called Thunderbolt and Lightning, named after 1940s fighter planes. Thunderbolt is the main track; at 2.25 miles long, it features three long straightaways and 12 turns. Race weekend is grueling for the riders
and their crews. It starts on Thursday, when the teams trickle in from all over the coun- try in cars, trucks and RVs, many of them pulling trailers. Tents and canopies go up and the work begins. There are meetings and tech sessions the riders must attend, but Friday is when the action starts. Each class, the single-cylinder KTMs, the 600 cc and the 1000 cc bikes, takes to the track for 30- or 40-minute practice sessions span- ning the bulk of the day. The teenagers competing in the KTM RC Cup have their first qualifying session to see who gets to race the next day. Most teams spend Friday night going over the bikes and talking through the practice sessions to identify difficult portions of the track and work on improving their chances in the races. Saturday is the first day of action, but it
starts with qualifying sessions for the Supersport and Superstock 600 bikes, which are broken up into two groups to minimize the number of racers on the track at any one time. The big bikes practice again in the morning, and the KTM kids have another qualifying session. After a lunch break, the day’s Superstock 600 last chance qualifier kicks off, an eight-lap sprint to not only qualify for the first of the class’ 16-lap races, but to set the grid (starting) positions as well. After the 600 last chance qualifier, the big
bikes take to the track for two 15-minute sessions called Superpoles. Which Super- stock riders compete in the Superpole ses- sions is based on the fastest times in the Superbike practice sessions. If a Superstock 1000 rider’s fastest practice lap is within 107 percent of the fastest Superstock 1000 rider, he’s in the races, but to get into the Super- poles, he has to be within 107 percent of the fastest Superbike rider. Each Superpole ses- sion has a small number of riders, perhaps 10 or 12 at most. Following the Superpoles, the racing
starts. The KTM RC Cup’s first race takes to the track for nine laps. Race one for the Supersport and Superstock 600 riders fol- lows the KTM race. Finishing is important, and finishing as high in the standings as possible is paramount because a limited number of positions receive points for the
Jeremy Cook on the starting grid.
race, and it’s the overall point standings that determine the champion at the end of the season. Sunday is race day through and through,
and it’s generally the day with the most spectators as well. Gates will usually open between 7:30 and 8 a.m., with warm-up ses- sions beginning not long after fans are let into the spectator areas. Warm-up sessions last 15 minutes, long enough for the riders to get mentally prepared for their races and to make sure the bikes are still handling at peak efficiency. Tension in the pits starts to rise after the
final Superstock 600 qualifying session, and the Superbikes hit the track for their first
18-lap race early in the afternoon. They line up on the grid according to their times from the Superpole sessions (or practice sessions if they didn’t qualify for Super- poles) and get the green flag for the “sight- ing lap,” a quick trip around the track just to remind them of the bumps, hills and turns they’re about to face. They line up again, and the grid swarms with mechanics, coaches, umbrella girls (and guys) and photographers. The bikes start and race officials clear the
grid. Riders rev their bikes and wait for the red lights to go out—and they’re off! Eigh- teen laps later some of them have crashed out, many of them are disappointed, but
September 2016 BMW OWNERS NEWS 87
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