A solid Snetterton

I turned up late on Friday test day and managed to get the last session of the day for a shake down. It was worth it to get a feel for the circuit again. The fact I'd gone along on my own was playing on my mind as there was nobody to get me home if I smashed myself up and the two crashes at the last visit here were still fresh in my mind. So I elected to hold back a little, which is kind of going against the grain. One advantage to being on my own was an added amount of space in the van and the awning and just myself to think about made it all a lot easier, that's not to say I begrudge my good mate the other half of all the space. It was kind of strange him not being there.

Anyone for a swim?

The weather was playing havoc with everyone's minds, one minute it was ok then howling with wind and rain. But we were relatively lucky with just the last race of the weekend being wet, or rather half wet. One end of the track demanding slicks, the other, full wets.

Race 1 and my championship position of 8th dictated my grid slot. As we took the start for the warm up lap, two front row slots were empty. Phil Read on the Vyrus and Gyles on the Guzzi were missing having got late to the grid. They would start from the back, giving more room and a better chance of a result. A bit of a wheelie hamper my start a little but with the missing riders, I found myself 3rd going into the first turn and out along the fast revetts straight only to have Dan Wright on his red CBR600 and then Mike Baxter on the nice red Ducati come past and then clear off. A couple of laps later Mike lost the front in Sears corner. At 60+, Mike is a hard racer and took the crash in his stride and was sorted for the next race.

A familiar picture for most of the weekend.

I settled into a nice pace until Gyles came past and then Phil Read although I wasn't going to make it easy for him and repassed along the start straight, but inevitably, he got me straight back. That's the way it stayed. 6th place and some good points. A good start to the weekend.
Peyto took the win from Gary Budgen then Dan the Gyles and then Mr. read JR.

Race 2. Simon Peyto on his SV, leading the championship on pole with the two CBR Hondas of Dan and "the Budge" second and third, then Gyles fourth filled the front row. Then Phil Read outside of me. Looking at my on bike camera at this lot still make my stomach churn.
4th into turn one but it wasn't long before I found myself 6th again, looking at the same guys. Then Phil fell in the same place mike did in race 1, so 5th for me.
I again settled my pace until Mike blocked passed me in the russles chicane to the point we both almost stopped, or so it seemed.


As we blasted along the home straight I dug deeper determined to get my 5th place back.


Surprisingly, I out dragged him along the back straight and then seriously got my head down to get to flag before him. 5th and more good points.
Gyles took the win. Fantastic!

Then Gyles and good friend Big Chris celebrated. I was ready for a decent nights sleep at 10.30, as Chris decided to remove me from my chair and carry me towards the bar, picking up Phil Read along the way. A late night was had by all but it was a good one. My face ached from the laughter as I settled at about 1 am. Bloody northerners corrupting me.

Sunday race 1 and a 5th place grid slot. Another wheelie at the start but still 4th into turn 1. The inevitable again, Dan came past along Revetts. It took a couple more laps for Phil to get past and when he did, I returned the favour, then he got me again and as we headed out along the straight, I missed a gear allowing him to get away, I still managed to pull along side but phil is so much better on the brakes, there was no chance. From there I settled, and came home a lonely 6th. Still happy with that. Top 6 is where I want to be. So far, so good!
Gyles took another win! Good man.

Race 2. A drying track but still too wet for slicks meant everyone was on wets.
A good start and 4th yet again and then along Revetts as I out dragged Piers Hutchins, Gyles out dragged me. Slip stream city!


Dry track, wet tyres.

Lap 2 and Phil came by but as we approached the first turn Gyles and Simon Peyto tangled and both went off. 3rd. Just as I could smell a podium and Dan gets by. This man would continue to deny me a podium in the coming races!
As the guys ahead disappeared into the distance, I kept an eye on maintaining the gap to Piers behind me.I settled for the 4th and reasoned my self with conserving my expensive wets by riding in the wet patches and being as smooth as possible on the dry stuff. Having softened up all the suspension helped and as we all pulled off others tyres were a mess of molten rubber.
The Budge took the win from Read then Wright. This shakes up the championship but Peyto is still looking uncatchable.

Check out www.thunderbikeuk.com for the full points table.


