2009 has been some what of a disappointment . The economy being not at its best, has had a direct Influence on finding financial sponsors. Having less money means less time in the saddle and less setup track time. However, the love for the sport is alive and strong. Having said that, the overall picture was good. One podium in Loudon (CCS) and a top 15 finish in the Parts Canada amateur Sportbike  Championship.

My first race week-end was difficult. Calabogie Ontario was the site of the first event of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. I struggled with massive rear tire spin in several sections of the track. Also, my aggressive riding in the first practice session resulted in a crash. I came in way to hot in turn 5 (long track) and threw it in the dirt. The practice before qualifying was an other adventure. My throttle locked up in turn 10 causing me to crash again.

Having limited track time made me have a conservative race strategy. I pushed as much as I believed reasonable. The bike was a handful. I made it to the chequered flag and had a good time.

The next race was ICAR. The second stop on the Parts Canada calendar. The tract surface is very bumpy, abrasive, cracks in every corner and walls just waiting to great you if ever you go down. It’s a tight technical track. Lots of fun to ride with the right set up. That being said, I didn’t want to repeat the Calabogie week-end. I tried to ride around the tire spinning problem by being as smooth as possible. I managed to finish in 14^th place scoring my first points of the season. I was happy, but not satisfied. Something was slowing me down. I was trying to get on the gas early and having zero traction.

Things were slow for a good month or so. Money was showing its importance. More money, more racing. So I sat out the rest of the Parts Canada Championship. I wanted to do a race in the US. I set my sites on Loudon New Hamshire . Its about a 6 hour drive from Montreal. My girl friend and I booked a room at a hotel because it was raining abundantly. My first race in the wet of the season. Turn 3 at Loudon is very slippery because of the nascar racing. They slap down allot of rubber on the oval. On Saturday, I raced a GTO 20 minute race. Remember my tire spinning issue. Yep, you guest it. A high side in turn 3 in the rain! More wrenching and the next day, I decided to lower the rear ride height and see what that would do. Guess what, I finished 3^rd. Little things do make a difference.

Thanks for reading.

Well to be honest, I’m happy with the result of this first race of the season. ICAR needs some getting use to since you have walls and guard rails pretty much in every critical area on the track.  I came to this race with two goals. To finish the weekend with no crashes and to [...]

The first practise day is happening April 2 at L’Autodrome Saint-Eustach. My main sponsor SUZUKI CHATEAUGUAY have redone the bike’s suspension. I will see if it changes the handling. I hope that I will be able to ride the bike and not think about how to ride to make it do what I want. The search for sponsorship continues. No luck yet.