rob linders
Active member
Written by Tyler Linders
My dad and I drove up Friday morning and we picked up Ryan Matter and Jim Matter on the way because their truck broke down. Then the four of us made it to the track a couple hours later. We pitted with Cycle Mall/Bridgestone, where my new bike was sitting there ready for me to ride. My Cycle Mall sponsored bike looked amazing and I was ecstatic to ride it. I went out for my first session to get a feel for the bike. When I came in we adjusted a few things to get the bike comfortable for me. In the first session my best lap time was a 2:04.xx. At that point I knew it was going to be hard to get up to pace, the pace was around 1:50.xx on race day. Throughout the day Tige from Cycle Mall and I tuned the suspension and my best time was in my last session. I did a 1:55.xx. I was very happy with my progress, but I still wanted to go faster.
http://www.caliphotography.com/photos/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=1462525
On Saturday I got two sessions of practice and qualifying before my races. In the first session I picked up where I left off from the day before and I did a low 1:55. In the second session I went faster and did a 1:54.xx. At that point, I felt like I was flying and I knew it was going to be hard to get further up to pace. The next session was qualifying and I got half a lap in and something went wrong with the bike. I qualified last on the grid for all of my races. We got the bike fixed in time for the first race. I got on the grid on the 3rd row and I got and amazing start from 9th to 6th by T1. Then I got passed by a few people in T3. At that point I was back into 8th place with Lex Hartl right behind me. I battled Hartl for 2 laps and then he passed me down the straight. I was in 9th and followed Hartl up to the next three riders. I eventually got around all of them by lap 4 of 6. Then I had 4th and 5th in sight. I was gaining on them every lap, but I couldn’t quite get to them and pass them. I finished the race in 6th place. My fastest lap in that race was a 1:54.1.
In my next race I started on row four in 10th spot. I got a great start and was in 5th by T1 with Andrew Artola right behind me. I was chasing down Rocco Horvath in 4th. As I was catching Rocco, Andrew was catching me and he put a pass on me on the inside in T15. The next lap I fought back and I passed him on the brakes coming into T8 and carried that speed all the way around the outside of Rocco in T9 to make the pass for 4th. I put my head down and made a gap. On lap 4 I started sliding a little and I slowed down. Andrew got by Rocco on that lap and caught up to me. On lap 5 he tried to make a move when I made a mistake into T16 and he was right on my tail. We were then on lap 6, the last lap of the race, and I knew he would attempt a pass in the same corner again, so on that lap I went deep on the brakes and guarded the inside of the turn. I guess I left just a little too much room for his front tire. He went deep on the brakes and showed me and my knee a wheel as he came in and just tapped my knee with his front tire. I got on the gas and pulled back in front of him, then he did the same and I got pushed a little wide. That turn leads onto the straight and I finished 5th just behind Artola. My best lap in that race was on the last lap at a 1:53.9, when I was pushing hard to try and keep Artola behind me.
Learning to pick up the bike onto the fat part of the tire on second race day.
http://www.caliphotography.com/photos/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=1465476
On Sunday I had one practice, where Ryan Matter towed me around to show me some lines. That helped a lot and I did a 1:54.1 without pushing very hard. I knew right away that Sunday was going to be a success. In my first race of the day I was gridded on the 3rd row in 8th place. I got an amazing start and was in 5th by T1. Then I went around the outside of Brian Short in T3 to make the pass for 4th place. Next in my sight was Loren Black from GPR Stabilizer. I was right on his tail, but couldn’t seem to pass him. On lap 4 he looked back and he saw me right on him. He stepped it up and set a new personal best in that race while gapping me to the finish. I finished in 5th place in that race and set a new personal best lap time at a 1:52.8.
My last race of the weekend put me on the 4th row in 11th spot. I got an outstanding start and I was in 6th by T1. I then passed Brian Short in the same spot as the last race, around the outside in T3. I was in 5th right behind Loren and Rocco. I was chasing them the whole race and I just couldn’t pass Rocco to finish 4th, so I finished in 5th. I was very happy with this race because I ran a 1:51.5. I was only .8 seconds off, race winner, Ryan Matter’s fastest lap of that race. My weekend was very successful and I was proud of my results. I couldn’t have done it without all of my sponsors and supporters. I would also like to give a special thanks to GPR Stabilizer for providing me with a damper for this weekend’s races to keep me safe and it worked great. I didn’t get any tank slappers.
