2008 outlook

It's been about 3.5 months since i broke my arm, and i think it's just about healed. I've still got limited use of my arm, but the bones in one (crooked) piece, so i can probably start light physical therapy work soon. First thing first, it to regain some strength in my left arm so i can do things like apply deodorant to my right armpit, or wash my hair with 2 hands.

I've also gained about 20 lbs since the accident and though i haven't put on my leathers in a while, am pretty sure they don't fit. Size 52 leathers were already tight on me when i was in better shape, so right now i doubt i could zip up my suit. I'm also in miserable cardiovascular health. I've always hated cardio--it's my least favorite thing to do in the world--but the time has come for me to get off my ass and get on a excercise bike and do some walking. I'm looking at losing roughly 25 lbs from my current weight which is hovering around 200 lbs.

There is some other training i should be looking towards doing in the coming months to strengthen my bike-riding muscles--notably lower back and core excercises. Even when i wasn't injured, i noticed that a day at the track put a lot of strain on my back and abs, which cut down on the amount of laps i could get in a 20 minute session. Hopefully i'll be in equal or better shape in time for Buttonwillow on 3/2.

My bike situation is similarly unsorted. It always pained me that i never got to ride the 675 on track before it met its fateful demise. The f4i is a rideable bike and certainly faster than me, but it's for sale (and hopefully sold) this week. I've been on the look out for really nice bikes to make into a track bike, and while i've found a few good candidates, it looks like i'm picking up a 07 675 at the end of the week for pennies. It'll need some new plastics as it was just lowsided, but it's otherwise in good condition.

This year i'm attempting to ride once a month at least. My tentative track schedule looks like:

3/2 Ti2TT @ buttonwillow
4/12-13 SoCalTD @ Pahrump*
4/19-20 FastTrack @ Cali Speedway*
5/9 Ti2TT @ buttonwillow
5/24-25 SoCalTD @ Pahrump
6/5 Fasttrack @ Streets of Willow*
6/28-29 Trackdaz @ Streets of Willow
7/5-6 The Track Club @ Buttonwillow*
8/2-3 Trackdaz @ Buttonwillow
8/24 Ti2TT Buttonwillow
9/27-28 Ti2tt Las Vegas Motorspeedway
10/11-12 Fasttrack @ Cali Speedway
11/1-2 SoCalTD @ Pahrump
12/6-7 The Track Club @ Buttonwillow

Conspicuously absent are any days at Big Willow, or the more distant tracks like Sears Point, Thunderhill, Laguna Seca and Miller Motorsports Park.