CVMA ROUND 1: CHUCKWALLA VALLEY RACEWAY
Ashten Bush
Race Report
CVMA Round 1, 2023
Practice and Qualifying: This was my first time ever riding the Chuckwalla circuit, and I'll say I've never ridden a track like this one! Chuckwalla is all about corner speed and less braking. It is very technical and like no other track. In order to make sure I was prepared for the weekend's racing, I did a private coaching/training day on Thursday. I learned the circuit and started to throw down some quick 400 times. I felt comfortable going into Friday's track day, and now I would learn to navigate traffic at Chuckwalla. The track day went very well as my lap times continued to drop, and I was feeling more and more comfortable. On the other hand, I began to experience false neutrals as my pace further improved. This was a little bit discouraging, but I still felt fairly prepared and confident going into Saturday's qualifying…
Qualifying the next morning went very smoothly. I qualified with a 2:01.8, placing me P1 Amateur (-4.0) and P10 overall (+6.1). Now for the races!
Saturday Race Summaries and Results: I experienced false neutrals in both of Saturday's races, but they were minimal and I was able to get the bike turned and back on the gas!
Amateur and Expert Formula Ultra Lightweight (8th overall, 1st place amateur) - My launch was poor, but I was able to keep the amateurs behind me tipping into turn 1. My pace was fairly quick and I caught some of the slower experts. For the rest of the race, I rode by myself. I crossed the checkered flag with 7 experts in front of me and every amateur behind me.
Amateur 500 Supersport, 2 wave start (1st) - Green flag flew, and I was off! With a solid launch, I entered turn 1 in 1st position. I put down some quick laps and continued to create a gap, and I caught a few expert racers. I made good passes, and we got the white and checkered flags as I was reeling in a couple more experts. I was happy with how I ended Saturday!
Sunday warm-up: I rode very swiftly and untroubled during warm-up, and I ran my fastest lap of the weekend, being a 2:00.3. I felt solid heading into the races.
Sunday Race Summaries and Results:
Amateur and Expert Formula Ultra Lightweight (6th overall, 1st place amateur) - My start off the line was decent, but I managed to put myself into 6th position before turn 1. There was no position change until I drafted both 5th and 4th place into T1, and I stuck the pass! Unfortunately, later that lap, I had a false neutral and I lost a big chunk of time and the 2 positions I had just gained. I started the reel the two riders back in, but the checkered flag flew before I could make a move. I finished in 6th place overall.
Amateur 500 Supersport, 2 wave start (DNF) - From Pole, I launched well, putting me in the lead entering T1, and I ran with this position for the next couple laps. Unfortunately, I experienced a false neutral which caused my transmission to completely fail. I couldn't continue the race, and I was forced to retire.
That concludes CVMA Round 1 at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway! It was a successful weekend overall with its ups and its downs. I got to race with a new organization on a new track, and I got to meet many new people. Unfortunately, due to transmission issues, I was robbed of a couple possible 1st place finishes, but I learned a lot about my race craft and what I need to improve on for the future. Round 2 is already right around the corner, and I will be back faster and stronger!
Always, huge thanks to my sponsors and everyone who supported me this weekend!
Dad (Brian Bush)
BellissiMoto
Reparto Veloce
1ofOne Designs
Boxo Tools
Motion Pro