A bit of a formal report I know, but that's really how the weekend went. No big dramas, no massively exciting long battles. Just concentrated on riding safe and not turning up the gas to get things boiling, more of a simmer. It was a valuable weekend and not one to be testing new limits. neither was it perfect. On looking at my camera, I found I was changing down one too many gears at the end of the start straight and subsequently heading into sears, I was in a different gear too, all weekend. I still don't know how I managed to be doing this and it probably explains why I went no faster than I had at Snetterton before.I know I was riding better but not faster. If that makes any sense? One for the note book!


Cadwell next and as I write this, I've already been there! Now that was a complete contrast, In fact the best and one of the most interesting weekends I have had so far.
I will try to get on with writing about it as soon as I can but with Oulton Park in less than 10 days, and having to work away from home in between, it's going to be difficult. I am looking forward to writing about it and I have some fantastic pictures to show you......

A long time coming

I had been particularly looking forward to going to Cadwell. I had my best result of 9th there last season and had thoroughly enjoyed it, and was most disappointed to have missed the second outing there later that summer. It had been over a year since, and I was determined to make up for missing my second chance at a good result.

Running a 23 year old machine is challenging at the best of times. Just when you think you're on top of all the old crappy bits that break through age, something else comes along to bite you on the arse! Croix in France was like that and I was to have my patience and determination tested again at Cadwell.


Friday practice was a must for me so my self and Phil had made an extra early start to make the 6 hour trip,plus a stop off at Steve Spencers', as well as not missing out on our traditional detour of taking a wrong turn, we actually made the circuit in day light but only to be greeted by a howler of a rain and wind storm. How we ever coped without an awning seems hard to imagine. We had the thing up in minutes and with smug grins upon our faces, albeit soaking wet, we stood in the dry watching the weather wreaking havoc throughout the paddock.


It's hard to predict the weather at Cadwell, so I decided not to bother trying. As it turned out, I had enough to be using my brain power for.
The club has just introduced a half day test fee. Running a whole day not only is more expensive in fees but you burn a set of tyres, more fuel, more oil, more physical energy and the added chance of a spill or more mechanical woes. There is not so much pressure trying to run around like a loony, trying to pack in a whole day. It becomes more relaxed, meaning less margin for error and more time to fix 23 year old bikes that break! So a half day is a great idea.



So yes, the FZ decided to break. The fuel pump, 1999 R6 item, bought from the famous E-*^$, shagged! the resultant trawling the paddock for anyone with such a thing made me glad I had packed a push bike. A fellow Thunderbike rider, with a phone call, promised a spare the next day when he was due to turn up. The offending item got stripped and bodged to get me out for 3 sessions that afternoon.
It was a relief to be able to get my self reacquainted with the track. I felt good about the next days racing. I had dialled in the suspension and added the long awaited steering packers that made the bike feel completely transformed. It now turned so easily and quickly that direction change had become so much less effort and more precise. In fact the bike felt like someone had swapped the old FZ for something else and not told me.

The onboard camera proved invaluable over the weekend and armed with footage from a racing instructor, I felt confident of a good result.

Saturday morning, reasonable weather, at least no rain and the warm up session was going well, until the last lap. I just about made it off the circuit before the thing died. Bugger, what now?!

I chat with fellow Yamaha owners on the internet. Simon had learnt of my Blog through the site I visit and had turned up to watch me ride. As it turned out, he spent most of his time fixing my bike.
At this point, I have to send out massive thanks to him for his help. If it had not been for him, my weekend would have been a non starter.
We had been thinking it was the fuel pump and after stripping the thing and taking the best of two pumps to make one good one, the bike kept cutting out.Then a 400 rider lent a spare pump, but still it would cut out. With the help of some of the Alto bods ( thanks again!) a new battery did the trick. I missed race one, just as I had last year, but race 2 was great!



It's a bit of a mixed bag of emotions, watching the guys you race with heading out on to the track. I tried to contain my frustration of not being out there and settled to watch the race. It was great to watch until the last lap when the two Kawasaki ZXR bikes of Rob and Coiln came over the top of the mountain. Colin caught the back of Rob as they crested the rise and down went Colin. I must say it was absolutely awful seeing a fellow rider lying on the circuit, motionless. As it turns out, he had knocked himself out but was actually reletively, ok. That was crash number 2 for him. The first he managed to get the bike fixed up and get out for the racing.



