2018 WMRRA Round 2 Race Report from Phil Melnyk

After a long and dramatic offseason and the cancellation of Round 1, my anticipation to go racing was at an all-time high.  It has been 6 months since I was on a race track last and that was 6 months too long!  Finally, it was time to put all of the distractions aside and do the only thing that matters, GO FAST!

This year, Garrett and his team at Triumph of Seattle decided to step up as the title sponsor for my race program.  I can not thank them enough for their support and confidence in my ability!  As part of the new program, the bike got a makeover with new FlexiGlass bodywork done up in a Triumph of Seattle paint scheme.  Anthony in apparel also got me into a new Alpinestars GP Tech V2 suit and Tech-Air race airbag system as well as matching GP Pro R2 gloves and Supertech R boots.  No more Hobo Phil!  To top it all off, Garrett and James both came out to the track to pit crew for me during the race weekend which was a huge weight off my shoulders.

Going into the weekend, my goal was to pick up where I left off last year, running 1:44s.  Having sorted the bike out at the Friday track day with 2Fast, I knew that I had no excuses.  In practice, on Saturday morning the bike felt good.  The suspension, set up by Barry at KFG Motorsports felt firm yet compliant, the Pirelli Tires supplied by Moto G Racing were predictable and had tons of grip, and the motor built by Dave Lanigan at Speed Dealer Tweaked Motors was ripping!  I managed to get into the 1:47s without pushing.  Feeling ready, I parked the bike and waited for my first race.

First up was 600 Supersport.  I was gridded P2.  I lined up next to #77 Dustin Walbon and #84 Mica Kudo on the front row.  I got a horrible start and both Mica and Dustin beat me into T1 but I went around the outside of Mica into T2 and beat Dustin on the brakes into T6 to take over the lead.

From there I put my head down and built a gap on Dustin of 15 seconds by the time I took the checkered flag.  My best lap of the race was a 1:44.8.  Good start to the weekend!

Next up was 600 Superbike.  I lined up in P1 on the front row again, and again I got a horrible start.  I made it all back by T6 though and put my head down again.  4 laps in I came up on #5 Sean Cresap who was leading the 750 Superbike race.  Realizing that I was a bit worn out already, I dialed it back and used Sean to set my pace.  I took the checkered flag in P1 again, this time only 4.9 seconds ahead of Dustin.

Sunday was the big boy Formula 2 race.  It is a new 16 lap premier race with 600 superbike rules Sponsored by Moto Vixens with a winner take all purse of $600 cash.  Instead of being gridded by points, there is a special qualifying session in the morning.  I went out in the qualifying practice with #1 Ryan Sutton.  We ran 3 laps together, and aside from a small mishap at the top of T10 which was my fault, I qualified P1 with a 1:44.8!  Thanks for the tow, Ryan!

After Lunch we gridded up, the flag was dropped, and we were racing!  I slotted into P2 right behind Ryan, determined to latch on.  In lap 2 I set a new personal best of 1:43.9 but quickly came to realize that I didn’t have the stamina to maintain that pace.  As I watched Ryan ride off into the distance, I tried my best to keep pushing.  By lap 6 I could hear someone behind me and go into T13 Dustin Walbon came by me on the brakes to take over P2.  I tried to push to stay with Dustin, but he had found some speed and my fitness was not up to the task.  He too rode off into the distance.  For the second half of the race, I was in survival mode, just trying to maintain a decent pace and not crash.  I limped across the line in P3 21 seconds behind Dustin who was in P2.  Man was that a tough race!

All in all, it was a great start to the season, even if I didn’t perform as well as I had hoped.  I will be back on June 9th and 10th for the combined WMRRA/OMRRA round to fight for podiums again!

A huge thank you to all of my sponsors:

• Garrett and the team at Triumph of Seattle for the bodywork, gear, parts, and help in the pits
• DJ and Cliff with Moto G Racing for the best Pirelli tires and unending sarcasm
• Barry and April with KFG Motorsports for the continued support throughout the years, the suspension was perfect!
• Dave Lanigan with Speed Dealer for the awesome motor and for being a voice of reason
• Mark with 2Fast for the seat time and environment to test my abilities in a safe manner
• Trev Beckman with FlexiGlass for the best bodywork out there
• Brandon Knowles with Brand X Customs for the new paint
• Derick, Jaquelyn, Christine, and Aaron of the Premium Rush crew for always lending a helping hand
• Greg Canright with Canright Construction for being an exceptionally understanding employer.
• I would also like to thank EBC Brakes, Silkolene, Vortex, Woodcraft CFM, and Skagit Powersports for their continued support.

See you all in 4 weeks!