Bit of a long one this, but was a bit eventful. My 3rd ever race weekend and I have to say my most challenging. The trackday that's not a technically a test day on the GP layout went really well. Happy with my laptimes and felt really comfortable and smooth. 2 days later and we wake up to a damp morning after a lot of rain overnight. We were second out for qualifying and you could tell people were unsure of what to do. I was confident that it would dry by then and it did. Head out for qualifying feeling great. First lap from the pits and track was dry except a few puddles offline. With such a short window I wanted to go for it early. Enter edgate, accelerate out and boom I'm bouncing over the rumble strips on my ass. Turns out I forgot that paint doesn't dry as quick . Race 1 is up in around 3 or so hours so the other race was on to fix the bike, get it scrutineered and back to get some heat in the tyres. Fortunately it was mostly cosmetic. Clip on snapped, peg ripped from threads (not snapped which would have been better), link pipe bent, exhaust hanger bent, fairings damaged etc. Luckily the schedule was running behind and we managed it!! Out for race 1 and I'm a bit tentative after my first ever crash, however starting P38 as I didn't set a time meant a fun race if nothing else. It's a bit sketchy with so much traffic, but I slowly made my way through to P9 in class, P15 overall. 23 places isn't bad. However I noticed I was down on power through the race and when we left the track noticed it was running at 115 degrees. Quickly got back to the van and noticed it was having a little wee. We missed that it had pushed a bracket through the rad. I'm now thinking the worst. Lots of effort for the next 3 hours or so and we managed to repair it, however the rad was massively bent after the crash so was hoping it would last. Day 2 and I went out for emergency practice to test the bike after the fix. Everything seemed good so was happy to go ahead for race 2. Race 2 and I started further up thankfully. Not a bad start, but settled in quick. A few crashes in this race, but no stoppages thankfully. Got stuck for several laps behind a Pre Injection bike (not in my class) which meant the pack ahead gapped me too much to catch up. Need to be more aggressive going forwards. Finished P6 in class. Race 3 and managed to get into the 15s for the first time which I was happy about considering how things were going. Again didn't really have any clear air till the last lap so couldn't progress all that much, but it put me in a reasonable spot on the grid for the last race. Race 4 started even further up the grid. Had a really good start and was fairly aggressive into Redgate as I didn't want to go backwards. Ended up behind 2 guys in my class and it was a 3 way fight, but unfortunately caught backmarkers at the worst possible time going into McCleans and then Coppice. The 2 in front managed to sneak through leaving me waiting. Lost 3 seconds on that lap alone which is massive. It was unfortunately too late in the race. Ended up P6 yet again!! All in all, I think not a bad recovery and still just remain P2 in the championship, but not the results I'm aiming for. Onwards and upwards to Croft which is a brilliant track! Oh and to top off my weekend, my gearbox decided it wanted to eat itself Monday at Snetterton whilst having a coaching day with Dean Ellison.
Tim and I went looking for you at Snetterton last week only to discover you were at Donny. Another nice write up.
Bloody hell I thought I recognised you at Snetterton on Monday but didn’t click with the bike colours and didn’t want to ask some randomer if they were someone off the internet! Shame about the gearbox mate, hope it’s an easy fix.
Unusual for a box to shit itself so soon, reckon it was from the accident ? saying that I have heard people talk about kwak gearboxes, thought that was mainly the zx10 though? Hope you get it sorted swiftly and cost effectively dude
Ah didn't see you. Still got the green machine? At Cadwell on 8th June (all being well) if you're about.
Yeah it's a bit early. Zx6r ones aren't great either and do tend to shit themselves. Still, probably done less than 2k miles and half of that track miles. Oil and filter changed regularly so not neglect. Was thinking crash damage too, but will find out in a few days. I'll update whats found. I'm hoping I'm thinking the worst and ends up being a cheap fix. If not I might have to get one of those Nova gear boxes to save any future dramas.
I did my box in a crash, which then resulted in another crash. Better safe than sorry man, keep us updated
I was chatting to you first thing in your garage moaning about the shit organisation and noise testing queue! Mines back in standard road trim now so I can use it on the road this summer, number plate the lot overtaking race bikes makes me smile! Can’t make the 8th unfortunately. A few I’ve got booked if you fancy any. 23/05 Donny 06/06 Silverstone 17/06 Oulton 28/06 Cadwell 11/07 Silverstone 15/08 Cadwell 16/08 Cadwell Then Portimao in September.
