Racetrack Record
Ridesmart/RPM Cycles/KTM rider Ty Howard showed up at Round 5 of the Central Motorcycle Road Racing Association at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit to continue his impressive run in the Superbike series.
The weather was perfect for the fifth round of the series which helped attract over 450 entries. Coming into the event Ty Howard and the KTM RC8 R where undefeated and had a streak of breaking track records at each track on the schedule.
After coming within a couple tenths from the record in the morning warm-up – the Hallett record was sure to fall.
First up for Howard was the A Superstock class. Howard pulled an easy holeshot and looked set to run away with an easy victory. Unfortunately, he had one mistake while on turn 10 of the second lap when the rear tire broke loose.
Fortunately, Howard was able to power out of the slide but not before busting his helmet through the RC8 R’s windscreen. "I tried some different compound tires and I think the rear was too hard and not quite the desired set up for this day," remarked Howard. Despite the set back Howard went on to win the race by 7 seconds.
The Formula One race was up next. Howard was back on the softer Dunlop slicks for the 8 lap race. The race was postponed for over an hour for an oil cleanup that caused the last turn, front straight and turn 1 to have an excessive oil dry laid down. Breaking a track record looked next to impossible with the poor track condition.
Soon the riders where off and Howard was able to pull another holeshot. The softer Dunlop slicks were a perfect combination to match the powerful KTM RC8 R. Howard was able to pull a huge lead to win the race and break the track record by 0.4 seconds.
The last race was up quick with only one race between and no time to make changes. After examining the track Ty decided to use a different gear in a fast left-right section.
"The bike didn’t pull as hard as I wanted in 3rd gear so I decided to try 2nd gear for more drive on the exit," commented Howard.
After another holeshot the KTM was away to a big lead on the first lap. During the second lap Howard again lowered the track record by another 0.3 of a second. Howard eventually finished the race with a 19 second victory.
Next Event: CMRA Round 6 – Motorsport Ranch – Cresson, TX
Team Sponsors: KTM North America, KTM PowerParts, Skip Barber Superbike School Powered by KTM, Comedy Defensive Driving, Dunlop Tires, Ridesmart, RPM Cycles, Motorex, DynoJet, Lockhart Phillips, Arai Helmets, Komodo Gear, 5th Gear Motorsports, Totally Graphic Designs, Kyle USA, RaceworX, Vesrah, AVTEQ, Strapless Transport Stands, North Texas Superbikes, Venhill Brake Lines and Woodcraft. Photo credit: Lindsey Leard
