See what happens when your racing career starts with a Norton - after that, you can make anything handle!

During Sunday morning's warm-up practice we found that the power valve controller now worked flawlessly, and a finalemulsion tube change allowed Robert to pick up the throttle earlier and drive harder out of the turns.Our consistently good Nutec fuel allowed us to make such minute jetting changes with consistent results. A few clicks here and there for a final adjustment of our Ohlins suspension resulted in Robert proclaiming, "The bike is perfect now, so don't change anything!" Sunday morning, our goalfor qualifying was to get on the front row - we did not want to risk anything chasing the lap record, so Robert put in a 1:32.2, which put us on pole by over ½ second over the nearest competitor. Our race strategy was simple: go fast enough to win, but don't risk anything more. Robert executed that perfectly. We decided to use Michelin's new 490A rear tire for the race, which we had tested prior in the week and found to produce excellent grip with long life on this abrasive track. after a bad launch at the start of the FUSA Unlimited GP race, Robert passed 6 or 7 bikes in a matter of a few laps, then passed early race leader Shawn Conrad at about 1/3rd into the race. Conrad, who was riding slightly injured, tried to stay with Robert, but despite lapping at his own personal best lap times was falling back steadily. Robert kept watching the pit board and put in consistently faster laps, opening up a 15 second lead by the end of the 14-lap race. Robert rode a perfect race, never pushed hard and did not make mistakes. With his win, Robert, on the Tul-aris, is now co-leading the FUSA National championship series together with Mike Barnes on a GSXR 1000. When Robert crossed the finish line, history was made: no homebuilt bike ever won at this level. Not even the amazing Britten, which competed in the similar unlimited WERA Formula Extreme championship in the mid-1990's, could win against the ever-improving motorcycles from Japan. The Tul-aris project is a testament to the fact that one can still create excitement in the matter-of-fact world of engineering, with limited financial resources trumped by ingenuity and determination. Robert Jensen also proved a point: not only did he provide skilled setup feedback, he also showed his race craft with his first-ever win in a Formula USA race on the Tul-aris. Shortly thereafter he rode a very smart race and beat current Formula USA Grand National Champion and ex-500 GP world championship racer Matt Wait to win the FUSA Sportbike class, with both riders mounted on Yamaha R6s. Robert also finished a close 2nd on his R6 to Matt in the last race of the day, the FUSA Superbike race.

The MotoDynamic's Tul-aris project is sponsored by: Michelin, Nutec Racing Fuel, Ohlins USA, Hot Seat Performance, Lofgren Racing/Manley Cycle, GP Tech, Yoyodyne Titanium, Mason Racing Tires, MTS Systems Corporation, Carbon Fiber Specialties Products, DCM Services, Deus Ex Machina, 3-D Systems, BRP and RK Chain. Special thanks to Eric Christensen, Brian Gillingham and Chad Pierce at Polaris for parts and advice as well as a special thanks to Steve Scheibe for stimulating discussion on race bike development. Last but not least a very special thanks to all the Tul-aris Team members and supporters that helped make all this possible. This weekend's race team consisted of Dave Adolfson, Dave Heisserer, Jim Hubert and Cindy Peterson. Robert Jensen is sponsored by Butler Machinery, Michelin, Arai Helmets, RS-Taichi Leathers and Sidi Boots.