Fuck sakes ! I met you briefly last year too! Was shit organisation that day. Was in the instructors garage and they were moaning too. Might do one of the Aug Cadwells.
I know, we’re both shit! Yeah worst day for a while but got better after the first 2 sessions. I nearly ran over the bloke who crashed on the last corner second session! Yeah let me know if you do, or if you book anymore, I want a tow from you!
So another round has just gone by so here goes.... ....Round 4, an extremely windy Croft (34km/h on Sat)! Back on the up! Friday test day is quite a short day with only 5 sessions, but went well. Got fairly up to speed with it by the third session, just a lot of traffic to deal with. Saturday Qualifying and Race 1 – Now this really is a track where your start position matters more than most as T1 is mega tight and T2 (Hawthorn) only really has one line if everyone gets it right. Plus you want to avoid those that might not quite make the corner. I have a pic from the crash there in our race, but it won't let me upload it. Qualifying went okay, started P11 overall and P5 in class which I was okay with. Race 1, got a terrible start as a rider put their hand up, I thought they were going to abandon it so relaxed and then it started anyway. This happened to be a bit of a blessing as 3 riders went off at T1 right in front of me, a few more bike lengths and I would have been one of them. The pack in front pushed on and I didn’t have the pace to catch back up, finished P6 in class and a lap time I wasn’t too happy with. Something was just a bit off and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Sunday, 3 races pretty much an hour apart due to noise restrictions. Race 2 – Something clicked overnight, probably a mental thing and I dropped 2 seconds a lap from nowhere. Didn’t really change all that much, just a bit more determined I think. Unfortunately I had to take avoiding action at the Jim Clarke Esses and took a short detour which dropped me back a few spots and ended up P6 in class. Race 3 – A much better race overall due to a little bit of luck. Initial start was poor and lost a few places again (I am too soft), but the race was stopped quite shortly after due to a cash and some barrier damage. 2 warm up laps and we restarted with just 5 laps. Much better start, got right up their with the front pack to start with, but dropped off slightly after me and another rider stuck behind another rider in a different class. Unfortunately, the guy in front missed a gear going into Tower and I managed to nab 3rd, best result since Snetterton. Race 4 – Best race so far and really felt I had made some significant strides and I also dipped below 1:30 which was a secondary goal of the weekend (1:29.5 best and an ideal time of 1:29 pretty much on the nose). Great start, and right up there for the first few laps. They did sneak away slowly so still some work to do, but not a huge amount like before. Had a great race with same chap from Race 3 again though who was on my tail the whole race battling for 2nd. Unfortunately I pretty much gave the position away in the last lap as I dropped nearly 2 seconds a lap after a small slide just put me off enough to drop back and he was right there to take advantage. Loved it though, that’s why I wanted to race, to battle on track, not just ride around. Onto Anglesey. Never been before so looking forward to something new. View attachment DF6.jpg
Been a few rounds since my last update. Anglesey Anglesey was a bit rough as I didn't really get on with the track and couldn't seem to enjoy it so was a bit moody after I'll keep this one fairly short ish. 6th, 6th 5th and 6th. Not a great weekend results wise, just didn't gel with the track and couldn't seem to find any grip which meant I lost confidence in the rear and that showed in my lap times. Still learning a lot about set up and tyres so next time, I think I'll do a bit more trial and error stuff to try and find the grip. Lovely place though, couldn't really pick a better spot for a track. Just more phone signal and more grip needed Best time 1:15.0 Ideal time 1:14.6 Brands Indy Sat, GP Sunday First time at Brands and definitely hope to do it again next year. GP especially!! I'll skip qualifying to keep this shortER Saturday I did the sprints and taster endurance. Unlike most weekends where there is one sprint and endurance, this was 2 races then endurance so quite busy. Race 1 P5. Good race sat on the back of a 765 streetbike and a Newcomer 600 competitor till the bitter end with less than half a second gap. Good view of the hand signals from Sam to Mike over the line (the bird) . Race 2 P5 again!! Fairly uneventful race really, but pace was good and had the lap time counted for the grid positions in race 3, I would have been P2 on the grid in class Endurance. Have