Race 2 for Thunderbikes and I was starting from the back but with the usual flying start, I made it through to 10th place. I felt I could have done better. A near miss at the hairpin and I had to back off the throttle while the guy behind went straight on, nearly collecting me.
Still, I was happy with 10th and even more pleased to have the bike working and to be looking forward to the next day. I would be starting 9th on the grid and was really fired up for the coming races.

Joe put up a good fight on his 748 Ducati in Saturdays racing. He gets faster every race.

Finally, I was starting from where I should have on Saturday and was hoping for a good start.I nearly jumped the start, but managed to gather myself and get away clean and into 6th. I could see Gary on his Blue CBR600 getting away and after a couple of laps Dan, on his red CBR600 into coppice, then fast charging from the back of the grid,Gyles came past into Park and I was down to 8th. That's where I stayed.


A good first race but lots to gain in the next. 8th on the grid is one row further and after having compromised the last start, I had to get a better one. I had a good think about how I could improve from the last race but was struggling with fatigue and beginning to wonder how I was going to cope physically. I decided to try a change in which gear to be in at a couple of corners and a few other small changes mentally. I was resolved to do better.

As we circulated on the warm up lap,I had so little energy that I decided to sit limp on the bike. It was a revelation for me. I found I was keeping with guys infront without particularly trying. If I could do the same in the race, then maybe I could last the distance physically. It worked!
A good start but backing off at the first turn a little too much. I was 6th and keeping with the guys infront. after two or three laps rain started to stream over my visor. We had been chatting about this in the paddock.


All day it had been hot with the occasional light shower. We were watching how little dampness there was on the paddock asphalt and how quickly it dryed in the strong wind. It took quite a prolonged period of a light amount of rain to make the surface wet enough to worry about. With this in mind I continued to push. Still I could keep with the bike infront, Gary on his CBR. I got close enough to pass and managed to get by. 6th. I kept pushing.
Final lap and Gary got me back. I chased hard and was right on him all the way to the end of the lap but with two corners to, Andy, in second palce on his Ducati, highsided and was out. The bike and rider were smack in the middle of the track just on the exit of the hairpin, and with no way to see what is on the exit of the corner as you come through there, the red flag came out and stopped the race. Andy had knocked himself out and broken his collar bone.
With a red on the last lap, the result was counted back a lap to when I had been in front of Gary. So a 5th and the best result for me so far.

I had gone 6 seconds faster than I had last year. Which is testament to the work done over the winter and the ongoing improvements to the bike. When it works, it works well and allows me to concentrate on my riding. It is a real relief to not have to be thinking about mechanical problems while riding.

Cadwell was sweet for me. After the initial problems with the bike, the results were there, where I have always known the bike could be... in the top 6. It gives me immense satisfaction to see the time sheets. Thanks to all the guys that have helped get the bike there! and a special thanks to Simon for giving up your time for a racer!

With Snetterton just 5 days away, there was little time to think about Cadwell. All attention was now on getting home and having one of the busiest weeks of the year. All geared to going well at the next round.

Cadwell in brief

With the next round of racing coming up at race speed at the end of this week, it leaves little time to spare. I have a multitude of jobs to do to the bike, and a whole load of other stuff involved in setting up for a weekend of racing.
In short, Cadwell was fast paced and action packed and one I will not forget. I was hounded by mechanical and electrical problems but managed 3 practice day sessions and 3 out of 4 races. When things worked, they worked well and I achieved some great lap times ( 6 seconds faster than last season ) and a best finishing position of 5th, which is my best ever result.

I have been kindly promised some good Photos from various people and will get those up along with more detail of the whole weekend. I probably won't have time until after the next round and then will have that round to ramble on about. One thing is for sure, if it's half as action packed as Cadwell, then my key board is in for a pounding!

French fancy

It seems like a life time since the last race meeting. 2 months seems like a life time anyway, and after that long wait, we now get 3 meetings in 4 weeks. Croix is over but in 2 weeks we go to Cadwell and then 1 week later we are back at Snetterton. Blimey!

Of course time is of the essence to get everything sorted between meetings and does not leave me with much spare to get these pages filled. I will do my best though.

