Michael McCullough

Mike McCullough WMRRA #27

Mike McCullough
...
Mike rides an Suzuki SV650 (stock) with Brenda Wertman.
...
Mike was entered in the following events:600 Superbike750 SuperbikeFormula Ultra

600 Superbike: Mike was gridded in 6th place and got a great start.He diced with Oliver Jervis for a while and finished in 8th place.He is now in 7th place overall.

750 Superbike: Mike was gridded in 7th place and got another great start.He spent most of the race chasing Briggs Willoughby and Kev Burgess and finally finished in 9th place.He is currently in 13th place in the points.

Formula Ultra: Mike got a bad start, due to problems with the starting light.The generator had run out of gas and the starters decided to use the grid board, but didn't communicate this to the riders on the grid.He finished in 10th place and is now in 8th place in the points overall.
...
Mike McCullough
...
Dave and Mike finally figured it all out.
...
Mike was scheduled for the following events:600 Superbike750 SuperbikeFormula Ultra

600 Superbike saw the usual suspects; Mike was gridded in the second row.
...
Both crashed, but Mike managed to save it and finish in 7th place.This put him in 7th place overall.He also managed to pull off a personal best time of 1:31.95.

750 Superbike had Mike gridded in the second row.He got a good start and stayed with the front runners until he was cut off in the busstop.He saved it and finished in 12th place and is currently in 12 place in the points.

Formula Ultra saw Mike gridded in 7th again; he got a less than stellar start and spent most of the race playing catch-up.He finished in 12th place and is currently in 7th place in the points.

Mike and I would like to thank Tom Stimach for the loan of the tire warmers. (This has forced us to decide to buy our own!!!).
...
Mike McCullough
...
Mike struggled with this all day, never really getting to the bottom of the problem.
...
Sunday morning, Mike put the Michelin Pilot slicks on the bike and took it out for the morning warmup.After clicking the steering damper up a notch, the handling seemed to improve slightly; not great, but better...

Mike was entered in the following events:

600 Superbike750 SuperbikeFormula Ultra

First up was 750 Superbike.Mike was gridded in the second row and had a good launch.He was going down the hill into turn 3 when a gaggle of bikes decided to turn in and cut him off.He took the escape road and had to wait for all the bikes to pass him before he could reenter the track.He began to pick them off one by one, finishing in 14th place.He is now currently in 14th place in the points.

After lunch was Formula Ultra.Mike was gridded in the front row.He is currently in 6th place in the points and wanted to do well.He took off and was chasing a pack of bikes when he got cut off going into the busstop.He had to ride through the dirt and lost several positions.He finished in 14th place, and is currently 7th in the points.

The final event of the day was 600 Superbike.Mike sooo wanted to redeem himself for having a less than spectacular day, with the incidents on the track and the continued handling problems.He was gridded in 7th (front row) and had two HUGE wheelies on the start.He again ran off the escape road in turn 3 and had to start picking off bikes again.He was finally mid-pack, having passed enough people to get to 17th place (there were more than 40 bikes in this grid!) when there was a four bike pile up in turn 5-6.He finished in that position, and is currently 10th in the points.

Not a stellar day, but Mike did his best and we'd like to thank the following folks for all their support:
...
Mike McCullough
...
Mike did about three practice sessions and then we called it a day.We went back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep for Sunday.

Sunday was wet and cold.That's all I can say about it.Mike was scheduled in the following events:

600 Superbike750 SuperbikeFormula Ultra

All his races were in the afternoon, so we spent the morning changing the slicks to rain tires and getting everything ready for the inevitable quick tire changes.First up was Formula Ultra and Mike is currently in 5th place in the points.The rain had started so he was on rain tires and got a good start.He diced with a couple of other riders for most of the race and finished in 9th place.

Next up was 600 Superbike.It was dry so Mike was on DOT tires.He is in 6th place in the points and was gridded next to Oliver Jervis.He and Oliver diced the entire race; back and forth, Mike yarding him down the front straight only to get passed in the turn 5-6 area.On the white flag lap, Mike passed Oliver again going down the front straight.
...
Mike is currently in 7th place in the points and badly wanted to race with Oliver again.
...
Mike got a great start and was chasing Greg Bouwens (on an RC51) and Briggs Willoughby (on a GSXR 750).
...
Mike is fine and the bike has relatively little damage, mostly fiberglass.He DNF'd but was able to score 1 point.Mike was disappointed but glad that the damage (to him and the bike) was kept to a minimum.
...
Mike McCullough
...
Mike was hoping for warm and sunny, but you get what you get in the Great North*wet*...he was entered in the following events:

600 Superbike750 SuperbikeFormula Ultra

First up was Formula Ultra; Mike was gridded in the 5th spot.Since the track was completely wet, he was on rain tires and, with the new track configuration and only and couple of warm up laps, he was a little tentative on the start.So was everyone else.He got a decent start and was in 5th place, and spent most of the race dicing with Brian Musselman (on a GSXR 750).Mike finished in 4th place, his best finish ever in Formula Ultra!
...
Mike was gridded in 17th spot (due to his poor placement at the last race) and he got a great start.He diced most of the race with a couple of bikes; he finally got away from them and was chasing Mark McKinney for 6th place.He ran out of laps and finished 7th.

