Here is the complete calender for the 2008 season......
Brands Indy - 8-9 March
Snetterton - 12-13 April
Brands GP - 10-11 May
Croix en Ternois - 14-15 June...... yes, we are off to France!
Cadwell - 28-29 June
Snetterton - 5-6 July
Cadwell - 2-3 August
Oulton Park - 15-16 August (double points)
Snetterton - 13-14 September
Brands Indy - 27-28 September
no Silverstone, no Donnington = very sad face.We do however, get to go to Oulton Park which is an amazing circuit. I am sure that the schedule for that weekend will be:
Friday practice, then just racing on the Saturday with only the 2 races that day but each race scoring double points.
The miserable old bastards that live around the circuit don't like us having fun as we spoil their quiet Sunday afternoons.
SOLUTION FOR YOU = DON'T MOVE TO A HOUSE NEAR A RACE TRACK YOU STUPID OLD BASTARDS! ....... God it makes my blood boil!
These brainless killjoys are rife, almost every circuit in the country is subject to people who live nearby complaining about the noise. Now race tracks have been around in the uk for decades so the majority of these IDIOTS must have moved in near the tracks.
I despair! it really doesn't take much to work it out does it?
sorry about my cussing. I just can't help it. the words I'd like to use are a little too strong for these pages, as is what I'd like to do to the idiots.
Phew! I've got a headache now......
Saturday, 12 January 2008
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Last of the summer gasoline
Although there was due to be another race weekend at Lydden Hill, Brands Hatch was to be my last for this season. I don't much care for Lydden, the track is good fun but the paddock is the worst by miles of all I have been to in the uk. 99% of the paddock is on a really steep hill which is not conducive to having a good nights sleep. Brands was to be the last points scoring race so was effectively the last meeting anyway and the battle for the very hotly fought Thunderbikes champion was going down to the wire.
We decided not to do the Friday practice, which was a bit of a shame. Would have been nice to have had more time to set the bike up better than it was. The set up would have to be different from the last race, and with a lot more stress on the front end than at Snetterton and the lack of a good performing front suspension, this race would be tough and any short coming would really show here at Brands.
Steve Spencer had come down for the Saturdays racing and after each race we tweaked the front. It did get better and I went faster but from Steve's view point, he could see where I was loosing time. On the brakes was the diagnosis, and rather a lot according to Steve. Probably loosing up to 2 seconds a lap on the brakes. I was braking as late and hard, but as smooth, as I possibly could and was really struggling to hang on to the guys in front all weekend. Given a decent front, I KNOW I could go a lot faster.
Note; the pipes almost on the deck and the front forks heavily compressed
First practice on Saturday was a wet affair. Thunderbikes were out 2nd and at around 9.30. I was hoping in 2 hours time, by the time we were out for our 1st race, that the track would be dry.
As the 125cc Aprilia superteen race went out on track for their 1st race, the track was looking like it could be totally dry by the time we got out. I had anticipated this, as had everyone else , and the slicks were in place on the bike and would be suitably warmed in time.
I was feeling really up for it and as planned (if you can plan these things) I made a great start shooting from 14th on the grid to 7th by the end of the first lap. Then the front end started to show, with the suspension bottoming out badly and the pipe just millimetres from the track under heavy breaking. The Surtees corner is fast and relys on the front through there. There was no good feeling through the corner here and I was loosing time here as well as under braking.
I just slipped down through the order lap after lap. on the last couple of laps I could feel a bike closing in and on the last lap in the last corner, Gyles came along side on the Guzzler. It was very tight for the line and as we hurtled down the straight side by side, I knew he was going to do me.
There was less than 1 tenth of a second between us.
Gyles behind me! but not for long!
It was a hard race, I had rode hard and gone backwards but I had gone from a 56.8 second lap to a 55.3. A good improvement but I was hoping and reasonably confident of getting into the 53 area. Most importantly, I had thoroughly enjoyed it.
Gyles got the 13th spot and 3 points, I was 14th with 2 points, Piers Hutchins stole the last points paying position just a few tenths behind me and Tim right behind in 16th scoring no points.
Things were hotting up.
given another lap and I am sure I would have been the one with nil points. Just as well I was getting lightening starts and would have to continue to do so, to stay in the points this weekend.
I set about the front suspension, and turned everything up a couple of clicks to get the front to stay up under brakes. The next race would be telling!
The Championship at the front was hotting up with Gary Budgen on his steel framed CBR600 Honda and Martin Cooper on his SV Suzuki.Martin won the race, but was given a 10 second penalty for a yellow flag infringement. That knocked him down to 4th.
There was to be a prize giving at the end of the weekend for the Thunderbikes trophy. There was also to be a prize giving for the top three rookies, which meant we were in for some mid grid battling, with Tim currently running in top rookie spot, Gyles close behind and myself a fair way behind in 3rd. Gyles could take the top trophy if he finished ahead of Tim all weekend and of course if I got ahead of Tim and behind Gyles, that would make Gyles's task a whole lot easier. With Tim missing his much loved slipper clutch and my bike as fit and healthy as it's ever been, things were looking good for Gyles and the big black Guzzler.
Not looking so good was Gyles's shaving fund! he he he!
I was to start race 2 from the position I had finished the last race, and from 14th on the grid I got a reasonable start but found myself having to shut the throttle twice going into the first turn.There was such a melee of riders all vying for position, it got quite confusing and I didn't really know where I was or what was going on.Once finally back on the gas and down the hill, I just concentrated on getting into Druids safely and getting out the other side. By the end of lap 1, I was in 12th place. I could see Gyles giving Adam Palfreman a hard time hassling him for 10th spot. I resolved to try to hang on to the back of Gyles and hope he would tow me along.
It wasn't long before Gyles dispatched Adam, but no matter how I tried, I just couldn't get into the turns as late and therefore out the other side as fast as the guys in front. It was a couple of laps later until another rider came past me, predictably on the brakes, then on lap 5 another came past. I dug deeper and pushed a little harder but had in reality gone a tiny bit slower. I did manage to hang on for the rest of the race and maintain my position which turned out to be 15th place with Tim just behind and probably likely to overtake any time soon. Saved again by a better start than the guys around me on the start grid.
Gyles was 5 seconds ahead and in an excellent 10th place and an all important points haul, with time again, failing to score. I bet he was cursing me!
I got my lap time down a bit more to a 55.14. only a couple of tenths. More clicks on the suspension for tomorrow...a lot more!
The bike looks sooo much better with out that orange bib!
The days racing had been hard and frustrating, but it was racing and I had loved every second of it. With the last race day of the year ahead, I savoured that day and evening and the excellent friends I had made around me. There was a real sense of excitement in the air around the paddock that evening. We cooked our usual paddock fare and had a few small glasses of beer or wine. Not too much though, with racing still to be done the next day the last thing I needed was a hangover. I guess nor did anyone else and no matter how much encouragement I gave, I couldn't get my fellow competitors to drink too much. Chris made up for all of us though and managed to get totally off his trolley and drank enough for all of us!
It was nice to spend a little time in the bar with all the people I have met throughout my first year of racing. The banter between us all is so much fun and in such good spirit. The paddock at Bemsee is pretty much an asshole free zone, unlike the rest of the planet! In my experience anyway...
left to right... Chris, Gyles and Phil Read .JR All talking bollocks....ok ...I was too! Right pic: Ex-Bemsee champion Jeremy Hill on the right has been helping Garry Budgen win all season. Also given me loads of help.
We decided not to do the Friday practice, which was a bit of a shame. Would have been nice to have had more time to set the bike up better than it was. The set up would have to be different from the last race, and with a lot more stress on the front end than at Snetterton and the lack of a good performing front suspension, this race would be tough and any short coming would really show here at Brands.
Steve Spencer had come down for the Saturdays racing and after each race we tweaked the front. It did get better and I went faster but from Steve's view point, he could see where I was loosing time. On the brakes was the diagnosis, and rather a lot according to Steve. Probably loosing up to 2 seconds a lap on the brakes. I was braking as late and hard, but as smooth, as I possibly could and was really struggling to hang on to the guys in front all weekend. Given a decent front, I KNOW I could go a lot faster.