Once upon a time, I spent the days and sometimes weeks, before a meeting worrying about the weather, wishing for it to be dry. Not so this time. To start with, I had spent a lot of time making an awning out of a very large discarded sail scavenged from a boat yard. A few lengths of timber and a mass of press-in eyes later and we had a waterproof extension to the van! And secondly, I was really hoping for some wet riding to hone my skills. I was not disappointed with either the awning , the weather or my riding in the wet.

The all new gypsy tent!

Friday was hot paced. Not the riding but the frantic spannering going on in our pit. I had an electrical gremlin that drove me nuts. Luckily there were plenty of electrically savvy people on hand to go over the wiring. I know nothing about the subject. After 6 sessions, it was finally traced to the CDI. Phil was having drama after drama with his FZ too. After Having blown his motor a couple of weeks ago at Silverstone while testing, he had acquired another only for it to leak oil, the water, then oil again and so on for much of the day. He did manage to get it dry by the afternoon.


It took a long time before I finally got my head around this little circuit and it wasn't really until Sunday that it finally clicked. All that activity during Friday practice hadn't allowed me to focus on riding until the late afternoon.I have my on-board camera and Phil Read jr. to thank for finally getting it in my head. Phil took a look at the footage and set me straight on a few lines that I had got wrong. It helped me knock almost a second off my time from the two previous days. Thanks Phil.

The weekend was vastly enhanced by the addition of the awning. It worked like a dream and for less than £100 too!
It rained heavily on sunday but kept every drop out and meant we had acres of room in the van.

We spent Friday evening in comfort inside our new home, stuffing ourselves with all our favourite French foods and just a small beer. What a contrast to being cramped in the van!


Saturday warm up went well and with a grid slot of 11th, I was hoping to do well, but not too confident of a top 10 finish. This circuit is very hard on the body, most riders agreed.and it demands a good handling bike with quick steering. The bike handled ok but it still wants to run wide in and out of bends. Race 1 was ok with some good battling going on, which was fun. I got my usual good start but was soon overtaken.I ended up 12th.

A very similar scenario in race 2 and one better finishing in 11th this time, although I had some really excellent racing with a few guys out there. It was just fantastic fun and I came back with a big grin on my face.

A further big grin came across my face on Saturday evening as I pulled my leathers back on and headed for the collecting area for a ride in the passenger seat of an F1 side car. The club had arranged this prior to the meeting to raise money for charity. What a great Idea too. It was a chance I was not about to miss and had signed up for minutes after I had discovered it was going to happen. I was not disappointed.

Getting some instruction.

It was absolutely awesome. A truly great experience I will never forget. It has given me a new and completely different understanding and, respect for those sidecar guys.

Fast and soooo much grip!

With the sun going down at 11pm in France, we all had a late night on Saturday. With all the Thunderbikers camped close together, there was plenty of partying going on in the holiday atmosphere. With the bike prepped ready for Sunday I enjoyed a nice relaxing evening. Phil had a bit of work to do involving the extraction of his rear shock. Steve Jordan kindly adjusted it to get rid of the excess amount of sag that was causing his FZ to behave like a kangaroo. All was then well and we were all positive of a good day to follow.

The Catch tray had been cut from the Laverda fairing!

That's the thing with racing, all can seem well, the bike is in good shape, riders feeling fit and up for it and the BANG! you motor explodes with the force of a hand grenade on Sunday morning warm up, 3 laps in. Well, that's what happened to Phil's FZ. What a mess! A conrod had gone through the front of the engine cases and the rear, smashed the water pump housing and the generator and took out some of the water piping. The barrels were smashed too. The hole in the rear of the cases was massive!


Nice Crank. Shame we can see it.

So that's 2 engines in 2 track outings for Phil's FZ. He is currently working on his trusty old Laverda for the next meeting. I guess I'm going to have to graft the belly pan back onto the fairing that he had cut off to use on the FZ! Ah well, as long as we can get him back out on track.

Scratching your head won't help this mess John! :-)

My day was rather better. In fact it would have been better than Phil's no matter what had happened bar a disaster of my own.
Once we had Phil's bike back in the paddock, I prepared myself for action.
I was a little disappointed but not surprised to have finished outside the top ten the previous day, and was quietly confident of a better performance today.