Last up was 750 Superbike.Mike was gridded in 10th; the track was still dry although the wind had picked up and was created a headwind on the front straight.He got another good start and was chasing Greg Bouwens (on an RC51).He passed Greg and was catching up to Nathan Hester when Barry Wressell passed Greg as well, and he and Mike diced for the rest of the race, with Mike finishing in 6th place.

Even though the weather didn't cooperate much, we still had an outstanding weekend of racing, more prize money and even some contingency money!Mike and I would like to thank the following people for their continued support of our racing efforts:
...
Mike McCullough
...
It was by far the nastiest, wettest, most uncooperative weekend (weather-wise) that we've had since Mike started racing 6 years ago.Saturday practice was done entirely on rain tires.
...
Mike was scheduled in the following events:
...
Mike was gridded in 15th; the start was uneventful, even for the first time for this season.Mike got an excellent start and managed to pass most of the field by the end of the first lap, including several R1's, GSXR1000's and several 750's, and he even managed to pull off a 1:32 lap time on the damp track.He finished in 5th place, and got his first prize money of the season!
...
There were several others out there who were in a similar situation, but Mike managed to pull out a 22nd place.Disappointing, but at least he finished.There were others who did not.

After lunch was the 750 Superbike race.Mike had changed back to the rain tires and was looking forward to doing a MUCH better job than in the 600 Superbike race.He was gridded in 17th again, and got a good start in the wet.He stayed with the first pack of riders for most of the race and finished in 11th place.

The weekend was a total washout weather-wise but Mike did his best and the mighty Honda performed to perfection.The next event will be on May 5th at Pacific Raceway and we hope the weather will cooperate.

Mike and I would like to thank the following folks for their continued support:
...
Mike McCulloughWMRRA / OMRRA Expert #27Black Tie Racing

#27 - Michael McCullough

27 Michael McCullough

Michael McCullough

Note: this is the last racing report for Mike's 2000 season.Overall class and season points for both OMRRA and WMRRA will be posted when they become available…What an excellent day…the weather forecasters completely blew it; they predicted cool, cloudy, drizzly weather, and the sun was out all day with temperatures in the mid-70's.We got to the track and set up our pit, got through tech and then waited for the fog to lift.The turn workers couldn't see each other through the fog, so we had to wait about 30 extra minutes.Mike was scheduled for the following events: 600 Supersport, 600 Superbike and 750 Supersport.There are points to defend; he's in 3rd in 750 SS, 4th in 600 SB and tied for 5th in 600 SS.Mike is also mastering the art of passing on the inside of turn 9 and making the passes stick…lots of oohs and ahhs from the crowd!First up, the heat qualifiers to fix grid position for the afternoon main events.600 SS is first; Mike is gridded in the second row and gets a pretty good start, then a red flag.
...
The heat is restarted and Mike finishes in 9th place.Next is 750 SS and again Mike is gridded in the second row, finishes in 8th place.Last up is 600 SB and the second row it is, with an 8th place finish.Not bad…After lunch: up first is 600 Supersport.Mike gets a great start and goes with the pack into turn 1.He keeps up with the leaders for most of the race, finishing in 8th place.Next up is 750 Supersport and Mike is getting this starting thing down.He gets a great launch and spends most of the race dicing with John Lippis.Mike finishes in 9th place.The last race of the day is 600 SB.Mike is gridded in the second row and gets a FABULOUS start!He spends the entire race dicing with Nathan Hester, again with the pass in turn 9 but Nathan gets him back in turn 1.Mike finishes in 10th place.The end of another season has come and Mike and I would like to thank the following shops, vendors and individuals who made this season the best one yet:

