Well I just got home from the first round of AFM at Buttonwillow this past weekend. I got to get in a good amount of riding on Friday and Saturday and get my new bike sorted out a bit. I did quite a few descent laps but never really got to run with any other top 600’s. My first race of the day on Sunday was 600 superbike and I was going to be starting from the fourth row. I got off the line around fifth or sixth and was able to make my way into third by the second lap. I tried to put in some good laps and make up some ground on the leaders and was able to get within a few bikes lengths. Near the end of the third lap, I made a small mistake and lost a few seconds on the leaders. The bike was having a few setup issues and I decided to settle for third and try to get the bike working better in the second race. We made some changes to the bike during lunch hoping to make it a little easier to ride. My second race of the day was Formula Pacific in which I had to race against 1000’s and 750’s. I was gridded 27th on the start and had to do a lot of passing throughout the race. I ended up finishing 11th and getting the bike to work a lot better. My third and final race of the day was the 600 production class. I had some points from last year in this class so I was able to start on the second row, which was a big help. I got off the line in third and was able to get past second place fairly quick and set my sites on first place. My Pirelli tires were working well and I was able to make a pass on the third lap and put a little distance on him and ended up winning by three seconds. The weekend ended up turning out pretty good. I have to say that my Honda CBR600RR was working great and I could not have done it with out my mechanics Ray and Dave. I also want to thank Rick Mitchell, John Ethell and Russ Stratton for coming out and supporting me on Easter weekend.
17 year old racing sensation Garrett Willis was a big triple winner at the WERA West season opener at the famed California Speedway, in Fontana California.
Riding his Honda Riders Club of America, Roseville Cycles, Pirelli, Pro Honda Oils sponsored Honda CBR600RR, Willis fought his way to the front against some of the West Coast’s best talent.
It was Garrett’s first trip to California Speedway and winning the “B” Superstock, “C” Superstock, and “C” Superbike races was certainly a defining statement of his ever improving abilities.
In spite of some raging Santa Ana winds, Garret was able to lower his lap times each time he hit the front, and eventually dipped into the 1:29 range on his stock motor CBR600RR.
Buttonwillow went well for me. I had raced there earlier this year but this time we raced the track the opposite direction. The back straight was one of the fastest of the year and my Champ racing Roseville Cycle Honda CBR600RR ran great. We started off the weekend with Saturday and with a few minor adjustments the bike was working great, I was ready for Sunday.
My first race of the weekend was 600 superbike in which I had to start from the fifth row since AFM grids by points and it was only my second AFM race of the year. I didn’t get the best start and was run wide in the first turn; I think I was about 15th. On the second lap there was a red flag due to a crash so the race was re-started. After the first lap of the re-start I was able to work my way up to eight place. There was a lot of traffic and I had someone to pass every lap. This allowed two guys at the front to get away so I knew I had to ride pretty hard to catch them. With two laps to go I finally had some clear track and I was able to close the gap to second place rider Jeff Tigert. On the final lap I tried to draft by him for second place but came up a half a bike length short. So I ended up finishing third claiming the final spot on the podium.
My second race of the day was 600 production and again I was gridded on the fifth row. I made a decent start and spent a good part of the race fighting my way through traffic. By the time I had moved up to third position two guys had gotten away. I put my head down and I was able to close the gap to second place with one lap to go. My Pirelli tires were working so good I was able to go underneath the second place rider and claim the position with only two corners to go. It was my second podium finish of the day.
In my third and final race I would ride my Honda CBR600RR in the 750 production class. For this race I was gridded on the fourth and I knew I would have my hands full trying to pass 750’s with my 600. However my Champ racing Roseville Cycle Honda was up to the challenge I made a good start but it took me awhile to make my way though the 750’s. By the fourth lap I had made my way up to second position and had my sights set on first. With two laps to go I had closed the gap to first place but I was still two seconds behind. Once again I put my head down ran my fastest lap of the race and caught the first place rider. Going into the last corner I was able to out brake him, turn underneath and take the position. Surprisingly the 750 couldn’t draft by me and I held on to win the race.
At the end of the day I had competed in three races and stood on three podiums. 6oo Superbike 3rd place, 600 production 2nd place and 750 production 1st place.
