AFM RACE REPORT: Steve Metz suspension boot camp attendee

Dave helped me make a real breakthrough in my riding at Buttonwillow at the AFM opening round in 2008. I came into the AFM weekend hoping to work with Dave to figure out premature tire wear issues I had, but ended up getting a lot more than I had expected.

Two weeks earlier, I had been at the track and had been turning in high 1:56s on fresh tires. At the AFM weekend, I spent the day working with Dave and we did a thorough review of my suspension setup. After a few sessions of working on my tire wear problem, Dave fixed my tire wear issues (saving me untold fortunes in rear tires).

We kept working together on other handling issues, and Dave continued making adjustments based on the feedback I provided. I'd describe a problem in a particular turn, we'd discuss it for a bit, and then Dave would make a setting adjustment. In the final session of the afternoon, I went back out on track and shaved a second and a half off my best lap time (to cap off 4 consecutive laps under my personal best at the track).

Without Dave's perspective as a rider and his knowledge as a tuner, I would not have been able to make the breakthrough in riding that gave me the pace I needed to have my best race finishes to-date.

Thanks, Dave!
Steve MetzAMA / AFM #944'04 Ducati 749GRRR
www.tigerbike.com