Note; the pipes almost on the deck and the front forks heavily compressedFirst practice on Saturday was a wet affair. Thunderbikes were out 2nd and at around 9.30. I was hoping in 2 hours time, by the time we were out for our 1st race, that the track would be dry.
As the 125cc Aprilia superteen race went out on track for their 1st race, the track was looking like it could be totally dry by the time we got out. I had anticipated this, as had everyone else , and the slicks were in place on the bike and would be suitably warmed in time.
I was feeling really up for it and as planned (if you can plan these things) I made a great start shooting from 14th on the grid to 7th by the end of the first lap. Then the front end started to show, with the suspension bottoming out badly and the pipe just millimetres from the track under heavy breaking. The Surtees corner is fast and relys on the front through there. There was no good feeling through the corner here and I was loosing time here as well as under braking.
I just slipped down through the order lap after lap. on the last couple of laps I could feel a bike closing in and on the last lap in the last corner, Gyles came along side on the Guzzler. It was very tight for the line and as we hurtled down the straight side by side, I knew he was going to do me.
There was less than 1 tenth of a second between us.
Gyles behind me! but not for long!It was a hard race, I had rode hard and gone backwards but I had gone from a 56.8 second lap to a 55.3. A good improvement but I was hoping and reasonably confident of getting into the 53 area. Most importantly, I had thoroughly enjoyed it.
Gyles got the 13th spot and 3 points, I was 14th with 2 points, Piers Hutchins stole the last points paying position just a few tenths behind me and Tim right behind in 16th scoring no points.
Things were hotting up.
given another lap and I am sure I would have been the one with nil points. Just as well I was getting lightening starts and would have to continue to do so, to stay in the points this weekend.
I set about the front suspension, and turned everything up a couple of clicks to get the front to stay up under brakes. The next race would be telling!
The Championship at the front was hotting up with Gary Budgen on his steel framed CBR600 Honda and Martin Cooper on his SV Suzuki.Martin won the race, but was given a 10 second penalty for a yellow flag infringement. That knocked him down to 4th.
There was to be a prize giving at the end of the weekend for the Thunderbikes trophy. There was also to be a prize giving for the top three rookies, which meant we were in for some mid grid battling, with Tim currently running in top rookie spot, Gyles close behind and myself a fair way behind in 3rd. Gyles could take the top trophy if he finished ahead of Tim all weekend and of course if I got ahead of Tim and behind Gyles, that would make Gyles's task a whole lot easier. With Tim missing his much loved slipper clutch and my bike as fit and healthy as it's ever been, things were looking good for Gyles and the big black Guzzler.
Not looking so good was Gyles's shaving fund! he he he!I was to start race 2 from the position I had finished the last race, and from 14th on the grid I got a reasonable start but found myself having to shut the throttle twice going into the first turn.There was such a melee of riders all vying for position, it got quite confusing and I didn't really know where I was or what was going on.Once finally back on the gas and down the hill, I just concentrated on getting into Druids safely and getting out the other side. By the end of lap 1, I was in 12th place. I could see Gyles giving Adam Palfreman a hard time hassling him for 10th spot. I resolved to try to hang on to the back of Gyles and hope he would tow me along.
It wasn't long before Gyles dispatched Adam, but no matter how I tried, I just couldn't get into the turns as late and therefore out the other side as fast as the guys in front. It was a couple of laps later until another rider came past me, predictably on the brakes, then on lap 5 another came past. I dug deeper and pushed a little harder but had in reality gone a tiny bit slower. I did manage to hang on for the rest of the race and maintain my position which turned out to be 15th place with Tim just behind and probably likely to overtake any time soon. Saved again by a better start than the guys around me on the start grid.
Gyles was 5 seconds ahead and in an excellent 10th place and an all important points haul, with time again, failing to score. I bet he was cursing me!
I got my lap time down a bit more to a 55.14. only a couple of tenths. More clicks on the suspension for tomorrow...a lot more!
The bike looks sooo much better with out that orange bib!The days racing had been hard and frustrating, but it was racing and I had loved every second of it. With the last race day of the year ahead, I savoured that day and evening and the excellent friends I had made around me. There was a real sense of excitement in the air around the paddock that evening. We cooked our usual paddock fare and had a few small glasses of beer or wine. Not too much though, with racing still to be done the next day the last thing I needed was a hangover. I guess nor did anyone else and no matter how much encouragement I gave, I couldn't get my fellow competitors to drink too much. Chris made up for all of us though and managed to get totally off his trolley and drank enough for all of us!
It was nice to spend a little time in the bar with all the people I have met throughout my first year of racing. The banter between us all is so much fun and in such good spirit. The paddock at Bemsee is pretty much an asshole free zone, unlike the rest of the planet! In my experience anyway...
left to right... Chris, Gyles and Phil Read .JR All talking bollocks....ok ...I was too! Right pic: Ex-Bemsee champion Jeremy Hill on the right has been helping Garry Budgen win all season. Also given me loads of help.
For Alan....who pesters me a lot
This should make Alan happy.He keeps on at me..."when you gonna update yer Blog?"
I don't really have an excuse other than I didn't feel like writing,but since my last post.....yes Alan, over a month ago, I've been busy with the bike which has been re-housed in my back room....lovely and warm and arms length from my pc, the loo and the kettle. The Mrs. doesn't mind, she knows racing is a big part of my life and she knows I'd be a miserable, moaning pain in the arse if she gave me any shit about it.... good girl!
Before I write about what's been happening with the bike and before I disclose some exciting news about....nah! you'll have to wait,... I should write about the last race meeting back in September at Brands Hatch. It really was fantastic for me and a weekend I will never forget. I'll start a new page.....
I don't really have an excuse other than I didn't feel like writing,but since my last post.....yes Alan, over a month ago, I've been busy with the bike which has been re-housed in my back room....lovely and warm and arms length from my pc, the loo and the kettle. The Mrs. doesn't mind, she knows racing is a big part of my life and she knows I'd be a miserable, moaning pain in the arse if she gave me any shit about it.... good girl!
Before I write about what's been happening with the bike and before I disclose some exciting news about....nah! you'll have to wait,... I should write about the last race meeting back in September at Brands Hatch. It really was fantastic for me and a weekend I will never forget. I'll start a new page.....
Thursday, 22 November 2007
More hot Snetterton battling...
I know all too well it's been a long while since my last entry. I've been getting constant reminders from people, asking me to get my arse into gear! I guess it's about time too.
It's been so long, my brain is going to get taxed now, trying to remember what the hell happened.
The second day at Snetterton was almost as good as the first. We woke to another sunny day, and with the sprocket sorted, and disaster averted, all was looking well.
I was feeling good and really up for trying for a better result and going a bit quicker today.
The usual sick feeling coupled with rising adrenalin was present as we lined up for the start of race 1. I remember feeling a little out of step at the start and it soon showed as I got a pretty crap start with the bike bogging down off the line and Adam and Ian going past on lap 1.The first corner was mayhem. I was blocked a couple of times through the double apex turn and really felt quite unsettled for the rest of the lap.
On lap 2 at the end of revvets straight, as I hit the brakes, I found myself in a false neutral and heading straight on and onto the grass. Four guys got past. It took what seemed like the rest of the race to get some kind of rythmn back, enough to set off after the guys infront. I just couldn't seem to make any ground on them. I was running 16th at this point with no hope of points except Tim Churchill, who was suffering from a lack of slipper clutch, made a mistake at sears corner and gifted me 15th and a single point.
It was a pretty dismal race really. My lap times reflected this with a best time of 1:20.44 although on the up side, this was still as quick as I was going the last time we visited the circuit.
I headed back to the paddock determined to gather myself for a better result for the last race of the weekend.
The pack heading into turn one on lap 1.