to say, this was a surprising highlight. My team mate started the race and what a start he got. 25 mins later it was my go. We were P2 in Club 600 with quite a margin too! Far better than expected. Getting ready for my stint in the pitlane and I get a tap on the shoulder. my team mate had unfortunately crashed out. Fortunately the transponder made it back and I went out for the last 6-7 laps. Ended up P6. Great effort I think by both of us. And as much as it's a shame, I had quite the buzz for a while! Sunday, Race 3 on GP. Great race. P5. Stuck to the front end early for a change and although I couldn't quite get to P3 or 4, there was only a couple of seconds between P3,4 and 5 so definitely progress. Race 4. I knew I had to be aggressive early make sure I didn't lose that leading pack and make some positions up. Not the best start and not the worst either. Within the first few laps I got myself into 3rd place in class just a few laps pulling a few corkers off if I must say so myself . Ended up P3 just 2.9 seconds from P2. One of my favourite weekends to date and probably one I learnt the most on. GP Best time 1:36.3 Ideal time 1:36.1 Indy Best time 51.0 Ideal time 51.0
CADWELL ROUND 7 UPDATE Another fantastic weekend! Solid results, PB’s smashed (including one fastest lap in class) and one of the best races I’ve had this season. Will skip qualifying (which I almost actually did due to being stuck out in the boonies) Race 1 day 1 – Not the best start, clutch still a bit on/off so need to sort that. Managed to stay with the leading group though for a few laps. Think several people were ‘out of position’ so took a while for people to get into their groove. Good battle with Badger (A competitors new nick name due to the fact that in the evening cycling round the track, he managed to hit a badger at Barn ) for most of the race, he defended extremely well and I couldn’t get past. P5 Race 2 day 2 – The struggle was real!! We were the first race of the day. Didn’t dare do warm up as I would have had maybe 10 mins max to get back, get warmers on before going out again. Mistake! This was a 10 lap race which for club racing, is actually quite a lot for Cadwell I think considering British Supersport did 14. 5 laps in and I’m blowing big time. Started to get arm pump which I hadn’t had properly since my first track day. Secured P4 after passing Badger, but relatively uneventful after that as the group ahead gapped us. Turns out half the grid were feeling the same as me, so it evened the field a bit. Progress is progress though! Race 3 day 2 – After a load of water, salt and food, I’m feeling much better. Had a really good battle early on with a chap called Sam. We have a bit of a history of crashing into each other, but fortunately, we have learn our lesson and was a nice clean race. Red flag came out with a few laps to go so the results were called there. P3 Race 4 day 2 – The race of races! You could barely get a cigarette paper between the top 3 of us in Newcomer 600 the whole race. Managing to dispatch Sam early on had me on the tail of Mike who had won the previous race. Following round for a few laps and I was planning my move at the end of park. Got a really good run out of Charlies 2 and pulled off the move! Here I am, leading the class for the first time this season. Every now and then hearing the buzz of the bike behind, I kept pushing. Few laps to the end and I could see a backmarker in the distance. All I was thinking is “please don’t catch them at Hall Bends”. Fortunately I caught them after the hairpin into Barn. Marshalls were good and blue flagged them early, but for some reason they didn’t take a racing line and didn’t really pull over either so that ruined my run onto the start finished. Having seen the footage from Sam, this didn’t really hinder me too much, but it felt like it at the time. Still leading and still hearing that buzz, I was trying to keep things tidy. However, ballsed it right up and let Mike past into Park Corner. He ran deep and I undercut him, we were side by side and like a silly boy, I let off too early to go into Chris’ curve and he managed to get by P2 by 0.299 seconds Another great weekend. Looking forward to the last round in 3 weeks for more wheel to wheel action! PB 1:37.1 Ideal 1:36.7 Good vid of race 4 from the perspective of Sam showing the battel between me and Mike for P1.
Awesome progression mate, well done. Do you think you would have continued to get faster even on the V2 or did it just not suit you?
Would have got quicker on it for sure if I did exactly the same thing (race/tracktime), fixed the auto blipper and put some decent suspension on it. Would I have progressed at the same speed? Really don't know. I wouldn't mind jumping on one now to see how it feels with a bit more experience under my belt.