This Ducati and I were almost swapping paint all weekend. Great stuff!

With the headaches of Friday practice, I had not got my head around the circuit and after a session examining my on-board camera footage with Phil Read, I realised with his help, I could take a second off my time and put up a better challenge this time out.

Ever get the feeling you're about to be overwhelmed?

The 1st race was going to plan, I was lying 10th when I was overtaken by a rookie wild card while under yellow flags. Once in the Green zone I re-took the position only for the guy to retake me again. I realised there would be a ten second penalty waiting for him so I let him go as there was nobody behind me, and no risk of being overtaken again. After the race, I found he had 14 seconds on me I had to accept an 11th place finish.I guess I had miss calculated how long ten seconds is!.
I had none the less really enjoyed the racing.
Race 2 would be a little different though.

The Sky began to look very threatening. 4 races to go before we were due to be called and it rained enough to make the track wet enough to need to be running full wets, but then the rain stopped and the sun came out. In the distance the cloud was heavy and heading straight at us. We all continued to fit the wets and as it turned out, it was the right thing to do.
As we took the start, the rain stopped and the sun came out again, bloody weather. The track stayed wet all race however. I was relishing this and hoping for a good result. After last seasons hate of the rain, I have learnt to like it. I had decided to push from the start and try to make a break as high up the order as I could. I got a good start and stayed with the pack ahead. Into turn 3 and the bike in front went down, taking another with him. Not good for them ( they were ok ) but a helping hand for me. The pack in front had got away on the first couple of laps but as the race progressed I managed to reel in a CBR600 and Gyles on his Guzzi. It was great racing and very close between the three of us. I spent several laps trying to find a way past the two guys. The CBR didn't seem too much of a problem but the Guzzi is so fast down the straight that there was going to be a real challenge getting along side. Going into turn 2 with just a couple of laps to go and I hit a gearbox full of neutrals and lost the guys ahead. There was no chance to recover, so I decided to play it safe and cruise to the flag.


It was the most enjoyable race of the weekend for me and a best finish of 7th. This has raised me to 12th in the championship. I had been just 1.2 seconds off the guys at the front during this race and felt I could have gone a little faster too. Very encouraging as I felt I had not gone as fast as I could have all weekend in the dry. Even though Phil Read had helped me cut nearly a second off my time, I came away feeling as if I could have done more.
I feel as if I have to give it 110% at the next round at my favourite circuit, Cadwell park. Although I'm told it will be my 2nd favourite once we have been to Oulton park.

It was a great weekend. Great to be back. Now we have 3 race weekends in the space of 4 weeks!

I got some good footage on my on-bike camera and since this circuit is not owned by MSV, I will be able to upload it onto the internet. I hope to be able to so soon. Please bear with me as I have to first convert the files to a compatible format ( gulp!) and find time to do so. Then I will have to edit it to keep it within size limits (gulp!)
I can use my camera on my bike at MSV tracks but I have to sign a disclaimer stating I will not use the files on the net or anywhere else except at home. Croix is the only non MSV circuit we visit all season. It's a 25 grand fine if I disobey! (GULP!)


The atmosphere in the Thunderbikes paddock was fantastic. There were several riders experiencing problems over the weekend. Rookie Colin on his shining Blue ZXR had fuel problems all day Friday, The green ZXR of Robs was also full of woe. Andy's Ducatic was giving him electric trouble and he spent all Saturday evening rewiring the whole bike. Gary let him ride his spare bike in race 1 Sunday before the Duke was fit for race 2. There were all kinds of borrowings and lending going on. It was fantastic to see everyone helping everyone. True friendly spirit going on. I was helped by several people to get to the bottom of my electrical gremlins and everyone was distraught with Phil's catastrophic engine failure. I think it's amazing how everyone was. It makes it an even more wholesome experience to racing in this class. I just wish normal life could be like this. It would be much more of a pleasant way of life if it were.

All Thunderbikers should give themselves a big round of applause!

drought

The Brands hatch GP round of the BSB ( British superbike ) was hit by snow and abandoned. That was back in March I believe. The race has been re-scheduled to the 10th of May, which was when we were due to race on the circuit. Since all the people that moved into houses next to the track,(a race track that has been where it is, since way before the house owners were probably even born) have given the circuit owners so much grief that events using the bigger Grand Prix circuit, are only allowed to run a limited amount of times per year.So the result is the BSB boys get our slot and we miss the whole event.

