On the subject of Ohlins, there is one more piece of jewelry from the Swedish suspension company living inside the fairing in the shape of a fully adjustable steering damper. This is a very nice touch and made itself full appreciated under hard acceleration coming out of Turn 10. Things still got a little crazy leaned over on the gas, and wheelying down toward Turn 11, but for the amount of time the front wheel was off the deck around VIR, the damper was a huge asset. Turn 11 was a fun part of the track and, going over it with Jamie, his advice was to stay hanging off as the front wheel came up in the air, keep on the gas, and let the bike run out wide. Heeding his words and feeling the rush of acceleration down into Turn 11, I felt like I had found the Holy Grail. Where before I had been tentative, the bike feeling uncomfortable, now it all made sense, and I was able to use this as a convenient passing place for the rest of my laps.

A day out with Jamie and Doug always produces some interesting stories, from testing 180-mph Superbikes in sub-zero temperatures to meeting local policemen while testing, and a few other things that won't make it onto this website, so a day at VIR was no different.

Around mid morning, Jamie climbed into his leathers and headed for the track to give the R6 a shake down. Some 10 years into retirement, the difference between Jamie and the rest of us trackday wannabes is quickly apparent. Just the look of concentration in his eyes as he sat on pit lane waiting for his track session to start would be enough to scare most people. But it was standing out by the big tree in Turn 12 that really brought it home the strongest. Watching the tail end of the first wave of experts go by, I looked over and watched a blue streak riding the whole way down the hill on the back wheel, no one behind him for a country mile. I should add that the session had been stopped and restarted, so everyone was on warm tires, and Jamie had a whole two laps already to learn the track.

Scorching through Turn 12 and coming round the big tree visibly faster than anyone we had so far seen, it was the noise that was the scariest. Jamie is so early, and hard, on the gas, nothing on the track sounded so angry, and watching him burying under the fairing exiting the corner you would have thought he was chasing someone down for a race win. By the third time around he had caught the front group, and was scything passed them faster than Duke Danger going through the crowd at happy hour. Between Jamie's riding skills and the abilities of Jasso's R6, it was a sight worth paying an entrance fee to watch.

(And this would make the perfect place to thank NESBA track organizer Brian Jackson for repeatedly letting me test bikes during his track events. A tightly run outfit of enthusiasts, these guys operate a seriously professional track day and, as you will see, plenty of them, so check them out on the web at: www.Nesba.com)

Phenomenal brakes, ultra-sticky race-compound tires, and a top-shelf suspension setup are probably the best investment you can make to improve your lap times, but it sure is nice to throw a fist-load of extra horsepower into the mix. Not content with leaving the engine stock, Doug pulled the R6 lump and worked a little Cajun magic. Starting in the cylinder head, a three-angle competition valve job was the first step, and then some careful cleaning of the ports and the combustion chamber. A thinner factory kit head gasket regained compression lost in the headwork, and the camshafts were degreed before the engine was put back into the frame. To keep things slipping and sliding around with the greatest of ease, Royal Purple 41 race oil was added, and other than some racing clutch springs, nothing else was touched. The philosophy at Jamie James Productions is to build a cohesive package using the best of the best, whether it be stock or aftermarket, and this applies to the engine building just as much as the chassis parts.

So, it was no surprise the Yamaha air filter still lives in its original home, although the exhaust was quickly tossed in favor of a full titanium Akrapovic system; a piece of art in its own right. Further maximizing the engine work, a YEC kit ECU was sourced and hooked into a YEC race wiring harness, which saves 4 pounds over the original. All of the bike's safety switches and relays disappear, but there is still a headlight and taillight option available for endurance racing. The ignition switch also goes in the bin, and the kill switch is activated for on/off duties: A situation that had me scratching around for a while the first time I rode.

Peeling off my leathers after this first session, a big lad named Brian stopped by the JJP pit area to see what in the world I was riding. Piloting a late-model R1, he had reeled me in at the end of our session but was amazed when he wasn't able to just power by down the long straight. If it hadn't been so hot and late in the session, he might have gone for the pass into Turn 1, but making the sensible choice, he opted to follow instead of putting either of us at risk. He felt sure I was riding a 600 from the way the pipe exited the underside of the bike; he just couldn't believe it was so fast.

Later in the day, one of the NESBA control riders, an expert 600cc WERA racer named Abraham, tucked in behind to check out the JJP R6. This resulted in him becoming the next visitor to the pit area. Riding a well set-up race bike, I was pulling him out of every corner, even though he was getting on the gas earlier. It was a fun interaction and one that had Doug hopping up and down with excitement as he watched his baby circulating the VIR racetrack. "You were definitely gapping him by three or four bike lengths down through Turn 3 to Turn 7, and he was under the paint trying to hang on down the straights."

Now I know I couldn't have given him a serious run for his money, but when a slow old guy like myself can give a young racer any level of problem you know you are riding something special.

One of the many elements facilitating my lap times was the factory YEC quick shifter. Holding the throttle wide open, all I had to do was lightly touch the shifter before the bike would smoothly select the next gear. Perfect for full-throttle shifts when leaned over as well, I am sure it trims some significant time off each lap the way it just keeps the engine howling. Shifting was made easy with the fully adjustable Sato rear sets, and not once during the day did a boot touch down; something that often happens with stock pegs.

Checking dyno charts, my seat of the pants shift points made perfect sense. I found myself taking the next gear before the shift light came on at 15,800 rpm, and with the bike laying down 116 horsepower at 14,000 rpm, I can now see why. When we dyno tested the stock R6 here, it yielded 106 horsepower at the wheel. When Jamie and Doug initially ran Jasso's bike, it yielded a total of 103. With the stock bike producing its maximum power at 14,400 rpm, it seems like there is some more power to be found, and before the bike hits the track next time you can be sure Doug will have spent some time looking for it. The current horsepower figure is obtained on a Cajun cocktail of premium and race gas, so totally filling the tank with the high-octane race fuel could also further boost this figure.

Heading back onto the track for my last session, I was feeling about as comfortable as I was going to and decided to go for it. Passing other riders was so much fun and revealed the bike's greatest strength. Getting off the corners so much harder than anyone I encountered, to make a pass all I had to do was make sure I was up close going into a turn, and then just hit the gas and go sailing by on the exit. To ensure this formula worked every time, I just kept the tach needle singing around 10,000 rpm and nailed the throttle till the blood-curdling howl at a shade over 14,000 before grabbing another shift. They didn't stand a chance. For less manic corner exits, the JJP R6 will successfully launch you from as low as 8K, where the stock bike will be wheezing and begging for you to drop a gear.

At the end of my day, all I could have wished for was more time. A couple of weekends on this thing and I would be dangerous. It is just such a perfect balance of power, handling, braking, and with its perfect level of set-up, it is one of the easiest bikes I have ever ridden on a racetrack. It is right in there with the Poggipolini NCR and Czecher GSX-R750 in terms of ultimate track bikes.

Cruising home in the cage, re-running my hot laps in my head, by the time I crossed the North Carolina line I had trimmed so many seconds of my lap times I was about to pass myself. Out of expletives, out of breath and out of time, I want to drop 10 pounds, increase my upper body strength to deal with the brakes, and figure out a way of convincing Jasso I need to test the bike again at Barber later this year.

I know how fast I can lap the Alabama roller coaster on a streetbike. It sure would be nice to see how many seconds I could trim off that time by adding a visit to Jamie James Productions with a brand new R6 and writing a check for $30K. With all those fast young guys out there, you know I need it.


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