FROSTY
4th April 2005, 01:12
Well wasn't that a fantastic days racing. :Punk:
A day of Huge highs and actually not so bad lows.
I've been getting totally shocking starts so I've been practicing like crazy every chance I got. This was my chance to find out if I had improved any.
A tie down broke on the way to the track -end result was a busted fairing blade and a fouled plug on the cylinder the bike was laying on. All fixed well before first practice started thanks to a couple of kind hearted competators donations of plugs.
The sweeper was pretty darn slippery thanks to an oil spill and I was convinced my tyres had gone off. I took it pretty easy during practice but I did seem to be on the pace.
I entered in f1/2 and F3 and post classics so it was a shit load of racing. I used F1/2 just to practice my starts with the "big boys' -doibng about 3 laps then pulling into the pits.
In the F1 race i was encouraged by actually beating 4 guys off the start into turn 1 and it taking them till the back straight to pass me :Punk:
Confidence was on a bit of a high.
The way the club runs the meeting is its actually a race from the pits to get a good grid position -I literally did a race start from the pits and got myself a front row start -shit now what.
the flag dropped and I gassed it harder than I ever have before.The front came up but I held the throttle open and it stayed 100mm off the deck and I howled away to be in the mix of the first four lead into turn one.I made a series of small mistakes that cost me time and places on the track -none of them big but every one costing me fractions of a second. .I ended up spending most of the race chasing That Guy round the track.
But hang on frosty--Last meeting he was miles ahead of ya so you may have hope yet.
Second race (post classics pre89/150 streetstocks) and I repeated my mad dash from the pits to get another front row start.
I thought -holey cow batman ya might be able to win this one.
As the flag dropped this time i put all my puny weight onto my chest to hold the front wheel down. The bike shot forward in the best start I have EVER got--wooopee. Into turn one and Im leading the race. NOONE was going to pass me this time--I was determined. -that lasted 2 full laps when I got a big (to me) front end slide exiting the left off the front straight.
That gave a guy on a honda 400 room to get past me. I gave it all I had to give but I just couldn't get close enough to pass him.I chased him for 4 full laps but had to settle for third place as the flag dropped.
I rolled into the pits totally exhausted.I felt like Id run a marathon.
Second round looked like being more of the same as I got another front row start in F3 But for some reason the red flag man instead of walking back to the front of the grid decided to waunder off at the back-I was sitting on the front row of the grid--engine off as the flag dropped --I got it started, literally slammed it into gear with my heel and ripped off having lost almost no time. -I diddnt get swamped by the crowd.and was about 6th into turn one. the only problem was I crunched the gear lever so darn hard the linkage broke 3 laps into the race--shit shit shit.
I missed the rest of that race and the following race in a right huff.Thanks to a loan from a fellow racer and AJ turbo it was all fixed in time for next round.
The bike started running funny during the warmup lap of the last f3 race -burbling off the gas till I hit 10 grand then it would clear. OHH no not again.
I still got a good start but it was steadily loosing power and not really responding as it had earlier.it got worse and worse and took till the hairpit to properly accelerate from turn one. I had the uncomfortable (for me) view of K14 zipping past me to post I believe a 47 second lap.(good onya dude :2thumbsup ) I had to contend with finishing the race -nursing the bike and accept what points I could.
Last race and because I thought the ambulance was on the track I diddnt get to the dummy grid till the other racers were out. Shit -I ended up starting second row of the grid. I got up to fith place at turn 1 behind a bunch of post classic bikesand mr honda 400.I slowly picked off 3 of the 4. Really hard work because they had so much more power down the straights so I had to get them in the corners . There was no way this time i was gonna be able to catch the honda guy so I settled to circulate as fast as I could.-Not fast enough because another guy on a zxr400 screamed past me into the right hander -ohh well third wasn't too bad I sopose.
As i pulled into the pits there was a heavy bubbling noise from the radiator and steam coming out of the motor.
at the least I've blown a head gasket--at the worst..............
Highs were 1) My starts are chalk and cheese from last time out-Im getting demon starts. racing with a bunch of other KBers--that guy C george ,k14,and motoracer. 3) a second place and a third in a race.
Lows are -mechanical failures--AGAIN and although my starts are better im still only doing best (accurate) lap times of 46's so Im only a second faster.( I have an innacurate time of 45.25 but Im not counting that one)
Silly mistakes are costing me valuable time in every race.Im sure consistant 45's are in reach if I just stop stuffing it up.
