July 22, 2010

Brad Baker: Race Report

This last weekend I raced in Lake Odessa, Michigan at I-96 Speedway for another round of the Grand National season - it ended up being my memorable night of racing so far! I was extra excited going into this race because I was going to be riding with the experts in the GNC twins class, as well as the pro singles class. I was able to do this because Mike Kidd and the IMDA gave the top ten pro singles riders from 2009 a provisional to ride with the experts at three events including this one - without affecting their standings in the pro singles.

Brad Baker Overview:

Racer: Brad Baker
Web site: www.bakerboysracing.com
Disciplines: Flat track, Super moto, and Road Racing
Pipe: D&D Flat Track Race Pipe
Why D&D: Most of all its strong and secure on the bike and makes the most horsepower out of any exhaust.

Fortunately, I was able to score a ride with Mark and Nicole Cheza on their Global products Lancaster Harley Davidson XR 750 - to have a shot at fulfilling my dream of making a Grand National expert main event. My day started off great by qualifying 4th my first time on the bike. It got even better when I then qualified 3rd behind the Halbert brothers.

The last time that I went out for practice, I went out and fell off the pace a little but still qualified 18th - putting myself on the front row in my heat. In the pro singles class, I qualified a consistent 5th - setting myself up well for the heat. After some track prep - which didn't seem to change the slick little grove - it was time to start the night.

On my 450, I jumped out to an early lead but had Jeffery Carver hot on my tail. On about lap 5, he used his horsepower on me and slipped by me right before coming into turn one. I wasn't quite feeling it on my 450 - as I wasn't able to get it to handle and pull of the corners the way I wanted it too. Directly after my 450 heat, I jumped the 750 for my first ever expert heat race. I got off the line pretty well - running in 6th position. On the first lap, I passed Rob Pearson and Matt Weidman to now be in a transfer position to the main event. All it took was one slip up on my part though and Matt was right back by me.

After this, I calmed down and was again breathing down his neck - trying to find any way around him. I came up just short of the transfer, but I still had a great chance of making it out of the semi and into the main!

In the semi, I was lined up next to two of my great friends - Chad Cose and Luke Gough. I got off the line 3rd behind Gough and Mike Radley. On the third lap, I got under Radley and set my sights on Luke. I stuck right on his rear wheel - waiting for him to make a mistake. Finally, on the last lap, he slipped up just a little and I was there to capitalize.

You have no clue how excited I was -knowing I just made my first main event on my first attempt ever! I wasn't the only one excited - as the crowd cheered me all the way off the track when I was walking back to the pits. After a brief intermission, it was now time for the main events. First up would be the pro singles class. I rocketed off the line to secure another early lead over Jeffery Carver. I held him off for about 5 laps, but just as in the heat race, he pulled by me at the end of the straight away. I now had company from James "the Rocket" Rispoli. We battled neck and neck for the whole race, but I was able to hold him until the finish. I didn't beat who I needed to beat to gain some much needed points, but I am still in sight of the championship and I was back on the box -so I was happy.

It was pretty cool hopping off the podium and onto a Harley for a 25 lap main event! It was going to be tough, though, because I had already raced about 50 laps that night. Nevertheless, I was pumped and ready to race my first ever expert main! For the first half of the race, I battled for 11th and 12th position with Johnny Lewis and Rob Pearson. The race was then stopped halfway through because Mick Kirkness splattered the track with oil all the way through turns one and two. After a long break, it was time to get going again. This time I got a great start and moved up to around 8th. About four laps later, I slipped up big time coming out of turn two and let Wiles and Robinson go under me. The next corner got a little hairy when Jethro Halbert got hung up on my handle bar - almost making me fall and I was forced to blow the grove. From there I just rode my own race and had a great time! To come home with a 13th place finish for my first time ever riding with the big boys was just fine with me. I am now looking forward to hopefully securing a ride for the next two provisional races to see if I can do it again. I would especially like to thank Mark & Nicole Cheza and his family and crew for giving me this opportunity and for being so nice.

I also want to thanks my great sponsors: Rod Lake, Mike Velasco, Brothers Powersports, Shift Racing, Woody Kyle, Boughner Racing Suspension, D & D Exhaust, JG Photowerx, Top One Oil, Celorie Brothers Trucking, Lightshoe, MicroBlue Racing, Fusion Graphix, A & A Racing, CP Pistons, Motion Pro, MT Racing, Powersports NW, Acerbis, & Zebra Computers. I would also like to thank my friends and family back home, as well as everyone else who has been cheering me on - you guys rock!

July 22, 2010 8:20 PM | send page