Brands Hatch back in March

There is a bit of a bonus in that our scheduled race at the Indy circuit, the last race of the season, will now be run on the GP circuit.

So there is a big break between Snetterton and the next race which is in France on the Croix En Ternois circuit, about an hour south of Calais.
I have never been there before, So I think Friday practice will be a necessary.I don't fancy 5 minutes practice before racing on an unknown track.
I have found some good on-board camera footage on youtube. It's a small circuit with lap times about the same as the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. It looks like it will be a fun little place and interesting to see how I can do from the back of the grid on the first race.

I plan some changes to the way the bike steers and handles between now and then. With some fast changes in direction needed, this is going to be an important thing to get right. The bike is a bit sluggish in this area, and I have yet to experience the effects of the changes we have planned.
Luckily I have some excellent guys on hand to draw advice from. I really want to get this right and carry on improving. There's no time to be standing still.

Return to Snetterton

The super fast Snetterton was round 2 for Thunderbikes and I was looking forward to testing out my new front end and fully unleashing the power of the new improved motor.
So an early start to get to the circuit for friday practice to allow us to finish building Phils new FZ along the way. As it turned out, we would still be working on it on race day and unfortunately, Phil missed the 1st race while he battled on making the catch tray legal.After next to no sleep for weeks, phil made it out for race 2. It was clear straight away that it needs work on the suspension and chassis.


Friday practice went well. Session 1 and it was clear to me that the front was way too hard. I made good progress that morning, running in 4 sessions with each getting the front nearer to the mark.
Rain and some snow stopped play for the afternoon and although it would have been an advantage to get some running on a wet track in case of rain during racing, I decided there was no benefit to getting the bike set up and I didn't want to wander from the route I was on, thinking about wet riding.Plus the added risk of a crash and the sleep and energy factor.
Jeremy Hill came to lend a welcome hand and cast an eye over what I had been doing and I was glad to find I wasn't far from the mark and heading in the right direction.
I had lost a front sprocket in one session. This happened last year. Food for thought and investigation.

A new big gun and an old.......pistols at dawn?

It was great to see my pit buddy Gyles and his new MGS01 Moto Guzzi out for the weekend. What an awesome looking bike! I was sure he was going to do well over the weekend on the monstrous black beast.

I felt properly prepared for the racing and was secretly upbeat about the prospects of some good results.I had been keeping or passing guys I had not been able to get near at Brands a month ago. Looking at the times from last year in the heat of summer, my new pb was a second faster. The track and air temps were low and things should generally be faster in the heat of the summer.

After an 11th place last time out at Brands, I was pleasantly surprised to find my self gridded 10th for race 1. This time out, I got a good start and was into turn 1 in a decent position.
The bike felt so much better than last year and instead of braking at the 300 metre mark at the end of Revetts straight, I was able to brake at about 150. It was much more stable under brakes and into and through the turns. Exactly what I had been hoping for. A massive improvement and it showed in the results. A new personal best lap time and my highest finish so far of 7th.
Now to go faster!

Corums Curve

A couple of small adjustments to suspension in an attempt to cure a slight chewing of the right hand side of the rear and I was really up for it.

For race 2 I took the finish position from the last race to the grid and was starting 7th and this time finished the race one better with a 6th. I was ecstatic at the results of the day and very much looking forward to doing better in race 3 and 4 the next day.

Saturday evening and we had double cause to celebrate and I allowed myself a beer or two. Gyles had gone from 17th on the grid to an amazing 4th place in race 1 and to top it all, as I was riding back to the paddock I caught a slow Gyles, grabbing his elbow and gesticulating the question " where did you come? ". He simply rose one finger. I quickly forgot my 6th place and screamed in my lid all the way back to the paddock. I could see it was going to be a while before it sank in to his head that he had actually won. Pure delight to see a guy that has become a real good friend, win. Well done you northern git! hehehehe...... That Guzzi is something else! not forgetting some tallent to get it to P1.

