August 17th, 2010
After a crazy busy last 2 months I'm getting my website up to date. Images from ARL Rounds 2, 3 and 4 are now online. I will
soon update with images from the final 4 rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. Keep an eye out for images from Indianapolis MotoGP in the next few
months.
Thanks!
Brad.
After a highly succesful ARL Round 2 which consisted of back to back podiums the Steeves Motorsports crew were anxious to get back on track and continue their efforts with the Suzuki GSX-R 1000. Terry's main goal for the weekend was to improve his starts and continue to lower his lap times. The 2008 GSX-R 1000 is fitted with a hydraulic clutch which is far different than the cable actuated models Terry is used to. Combined with a completely different bike and starts on the new machine have proven difficult to master.
After missing the Friday trackday held prior to each round due to work commitments Terry was slightly behind the 8 ball Saturday morning. None the less the team got right down to business and began shaking the bike down in morning practice. The bike was still setup for Mosport, a track vastly different to Atlantic Motorsport Park, so the first order of the day was reverting back to an AMP setup. Steeves was relatively happy with the base setting of the bike straight away and made a few slight changes to the suspension in search of better feel. The changes worked and Terry was faster once again. A few more changes verified we were headed in the right direction and at lunch time Terry was confident he had a decent setup for the afternoon's race.
In the first Pro Superbike race of the weekend Terry settled into a good rythm right from the time the lights went out. He was consistantly running in the 1:12 bracket, the first time all year he was able to comfortably do so on a consistant basis. Steeves spent the race catching fast starter Matt Leahey. Terry was consistantly quicker than Matt but in the end he ran out of laps. Terry finished the race in 5th position, though pleased he was able to find consistancy in the bike.
Sunday looked as if it were going to be a beautiful day, but as things progressed the dark clouds began to creep in. With black clouds looming and the feel of rain in the air the team decided it was better to be safe than sorry and took a set of Pirelli rain tyres down to be mounted by the Vicious Cycle track side Pirelli vendor. Thankfully it was a wasted effort as the rain held out and the second Atlantic Roadracing League Pro Superbike race of the weekend gridded up on a dry track.
The second race of the weekend was much the same as the first race. Terry once again settled into his rythm right from the start, putting his head down and putting in consistant, fast laps. This time he was able to quickly reel in fast starter Matt Leahey and pass him for fourth position. Steeves settled into 4th position where he would eventually finish the race.
After 2 strong the results the team is really pleased overall. The bike is working good, but most importantly we found consistancy in the bike. Terry is now able to put in consistantly fast laps with the bike feeling good. Terry will be on hiatus for ARL Round 4 and the Atlantic stop of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship but he will be back in action in September for ARL Round 5 and possibly a race in Ontario. As always we would like to thank our sponsors Importations Thibault, Vicious Cycle, Suomy, Pro Cycle, Suzuki, Pirelli, Slim Gyms Fitness for Men, Eject Helmet Removal Systems, Dionne Signs and Brad Boutilier Photo and Press. Without them none of this would be possible and we are very thankful for their support