I really want to thank all of my sponsors, Honda, Pro Honda Oils and Chemicals, Roseville Cycle Center, Champ racing, Pirelli tires, Dainese leathers, Arai helmets, Leo Vince exhausts, Rod Lake and the Roseville Cycle Performance Center for giving me a winning bike.
Thanks to everyone the weekend was a success.
Garrett Willis #981
AFM at Thunderhill was a lot of fun. We had some issues with my race bike on Friday practice so once again I found my self on the back up bike for the race weekend. Saturday was AFM practice and I got the chance to run with some fast guys and figure out a few little things I could do better.
AFM doesn’t do qualifying before the races so the grids are based on points, since AFM isn’t one of our regular series we would have to start on the back row. Fortunately they have a rule called KFG (known fast guy) which states that if you can run within three seconds of the fastest lap of the previous race you will be able to start on the fourth row.
Sunday was race day and the grids were packed, around 60 people in each race. My first race of the day was 750 production, in which I had to start on the fourth row. I got a good start and got up to eight or so by the end of the first lap. I worked my way up to third and set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:52.977. I made up a little ground on first and and second (who were both on 750’s) but the race just wasn’t long enough to make up all the distance. So I played it safe and got a podium finish with plenty of room between me and fourth place.
My second race of the day was 600 superbike and again I was on the fourth row. I got a better start this time and was up to third by lap two. We had switched tire compounds between races and I was having a difficult time finding traction. My fastest time was about a second slower then my fastest in the first race so again I played it safe and got another podium.
The third and final race of the day was 600 production and I felt that I had a g really good chance of running with the top two. I got off the line fairly well and was out of traffic by lap three. I set my sights on the front two who were about three seconds ahead of me. Every lap I could see that I was gaining a little and with two laps to go I was within a couple bike lengths. The last lap we came down the front straight and I was close enough to get in there draft and was planning were I could make a pass. They began racing each other and got in to a turn a little hot and had to scrub off a lot of speed. I saw my chance to make my pass and went around the out side of second place. He tried to get on the gas early and took me wide, we almost made contact and I was forced on to the curbing and he got the position back. At the line less then a second separated us and I also set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:52.474.
All to gather it was a good weekend and I was on the box in all my races and really got the bike figured out.
Buttonwillow went really well this past weekend. I haven’t ridden anything but Dunlops since I started roadracing and I was really looking forward to trying out the Pirelli’s for the first time. Saturday morning warmups went well, the tires worked great and I ran some competitive lap times. The solo race started around one o’clock and the track temperature had climbed a few degrees to about 140. Since WERA isn’t one of our regular series, Jett and I both had to start from the back. I made a few good passes on the first lap and caught up with the leaders. It was a long race so I decided to hang back and check out the first two guys and see where their strengths and weaknesses were. After following them for a while I found a few good spots to pass and decided to take the lead. I tried to do some fast laps and put some distance between us. After a few laps I slowed down to a comfortable pace and ended up winning by about 20 seconds.
After resting up and heading back to the track for Sundays races, I definitely felt very confident in the tires. The races started a little earlier and the track temperature wasn’t as hot, so we decided to run soft tires and see what we could do. My first race was 600 Superbike and immediately my Champ Racing Honda Pro Oils CBR600RR was working great. I ended up riding what would be my fastest time of the weekend with a 1:49, and won the race.
We had a pretty good gap between the first and second event which was 600 Superstock. Again, I started from the back and made my way through the pack. But right off the bat though, something wasn’t feeling right with the bike. It wouldn’t turn in the faster parts of the track and I did what I could to finish the race with a best lap time of 1:51. I came into the pits to realize that my left handlebar had loosened and was moving back and forth under breaking and acceleration. I was happy to win the race.
My final race of the weekend was 750 Superstock. Since we were there testing new tires we decided to put a medium on the rear to see how it would work. We lost a little grip and I really had to ride to stay up front. I had a good race with another 600 for a few laps. Second place crashed with two laps to go and I ended up winning all four of my races.
It was a great weekend and I’ve got to say thanks to Doug and Jerry for getting the bikes ready and also to Pirelli for all their help. Additionally I want to thank Honda for giving us an excellent platform to build from and Rick Mitchell from Honda Pro Oils for his great support of Champ Racing.
Garrett Willis #80