Bikes back at gp trading being stripped down and --(please god please) being fixed intime for the 10th
A day of Huge highs and actually not so bad lows.
I've been getting totally shocking starts so I've been practicing like crazy every chance I got. This was my chance to find out if I had improved any.
A tie down broke on the way to the track -end result was a busted fairing blade and a fouled plug on the cylinder the bike was laying on. All fixed well before first practice started thanks to a couple of kind hearted competators donations of plugs.
The sweeper was pretty darn slippery thanks to an oil spill and I was convinced my tyres had gone off. I took it pretty easy during practice but I did seem to be on the pace.
I entered in f1/2 and F3 and post classics so it was a shit load of racing. I used F1/2 just to practice my starts with the "big boys' -doibng about 3 laps then pulling into the pits.
In the F1 race i was encouraged by actually beating 4 guys off the start into turn 1 and it taking them till the back straight to pass me :Punk:
Confidence was on a bit of a high.
The way the club runs the meeting is its actually a race from the pits to get a good grid position -I literally did a race start from the pits and got myself a front row start -shit now what.
the flag dropped and I gassed it harder than I ever have before.The front came up but I held the throttle open and it stayed 100mm off the deck and I howled away to be in the mix of the first four lead into turn one.I made a series of small mistakes that cost me time and places on the track -none of them big but every one costing me fractions of a second. .I ended up spending most of the race chasing That Guy round the track.
But hang on frosty--Last meeting he was miles ahead of ya so you may have hope yet.
Second race (post classics pre89/150 streetstocks) and I repeated my mad dash from the pits to get another front row start.
I thought -holey cow batman ya might be able to win this one.
As the flag dropped this time i put all my puny weight onto my chest to hold the front wheel down. The bike shot forward in the best start I have EVER got--wooopee. Into turn one and Im leading the race. NOONE was going to pass me this time--I was determined. -that lasted 2 full laps when I got a big (to me) front end slide exiting the left off the front straight.
That gave a guy on a honda 400 room to get past me. I gave it all I had to give but I just couldn't get close enough to pass him.I chased him for 4 full laps but had to settle for third place as the flag dropped.
I rolled into the pits totally exhausted.I felt like Id run a marathon.
Second round looked like being more of the same as I got another front row start in F3 But for some reason the red flag man instead of walking back to the front of the grid decided to waunder off at the back-I was sitting on the front row of the grid--engine off as the flag dropped --I got it started, literally slammed it into gear with my heel and ripped off having lost almost no time. -I diddnt get swamped by the crowd.and was about 6th into turn one. the only problem was I crunched the gear lever so darn hard the linkage broke 3 laps into the race--shit shit shit.
I missed the rest of that race and the following race in a right huff.Thanks to a loan from a fellow racer and AJ turbo it was all fixed in time for next round.
The bike started running funny during the warmup lap of the last f3 race -burbling off the gas till I hit 10 grand then it would clear. OHH no not again.
I still got a good start but it was steadily loosing power and not really responding as it had earlier.it got worse and worse and took till the hairpit to properly accelerate from turn one. I had the uncomfortable (for me) view of K14 zipping past me to post I believe a 47 second lap.(good onya dude :2thumbsup ) I had to contend with finishing the race -nursing the bike and accept what points I could.
Last race and because I thought the ambulance was on the track I diddnt get to the dummy grid till the other racers were out. Shit -I ended up starting second row of the grid. I got up to fith place at turn 1 behind a bunch of post classic bikesand mr honda 400.I slowly picked off 3 of the 4. Really hard work because they had so much more power down the straights so I had to get them in the corners . There was no way this time i was gonna be able to catch the honda guy so I settled to circulate as fast as I could.-Not fast enough because another guy on a zxr400 screamed past me into the right hander -ohh well third wasn't too bad I sopose.
As i pulled into the pits there was a heavy bubbling noise from the radiator and steam coming out of the motor.
at the least I've blown a head gasket--at the worst..............
Highs were 1) My starts are chalk and cheese from last time out-Im getting demon starts. racing with a bunch of other KBers--that guy C george ,k14,and motoracer. 3) a second place and a third in a race.
Lows are -mechanical failures--AGAIN and although my starts are better im still only doing best (accurate) lap times of 46's so Im only a second faster.( I have an innacurate time of 45.25 but Im not counting that one)
Silly mistakes are costing me valuable time in every race.Im sure consistant 45's are in reach if I just stop stuffing it up.
Bikes back at gp trading being stripped down and --(please god please) being fixed intime for the 10th