Setup, Setback and Win - Robert Jensen Wins on the Tul-aris! The first CRA race weekend of 2003 at the Mid-America Motorplex saw Robert Jensen setting the pace all weekend long. Upon arrival at the flowing circuit, we were greeted with perfect sunny racing weather and further improved facilities. First, Robert practiced on the Tul-aris and his own stable of bikes, a Yamaha R1, R6 and Suzuki GSXR750. Throughout Thursday and Friday practice Robert was consistently faster on the Tul-aris than his own bikes by ½ to 1 second. This is remarkable since Robert has much more seat time racing 4-strokes and yet he was turning the fastest times on the less familiar Tul-aris. As times were coming down for all bikes and riders, Robert was still lapping faster on the Tul-aris than anyone else, including such top national privateers as R1- mounted Larry Denning and Shawn Conrad. Were making gains with rear suspension linkage ratio adjustments, suspension damping adjustments, brake feel and jetting. In particular, we found that a new Tul-aris linkage ratio, machined by Tul-aris team member Tim Wirtz, offered better stability and drives out of the turns. We make fine adjustments to the linkage ratio by using a quick-change eccentric adjustment in the linkage. Once we found a good ratio, we worked on our Ohlins suspension's damping adjustments until brake stability and cornering traction were on par. We also improved brake feel by changing brake pad compound and adjusting the GP Tech/AP Racing adjustable radial master cylinder's lever ratio, a very convenient feature which has proven quite helpful in tuning for just the right amount of brake bite and power. On the other hand, our Michelin tires worked excellent all day and our first set was good for over 100 racing miles, when other tire brands were being torn up rapidly by the abrasive track surface. Likewise, the Hot Seat Performance Polaris 800 cc motor, powered with Nutec GP2 fuel, worked excellent, with awesome acceleration and long, multi-gear power wheelies - which is were the trouble started: Coming out of the 2nd gear turn onto the front straight, an exuberant Robert wheelied, short shifted into 3rd, continued to wheelie into 4th at which point the front wheel started heading towards earth again - all of it well document by the on-board data acquisition system (see enclosed graph). The problem was that the front wheel was going 80 mph when first lofted into the air and then didn't touch the ground until Robert was up to 115 mph. Unfortunately, the steering was turned slightly to the side, so when the 80 (or less) mph front wheel hit the 115 mph pavement it instantly skidded and Robert fell down. He was fine, but the bike was caked in mud. Thankfully the Tul-aris was not damaged too badly, but Tul-aris team member Dave Heisserer and I spend many, many hours disassembling and removing mud and sand from everything, including the crankcase. Hence we spend all of Saturday working on getting the bike back together and missed valuable setup time. Two quick runs down the handy Mid-America drag strip Saturday night at 11pm by yours truly, in front of an assembled crowd of local burnout enthusiasts, confirmed that the motor was functional. The sight, sound and smell of the Tul-aris seemed like a UFO in this alien environment, with the real purpose of this endeavor known to few. Let's just say that the Tul-aris launches about as well as a lowly '79 Pinto. With one short Sunday morning practice relegated to a quick functional check of the bike, we were no longer the fastest bike on the track and a small miracle would have to happen in order for Robert to pull out a win. We decided to use our first race for practice and focus on the 2nd race, the feature Unlimited GP race. The problem was that we only had 20 minutes between races to make adjustments. As soon as Robert came in from the practice-race, we adjusted the shock linkage ratio (3 min), suspension damping (1 min), brake pad compound (2 min), shock spring preload (1 min), refueled (1 min), ignition timing (3 min), and tire warmers and lowers on/off (1 min each) - not bad for a volunteer crew! Of course Roberts's perceptive and detailed feedback helped in setting us onto the right track and setup decisions were made quickly thereafter. The start of the Unlimited GP race found Robert in 3rd place, but he quickly moved past the leaders and was leading the race after the first lap. He was lapping 2 seconds faster than he did just minutes earlier in the practice-race, so our quick adjustments paid off. Almost immediately, Robert pulled out a big lead. Robert was able to make up time in quick left/right transitions and with his unmatched ability to get super drives out of the turns. It was exciting to see him transition from full left lean to full right lean much faster than anyone else, then roll on the throttle at a lean angle that seemed to defy what normal ability, tires and suspension offer. Robert won the 8-lap race with a 7 second advantage over 2nd place, CRA #1 plate holder Scott Ruehle on a Yamaha R1. In addition, Robert won every race he entered on his own bikes, save for the practice-race on the Tul-aris and an unfortunate DQ on one of his own bikes in another race. The big winners this weekend were Robert Jensen, Michelin, and all others who helped this effort: MotoDynamics, Nutec Racing Fuel, Ohlins USA, Hot Seat Performance, Lofgren Racing/Manley Cycle, GP Tech, Yoyodyne Titanium, Mason Racing Tires, MTS Systems Corporation, Carbon Fiber Specialties Products, DCM Services and Deus Ex Machina. Special thanks to Eric Christensen, Brian Gillingham and Chad Pierce at Polaris as well as a special thanks to Dave Heisserer for this exhausting, but ultimately successful racing weekend. Robert Jensen is sponsored by Butler Machinery, Michelin, Arai Helmets, RS-Taichi Leathers and Sidi Boots. Our next race is the largest CCS road racing event of the year, on April 25-27 at Road America, north of Milwaukee, WI.