Andy Octavo – #28 team member, Black Tie RacingBien Octavo – team member and comic relief, Black Tie Racing
...
Mike and I signed up for the Superteams race in the afternoon.We were hoping that the rain would let up before then but it didn't.I went out for practice ... kind of tip-toeing through the turns since it was wet plus we hadn't raced at SIR since June.After a few laps I got relaxed and got on the throttle more.Mike then went out for his practice on the bike with no problems.I started the race and we had planned on changing riders at the 30 minute mark.It was a real shaky start ... back wheels spinning but finally got the bike under control.
...
I came in and Mike jumped on the bike and did the last 30 minutes.Considering the conditions of the track and weather, we did great!3rd Place in the Middleweight Superteams class.Sunday, the weather was better!At least it wasn't raining and the sun was trying to peek out.We finally had a decent day to race (too bad it happened to be the last race of the season).Classes entered for the day was 750 Supersport and 600 Supersport.
...
I was gridded right behind Michael and I wasn't about to blow any starts!The track was still a bit damp in some spots and the race was underway.Finally getting a good start, we all piled into Turn 1 and 2 ... coming down the hill, Mike slowed way down and went wide, I managed to get passed him but it didn't last long because he blew past me coming up the hill in Turn 7.The bike was on rails and I was out there having too much fun.After lunch was 600 Supersport.Gridded on the 2d row, I got the best start I've had all season.I got involved in some dicing with an unknown racer on a Suzuki.I tried passing him on the outside ... on the inside but he kept me from getting by.
...
Mike McCullough - #27 Black Tie Racing
...
Mike was entered in the Superteams race with team mate Andy Octavo, riding Andy's CBR600F3 in the Middleweight class.Andy rode the first leg of the 1-hour event, and the track was drying out in places so rain tires were out of the question.It would have to be the soft Michelin Pilots; they have been very forgiving all year long so there wasn't too much concern.He put in consistent 2:20's in the wet-to-dry conditions and maintained a 4th place for the first half-hour.Mike took the handoff well and managed to beat the 3rd place bike out of the pits.The next half-hour Mike was doing consistent 2:00's, once coming down to 1:57.At the end of the race they had finished in third place, and depending on the overall scoring results, will finish either 3rd or 2nd for the season.

Sunday, October 1THE SUN WAS OUT ALL DAY!Imagine that!Mike was scheduled for the following events: 600 Supersport, 600 Superbike, 750 Supersport and Formula II.First up was 750 Supersport.Mike was gridded in 8th (on the front row) and got a great rear wheel spin off the line.There is NO traction on the racetrack at the start line due to the continuing problems with VHT and rubber.By the time he got the rear to hook up everyone had passed him.This really lit a fire under him and he began picking off the trailing bikes one by one until he finally got back where he started.But it was the end of the race so an eighth place was all he could get.I guess it could have been worse…Next up was 600 Supersport.Mike was gridded in 10th place (in the second row) with Andy just to the right in 12th.Mike got a much better start this time and managed to hang with the front-runners and finish in 7th place.Now it was time for Formula II.Mike is third in the points in this class so it was important to finish at least in third place to maintain his position.He was gridded in third (front row) and got a pretty good start.
...
The next in line was Jace Bottenberg and Mike chased him for the entire race.
...
Mike finished in third place, enough to guarantee him third for the season.Last up was 600 Superbike.Mike was gridded in 6th (front row) and got the best start I have ever seen him do!But it would figure that there would be a red flag and the riders were gridded back up after a long delay.Due to the lateness of the day, the race was cut to a 2-lap sprint.Start, white flag, checker.WOW.Mike got another great launch and finished in 7th place.Depending on the final results Mike should finish in 6th or 7th for the season.This has been a great year for Mike; a couple of crashes but overall the best result yet in his 4-year career as a road racer.Mike and I would like to thank the following sponsors, vendors, shops and individuals for making this the best season we've ever had:

Andy Octavo – #28 team member, Black Tie RacingBien Octavo – team member and comic relief, Black Tie Racing
...
Mike will be chasing points for 3rd place in 750 SS and in 4th place in 600 SS and 600 SB.

...
Mike McCulloughWMRRA Expert #27
...
Tire management was the name of the game and Mike decided to run with tires he had scrubbed in at Spokane.This will come back to haunt him later in the day…Mike was entered in the following events: 600 Supersport, 600 Superbike and 750 Supersport.In the heat races in the morning, he was able to garner second-row finishes in each event.This will put him in the second row in the mains in the afternoon, which will help him retain his current points standings; 4th in each event.The day was running late, from crashes and such, so all his mains were cut to 7 laps each.This is good news since his tires are not as good as we had hoped.With all the restarts, the changes in track and air temperature, and all the other uncontrollable events of the day, there was no time to change tires between events so he would have to run with what he had on.First up was 600 Supersport and Mike was gridded in 7th..He got his usual great wheelie start and chased the leaders around the track and finished in 10th place.We examine his rear tire and see that it is beginning to "cold chunk".This is not good news…Next up is 750 Supersport and Mike is gridded in 11th.
...
The last race of the day is 600 Superbike and Mike is gridded in 7th place.He gets a fabulous start (no wheelie!) and tears down the front straight in 5th place.Just as he began late-breaking into turn 1, the rear tire slides and Mike ends up in the grass.He gets back on the track, dead last, and begins to pick off the back markers.By the end of the race he has passed 6 bikes and finishes in 14th place.Not the way to end the day, but better than the alternative…The next event is at SIR on September 30th and October 1st; this is WMRRA's last event of the season and Mike will be teaming with Andy Octavo for the Superteams Middleweight event on Saturday, as well as his normal sprint events.

See you at the track!

...
Gridded on the second row, in between Mike and John, I got a real bad start ...
...
Mike did a couple of practices sessions, then we called it a day.There wasn't much that could be done other than to do some sighting laps and get ment

WMRRA #27 Michael McCullough
...
Picture of WMRRA #27 Michael McCullough