Well, this was supposed to be a cheap weekend. With the WERA Grand National Finals only two weeks away, nearly every dime I had was spoken for. However, with my friend Duane’s prodding and some not-so-subtle jabs and challenges to my Fuzimoto-built GSXR-750’s masculine prowess, I went to Portland like an addict to his dealer.
In order to save money, Duane trailered my bike down and I decided to skip on both the Cascade trackdays and the practice sessions, opting to rely solely on my experience around PIR to be able to best his GSXR-1000. Duane did well and learned the track quickly, getting into the 1:12’s before the end of the day, not far behind my previous times in the mid-11’s. While he was practicing, I took advantage of the afternoon lull to get my bike and gear tech’ed, and register for Sr. 750 Superbike, Sr. Open Superbike (which is run with Open Supersport), and Open Superbike.
Sunday morning dawned to a sopping-wet track, so along with most of the paddock I decided to skip the first practice session. I went out in the second session to warm myself up and shake any cobwebs off, and then immediately after was my first race of the day, Sr. 750 Superbike. I got a killer start and caught up to mid-pack of the 750 Supersport grid by Turn 1. Seeing as how I wasn’t racing with them, however, I wasn’t aggressive at all and settled in to simply put down some comfortable laps while making sure I was still leading the Sr. Superbike grid. Midway through the race Jason Harper on his #100 CBR600RR came around me, but this time instead of letting it go, a fire ignited in my belly and red mist covered my eyes. I retook my position on the brakes in T4, then then had some shifter trouble that forced me to go through Turn 9, normally a second-gear corner, in fifth! Naturally, this demolished any chance I would’ve had of getting a good drive out of the corner, and Jason actually seemed to wait for a moment to see if there was something wrong with me before zooming on by.
Chris Sarbora @ Portlant International Raceway, 2008
Knowing that we were entering our white-flag lap, and in full-competition mode at that point, I slammed down into second gear and lit up the power in order to try to reel Jason back in. That motor is truly a terrible thing to behold once loosed, and it rocketed me forward, eating up the enormous gap between us and shooting me past him right at the very end of the straight. I knew I had better brakes than he did and I made good use of this knowledge to brake deep and carry as much speed as I could through the next few turns, then rip it up again down the back straight to put some distance between us. Coming around into Turn 9 for the last time, I was careful to make very deliberate downshifts so I would not repeat the previous lap’s mistake, and then I powered down the straight to ensure my victory.
Next up was my first race with Duane, Open Sr. Superbike/Open Supersport, and I was gridded right next to him. I got a killer start and shot forward, leaving him nothing but a chance to marvel at how my rear Bridgestone BT-003R afforded me such incredible grip on the pavement. New to the track or not, he was out for blood and I needed to put some distance between us, quickly. I charged through the first few corners but was soon reminded that I could no longer rely on brute power to move me up through the field – my usual Fuzimoto Advantage (R) made me simply on par with the Open-class bikes. I began to move my brake markers deeper and deeper, and as I adjusted I noticed that my rear suspension was too loose and would bounce and dance around as I braked harder. I ignored it however, and pressed on, planning to adjust it afterward for the Superbike race.
Chris Sarbora @ Portland International Raceway, 2008
Soon, I got caught behind another rider who wouldn’t carry as much corner speed as I, but would gap me enough on the straights that I couldn’t pass him on the brakes. Duane quickly caught up to me and drafted by both of us on the front straight, leaving me still stuck behind the other rider. Eventually, I got by and started making up ground, but was soon hit with added pressure from behind from Jason Valley’s thundering #218 Ducati 1098. He forced me to run tighter and more defensive lines and get on the throttle harder and harder for a lap and a half, until the same suspension problem that caused my rear to dance under braking caused my rear to step out as I was hard on the throttle through Turn 5.
Slide, stay on the throttle, bring it back in, buck, break loose again, steering lock – boom.
I slid along the ground for what felt like ages, concentrating solely on staying flat on the ground and avoiding tumbling as I switched from pavement to runoff. I saw in the corner of my eye the bike tumble and cartwheel through the dirt and then smash into the wall, hard enough to rip a hole in the frame where its fairing stay mount should be. Once I was able, I sprang up and instantly decided that where I stopped was NOT a good place to be, and sprinted toward the T5 corner station. They were waving their red flag even before I stopped moving, and looked at me like I was a ghost when I hopped to my feet and began running. I guess the crash was pretty spectacular – even in its final act, that monster put on a show! All told, I was extremely lucky and escaped with no damage to myself but a bruise on my calf and some beat-up leathers – I must have one hell of a speed demon for a guardian angel.
So now, as I hobble around trying to stretch my leg, I owe thanks first and foremost to my friend Katie and girlfriend Lauren, for taking care of me for the rest of the day and looking out for my health when all I wanted to do was wander around and chat 
No less important are all my sponsors, without whom I wouldn’t be able to race and especially wouldn’t be able to come back from a crash such as this – Pennell Powersports & Bridgestone, Studio819 Photography, MorePower Racing, Vortex Racing, Adrenaline Freaks Track Days, V-holdR Cameras, Motorex Fluids, RaceTech Suspension, PowerStands, Pipercross, Junior Monkey Design and last but never least PNWRiders.com. These sponsors are what form the backbone of my races and are what support me, so show your thanks and do what you can to support them!