be a bonus on Sunday…

Sunday Race Day
Did we say Saturday was cold ? HA ! Sunday was the real deal.
On the way out, we witnessed fresh snow falling in the hills and the building rain clouds. It turned into a cold, wet, gloomy day.

The fields were depleted a little due to it being the last event and also some just don’t like the rain……in Australia, we call them ‘woosies’.

Race 1 (event 3) – Let me start by saying how hard Chris, Corey and Frankie from Pirelli tried to get this right, but weather control was beyond their many skills at the race track. It rained hard at the start of the day, so we fitted full wet tires. Then just prior to Jake’s first race, the track dried, so it was a rush job to get back onto DOT street tires with more dry grip. Then…..1 minute before the race start, the heavens opened and we all crossed our fingers that Pirelli DOT’s with minimal tread would work well on a 180 hp 1000cc bike in the wet….
A small field of 9 riders fronted for Modified Production. In the atrocious conditions, it was David Anthony away in the lead with his full wet tires and Jake slithering around behind him on the street tires.

At the end of 6 laps, it was Anthony 1st and Dolan 2nd. Times were slow as each rider found how hard they could push.

Race 2 (event 13) – A bigger field of 16 riders started in the premier event, called Formula One. This is a great class, with good prizemoney at each event ($1000 for the win) and a great series winner prize. (A new V8 Toyota Tundra pickup)

This time, we had the full wet tires on and Jake was 7th into the first turn, from a grid position of 9th. BTW – he had never ridden a 1000cc bike in the rain or on full wet tires before.

By lap two, the leaders of Higbee (1190 Buell) and Anthony (GSXR1000) broke away and Jake had moved to 5th, quickly closing on 4th. Electrical gremlins snuck in, causing the engines ECU mapping to swap to lower power modes, causing Jake to drop back, but these were soon overcome and he moved back up onto the rear wheel of 4th.

In one sweeping moment, he passed 4th and hunted down 3rd. All this in torrential rain, no light and mist from leading riders, mind you. In a similar move, he passed 3rd and began to open a break.

At race finish, it was Anthony, Higbee and a fast catching Dolan. Lap times were faster in the 1m31s and Jake was a mere half a second slower than this, but setting these times on his own. In the post race interviews, Jake was able to thank all his supporters.

Race 3 (event 18) – This was the last event for the day and unfortunately some riders had gone home or retired from crashing, so there was only a field of 7 on the grid for Open Superstock. Jake is 3rd in this championship.

The race was a cake walk, like last round. Jake was the clear winner and finished uncontested. He lapped up to 5th place in the shortened 4 lap race….

Special thanks to-
Peter from Rockstar Makita Suzuki Chris and Clint from AIP Racing Eric from Livery Design Gruppe
Without your extra help, the weekend could not have been the success it was.

Plenty of racers are willing to drive several hours to their favorite drag strip, but it’s rare to find someone who moved 2,000 miles just to compete in drag racing. Erika Allison did just that, moving from San Diego, California, to Atlanta, Georgia, last year so she could compete in the MiRock Series.

Allison is also racing in local events from Florida all the way up to Maryland, riding her 2008 Suzuki GSX-R1000 at quarter-miles all over the East Coast. Her talent, determination and speed make her the perfect choice for November’s Galfer Girl of the Month.

For 2011, Allison competed in the Crazy 8s class of MiRock, as well as heads-up and bracket racing in local events. She is also the Female Race Wars champion this year, an honor she has won before.

The racing craze started at a young age for Allison, whose parents were both drag racers. “I’ve been attending NHRA races since I can remember. One day, when I was 12, my brother brought home a dirt bike. I learned the fundamentals and fell in love with motorcycles. Instead of racing cars like my mother and father, I took it to a different level and started racing motorcycles,” Allison says.

Allison started racing seven years ago, when she was 18. Since that time, she has earned a lot of wins and held onto the Queen of Cali title for five years. She is also the youngest African-American female to ride a Pro Stock motorcycle in NHRA.

Achieving her drag racing dreams wouldn’t be possible without the support of her family. Allison’s husband Darryl is also a racer, and she says, “He’s been my number one supporter. He believes in what I do. He’s the best husband ever!”

Even their son, five-year-old Jayden, is well on his way to a racing career. He’ll be on a 50cc dirt bike soon, and Allison notes, “I got back into racing five weeks after he was born. Since he was six or seven months old, he’s known the sound of my motorcycle.”

Allison considers the other members of her team, Velocit-E Racing, part of her extended family. Team members Mark Dickerson and Wes Pohlmann hold down the West Coast division of Velocit-E. Allison adds that her family members are part of the team, too, attending events to provide support, marketing and fan relations.