Getting off the line in race 2 was a great deal better as the old FZ was back to her usual self with a belting start from 15th on the grid. The first corner was good this time, and I saw off a couple of serious challenges from whom I'm not certain and I can only describe them as a blur of colour.I'm not sure but I think I was in 9th place on lap one but It wasn't long before the two Ducatis of Ian leah and Mike Baxter came past. The next lap and it was Gyles turn to get by me and from there on It was back to the norm, a good view of Gyles and Ian fighting like mad with each other and swapping places.All I could do try to hang on as close as possible, I could get close but not get past. I decided to spectate and concentrate on keeping Adam behind. Gyles and Ian had gapped me by a couple of seconds by the latter part of the race and Adam was all over me like a rash. We were all on it hard. I had a couple of big moments through the latter apex of the first turn with the back letting go more than I would have liked. Things were on the limit for sure!
I was having the time of my life out there and so were the other guys. Adam was having fun I guess, trying everything to get past and finally, on the last lap at the last turn out on to the home straight, he got along side and then infront. I don't know how, but I managed to out drag him to the line and finished in another 11th and less than a tenth of a second ahead of Adam. What an awesome race! I was absolutely buzzing. I felt like I had never ridden so hard and the lap times supported the feeling... 1:18.992 just inside the 18's and I was chuffed as nuts!
Once I had got back to the paddock and before I could lift my helmet, I could feel the adrenalin from Gyles, myself, Phil and all the guys around just spilling out over the floor. It really was a fantastic feeling.
I was already pumped for the next round at brands Hatch in just two weeks and the way I was feeling, I thought the adrenalin rush would last until we got to the circuit.
I was impressed with Gyles and the Guzzler, he really was on it and just seemed to be getting faster and faster every time he got on the bike, but as a self confession from him to not looking forward to or knowing well enough, the next track, I was secretly hoping to get him next time out........
It's been so long, my brain is going to get taxed now, trying to remember what the hell happened.
The second day at Snetterton was almost as good as the first. We woke to another sunny day, and with the sprocket sorted, and disaster averted, all was looking well.
I was feeling good and really up for trying for a better result and going a bit quicker today.
The usual sick feeling coupled with rising adrenalin was present as we lined up for the start of race 1. I remember feeling a little out of step at the start and it soon showed as I got a pretty crap start with the bike bogging down off the line and Adam and Ian going past on lap 1.The first corner was mayhem. I was blocked a couple of times through the double apex turn and really felt quite unsettled for the rest of the lap.
On lap 2 at the end of revvets straight, as I hit the brakes, I found myself in a false neutral and heading straight on and onto the grass. Four guys got past. It took what seemed like the rest of the race to get some kind of rythmn back, enough to set off after the guys infront. I just couldn't seem to make any ground on them. I was running 16th at this point with no hope of points except Tim Churchill, who was suffering from a lack of slipper clutch, made a mistake at sears corner and gifted me 15th and a single point.
It was a pretty dismal race really. My lap times reflected this with a best time of 1:20.44 although on the up side, this was still as quick as I was going the last time we visited the circuit.
I headed back to the paddock determined to gather myself for a better result for the last race of the weekend.
The pack heading into turn one on lap 1.Getting off the line in race 2 was a great deal better as the old FZ was back to her usual self with a belting start from 15th on the grid. The first corner was good this time, and I saw off a couple of serious challenges from whom I'm not certain and I can only describe them as a blur of colour.I'm not sure but I think I was in 9th place on lap one but It wasn't long before the two Ducatis of Ian leah and Mike Baxter came past. The next lap and it was Gyles turn to get by me and from there on It was back to the norm, a good view of Gyles and Ian fighting like mad with each other and swapping places.All I could do try to hang on as close as possible, I could get close but not get past. I decided to spectate and concentrate on keeping Adam behind. Gyles and Ian had gapped me by a couple of seconds by the latter part of the race and Adam was all over me like a rash. We were all on it hard. I had a couple of big moments through the latter apex of the first turn with the back letting go more than I would have liked. Things were on the limit for sure!
I was having the time of my life out there and so were the other guys. Adam was having fun I guess, trying everything to get past and finally, on the last lap at the last turn out on to the home straight, he got along side and then infront. I don't know how, but I managed to out drag him to the line and finished in another 11th and less than a tenth of a second ahead of Adam. What an awesome race! I was absolutely buzzing. I felt like I had never ridden so hard and the lap times supported the feeling... 1:18.992 just inside the 18's and I was chuffed as nuts!
Once I had got back to the paddock and before I could lift my helmet, I could feel the adrenalin from Gyles, myself, Phil and all the guys around just spilling out over the floor. It really was a fantastic feeling.
I was already pumped for the next round at brands Hatch in just two weeks and the way I was feeling, I thought the adrenalin rush would last until we got to the circuit.
I was impressed with Gyles and the Guzzler, he really was on it and just seemed to be getting faster and faster every time he got on the bike, but as a self confession from him to not looking forward to or knowing well enough, the next track, I was secretly hoping to get him next time out........
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Pin back that throttle!
After missing the round at Cadwell, I was determined to make it to Snetterton, and I'm really glad I went.
The weather was great, and the whole weekend was fantastic.
After the last visit to the circuit, pushing the bike to it's limits and occasionally, beyond, I was struggling to understand how to go faster this time out.
Phil had fitted new front brake pads and re-packed the exhaust can, to get the thing within the noise limits, just before his trip to Cadwell. This made a big difference. I found during first practice that the motor revved out along the big Snetterton straight, a lot better than last time and I could brake a lot later too. Added to this some set-up help From Jeremy Hill and the result was much better racing and a whole second a lap faster than last time.
There was a worry that the weather was going to be crap, but it couldn't have turned out better. Hot! just the way I like it.
The usual Saturday morning routine of up early to get the bike through it's race M.O.T and get signed on before prepping the bike ready for the first practice and race. Thunderbike were to be 3rd session out on track, so no time to mess about.
It had been 2 months since I last rode but i got straight on the pace, well, my fastest pace anyway.
I was to start from 16th on the grid for the first race, and was confident of a good leap away from the start. I was not to be disappointed and found my self 7th by the end of lap 1. I was waiting for the usual swarm of bikes to come past and was surprised to let just 2 come past on lap 2. I could hear someone behind and after a couple of bad exits from Richies corner, I was caught and passed by Gyles on his BIG BAD ! MotoGuzzi and new guy Ian Leah on his nice Ducati 748. From there on, I had the perfect view of the battle going on between these 2 guys. One that would continue all weekend.
This was the picture for much of the weekend. Ian, Gyles and myself.
Gyles was keeping up his traditional Snetterton stomp and was flying but Ian was getting the better of him down the straights only to then hold Gyles up and myself, through the corners. The two of them swapped and re swapped places with me pinned to their tails for the rest of the race, and with Adam Palfreman on his Suzuki SV,pinned to my tail. Ian managed to get in front at the flag and finish 9th. Gyles was 10th, myself 11th and Adam 12th. There was just a second and one tenth between the 4 of us at the finish.
A lap time of 1:19.359 was over half a second faster and a new personal best.
The racing was to heat up, as was the weather and the lap times!
Race 2 and a 11th place grid slot was next up and I was hoping to get infront of these guys at the start this time and stay there.
My start was bad and I found myself having to slip the clutch like crazy to stop from bogging down as I watched the big black Guzzi get into turn 1 infront. I knew there was not a lot of chance of getting past and especially as Mike Baxter came howling past onto the back straight. He was flying from a 16th place starting position and soon took Gyles. Try as I might, I could not get close enough to Gyles and as my regular neighbour in the paddock, it was like trying to catch and pass your team mate!
I could feel someone getting close and could hear the boom of a couple of v-twins close behind.I just kept my head down and rode as hard as I could to keep them behind. The big booming sound over my howling four cylinder scream got louder as we went through the 1st turn, Richies but then quieter as we headed down the straight out of turn 2. I was having trouble getting through the bumpy second apex of turn 1 and on the gas along the short straight to turn 2, but getting out of 2 and along the straight well enough to drop the guys behind. I remember it happening lap after lap for what seemed like an age, and thinking, they're gonna get me in a minute!. On lap 5 , Adam came past but I managed to get him back on the next lap and keep him there for the rest of the race.
As Gyles pulls away, Adam reels me in for a close inspection of my arse for 8 laps!
