Motoracer
4th April 2005, 14:29
Well, after me not getting my shit together in time, my bike still didn't have the parts that it needed, so I went to nicko's place on Saturday morning to get some parts to race the bike on Sunday. By the afternoon I had done everything and I was almost all good to go. All I had to do was change the oil. Once I drained the oil out, I put the sump plug back in and there was still some oil dripping out. Hmmmmm..... After a bit of fiddeling around with it, I found out that the sump had a crack in it, running across the seam right up to the threaded opening. I thought "Well F me, that's just bloody brilliant, isn't it!" I pretty much packed up my stuff and got me a beer and I was ready to do other stuff in the weekend and give up on the idea of racing on Sunday. After a quick text to a few guys who I was just letting know what was happening, nicko being one of them told me that he had a spare sump at his place and I could go and get it. So I finished my beer got back into "going racing" mode and quickly went to Justsomeguy's place as he had offered to be my pit crew. We went over to nicko's place and grabed the sump. After that it was a rush job of putting the sump on the bike, then the exhaust pipe, then radiator, then the fairings etc etc. By the time we left Auckland it was 12:30 AM, Sunday Morning.
On the way down, I had to try to get some sleep if I had any hopes of doing well on race day. So it was up to Justsomeguy to drive down and I did actually manage to get approximately a couple of hours of sleep in the van. We arrived into Taupo at about 4 AM and then I got a further couple of hours of sleep before wakeing up at 7 and getting ready to go on the track after breakfast.
Right, so that's all the drama even before the race! On Sunday morning we got to the track nice and early and had a great spot with power for the tire warmers. We unpacked then I signed in and paid the entry fee.
I rode my pushbike around the track to recap on all the lines and braking markers etc etc and had a good feel for things as it was a nice crisp morning with the sun just shining from angle, giving a gentle warmth to us all, with not a cloud in the sky. Some of the guys were hard at work sweeping up the sweeper (final turn) as there had been an oil spil just the day before.
Well, it was practice time! I hoped on me bike and went through the pit exit and got straight into it (all thanx to the tire warmers). Coming out of the sweeper which was still very greasy, it was really fun with the lack of grip. With the throttle on at about 60%, the back wheel was letting go little bit by bit as I drifted out towards the ripple strip but just missing it. Because of the greasy sweeper, it actually became the most fun part of the track cause you could treat even a 600 like as if it's got enough power like a thousand to slide the rear. I was messy in a few spots but not doing too bad in practice 1.
Practice two was similar, only this time I pushed it a bit harder to prepare for race 1 coming up next.
Everyone had their 2 practice runs and it was now lunch time and the track time. After having a bit of a chat with K14, he was kind enough to let me have a go on his RS125! Yeeehaar, I always wanted to see what 125 GP bike felt like so now was my chance. After riding it for a few laps, I loved it. It would take a bit of getting used to to ride it fast and hard but it was a lot of fun. The only way I can describe it is, go kart on 2 wheels. The seat is unbelivebly low and it's insane, how it can go around corners at much higher speed compaired to bigger bikes.
So lunch was now over and it was time for race 1!
Race 1: I was still getting my shit sorted, while the rest of the F1/F2 guys were doing their 1st warm up lap (again!) *sigh*... After chucking on my gear quickly I managed to get to the pit exit, only to be told I had to start from the pit area since I was late. Then at the last moment, the guy felt sorry for me so he said "hurry up fella, get to the back of the grid!". so I launched out of the pit area got around the sweeper and made it just in time to be the last one at the starting grid. The green flag was up (which I could barely see cause I was so far back!), and then it was droped. I was surrounded by quite a few 400s who were wanting a crack at F2 so after a quick "see you later", I moved up on the field down the straight with the power of my 600. To my surprise, I actually almost got into 3rd position, then I just clicked. With all the hype of trying to get a quick start to catch up, I had missed the braking marker and was shooting past people who were braking. Ooooopss! So I hauled on the brakes and got the back wheel slightly off the ground in two occasions and the front tire was squirming, wanting to tuck under, while a green kawasaki was wanting to go around the outside. I was thinking Ah fuck! I am going to lowside and take out this poor bugger as well. Luckly, I managed to keep it on 2 wheels and go around turn 1 safely but since I was a bit shaken up I lost a few positions and got down to 7th. Then I got a good feel for things and watched the guys up front going on the gas earlier than me so I did the same to try and keep up/catch up. I was stuck behind the Moto mart ducati 749 for a few laps, then I passed him by going into the sweeper which now became my favourate cause I loved going through the greasy stuff while others weren't going as hard as they would have normally gone in perfect conditions. All up, I managed to finish 6th or something in race 1 so it was a pretty good start to keep the spirits up high for the next race.
