BRETT GUYER

"WRAPPING UP THE SEASON" BY BRETT GUYER
 

“Wow, the 2007 LRRS championships battles are complete,” I said to myself as I sat down to recap this year’s escapades.

In 2007, I repeated as the Thunderbike and Lightweight Superbike class champ and added GTL to the championship tally this year. What a season it has been for all the competitors. The season had minimal rain days, and if you’re a road racer you’re happy about that.
 

Thank you to all the sponsors involved with this season. Seacoast Sportcycle, Rob’s Dyno service and Dunlop tires. Without the help of these guys, it is nearly impossible to accomplish the great racing results that we have in this very competitive Northeast region of CCS racing.

The racing was intense right out of the gate in April with my arch rival Rick Doucette and his Plaistow Powersports Suzuki. I had de-throned Rick in 2006 from his Lightweight Superbike and Thunderbike championships and he was back and more determined to beat me and my Seacoast Sportcycle Ducati.

The stage was set once again for another season of battles with Rick and myself with me taking the advantage in the April event and only allowing Rick one win in GTL. (see results below.) Through the season it was a battle to the wire in each race, with passing in areas that others don’t pass… and side-by-side racing that can only be done with great competitors you trust. (Rick Doucette is certainly one of them.) The racing and the strategic measures during preparation kept fans and competitors watching the battles.

The Loudon Classic in June is a big event for everyone; with the dyno work and support of Rob’s Dyno Service, the Seacoast Sportcycle Ducati was ready to defend its Thunderbike ’06 dominance with another win. This race has a qualifying session and most club event grid positions are set by order of entry. This puts a new element into the racing that is interesting and challenging. Each racing class gets a 15-minute timed session to qualify. The best time gets the pole position. (Row 1, Spot A). I was unable to qualify on the pole. My arch rival was able to accomplish this goal and I was only able to qualify 4^th, which is outside of the first row. Qualifying is tough because so many riders with varying lap times are also trying to qualify. Large pockets of traffic make it hard to hard to obtain a clean lap. During this weekend’s practice sessions, I had been working on using a larger Dunlop rear tire to get more grip and reduce lap times. This tire was much larger and taller than the previous tire. Many suspension alterations were made in hopes of a more comfortable, faster lap time. This gave justification to my 4^th qualifying position.

I ended up winning the Thunderbike race and battled with a young guy instead of my arch rival Rick D, who had mechanical troubles of some sort. I was able to utilize the power of the Rob’s Dyno-tuned Ducati and bring it home on the top of the podium.

The rest of the season saw Rick and me battling and trying our hardest to get our times into the 1:13-second region. We both had low 1:14-second lap times in prior events. We both joked about who would get there first. I thought it would be Rick since he had been a little quicker than me on some laps in the past. I had hoped to push him into running this fast time as it would be a great accomplishment for a Lightweight bike.

The end of the season drew near and I had control of Lightweight Superbike and the Thunderbike classes and clinched the championships in September with one weekend to go. There was only one championship left that I was shooting for – the same one I lost to Rick last year – it was GTL, and this one would be decided in the final round in October.

We entered the last weekend ready to battle and settle this GTL class championship once and for all. I took the lead and stayed in front of Rick with him trying to pass everywhere he could; using every trick in the book to try to win. After we got into lapped traffic, I was able to lead a couple bike lengths and finish on top of the podium and seal the championship up. In the end, the Seacoast Sportcycle Ducati was too much for Rick and his Suzuki.

“Well, what a year,” is the only thing left to say about 2007.

Once again, a special thanks to all the people that make it happen, My girl D, Seacoast Sportcycle (Charles Sandoz), Dunlop (Steve Guinard a.k.a. Spoons), Rob’s Dyno Service (Rob Swartz), and Ducati North America’s Contingency Program.

Bring on the 2008 season! With some luck, it will turn out just like 2007.