Wednesday, April 02, 2003

We have been hard at work getting the Tul-aris ready for the next event, which will be at Willow Springs, Ca., on Dec 13-15. Besides testing new Michelin tires, we will also test our new 800 Powervalve motor, with new Hot Seat Performance developed exhaust pipes, re-valved Ohlins suspension, new body work and fresh paint. So far, indications are that the new motor is a quite a bit more powerful that what we had before. A quick run on the Doug Lofgren/Manley Cycle dyno showed over 155 hp and more than 105 ft-lbs of torque (both at the rear wheel), with safe jetting and without even trying hard to optimize everything. In addition, the powervalves (machined from titanium billet by DCM Services) help improve midrange power by over 20 hp -it should be a blast! If you can make it out to Willow for the race, please be sure to visit us in the pits.

best, Rob

Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002

Just a quick update from our first Formula USA National at Road America on

Aug 4th:

For those of you unfamiliar with Road America, it is one of the best racing

circuits in the US and was a recent contender to bring the World

Championship Grand Prix back to America. It's north of Milwaukee, WI, is 4

miles long and features long straights, fast sweepers and several technical

turns with elevation changes.

We had been to the track once before in April, but were unable to practice

or race most of the time due to horrible weather, with high temperatures in

the 40's and continual rains throughout the weekend. Not so this time, the

weather was almost perfect and we got in all of our practice sessions. Early

on, we noticed a substantial lack of power, which was most likely due to a

change of transfer port roof angle I should had avoided in hindsight. We

were able to gain some of this back before the race by advancing the

ignition timing and praying that the Nutec GP2 fuel would hold the

detonation in check (which it did), but were still down about 12 hp

(according to the very convenient Formula USA dynojet dyno we used at the

track) from what this strong Hot Seat Performance motor produced earlier in

the year on the Manley Cycle dyno. While in April we had excellent top speed

and the bike would power wheelie all the way to the start finish line, this

time around it was noticeably slower on the uphill front straight and

required lower overall gearing. In addition, our otherwise excellent AP

Brakes proved a bit too aggressive for the entry into Canada corner, which

required a very subtle brake manipulation while leaned over and braking hard

from top gear into this 2nd gear turn. We retained the AP radial master

cylinder but switched to stainless rotors (instead of the cast ones we

typically use) and sintered EBC pads rather than the Performance Friction

carbon pads which served us so well when we set the lap record at Blackhawk

recently. Sounds easy, but it took us several practice session to arrive at

the desired combination. So, with the limited practice time available for

this huge race event, it was not until the Sunday morning warm-up practice

that we finally had the right package together for Steve to put into action.

Tom Mason of MRT mounted a fresh set of Michelin slicks and we were ready

for the race.

Steve started the Unlimited GP race (also called the "shootout") in 8th

position and promptly knocked 4 seconds of his previous best practice time

on the second lap! He was running in the front pack of riders that included

Formula USA Unlimited GP champion Mike Himmelsbach, Eric Wood and Vincent

Haskovec among others. However, on lap 3 or 4 Steve lost the draft and was

unable to stay with the pack, eventually finishing the race in 7th place

behind Mike Himmelsbach. On the other hand, Steve finished ahead of about 20

other racers, including many top club racers on GSXR 1000s and 750s, R1s,

etc. All considering, a decent finish considering that this was essentially

our first time racing at this track. We did learn that it is not enough to

have the package all together come race day, but instead need to be closer

when we get to the track so Steve can take advantage of a good setup and get

used to it during practice. This way he can push the bike early on and allow

us to make those subtle but important adjustments to our Ohlins suspension

and bike geometry that gain a few tenth of a second here or there. One thing

that amazes me is how huge of an overall improvement in laptimes we can

produce by getting these details and subtle nuances right. Having a fast

bike/rider combination is not just about power, weight or trick bolt-on

components, but just as importantly about balance, feel, feedback and

working with the rider to make the bike feel the way it works best for him.

