WSMC round 3, 1998

FROGMAN RACING

FROM: STEVE ALLEN aka FROGMAN, WSMC #18

DATE: March 16, 1998

REA: WSMC Round #3 (3/14-15)

WILLOW SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY. ROSAMOND, CA.

First off, I'd like to welcome MOTUL Lubricants to The Frogman's growing family of sponsors and friends helping out this racer's efforts for 1998! Secondly, I'm sorry that this report is over a week late, but HEY! Business is booming!

Once again, WSIR proved to be a fantastic fun filled race weekend as per usual. The week previous to the races, I was invited to once again help out Mr Keith Code at Laguna Seca Raceway at his California Superbike School. I took my Superbike and got to spend half the day at work, the other half riding around the track at my own pace. I pretty much felt like a world champion out there amongst all the students (heh, heh). Rains came down in the afternoon and I took advantage of this "non-race" condition to improve my wet track prowess....

I arrived at the track on Saturday prepared to practice and dial in my FT500 as I had previously completely rebuilt both the forks and rear shocks. Along with all that, Craig at AVON sent me some new tires saying that they would ROCK compared to the other AVONS I had been running. These had different compounds and the rear was a different size. More on that later. Anyway, I get out to I-5 and the grapevine looks ominous, but on I go. About 10 miles from WSIR, I notice that there is a monsoon over the track and it is coming from the East which explains WHY I had been in such fine weather on the trip.... Anyhow, I get there and only 1 rider is out on the track as it is absolutely pouring down rain and there is standing puddles of water everywhere... I spent about an hour going around the pit yakking with my friends then decided that it was time to go play in the rain, so I unload and just as I start to pull my leathers on, the sun comes out! The track was dry by the time I got my bike through Tech so off I went. Got a couple of good sessions in and it turns out that my rear suspension only needed a bit more preload and the bike was really handling well.

Sunday and it is cold but dry. A couple practice sessions, the riders meeting and it off to the races! I gotta say, this bike REALLY worked for me this weekend. The smaller rear tire, softer compounds and new suspension had me charging into and out of the corners so hard and such huge lean angles that I was dragging my pipe from my footpeg all the way to the end of the baffle! WOW! After leading most of the 500 Singles race, Danny came up and we got into a killer dice for the last couple laps and I ended up crossing the line next to him but back about a foot. BUMMER! This was a REAL confidence boost for me as I know with a little more tweaking on the suspension I should be able to go even harder into the corners.... Also, I've begun collecting bits for a new motor like a Carrillo rod, bearings, seals, gaskets..... BIG smiles here!

So.... I netted 2nd place in the 500 Singles class, in Formula Singles I grabbed 4th place and then later in the day was relegated to 6th in the Lightweight Vintage Dinosaur class. I am currently in 2nd place in the 500 Singles points championship along with 4th in Formula Singles, 5th in Vintage, 18th in Formula 1 and am ranked 20th in the WSMC overall points championship. My next race will be at WSIR on the weekend of 4/19-20.

The Frogman's Sponsors:

PROGRESSIVE AUTO ART Restorations, Graffix & Street Rods, TK3 Privateer Race Glass,

GALFER Brake Systems, AVON Racing Tyres, MOTUL Lubricants,

CENTRAL COAST POWDER COATINGS, PRO * LAP Professional Leather Services,

SIGMAN GRAPHICS Signs & T-shirts