This time it was Gyles in 10th, the myself 11th, Adam 12th and Ian close behind. Less than half a second between me, Adam and Ian. Gyles meanwhile, had latched onto the back of Mike Baxter's beautiful 748 with what must have been a grappling hook, and disappeared off into the distance some 9 seconds ahead. I had gone 3 tenths slower this race but it felt like 5 seconds faster. That's the pressure of having booming v-twins right up yer chuffter!
It was a great race for me, as was the first race and a whole lot better finishing position than I had hoped or imagined. Fantastic. Now all I needed was to work out how to get out of Richies faster. Time to look for Jeremy, but not before I had worked out how to fix the front sprocket nut that now, was laying in the belly pan on the slowing down lap. As it turned out, all the thread had been completely stripped away to a polished finish! It's a wonder how the front sprocket stayed on.
The great thing about Yamaha machines is the interchangability of parts from one model to another. Once back in the paddock, we were all wondering how a sprocket nut for a 22 year old bike in a paddock full of modern machinery, was going to materialise. After a bit of asking around I was pointed in the direction of Sam Bishop who runs big modern R1 and R6 yamahas.
Would you believe that a 2006 R6 uses the same front sprocket as a 1985 FZ. Thank the gods of speed for Yamaha! And thanks to Phil for doing the work to fit it all back together.
Jeremy had stopped in for a look at my back tyre. There was quite a bit of chewed up rubber on the right hand side. A couple of clicks on the rear shock were decided upon to help the rubber and to hopefully help through Richies corner. I had the tyre turned so the lovely looking left hand side of the tyre was now on the right, which should give up more grip as it was looking almost new with there only being two short left hand turns at Snetterton.
I had had an absolutely fantastic day of racing, with the throttle pinned all day and feeling physically great too, and with the nut problem sorted and a good chat with Jeremy, the next day was looking good! I was really looking forward to more of the same!
The weather was great, and the whole weekend was fantastic.
After the last visit to the circuit, pushing the bike to it's limits and occasionally, beyond, I was struggling to understand how to go faster this time out.
Phil had fitted new front brake pads and re-packed the exhaust can, to get the thing within the noise limits, just before his trip to Cadwell. This made a big difference. I found during first practice that the motor revved out along the big Snetterton straight, a lot better than last time and I could brake a lot later too. Added to this some set-up help From Jeremy Hill and the result was much better racing and a whole second a lap faster than last time.
There was a worry that the weather was going to be crap, but it couldn't have turned out better. Hot! just the way I like it.
The usual Saturday morning routine of up early to get the bike through it's race M.O.T and get signed on before prepping the bike ready for the first practice and race. Thunderbike were to be 3rd session out on track, so no time to mess about.
It had been 2 months since I last rode but i got straight on the pace, well, my fastest pace anyway.
I was to start from 16th on the grid for the first race, and was confident of a good leap away from the start. I was not to be disappointed and found my self 7th by the end of lap 1. I was waiting for the usual swarm of bikes to come past and was surprised to let just 2 come past on lap 2. I could hear someone behind and after a couple of bad exits from Richies corner, I was caught and passed by Gyles on his BIG BAD ! MotoGuzzi and new guy Ian Leah on his nice Ducati 748. From there on, I had the perfect view of the battle going on between these 2 guys. One that would continue all weekend.
This was the picture for much of the weekend. Ian, Gyles and myself.Gyles was keeping up his traditional Snetterton stomp and was flying but Ian was getting the better of him down the straights only to then hold Gyles up and myself, through the corners. The two of them swapped and re swapped places with me pinned to their tails for the rest of the race, and with Adam Palfreman on his Suzuki SV,pinned to my tail. Ian managed to get in front at the flag and finish 9th. Gyles was 10th, myself 11th and Adam 12th. There was just a second and one tenth between the 4 of us at the finish.
A lap time of 1:19.359 was over half a second faster and a new personal best.
The racing was to heat up, as was the weather and the lap times!
Race 2 and a 11th place grid slot was next up and I was hoping to get infront of these guys at the start this time and stay there.
My start was bad and I found myself having to slip the clutch like crazy to stop from bogging down as I watched the big black Guzzi get into turn 1 infront. I knew there was not a lot of chance of getting past and especially as Mike Baxter came howling past onto the back straight. He was flying from a 16th place starting position and soon took Gyles. Try as I might, I could not get close enough to Gyles and as my regular neighbour in the paddock, it was like trying to catch and pass your team mate!
I could feel someone getting close and could hear the boom of a couple of v-twins close behind.I just kept my head down and rode as hard as I could to keep them behind. The big booming sound over my howling four cylinder scream got louder as we went through the 1st turn, Richies but then quieter as we headed down the straight out of turn 2. I was having trouble getting through the bumpy second apex of turn 1 and on the gas along the short straight to turn 2, but getting out of 2 and along the straight well enough to drop the guys behind. I remember it happening lap after lap for what seemed like an age, and thinking, they're gonna get me in a minute!. On lap 5 , Adam came past but I managed to get him back on the next lap and keep him there for the rest of the race.
As Gyles pulls away, Adam reels me in for a close inspection of my arse for 8 laps!This time it was Gyles in 10th, the myself 11th, Adam 12th and Ian close behind. Less than half a second between me, Adam and Ian. Gyles meanwhile, had latched onto the back of Mike Baxter's beautiful 748 with what must have been a grappling hook, and disappeared off into the distance some 9 seconds ahead. I had gone 3 tenths slower this race but it felt like 5 seconds faster. That's the pressure of having booming v-twins right up yer chuffter!
It was a great race for me, as was the first race and a whole lot better finishing position than I had hoped or imagined. Fantastic. Now all I needed was to work out how to get out of Richies faster. Time to look for Jeremy, but not before I had worked out how to fix the front sprocket nut that now, was laying in the belly pan on the slowing down lap. As it turned out, all the thread had been completely stripped away to a polished finish! It's a wonder how the front sprocket stayed on.
The great thing about Yamaha machines is the interchangability of parts from one model to another. Once back in the paddock, we were all wondering how a sprocket nut for a 22 year old bike in a paddock full of modern machinery, was going to materialise. After a bit of asking around I was pointed in the direction of Sam Bishop who runs big modern R1 and R6 yamahas.
Would you believe that a 2006 R6 uses the same front sprocket as a 1985 FZ. Thank the gods of speed for Yamaha! And thanks to Phil for doing the work to fit it all back together.
Jeremy had stopped in for a look at my back tyre. There was quite a bit of chewed up rubber on the right hand side. A couple of clicks on the rear shock were decided upon to help the rubber and to hopefully help through Richies corner. I had the tyre turned so the lovely looking left hand side of the tyre was now on the right, which should give up more grip as it was looking almost new with there only being two short left hand turns at Snetterton.
I had had an absolutely fantastic day of racing, with the throttle pinned all day and feeling physically great too, and with the nut problem sorted and a good chat with Jeremy, the next day was looking good! I was really looking forward to more of the same!
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Bye bye wally....Snett was great!
Snetterton was a scorcher, and so was the racing. I came home from the racing, absolutley high as you can get after some great battles on track and some good points finishes. I enjoyed every minute of it. Faster times than the last visit, thanks to a slightly improved bike and help from Jeremy Hill with setup resulted in a whole second faster.An excellent weekend!
Next up is Brands Hatch for our last championship meeting of the year. There is a non championship meeting at Lydden Hill sometime in October, but I doubt that we will go. I don't much like the place, the paddock is a nightmare for camping as 99% of it is on a very steep hill.The circuit is a fun little track but is very bumpy in places. I think I will save my money for bike development.
I have been very busy this past week and have had little time to write, but I will endevour to get a decent report from Snetterton done before I leave for Brands on Thursday evening.Friday is test day and I fully intend to take part. I hope for good weather and I hope to get the bike set up sorted during testing. I aim for a good 2 seconds faster than the last time at Brands and I see no reason why not. The last visit I was plagued with running troubles and never really got in the groove.
