Str8 Jacket
26th July 2009, 17:15
I had been looking forward to this round as I have done the short track at Manfeild a few times now and pretty much know it off by heart!
I think I was a bit too cocky however...
I set myself 2 goals for this round:
GOAL 1 - Try to beat my best time of 1.37
GOAL 2 - Work on my track placement and cornering
So off we (myself and koba) go to the track, leaving Wellys at 5am and getting there just after 7am was awesome. We lined up with a few other cars for the gate to open and went straight to the pits to steal ourselves a space. Then off to get my obligatory race day pie for brekkie...
Koba had offered me a bit of mentoring so I walked around the first half of the track with him while he showed me lines and braking markers. I can highly reccomend a walk/cycle round the track to everybody as it looks quite different at walking pace and can really help you mind to become 'race ready'. I learnt alot about what I was doing wrong and that I was doing some things right..
QUALIFYING:
Well I got 3 laps in and then the bike lost all power so I sat at the side of the track and watch as others went faster an faster... As I am accustomed to destroying bikes I always try and keep a packet of smokes in my racing leathers just in case... Anyway I forgot to grab them and then when I got back to the pits some dickwad had stolen them. DAMMIT! Anyway I qualified last with a time of 1.47, pretty bad really!
Got back into the pits and pulled the bike apart. Koba cleaned the main jet and carb for me and we hoped for the best...
RACE 1
I got a really tragic start but thought 'fuck it' all I have to do is beat my time so I put my head down and just worked on getting my corner entry right and made sure that I was staying on the throttle as much as possible through the corners. I realised that I was not going to get past any of the guys in front of me so I relaxed, put my head down and had a blast. At one point I came out of higgins to see poor Malcolm standing on the side of the track. It threw me a bit but he was OK...
As it turned out I was not the last home although it felt like it! My best lap was a 1.39 so I was pretty bummed but glad the bike was still going!
RACE 2
The start of the race was a bummer for me. Poor old koba stalled his bike and then had to park it up and not race, I felt soo stink for him!! But wow, I have never started form the back of the grid until this round. Its awful, bikes everywhere almost hitting each other with no clear path through. All I could do was sit at the back and position myself for T1. At the exit of T1 I was in last place with Jase W in front of me. I followed him round for a lap or two and then finally got passed him and managed to keep him off. At time I could hear right there wanting to get passed me but I darent not look for fear of him passing me! Managed to finish in front of him but he made me work for it. I had alot of fun and really felt relaxed out there so I know I can do better next time.
When I got my times back at the end of the day I was truly bummed as I did a 1.41 which I know is alot slower than I can do.
I left the track feeling a little bummed as I felt sorry for Malcolm and I was bummed that although I rode 100% better and I felt way more comfortable I was slower than I have ever been. Everyone else seems to be getting better but I seem to be going backwards. I guess that I need to raise the bar for next round, grow some balls and not worry about crashing. After all I have new leathers now!!
I think I was a bit too cocky however...
I set myself 2 goals for this round:
GOAL 1 - Try to beat my best time of 1.37
GOAL 2 - Work on my track placement and cornering
So off we (myself and koba) go to the track, leaving Wellys at 5am and getting there just after 7am was awesome. We lined up with a few other cars for the gate to open and went straight to the pits to steal ourselves a space. Then off to get my obligatory race day pie for brekkie...
Koba had offered me a bit of mentoring so I walked around the first half of the track with him while he showed me lines and braking markers. I can highly reccomend a walk/cycle round the track to everybody as it looks quite different at walking pace and can really help you mind to become 'race ready'. I learnt alot about what I was doing wrong and that I was doing some things right..
QUALIFYING:
Well I got 3 laps in and then the bike lost all power so I sat at the side of the track and watch as others went faster an faster... As I am accustomed to destroying bikes I always try and keep a packet of smokes in my racing leathers just in case... Anyway I forgot to grab them and then when I got back to the pits some dickwad had stolen them. DAMMIT! Anyway I qualified last with a time of 1.47, pretty bad really!
Got back into the pits and pulled the bike apart. Koba cleaned the main jet and carb for me and we hoped for the best...
RACE 1
I got a really tragic start but thought 'fuck it' all I have to do is beat my time so I put my head down and just worked on getting my corner entry right and made sure that I was staying on the throttle as much as possible through the corners. I realised that I was not going to get past any of the guys in front of me so I relaxed, put my head down and had a blast. At one point I came out of higgins to see poor Malcolm standing on the side of the track. It threw me a bit but he was OK...
As it turned out I was not the last home although it felt like it! My best lap was a 1.39 so I was pretty bummed but glad the bike was still going!
RACE 2
The start of the race was a bummer for me. Poor old koba stalled his bike and then had to park it up and not race, I felt soo stink for him!! But wow, I have never started form the back of the grid until this round. Its awful, bikes everywhere almost hitting each other with no clear path through. All I could do was sit at the back and position myself for T1. At the exit of T1 I was in last place with Jase W in front of me. I followed him round for a lap or two and then finally got passed him and managed to keep him off. At time I could hear right there wanting to get passed me but I darent not look for fear of him passing me! Managed to finish in front of him but he made me work for it. I had alot of fun and really felt relaxed out there so I know I can do better next time.
When I got my times back at the end of the day I was truly bummed as I did a 1.41 which I know is alot slower than I can do.
I left the track feeling a little bummed as I felt sorry for Malcolm and I was bummed that although I rode 100% better and I felt way more comfortable I was slower than I have ever been. Everyone else seems to be getting better but I seem to be going backwards. I guess that I need to raise the bar for next round, grow some balls and not worry about crashing. After all I have new leathers now!!