Thank you to my current Sponsors:
CM Motorsports
Share A Sale
Concept Five
Fastrack Riders
GPR Stabilizer
Next Moto Champion
Race Tech
Mid Cities Honda
ProSpeed
Power Stands Racing
TrackDaz
NEXX Helmets
Advanced Motorcycle Gear
Falco
Outlaw Racing
BARF Racing
California Superbike School
Shorai Power
Motul Lubricants
Spark
Zero Gravity
Lockhart Phillips
Galfer
Cycle Gear
My dad and I drove up Friday morning and we picked up Ryan Matter and Jim Matter on the way because their truck broke down. Then the four of us made it to the track a couple hours later. We pitted with Cycle Mall/Bridgestone, where my new bike was sitting there ready for me to ride. My Cycle Mall sponsored bike looked amazing and I was ecstatic to ride it. I went out for my first session to get a feel for the bike. When I came in we adjusted a few things to get the bike comfortable for me. In the first session my best lap time was a 2:04.xx. At that point I knew it was going to be hard to get up to pace, the pace was around 1:50.xx on race day. Throughout the day Tige from Cycle Mall and I tuned the suspension and my best time was in my last session. I did a 1:55.xx. I was very happy with my progress, but I still wanted to go faster.
http://www.caliphotography.com/photos/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=1462525
On Saturday I got two sessions of practice and qualifying before my races. In the first session I picked up where I left off from the day before and I did a low 1:55. In the second session I went faster and did a 1:54.xx. At that point, I felt like I was flying and I knew it was going to be hard to get further up to pace. The next session was qualifying and I got half a lap in and something went wrong with the bike. I qualified last on the grid for all of my races. We got the bike fixed in time for the first race. I got on the grid on the 3rd row and I got and amazing start from 9th to 6th by T1. Then I got passed by a few people in T3. At that point I was back into 8th place with Lex Hartl right behind me. I battled Hartl for 2 laps and then he passed me down the straight. I was in 9th and followed Hartl up to the next three riders. I eventually got around all of them by lap 4 of 6. Then I had 4th and 5th in sight. I was gaining on them every lap, but I couldn’t quite get to them and pass them. I finished the race in 6th place. My fastest lap in that race was a 1:54.1.
In my next race I started on row four in 10th spot. I got a great start and was in 5th by T1 with Andrew Artola right behind me. I was chasing down Rocco Horvath in 4th. As I was catching Rocco, Andrew was catching me and he put a pass on me on the inside in T15. The next lap I fought back and I passed him on the brakes coming into T8 and carried that speed all the way around the outside of Rocco in T9 to make the pass for 4th. I put my head down and made a gap. On lap 4 I started sliding a little and I slowed down. Andrew got by Rocco on that lap and caught up to me. On lap 5 he tried to make a move when I made a mistake into T16 and he was right on my tail. We were then on lap 6, the last lap of the race, and I knew he would attempt a pass in the same corner again, so on that lap I went deep on the brakes and guarded the inside of the turn. I guess I left just a little too much room for his front tire. He went deep on the brakes and showed me and my knee a wheel as he came in and just tapped my knee with his front tire. I got on the gas and pulled back in front of him, then he did the same and I got pushed a little wide. That turn leads onto the straight and I finished 5th just behind Artola. My best lap in that race was on the last lap at a 1:53.9, when I was pushing hard to try and keep Artola behind me.
Learning to pick up the bike onto the fat part of the tire on second race day.
http://www.caliphotography.com/photos/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=1465476
On Sunday I had one practice, where Ryan Matter towed me around to show me some lines. That helped a lot and I did a 1:54.1 without pushing very hard. I knew right away that Sunday was going to be a success. In my first race of the day I was gridded on the 3rd row in 8th place. I got an amazing start and was in 5th by T1. Then I went around the outside of Brian Short in T3 to make the pass for 4th place. Next in my sight was Loren Black from GPR Stabilizer. I was right on his tail, but couldn’t seem to pass him. On lap 4 he looked back and he saw me right on him. He stepped it up and set a new personal best in that race while gapping me to the finish. I finished in 5th place in that race and set a new personal best lap time at a 1:52.8.
My last race of the weekend put me on the 4th row in 11th spot. I got an outstanding start and I was in 6th by T1. I then passed Brian Short in the same spot as the last race, around the outside in T3. I was in 5th right behind Loren and Rocco. I was chasing them the whole race and I just couldn’t pass Rocco to finish 4th, so I finished in 5th. I was very happy with this race because I ran a 1:51.5. I was only .8 seconds off, race winner, Ryan Matter’s fastest lap of that race. My weekend was very successful and I was proud of my results. I couldn’t have done it without all of my sponsors and supporters. I would also like to give a special thanks to GPR Stabilizer for providing me with a damper for this weekend’s races to keep me safe and it worked great. I didn’t get any tank slappers.
Thank you to my current Sponsors:
CM Motorsports
Share A Sale
Concept Five
Fastrack Riders
GPR Stabilizer
Next Moto Champion
Race Tech
Mid Cities Honda
ProSpeed
Power Stands Racing
TrackDaz
NEXX Helmets
Advanced Motorcycle Gear
Falco
Outlaw Racing
BARF Racing
California Superbike School
Shorai Power
Motul Lubricants
Spark
Zero Gravity
Lockhart Phillips
Galfer
Cycle Gear
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