Snetterton saw the loss of my wally bib, the bright orange vest worn by a novice rider has to be worn for the first 10 races. Out of the 2 races per day, only one finish is required and allowed for a signature on the novice licence. So from every weekend only 2 signatures are allowed.Also, the finishes have to be at at least 3 different circuits. As it turns out, I could have got rid of it at the end of the last visit to Snetterton but I had got the rules of all this wrong in my head.... nevermind... so it's a big goodbye to my novice licence and bib, hello clubman's licence... WOOHOO!
Right.. I have now got to go and sort out my freshly stripped sump plug thread... again!....bugger!
Next up is Brands Hatch for our last championship meeting of the year. There is a non championship meeting at Lydden Hill sometime in October, but I doubt that we will go. I don't much like the place, the paddock is a nightmare for camping as 99% of it is on a very steep hill.The circuit is a fun little track but is very bumpy in places. I think I will save my money for bike development.
I have been very busy this past week and have had little time to write, but I will endevour to get a decent report from Snetterton done before I leave for Brands on Thursday evening.Friday is test day and I fully intend to take part. I hope for good weather and I hope to get the bike set up sorted during testing. I aim for a good 2 seconds faster than the last time at Brands and I see no reason why not. The last visit I was plagued with running troubles and never really got in the groove.
Snetterton saw the loss of my wally bib, the bright orange vest worn by a novice rider has to be worn for the first 10 races. Out of the 2 races per day, only one finish is required and allowed for a signature on the novice licence. So from every weekend only 2 signatures are allowed.Also, the finishes have to be at at least 3 different circuits. As it turns out, I could have got rid of it at the end of the last visit to Snetterton but I had got the rules of all this wrong in my head.... nevermind... so it's a big goodbye to my novice licence and bib, hello clubman's licence... WOOHOO!
Right.. I have now got to go and sort out my freshly stripped sump plug thread... again!....bugger!
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
To hell with it !
It's been a while since I last posted, to be honest, I have had neither the time nor much enthusiasm for writing. I think not going to Cadwell really pissed me off and made me not want to think about racing too much. I had decided that funds would not permit me to race until the last championship round at Brands at the end of September. It really bugs me that I cannot do a full season or be in a financial position to do the whole thing a lot better than I actually can. There will probably never be enough money to go racing with. There will always be something to throw at the bike or some way of improving to go faster , some extra goodies to help be better set up for a race weekend. Of course, more money would be nice.
Unfortunately, it's often a struggle to afford to even get to a race meeting, but sometimes longing and lusting just gets the better of me. I'm bloody going to Snetterton. I can't wait till Brands. And I'm going to do what ever it takes to get to Brands too. I know I should be saving the money to spend on the bike over the winter, to make her go faster but I may be dead by then!
Unfortunately, it's often a struggle to afford to even get to a race meeting, but sometimes longing and lusting just gets the better of me. I'm bloody going to Snetterton. I can't wait till Brands. And I'm going to do what ever it takes to get to Brands too. I know I should be saving the money to spend on the bike over the winter, to make her go faster but I may be dead by then!
Sunday, 12 August 2007
Non starter @ Cadwell
It was with great sadness that I had to cancel my entry for the Cadwell meeting, especially as it is my favourite circuit. The week leading up to the meeting has been torture and now it has passed I find myself wondering what may have been.
A couple of weeks ago,I had contacted the editors of Classic Racer and Classic Mechanics magazines and invited them to Cadwell to have a look at our series. Myself and Ben Shaughnessy of The Alto Performance team and also the head of our series, are both keen to promote the awareness of the series and in an effort to do so , I decided to try the magazines to help with exposure. I hear they did turn up at Cadwell but have yet to hear what they thought or what they had to say. I was really sad to have not been able to go along and meet them. I will be calling Ben in the morning!
So without me, Phil took the van, loaded with his Laverda and also with the FZ as a backup in case the Lav played up. He took the FZ for just one outing on the Friday practice day.
I was keen to hear how he got on with the beast and made a phone call on Friday evening.
With the exhaust can re-packed in an attempt to get the sound down to pass the noise test, I was eager to find out how the bike revved in the top range, if it was better without the added baffle that I had run at Snetterton. The outcome was a bit vague so I will have to wait and find out for myself I guess.
It was interesting to hear how the bike behaved in the handling. Phil reported the same issues in the mountain as I had last time I rode at Cadwell with everything decking out and the front end wanting to take you for a trip through the gravel....interesting. The rest of the lap was just as I had felt too. Phil was generally impressed with the bike and stated that it has loads of potential.
It needs Steve Spencer to breathe his magic on the engine and a new front end!
The circumstances leading to me not going to the meeting have receded but not gone away completely yet, but I am hopeful of getting out for at least one meeting before the end of the season. Next up is another trip to Snetterton and two weeks after that is Brands Hatch.
I think it will be Brands for me, giving me more time to recover myself and be ready. The bike is ready to go having just been run once this weekend, so I just have myself to get ready.
Once I have spoke to Ben, I will post my findings here.
Steve went to watch this weekend and has promised to take loads of photos, so I hope to have some eye candy to post in the next few days.... watch this space!
A couple of weeks ago,I had contacted the editors of Classic Racer and Classic Mechanics magazines and invited them to Cadwell to have a look at our series. Myself and Ben Shaughnessy of The Alto Performance team and also the head of our series, are both keen to promote the awareness of the series and in an effort to do so , I decided to try the magazines to help with exposure. I hear they did turn up at Cadwell but have yet to hear what they thought or what they had to say. I was really sad to have not been able to go along and meet them. I will be calling Ben in the morning!
So without me, Phil took the van, loaded with his Laverda and also with the FZ as a backup in case the Lav played up. He took the FZ for just one outing on the Friday practice day.
I was keen to hear how he got on with the beast and made a phone call on Friday evening.
With the exhaust can re-packed in an attempt to get the sound down to pass the noise test, I was eager to find out how the bike revved in the top range, if it was better without the added baffle that I had run at Snetterton. The outcome was a bit vague so I will have to wait and find out for myself I guess.
It was interesting to hear how the bike behaved in the handling. Phil reported the same issues in the mountain as I had last time I rode at Cadwell with everything decking out and the front end wanting to take you for a trip through the gravel....interesting. The rest of the lap was just as I had felt too. Phil was generally impressed with the bike and stated that it has loads of potential.
It needs Steve Spencer to breathe his magic on the engine and a new front end!
The circumstances leading to me not going to the meeting have receded but not gone away completely yet, but I am hopeful of getting out for at least one meeting before the end of the season. Next up is another trip to Snetterton and two weeks after that is Brands Hatch.
I think it will be Brands for me, giving me more time to recover myself and be ready. The bike is ready to go having just been run once this weekend, so I just have myself to get ready.
Once I have spoke to Ben, I will post my findings here.
Steve went to watch this weekend and has promised to take loads of photos, so I hope to have some eye candy to post in the next few days.... watch this space!
Thursday, 12 July 2007
Faster, faster,faster!....intoxicating!
I convinced myself that Snetterton was going to be a disaster. The weather was going to be shit, the bike was going to run like shit and probably break and I had even been wincing at the possibility that I may even fall off.
Well I couldn't have been more wrong.
I guess an attitude like that comes from usually getting dealt a bum hand in life and also helps to really enjoy things when they do finally go right. A big bonus when you expect to step in a pile of crap.
Snetterton was a resounding success!
Myself and Phil decided to go for the Friday practice. Seven sessions out on track with about 40 minutes between each providing enough time to get my head under the tank and try to get the bikes' fuelling right and learn the track after 4 years away from the place.
Phil wanted to finish getting his bike built after many nights in his workshop till way past 2 in the morning. He spent the morning getting the bike finished and managed to get out in the afternoon to finish bedding in his newly built motor.
I had taken along a selection of main jets and was prepared to spend the whole day devoted to getting it right. The time between sessions proved just enough to get re-fuelled and throw in an ever decreasing jet size until early afternoon I had it as good as I could get it. The bike revved cleanly now, once running on the main jets at the top of the rev range. The mid range was still sluggish and a couple of changes to needle height soon had the thing blasting out of corners while revving in the mid-range, very nicely indeed. Job done!
I had also got my head around the circuit and was feeling really confident of a good two days of racing.