After another freezing sleepless night in hotel transit, the weather was looking better than the showery day we had before, although we had escaped the rain. I was really hoping we would again.
I finally clicked riding in the rain at the last round and was actually sad to see the chequered flag but it is a pain in the arse. Changing tyres, getting wet, and all the other mess it causes in our paddock camp so really I'd rather it was dry, and I was not to be let down by the weather today.

sisters?

Day 2 and a good looking day weather wise.
Thunderbikes were to be the first race of the day at 9 o'clock, meaning an early rise and after another cold, restless night, I was wishing we were last race.

Race 1 and a 6th place grid slot. I was hoping to get a strong start. It would be interesting to find out how the big guns ahead of me would get away. If I could do well here, I figured they would help pull me along and away from the guys behind.
It worked well for a while at least. I got a good start and went into the first turn in 3rd place. the two infront were gone out of turn 2 like rockets leaving me behind and as I blasted down the straight, I had pulled Phil Read with me. He got me going into Russles Chicane at the end of the lap.He went in a little hot so I attempted to square the exit of the corner to get on the gas early and get behind him. It was too much gas, too soon on tyres that were not quite hot yet. The rear came round, gripped and sent the front of the bike into a tank slapper that threw me onto my head.... bollocks! According to a spectator, there was no-one behind me.






































The bike was reasonably ok and with some hurried repairs and help from quite a few people ( you know who you are. Thanks guys), I was out for race 4 and starting from the back of the grid.
Race 4 and we were held in the collecting area for about 15 minutes while the officials decided wether to call a wet race as rain loomed. By the time the grid was formed, with the vast majority of the guys on slicks, tyres were stone cold. I decided caution was best employed for the first couple of laps especially as I was planning a blast through the pack. I wanted to get a decent result to ensure a good grid position for the next race at the next round.
Things went well and with a retiring Ducati helping me get clear of 7th and 8th place, I found myself chasing 6th place Tony Rand. I was catching him too but probably not fast enough to take the 6th from him. With 2 laps to go, entering the right/left of the chicane, I felt my foot slip from the peg and a split second later I slid out of the race.
A loosened crank end cover has sprayed the left hand side of the bike and tyre with oil.
Minimal damage to the bike and none to rider was a bonus to a disastrous day.

Mean while Gyles had a 2nd place finish and topped off in race 4 with another win and a new lap record, which was truly amazing given the colder conditions. Only the top 4 riders getting lap times in the 1:15s, they really were fast.

I was very happy with progress this weekend. Despite the crashes, a big jump in progress has been made and a lot of positives are taken from the whole weekend, even including the crashes. They have been a good lesson.

Let battle commence !

After a night in the van outside Steve's workshop, and plenty of tea to fight off the gloomy morning, Myself and Steve soon had the motor in the frame. Steve concentrated on the new "g-string" wiring loom and I worked on the rest. No repeat of last time we did this in '07 when we had loads of trouble getting the thing to run properly, she fired up easily and ran as sweet as a nut!
I think we spent more time talking than working and I left Steve late afternoon and headed for Brands.








For the bin!


With just myself in the van, there was a lot less setting up to do and I had soon settled down for the night at the bottom of the paddock, hooked up to power, heater on, I slept like a log!
With a wet sky the next morning, the first job was a quick switch to wets, a good check over the bike for any last minute issues before venturing out on a wet track. The first time I had ridden a bike since the last visit here back in September and with the promise of a lighter, more powerful bike, I gingerly ventured out for session 1. I built the speed slowly but could straight away feel the benefit of the winter improvements.

In the top 10.... if only for a short time!

After finishing the session with the bike coming to a halt at the bottom of the hill at Graham Hill bend, it soon became clear the problem was a weak battery which limited the amount of sessions between charges. Three sessions was the limit for the day with the last one being cancelled. The last two were a dry affair and gave me a chance to test the new found speed to it's full. The result being much better drive out of the corners but with no new front end yet, stopping and getting into the turns was still a problem.

It was the same story as last year; get a good start but then go backwards under braking.
In one race a good start was rewarded with 8th place on lap 1 from a 14th spot on the grid.
One race was ruined by a loose rear wheel nut, which could have been a real disaster and was a big lesson! The weekend saw me finish 14th twice, one 13th place and a final wet race position of 11th, which I was really pleased with as I began to get my head around how far the bike can really be pushed in the wet.

