Racing an XR1200 at Road Atlanta

(Editor"s Note:  When we tested an AMA-soec Harley Davidson XR1200, we gained a real appreciation for the brave pilots who race them.  Here's a report from the team of XR racer Aaron Borello.  Enjoy!)

The Twisted Speed Racing team traveled to Road Atlanta this past weekend for their first AMA competition of the season.  The team arrived at the track early Thursday morning and began the preparations for the qualifying session scheduled for Saturday afternoon.  The decision was made to switch shocks to help rider, Aaron Borello, with instability issues as he exited corners.  After ride height adjustments and suspension tuning the Harley Davidson XR1200 was taken for a Dyno test.  After the test it was discovered that the bike was running “lean” and the ECM had been corrupted.  The team worked hard late into Friday night to correct the problem with the ECM.

On Saturday morning Aaron was ready for his only practice session on the weekend but the bike had a different agenda.  As the second Dyno test was being completed a team member discovered that the swing arm was moving from side to side.  After closer inspection it was determined that the bushings were worn and needed to be replaced.  The team members decided that the bike was not safe to ride and as a result Aaron missed one of the two practice session of the weekend.  The team worked hard to repair the damage and Aaron made it out just in time for the qualifying session later that afternoon.  Despite the obstacles, Borello rode hard and qualified 2 seconds under the qualifying time.  The team now prepared for practice Sunday morning and the race on Sunday afternoon!

On Sunday morning, Borello took the XR1200 out for the final practice session of the weekend.  After two laps, he came in to the pits and complained of clutch issues.  When the team examined the bike they found that the clutch spring had disintegrated.  After talking with other Harley riders they found the replacement part and had Borello on the grid in time for the 12:15 race start!  Borello had a smooth race and turned his fastest times of the weekend in the last few laps of the race without the help of other bikes around him to draft on the huge back straight of Road Atlanta.  The team finished with a top 15!  Considering the fact that the team did not complete one clean lap of practice all weekend the results were very satisfying.

Twisted Speed Racing would like to thank crew members, Tom Hughey, Scott Rosey and Ryan Manotti, for all their hard work this past weekend.  Without their dedication to work through all of the bike issues the weekend would not have been possible.  The team would again like to thank its primary corporate sponsor, Air Ground Xpress, for their support.  The team is also grateful to its other sponsors of ANT Racing, ENI, Clique Vodka, Double Dog Motto, Romans XIII, TPO Parts, PitBull and Arlen Ness.  The team is now preparing for its next race at Miller Motorsports Park.  The team will be diligently preparing for the cross country travel and the WERA National May 19, 20 2012.  The team will be staying in Utah and competing at the AMA and World Superbike event the following weekend May 26, 27 and 28, 2012 in the Harley-Davidson XR1200 class.