It was such a relief to get the bike sorted. Now I was able to concentrate on my riding and put into practice all the stuff I had learnt from Jeremy at Brands a couple of weeks ago. I was looking forward to seeing him again over the weekend and getting some more feedback from him. I was also able to get some diet and nutrition advice from his good lady, Tina. She is setup at most meetings to help people in this area and promote her Herbalife products business.
I have been using these products for a few months now and have found a huge benefit from them, not just on the race track but in every day life also.
So with some good advice on getting my body to perform from Tina and mental and practical advice from Jeremy, I was feeling really up for the racing and looking forward to progressing my skills.
I'm not too fat according to Mrs.Hill!..... well maybe just a little!
The Thunderbikes grid was the biggest so far this year, with 30 bikes taking the start. It was good to see some new machines on the grid, adding to the varied mix that has become Thunderbikes and attracting an ever increasing number of people becoming interested in the series.
I have been getting quite a few e-mails from people interested in what's going on and finding out about our series.
My self and a few fellow Thunderbikes riders were featured in the August issue of Performance Bikes Magazine. I am getting used to people saying " aren't you that guy that's in PB mag?"
It's great to see the series becoming more and more popular.
It's inspiring people to get the old piles of rust out of the back of their sheds and dust 'em off and race 'em!
It has become the norm, for Myself, Phil, Gyles and Chris to camp out together at the circuits this year with the Alto Laverda team joining us too. We all get on great and have a real laugh together.I really enjoy our time in the paddock. So it's a magnified shame when things within our little circle of bikes go wrong, and it always seems like its one or the other of us!
It was a shame to see the Alto Laverda team suffer a suspected blown engine in 1st practice, Saturday morning. Brothers, Ben and Aaron, of Alto, decided to pack up the bike and make the 4 hour or more, round trip home to sort the motor and get back to the circuit as quick as they could to continue to compete. You have to admire their commitment and determination to race. It seems nothing will stop Ben from getting that bike over the finish line 1st before the end of the season.
Ben at the back, (not where he likes to be) Aaron and Phill astride the Alto Laverda.
Phill Read jnr. the Alto team rider,stayed at the track while the boys ran home, leaving him time to chill and take in some racing. I know from experience that it's kind of nice to not race as it enables you to see things in a different light. No pressure, time to chill. It was great having Phill around in our camp, having a laugh, and chatting with us all and happy to give advice too! great guy!
Gyles' Guzzi seems to be cursed at Snetterton. Although for the practice day the bike runs fine, come race day the bike starts to play up.The thing game him a load of trouble at our last visit here and decided to repeat it's trick at this visit keeping him busy under the tank between races. Last time here, he suffered 3 non finishes. This weekend, he finished all the races and finished really strong with a 10th place, a 12th place and two 11th places...good points for him. He was flying!
For race 1, I was placed 16th for the start grid and hoping to keep my record of good starts. I was not disappointed and got the usual flyer and moving well up the order and passing the start line at the end of lap 1 in 9th place. I rode as hard as possible and was going really well with only Steve Joy getting past on his Ducati 748 when on lap 5, I ran into the sears corner with the bike jumping out of gear forcing me to run very wide. By the time I had sorted the gears out and pointed it down the straight, 5 guys had got by me. Damn!.
entering Russles chicane after the super fast Corums
I couldn't get the gap back to the guys who had passed me and on the final lap I was passed at the end of the Revvets straight by Phil Polden on his Cagiva 650 raptor.
There was just 6 seconds between myself and all those guys at the end of the race which forced me to wonder what might have been if I hadn't have run wide on lap 5. Certainly better points than the single one I got for my final position of 15th. My fastest lap was 1m20.609. My target was to drop below 1m20 by the end of the weekend.
It was a similar story for race 2. The same great start and I was again 9th by the end of lap 1 from 15th at the start.By the end of lap 2, I had dropped back to 14th with a terrible lap full of missed gears. The gear box just kept slipping into neutral, worrying!
A couple of the new riders to Thunderbikes, and fast riders at that!, had spent the first race improving their start positions for the next grid and were quite out of place starting from the back. This added to my troubles . I had been passed earlier in the race by Will Jobbins, aboard his Suzuki GSXR837 which had been smoking heavily, evidently the engine was leaking oil all over the exhausts, causing the smoke. It was also spraying the back of the bike and his rear tyre. As I reeled him back in, it was spraying me too! As we came out of the left hand flick of the final corner, I was right on his back wheel as he lost the rear and slid out of the race. It was quite a close miss for me as I had to get out of the throttle momentarily, to avoid him. I heard in the paddock after the race that he was ok but he was not to race again this weekend. Bad luck Will. Glad he was ok!
Just a sore hand for Will after this spill!
Throughout the race I had a close fight with Dan Willmott on his 400 and Adam Palfreman on his Sv. Myself and Adam had passed each other a couple of time with Adam finally finishing ahead of me and a final corner attack from Tim "chunky" Churchill saw him take another place from me. Nice move from Tim! Although I had gone faster in race 2, with a fastest lap of 1m20.435,I couldn't match my first race finish position and came in 18th.
I was very happy though, with the outcome of the day and was hopeful that the next day would be as good.The bike had run and performed really well, and I had experienced some enthralling racing. I could feel my race craft improving all the time.
On it! Through Corums
Over night, I changed the engine oil and decided to up, the grade of fork oil to a heavier 15 weight in an attempt to settle the front and help get through the very long and fast, Corums curve. The front of the bike felt like it was trying to run wide and I figured trying to cure this would add some speed and a better feeling through this part of the circuit. It's also not a a good place to be loosing the front as it is so fast and has a bit of a reputation for spitting bikes into the air as they take to the run off.
Once all the work to the bike was done, and Ben and Aaron returned with a rebuilt motor (amazing!), we all walked up to the top of the paddock where a bar-b-q was being hosted by a load of Thunderbikes riders. time for a good chin wag and a bottle of beer...just the one though!
The weather had been really kind to us so far this weekend and Sunday turned out to be no exception. The temperature was hot!
Gyles' Guzzi continued to misbehave, and with moments to go before the first race, phil spent a few short minutes fiddling with it and miraculously managed to fix the bike and get it running ok. We all stood back amazed for a moment. Not even Phil could explain what he had done to sort the thing!
I took to the grid with the usual crazy feeling in my stomach, something that always seems to get me until the lights go out. I got my usual good start but going into the 1st turn I found myself having to get out of the throttle with a huge traffic jamb and nowhere to go and getting stuck on the apex while what seemed like the whole grid ran past around the outside. I'm sure I had my nose chopped by someone, ah well, that's racing I guess!
Crossing the start at the end of lap 1, I was placed 14th and with Just Steve Joy, Adam and Dan getting by throughout the rest of the race, it was reasonably quiet out there. With a bit of a look behind down the long straight, I could see that it was to be a case of get my head down and ride as hard as I could to keep a distant pack behind. With 8 seconds covering the 7 guys in front (including me) by the end, I was reasonably happy.I just missed the points with a 16th place.
Again I had gone faster, just missing the 1m19's mark. The bike was noticeably better through Corums but the compromise was that the bike was having a harder time exiting the double apex right handed first turn, with the front chattering over the bumps out of the corner, making hard acceleration, hard work to hold on. I coped with it though.
fastest lap for me; 1m20.073.
With the heat of the day, shit sleep ( as always before racing!), a late arrival on Thursday night (thanks to an hour road block detour.. bugger!) and some hard racing, I was really feeling tired by the last race.
Another good start but another hold up in turn one for me and I was back to 19th by the end of lap 1.By this stage of the weekend, the grids tend to become relative to every ones speed, and we are all less mixed up. I managed to get past Paul Martin #76 and Daniel King #9 in this race.
Other than that it was again just a head down ride hard, but not too hard, race. I wanted to go home in one piece. It's too easy to go mad at the end of a weekend. Just like a lot of track day off's happen at the end of the day when people are tired and just want to go that little bit faster. I decided to take it smooth. I remember the front feeling vague. I had picked up a wrong front tyre when I left home and ended up having to run a really worn front all weekend. It was probably ok, but a lot of stuff in racing is all in the head. Just because I was wary of the fact I knew the tyre had done a lot of track time and was getting old, probably affected the way i rode and interpreted the feeling of the front. If some one had told me it was new, I probably would have ridden faster!