Using our Pi data acquisition with MTS software and some sound physical

reasoning helps a lot in this respect, but experience is just as important.

Considering that this was the first time we ran against the national level

competition at Formula USA at this demanding track, Steve and I are pretty

sure that the next time we can finish on the box! And, by the way, we had

jet another full racing weekend of no mechanical/electrical failures or

issues.

The Tul-aris project is sponsored by Walt Schaeffer Michelin, Hot Seat

Performance, Nutec Racing Fuel, Mason Racing Tires, Ohlins USA, MTS Systems,

Lofgren Racing/Manley Cycle, Yoyodyne Titanium, GP Tech and Headhunter

Racing. Steve Johnson is sponsored by Delano Sport Center, Hi-Per Sports,

Mason Racing Tires, EBC Brakes and Lockhart Phillips.

Take care, Rob

June 1st, Blackhawk Farms Raceway, Illinois. Steve Johnson piloted the Tul-aris GP bike to its maiden win,shattering the old lap record by a full second during the 21 lap unlimited GTO race. Starting on the 3rd row, in the 11th grid position, Steve moved quickly though the field, gaining the lead on lap 6. He immediately opened up a huge lead in one lap, setting a new lap record of 1:11.91, as timed by CCS officials. After 3 or 4 laps out front on his own, Steve had a 7 second lead, even while slowing the pace to 1:13s and 1:14s due to waving yellow flags and an ambulance on course. He finished the race about 10 seconds ahead of the second-place GSXR 750. Our weekend started out with the identical setup we used 2 weeks ago at Blackhawk, when Steve set the fastest time of the weekend during his run from 25th to 2nd in 8 laps. However, this weekend the weather conditions were much better, with temperatures around 90 deg F (32 deg C), providing us with optimum grip from our medium-soft Michelin Pilot slicks. A slight tire pressure adjustment, recommended to us by Tom Mason of MRT, allowed us to use a marginally harder medium-soft rear tire compound compared to what we used 2 weeks ago at Blackhawk, when the temperatures were almost 40 degrees F cooler. Even better, just as the race started, a big dark cloud moved in overhead, lowering air temperatures (which gave us more power), yet the track surface temperature remained high for optimum traction. Conditions could not have been better! During the race, Tul-aris team member Dave Heiserer and I used our HeadHunter Racing scooter to watch Steve at several points around the track. It was amazing to see how smooth and fast Steve moved through the twisty and bumpy turns. In fact, the Tul-aris's Ohlins suspension was set up perfectly and there was a noticeable visual difference in how steady the bike handled the bumps andtransitions compared to other machines. We now have the handling and traction of the bike spot-on, allowing Steve to carry huge cornering speed into and through the turns. This improvement is in large part also due to Steve's exceptional skills as a development rider, as well as his smooth and fast riding style. At other parts of the track, such as the 3rd gear turn 6, the bike would power wheelie at the exit at well over 100mph (while still leaned over!), displaying the brute power of the Hot Seat Performance Polaris 780cc twin motor. Altogether, we had the perfect package for our first win! Our tally so far for our first full racing season is:

out of 8 races we only had one mechanical DNF (powervalve) and one crash (in

We'd like to thank our sponsors and supporters: Walt Schaeffer Michelin, Hot Seat Performance, Nutec Racing Fuel, Mason Racing Tires, Ohlins USA, MTS Systems, Lofgren Racing/Manley Cycle, Yoyodyne Titanium, GP Tech and Headhunter Racing. Steve Johnson is sponsored by Delano Sport Center, Hi-Per Sports, Mason Racing Tires, EBC Brakes and Lockhart Phillips.

Many thanks to the Tul-aris crew for all their hard work and long hours spent, for nothing more than warm beer, cold pizza, sleeping in the van or tents, just to be part of this fun and exciting project. Extra special thanks to my fiancée Kate, who let me get away for one day to go racing 2 weeks before our wedding!

Our next event won't be until July 20-21 at Blackhawk Farms, which we will use to get ready for the big Formula USA National at Road America near Elkhart Lake, WI on Aug. 1st-4th. Come see us then!