The team name comes from Allison’s nickname, Velocit-E. “I was given my name by the president of Hurricane Biker Girls in San Diego. They used to say, ‘That girl’s so fast, she’s like the speed of light.’”

Outside of racing, Allison says, “I love firearms! My husband is former military so he would always take me to the range and I wound up getting hooked on guns. Also, I’m a very family oriented person. I love going camping and jet-skiing, or even just sitting at home watching movies.”

Allison has made drag racing her career. It’s her passion, her living and her heritage. And it was totally worth moving across the country to pursue.

“Hard on the brakes entering a turn with the forks at just about full travel and the faring skimming the pavement.  More than other pictures I have…this captured the trust I put in my brakes.” — Dan Sewell

Running the 1300 series Ceramic Brake Pads from Galfer, Dan Sewell rode his way to 3 AFM championships in the 2011 season. Hi points total was enough earn him the #8 plate for 2012.

Dan has always been a big supporter of Galfer and we’re proud to have him as a sponsored rider. He recently said, “The brake pads and disks you offer were key in every one of my wins.  I was able to make passes under brakes that I was told should not of been possible.”

That’s great praise from an outstanding racer and we thank you for it Dan! Congratulations on your 2011 performance and we’ll certainly be cheering for you in 2012.

See Dan’s career AFM race results at: http://www.twfracing.com/dan/results.html
Read Dan’s race reports at: http://www.twfracing.com/dan/reports.html

“I lead a pretty boring life.” Lee Plonske might claim that, but we here at Galfer beg to differ. After all, it’s difficult to be boring when you’re a roadracer. (And, let’s be honest, it’s impossible to be ordinary when you’re using Galfer products on your motorcycle!)

Wausau, Wisconsin, is where Plonske leads his so-called “boring life.” He was content to be a street rider for a while before diving into track days. As with many track day enthusiasts, running around in circles wasn’t enough. Plonske wanted to run around in circles and get a trophy for it, too.

These days, Plonske is racing his Suzuki GSX-R750 in CCS. He’s only been racing for a year, but has high hopes for his future. Plonske says his most memorable moments on track have been crashes, but that hasn’t slowed him down.

Outside of racing, Plonske lists work as the other thing that gets him out of bed each morning. While some racers are afraid of letting their employers know what they do on the weekends, that’s not the case for Plonske. “My boss encouraged it, actually!” Plonske says of his roadracing.

Plonske will be working on getting some new memorable moments (that don’t involve crashing) when he returns to CCS. Keep an eye out for him as he grows his experience and his trophy collection.

In the meantime, Plonske simply says, “I love Galfer!” Well, we love you, too, Lee.

Lance Yeager of Faith on Wheels Racing had an outstanding 2011 racing season. Here’s a message from Lance:

“I wanted to send you a email thanking you for your support this season.  This season was another great year, I won 7 out of 7 WERA V7HW races and the National Championship, I won 3 out of 3 WERA V7MW races.  My endurance team (Faith On Wheels Racing) won one round of the WERA National Endurance series races and the points chase in the Trophy class.  So a big thank you again for your support in 2011, and I’m looking forward to 2012.”
–Lance Yeager

Congratulations to Lance & the Faith on Wheels team and we wish you much success next year!

Charleston, SC – October, 2011 – Earl’s Racing Team sponsored rider Jake Lewis won multiple races and championships at the year ending WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta.

Fifteen-year old phenomenon Jake Lewis added the 600 Superbike National Championship as well as three regional Sportsman Championships to his list of achievements in 2011. Lewis already clinched both the 750 Superbike and 750 Superstock championships earlier in the year on his KWS Motorsports built, Earl’s Racing Team Yamaha R6. Out of the four classes that Lewis competed in 2011, only the 600 Superstock title escaped his grasp. Jake came up just short of the title in a hard fought battle with Monster Energy Yamaha’s Garrett Gerloff. This was a break-out year for Jake. In total, Jake won 22 races, achieved 32 podium finishes and won 6 out of seven championships.

Jake Lewis – “Thanks! Thanks to Earl’s Racing Team! Thanks to all the sponsors that helped us this year. Thanks to Garrett for pushing me at every track. We had a blast racing each other. Thanks to my family and Tryce Welch for all the support. It was an awesome year of racing. Thats all I can say. Thanks!”

Jake Lewis (www.jakelewis85.com) is proudly sponsored by: Hayden Brothers General Store, Earl’s Racing Team, 3rd Chance Auto Sales, KWS Motorsports, Millennium Technologies, Apex Manufacturing, Sportbike Track Time, OneAmerica, Roclun International, GMDATL.com, Race Tech, Princeton Pawn, Alpinestars, Arai, HotBodies, Vortex, Galfer, Dunlop, Oakley, RK, VP Fuels, RoadracingWorld.com and Motul Lubricants.