I was beginning to enjoy the challenge of a wet track.

A wet race on day 1 was a complete mess with the rain destroying the running of the motor. I suspect that the water is getting in through the intake and the bare intake stacks need encasing inside an empty airbox. I finished in the points in this race to my great surprise.

I've decided not to go into detailed race reporting, taken on advice. It is very time consuming for a start and I'm not sure it's really that interesting. Let me know if you disagree!
If anything particularly interesting or amazing happens though, I will be sure to include it.

So in conclusion, the bike is better, but still needs work. We have lost around 10 to 12 kg out of the motor, wiring, ditching the starter, generator and associated internals, freeing up the crank and increasing drive but with no detectable bhp increase.

Steve has breathed his magic on the bike over the winter. It was a real pleasure to have him around in the paddock. The voice of experience is invaluable and very much appreciated.

Further mods which should be in place for the next meeting include; A different exhaust pipe which should increase power by around 7bhp, including some carb adjustments to suit.
Extra weight loss coming from the new front end, probably about 2 or 3 kg here and the added bonus of a better handling bike and greatly improved braking ability.

We have replaced the standard FZ radiator for a much bigger YZF item, since Brands, which has been modified to fit and should greatly improve cooling. My new temp gauge has arrived and new hosing.

All this messing will make the bike very close to the power to weight limit and very possibly over. If this is the case we will have to add some weight but the advantage here being it can be placed in an area of choice which will affect the weight distribution. where exactly and to what effect is something I will have to learn about.

I was briefly disappointed to not get into the top 10. I am confident that the developments will help make this goal a reality for the rest of the season. There are some very tough racers to contend with this year which will make it even more of a challenge. I look forward to it though and I will do my best.

I will soon be writing about some of the other stuff that was going on in the paddock over the weekend. I met a few new faces and was pleasantly surprised to find I would be sharing the track with a very special FZ from days gone by.

The next meeting at the Snetterton circuit will be interesting. In theory the FZ should go well there as she is fast out of corners and has a good top speed along the fast straights. A much improved bike will be a help.

Gyles and his new MGS01 Moto Guzzi will be making it's, and his, first outing of the season.
I am looking forward to seeing them both!

Club racer documentary

Last season, a young chap, by the name of James, sporting a big camera came up to me in the paddock and asked if he could interview me for a film he was making as his student assignment project.

I saw him again this weekend while at Brands. He told me of his test reel that he has posted on his blog site.

here's the link: www.tee2.tk/blog/2007/10/16/club-racer-documentary-test-reel-1/


I think it has a great feel to it and gets across how it feels to be part of the paddock and racing in the club environment.
It takes quite a while to stream through my 3gig connection but please be patient, it's well worth the wait if you ask me!
There are two quick clips of Thunderbikes around the middle of the film, the first is going into the left hander, Graham Hill bend and the second is into the awesome Paddock Hill bend. I can spot myself in both!

James has told me that there will be some more footage posted soon, maybe later this week, so you can either keep an eye on his site or check back here as I will let you know when he posts anything.


I will be updating my blog soon with words and pictures from the adventures of the first meeting of the season from Brands. It was a mixed weekend, I made new friends ( I hope), and it was good fun, but with some hard and valuable lessons along the way. Hard physically and mentally all along but well worth it and great to be on the newly re-worked bike!

Cutting it fine!

It's going to be a close one!

I will be travelling to Essex on Wednesday evening ready for an early start on Thursday.
We have decided to fit the engine at Steve Spencer's workshop. It saves an extra journey for a start, gives Steve more time to get the motor prepared, as well as other items such as the wiring loom, cooling system and so on and it's not too far from Brands Hatch, which means, hopefully, I can get to brands in daylight and get set up at the circuit in good time. That's the plan anyway. We couldn't cut it any finer!
All last season, we ended up getting to the circuit very late at night, which I have never liked doing. I don't suppose it will be any different this year but at least there's a chance this time round!
So a nice early start on Friday for the practice day.

I am crossing everything in the hope of good weather for the weekend.
Please,no rain!

0.000015 minutes of fame.....

I was pointed at this FZ tribute video on Youtube. It made me smile......

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OOmwtps1CdQ&feature=related