I managed a 17th place for this race and went fractionally faster and got my target sub 1m19...just! ... 1m19.937
So with another excellent weekend in the bag, this racing lark just gets more and more under my skin. It's highly addictive, especially when all goes so well..... and actually, even when it doesn't it's still intoxicating. I just wish I could win the lottery so I can do it every weekend..... dream on eh!
Back to Cadwell park next. My favourite and that of a majority of the riders I should imagine.
This may be my last race this year, due to financial restraints. I hope not, but it's a distinct possibility.
Well I couldn't have been more wrong.
I guess an attitude like that comes from usually getting dealt a bum hand in life and also helps to really enjoy things when they do finally go right. A big bonus when you expect to step in a pile of crap.
Snetterton was a resounding success!
Myself and Phil decided to go for the Friday practice. Seven sessions out on track with about 40 minutes between each providing enough time to get my head under the tank and try to get the bikes' fuelling right and learn the track after 4 years away from the place.Phil wanted to finish getting his bike built after many nights in his workshop till way past 2 in the morning. He spent the morning getting the bike finished and managed to get out in the afternoon to finish bedding in his newly built motor.
I had taken along a selection of main jets and was prepared to spend the whole day devoted to getting it right. The time between sessions proved just enough to get re-fuelled and throw in an ever decreasing jet size until early afternoon I had it as good as I could get it. The bike revved cleanly now, once running on the main jets at the top of the rev range. The mid range was still sluggish and a couple of changes to needle height soon had the thing blasting out of corners while revving in the mid-range, very nicely indeed. Job done!
I had also got my head around the circuit and was feeling really confident of a good two days of racing.
It was such a relief to get the bike sorted. Now I was able to concentrate on my riding and put into practice all the stuff I had learnt from Jeremy at Brands a couple of weeks ago. I was looking forward to seeing him again over the weekend and getting some more feedback from him. I was also able to get some diet and nutrition advice from his good lady, Tina. She is setup at most meetings to help people in this area and promote her Herbalife products business.
I have been using these products for a few months now and have found a huge benefit from them, not just on the race track but in every day life also.
So with some good advice on getting my body to perform from Tina and mental and practical advice from Jeremy, I was feeling really up for the racing and looking forward to progressing my skills.
I'm not too fat according to Mrs.Hill!..... well maybe just a little!The Thunderbikes grid was the biggest so far this year, with 30 bikes taking the start. It was good to see some new machines on the grid, adding to the varied mix that has become Thunderbikes and attracting an ever increasing number of people becoming interested in the series.
I have been getting quite a few e-mails from people interested in what's going on and finding out about our series.
My self and a few fellow Thunderbikes riders were featured in the August issue of Performance Bikes Magazine. I am getting used to people saying " aren't you that guy that's in PB mag?"
It's great to see the series becoming more and more popular.
It's inspiring people to get the old piles of rust out of the back of their sheds and dust 'em off and race 'em!
It has become the norm, for Myself, Phil, Gyles and Chris to camp out together at the circuits this year with the Alto Laverda team joining us too. We all get on great and have a real laugh together.I really enjoy our time in the paddock. So it's a magnified shame when things within our little circle of bikes go wrong, and it always seems like its one or the other of us!
It was a shame to see the Alto Laverda team suffer a suspected blown engine in 1st practice, Saturday morning. Brothers, Ben and Aaron, of Alto, decided to pack up the bike and make the 4 hour or more, round trip home to sort the motor and get back to the circuit as quick as they could to continue to compete. You have to admire their commitment and determination to race. It seems nothing will stop Ben from getting that bike over the finish line 1st before the end of the season.
Ben at the back, (not where he likes to be) Aaron and Phill astride the Alto Laverda.Phill Read jnr. the Alto team rider,stayed at the track while the boys ran home, leaving him time to chill and take in some racing. I know from experience that it's kind of nice to not race as it enables you to see things in a different light. No pressure, time to chill. It was great having Phill around in our camp, having a laugh, and chatting with us all and happy to give advice too! great guy!
Gyles' Guzzi seems to be cursed at Snetterton. Although for the practice day the bike runs fine, come race day the bike starts to play up.The thing game him a load of trouble at our last visit here and decided to repeat it's trick at this visit keeping him busy under the tank between races. Last time here, he suffered 3 non finishes. This weekend, he finished all the races and finished really strong with a 10th place, a 12th place and two 11th places...good points for him. He was flying!
For race 1, I was placed 16th for the start grid and hoping to keep my record of good starts. I was not disappointed and got the usual flyer and moving well up the order and passing the start line at the end of lap 1 in 9th place. I rode as hard as possible and was going really well with only Steve Joy getting past on his Ducati 748 when on lap 5, I ran into the sears corner with the bike jumping out of gear forcing me to run very wide. By the time I had sorted the gears out and pointed it down the straight, 5 guys had got by me. Damn!.
entering Russles chicane after the super fast CorumsI couldn't get the gap back to the guys who had passed me and on the final lap I was passed at the end of the Revvets straight by Phil Polden on his Cagiva 650 raptor.
There was just 6 seconds between myself and all those guys at the end of the race which forced me to wonder what might have been if I hadn't have run wide on lap 5. Certainly better points than the single one I got for my final position of 15th. My fastest lap was 1m20.609. My target was to drop below 1m20 by the end of the weekend.
It was a similar story for race 2. The same great start and I was again 9th by the end of lap 1 from 15th at the start.By the end of lap 2, I had dropped back to 14th with a terrible lap full of missed gears. The gear box just kept slipping into neutral, worrying!
A couple of the new riders to Thunderbikes, and fast riders at that!, had spent the first race improving their start positions for the next grid and were quite out of place starting from the back. This added to my troubles . I had been passed earlier in the race by Will Jobbins, aboard his Suzuki GSXR837 which had been smoking heavily, evidently the engine was leaking oil all over the exhausts, causing the smoke. It was also spraying the back of the bike and his rear tyre. As I reeled him back in, it was spraying me too! As we came out of the left hand flick of the final corner, I was right on his back wheel as he lost the rear and slid out of the race. It was quite a close miss for me as I had to get out of the throttle momentarily, to avoid him. I heard in the paddock after the race that he was ok but he was not to race again this weekend. Bad luck Will. Glad he was ok!
Just a sore hand for Will after this spill!
Throughout the race I had a close fight with Dan Willmott on his 400 and Adam Palfreman on his Sv. Myself and Adam had passed each other a couple of time with Adam finally finishing ahead of me and a final corner attack from Tim "chunky" Churchill saw him take another place from me. Nice move from Tim! Although I had gone faster in race 2, with a fastest lap of 1m20.435,I couldn't match my first race finish position and came in 18th.
I was very happy though, with the outcome of the day and was hopeful that the next day would be as good.The bike had run and performed really well, and I had experienced some enthralling racing. I could feel my race craft improving all the time.
On it! Through CorumsOver night, I changed the engine oil and decided to up, the grade of fork oil to a heavier 15 weight in an attempt to settle the front and help get through the very long and fast, Corums curve. The front of the bike felt like it was trying to run wide and I figured trying to cure this would add some speed and a better feeling through this part of the circuit. It's also not a a good place to be loosing the front as it is so fast and has a bit of a reputation for spitting bikes into the air as they take to the run off.
Once all the work to the bike was done, and Ben and Aaron returned with a rebuilt motor (amazing!), we all walked up to the top of the paddock where a bar-b-q was being hosted by a load of Thunderbikes riders. time for a good chin wag and a bottle of beer...just the one though!
The weather had been really kind to us so far this weekend and Sunday turned out to be no exception. The temperature was hot!
Gyles' Guzzi continued to misbehave, and with moments to go before the first race, phil spent a few short minutes fiddling with it and miraculously managed to fix the bike and get it running ok. We all stood back amazed for a moment. Not even Phil could explain what he had done to sort the thing!
