Arrived at the circuit on the friday as a friend, Paul was doing a trackday and we wanted to get there early to setup.
Raceday came the weather was really windy and raining all night, more like a monsoon.The gazebo me,Kaz and Lewis were sleeping in was getting some battering but we had it well secured to the vans.
( Courtney and her friend Chloe were in the van ).
Qualifying in wet windy condtions was going to be a challenge in it's self but i managed 9th on the grid ( out of 17) with a time of 1:17.45.
Race 1 :
I was positioned on the outside just where i would want to be,we set off on the warm up lap and i did the usual watch where people are entering the first corner infront of me , the time had come waiting for the lights to go out - boom were off i got a good start in tricky conditions ( standing water in some places on a totally wet track ) i was chasing the championship leader BEN PHILLIPS when on lap 5 he binned it entering TURN 3 at that point i knew the pace was fast enough for me as the bike was sliding here there and everywhere the front tried tucking on the same corner where BEN had fell, i managed to stay on to finish 6th with a time of 1:21.75 ( fastest guy 1:17.73 loony ).
RACE 2 :
The track had dried but still had standing puddles and damp patches,If i get away with the front guys they will tow me so off i went around the outside again but by TURN 2 i had got blocked a little , i was out of shape a few times when hitting the damp bits.
My biggest moment was when i was flat out in 6th going through the fast kink towards HILLTOP i hit a large wet patch and the bike lost grip on the front and rear, it went totally sideways ( crapped myself is an understatement - i'm still scraping my leathers out LOL).I stayed on to finish 8th with a time of 1:15.53 (fastest guy 1:12.16 - bloody hell).
END OF DAY ONE AND IT'S BEEN GOOD.(but could have been better - in my eyes).
RACEDAY 2
We had the choice of qualifying for grid positions or starting at the back of the grid if you don't want to go out ( due to the conditions not wet but not dry)NO WAY I WASN'T GOING OUT I WANTED TO BE ON THE FRONT ROW.
I went out with wets on and passed people who had opted for drys , qualifying in 5th - RESULT .
RACE 1:
Do the usual and watch where people go into TURN 1 - that sorted , sat waiting for the lights WE ARE OFF round the outside and into 3rd by TURN 2 stayed with the front 2 until about lap6 when i had a small slide that slowed me a little ( enough for some bugger to pass me on lap 7 -JUST LIKE BILL DID A YEAR AGO ) i just couldn't get passed him as i lined him up for another lap to get back passed him we went over the line with a chequered flag - BALL'S , thought i had another lap( must get a pit board).
Finished 4th with a time of 1:14.19 ( fastest guy 1:12.29 we are getting closer to their times - RESULT ).
RACE 2:
Got a good start but got blocked into TURN 2 ended up in 6th chasing for 5th i had got myself next to the guy going over the CREST but not quite enough to do a clean move, so it stayed like that til lap 5 as i tried testing braking points to nip passed but i decided to get underneath him and out drag him into TURN 7 ( corner leading into the CREST) would have worked too but the front tucked as i got near the exit of TURN 6, i turned the bike a little tighter to fire out under the guy and into T7 but lost the front OH S*** was my first thought the second being how close is the guy behind me ? as i picked the bike up he came around the corner so not too close fortunatly.( only scuffed the lower fairing and the edge of my exh.can) thank god for crash bungs.
ALL IN ALL HAD A GREAT TIME AND SET MY FASTEST LAP OF 1:14.02 before dropping it, would have been in the 1:13's easily ( fastest guy 1:11.55).SMASHED BILL'S FASTEST LAP HERE ,LOL.Still not the same at the meetings without Bill's banter.
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS , THUNDERSPORTGB AT OULTON JUNE 6th.
slowboy