I took to the grid with the usual crazy feeling in my stomach, something that always seems to get me until the lights go out. I got my usual good start but going into the 1st turn I found myself having to get out of the throttle with a huge traffic jamb and nowhere to go and getting stuck on the apex while what seemed like the whole grid ran past around the outside. I'm sure I had my nose chopped by someone, ah well, that's racing I guess!
Crossing the start at the end of lap 1, I was placed 14th and with Just Steve Joy, Adam and Dan getting by throughout the rest of the race, it was reasonably quiet out there. With a bit of a look behind down the long straight, I could see that it was to be a case of get my head down and ride as hard as I could to keep a distant pack behind. With 8 seconds covering the 7 guys in front (including me) by the end, I was reasonably happy.I just missed the points with a 16th place.
Again I had gone faster, just missing the 1m19's mark. The bike was noticeably better through Corums but the compromise was that the bike was having a harder time exiting the double apex right handed first turn, with the front chattering over the bumps out of the corner, making hard acceleration, hard work to hold on. I coped with it though.
fastest lap for me; 1m20.073.
With the heat of the day, shit sleep ( as always before racing!), a late arrival on Thursday night (thanks to an hour road block detour.. bugger!) and some hard racing, I was really feeling tired by the last race.
Another good start but another hold up in turn one for me and I was back to 19th by the end of lap 1.By this stage of the weekend, the grids tend to become relative to every ones speed, and we are all less mixed up. I managed to get past Paul Martin #76 and Daniel King #9 in this race.
Other than that it was again just a head down ride hard, but not too hard, race. I wanted to go home in one piece. It's too easy to go mad at the end of a weekend. Just like a lot of track day off's happen at the end of the day when people are tired and just want to go that little bit faster. I decided to take it smooth. I remember the front feeling vague. I had picked up a wrong front tyre when I left home and ended up having to run a really worn front all weekend. It was probably ok, but a lot of stuff in racing is all in the head. Just because I was wary of the fact I knew the tyre had done a lot of track time and was getting old, probably affected the way i rode and interpreted the feeling of the front. If some one had told me it was new, I probably would have ridden faster!
I managed a 17th place for this race and went fractionally faster and got my target sub 1m19...just! ... 1m19.937
So with another excellent weekend in the bag, this racing lark just gets more and more under my skin. It's highly addictive, especially when all goes so well..... and actually, even when it doesn't it's still intoxicating. I just wish I could win the lottery so I can do it every weekend..... dream on eh!
Back to Cadwell park next. My favourite and that of a majority of the riders I should imagine.
This may be my last race this year, due to financial restraints. I hope not, but it's a distinct possibility.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Positivity. A great day at Brands Hatch!
It has been fantastic to get back out on track, and exceptionally great weather for the whole day made it even better.
Having arrived the previous evening and spending the night in our exclusive choice of pit garage, all set up early, we had time to relax and ease into the day. I do like to get to the track as early as possible and give time to prepare mentally and be sure all the kit and machines are ready to go leaving plenty of time to get all the signing on and noise test etc done in good time.
Jeremy Hill arrived nice and early and was on hand to run through what ever I wanted to look at during the day. We decided to check my lines for the first session and in particular, the parts of the Indy circuit that we run on in Thunderbikes.It was my first time on the full GP circuit so it was good to have him run through that part of the circuit with me. I got a handle on it quite early and with just a few tweeks to how I was riding it, I found it no problem and really enjoyed riding it after spending years watching all my heros there.
I was not that confident that the bike was going to run right and had the spare set of carbs ready to swap back to the settings I had at Cadwell, just in case. Sure enough, after 8000 rpm and above , the bike wouldn't pull well at all. I therefore spent the first session, nursing the bike round and just concentrated on being smooth and taking the correct lines.
Once back in the garage, I set about the carbs but with not enough time to get out for the next session, I was forced to take Steve's FZR 400. This turned out to be great fun and I was very quickly finding the limit of the machine. It's a great handling bike and is fantastic at carrying high corner speed as it is small and light but lacks any serious power. Still immense fun!
I soon had the carbs fitted and the bike fired into life and reved well into the high rev range. This was encouraging for the next session.
Relief! finally... the bike reved well and was 98% better. Now I was able to concentrate on learning from Jeremy and working on my riding.
We continued to work on different aspects of my riding throughout the rest of the day and the feed back from Jeremy was positive. I was glad to hear his opinion of my style, which he described as smooth and a pleasure to watch and having good potential.
All the advise he had for me made perfect sense. It is good to have someone confirm that I am heading in the right direction with my riding both in a physical way and mentally too. we worked on some great energy saving things such as different use of holding gears for longer.Also some body position and movement tips, aimed at not upsetting the bike by making my riding smoother and with less effort with the result of going faster, for longer and with less energy sapping effort both on myself and the machine.
It was a very positive day and has helped me a great deal. I came away with plenty to think about and to work on.
I now look forward to the fastest circuit in the country, Snetterton at the end of the first week in July.
With more improvement needed to come from the carbs and no sign of a new set on the horizon, I may just head back to the dyno and see if things can be improved upon. If niether happens, then I will just have to suck it and see next time out!
Big thanks to Jeremy Hill for his time and effort.It is always a pleasure, a privilege and very much appreciated and welcome.
Also a big thanks to Jez's mate Richard for the baffles that helped bring down my noise test failing exhaust from 110db to 105db. It still failed until further tampering got it down to below the 101db limit... PHEW!
Having arrived the previous evening and spending the night in our exclusive choice of pit garage, all set up early, we had time to relax and ease into the day. I do like to get to the track as early as possible and give time to prepare mentally and be sure all the kit and machines are ready to go leaving plenty of time to get all the signing on and noise test etc done in good time.
Jeremy Hill arrived nice and early and was on hand to run through what ever I wanted to look at during the day. We decided to check my lines for the first session and in particular, the parts of the Indy circuit that we run on in Thunderbikes.It was my first time on the full GP circuit so it was good to have him run through that part of the circuit with me. I got a handle on it quite early and with just a few tweeks to how I was riding it, I found it no problem and really enjoyed riding it after spending years watching all my heros there.
I was not that confident that the bike was going to run right and had the spare set of carbs ready to swap back to the settings I had at Cadwell, just in case. Sure enough, after 8000 rpm and above , the bike wouldn't pull well at all. I therefore spent the first session, nursing the bike round and just concentrated on being smooth and taking the correct lines.
Once back in the garage, I set about the carbs but with not enough time to get out for the next session, I was forced to take Steve's FZR 400. This turned out to be great fun and I was very quickly finding the limit of the machine. It's a great handling bike and is fantastic at carrying high corner speed as it is small and light but lacks any serious power. Still immense fun!
I soon had the carbs fitted and the bike fired into life and reved well into the high rev range. This was encouraging for the next session.
Relief! finally... the bike reved well and was 98% better. Now I was able to concentrate on learning from Jeremy and working on my riding.
We continued to work on different aspects of my riding throughout the rest of the day and the feed back from Jeremy was positive. I was glad to hear his opinion of my style, which he described as smooth and a pleasure to watch and having good potential.
All the advise he had for me made perfect sense. It is good to have someone confirm that I am heading in the right direction with my riding both in a physical way and mentally too. we worked on some great energy saving things such as different use of holding gears for longer.Also some body position and movement tips, aimed at not upsetting the bike by making my riding smoother and with less effort with the result of going faster, for longer and with less energy sapping effort both on myself and the machine.
It was a very positive day and has helped me a great deal. I came away with plenty to think about and to work on.
I now look forward to the fastest circuit in the country, Snetterton at the end of the first week in July.
With more improvement needed to come from the carbs and no sign of a new set on the horizon, I may just head back to the dyno and see if things can be improved upon. If niether happens, then I will just have to suck it and see next time out!
Big thanks to Jeremy Hill for his time and effort.It is always a pleasure, a privilege and very much appreciated and welcome.
Also a big thanks to Jez's mate Richard for the baffles that helped bring down my noise test failing exhaust from 110db to 105db. It still failed until further tampering got it down to below the 101db limit... PHEW!
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