Race 2: After a lession learnt from race one, I got to the dummy grid on time and went hard in the warmup lap to start from the front row. Sure enough, that's exactly what I got to do. I didn't think much of the race start and just watched the flag and the flag holder's facial expression. When he droped the flag I knew at which instant he was going to do it, so I shot off the line as quickly as I could. Amazingly I was now on the lead! Fancy that, for the first time, I was leading the pack during a F1/F2 race. Anywhoo, that sweet feeling soon ended as I was passed by nicko and the other quick dude on the K4 after the first lap. Then I just followed them for a bit and watched my self loose ground from making a few silly mistakes. After I saw the white flag, I was pretty happy to know that I was going to get 3rd, so going around the last turn feeling pretty happy, the #50 RS125 GP bike just shoots out of nowhere and passes me. I was like "Oi you prick, I'am supposed to be 3rd!!" I tried to exit hard on the gas to chase him down to the finish line but it was too late... So I finished 4th in Race 2, which I was still happy about. My times by this stage was mid 43 seconds.
Race 3: From race 2, the feeling of being on the lead was so good that I was going hard in the warmup lap just to be up front and enjoy every second of it and think "yea this is pretty sweet!". Anyway, back to reality. I stopped at the front row and got ready as the others lined up as well. When I saw the GSX-R 1000 starting just to the left of me, I thought "Oh fuck, maybe I should have started on the inside rather than the outside because this 1000 is just going to block my line with his power and push me down the field". Oh well, it was too late to swap places so I just concentrated on the flag guy again. It was funny to see the 125cc GP bike jump the start as the flag was twitching (cause 125cc alwasy get crap starts when you have them on the same feild as the bigger bikes). The 125cc got back on the starting line and then I waited for the moment, the flag droped. As soon as he dropped the flag, I launched as quick as I could and to my surprise, I was in the lead again! I saw that the inside was clear so I just took a nice line without worrying about others. This time I tried hard, and I mean I tried hard not to get passed! I held on to the lead for 2 laps doing everything thing I could but after the 2 laps the guy on the 600 who came 2nd and 1st in the previous races passed me. I didn't want to give up the battle just cause I was passed, so I braked as late as I could and got on the gas as early as I could. By this time I was trying way too hard and going around the right hander after the hair pin, the back end completly slid out. Instantly I stood the bike up and prepared to take on the massive tank slapper! The steering head wobbled like crazy but I kept the gas on. I could clearly hear the front wheel skidding and skimming off the track as it made screeching noises. Amazingly, the bike came back under control!! (I was told later on that all the people in the stands where gobsmacked and were just wondering how bad the crash was going to be). During that time nicko was directly behind me so he would have had a great view of it all. Wondering what the fuck I was up to, nicko passed me going into the sweeper. Even I didn't know what the fuck to make out of it but I knew that I still had a shot for 3rd place so I kept the pace on. I probably didn't try as hard to get on the gas as early as possible and slide the rear but I was still trying hard to brake late and have a good line. sAsLEX and Justsomeguy said to me that right after the near (and i mean near!!) major high side moment, I clocked a 42.6s on the very next lap which was my personal best for the day (There you go for next week WT). Then as things looked good still, I mucked up shifting up after the hairpin (real stupid mistake) and probably lost about 2s cause I went into neutral then into 2nd then it fired back into neutral as I gassed it. After seeing the white flag I kept a nice clean lap but still did my best to keep the pace and managed to finish a distant 3rd at the end of it all.
On the way down, I had to try to get some sleep if I had any hopes of doing well on race day. So it was up to Justsomeguy to drive down and I did actually manage to get approximately a couple of hours of sleep in the van. We arrived into Taupo at about 4 AM and then I got a further couple of hours of sleep before wakeing up at 7 and getting ready to go on the track after breakfast.
Right, so that's all the drama even before the race! On Sunday morning we got to the track nice and early and had a great spot with power for the tire warmers. We unpacked then I signed in and paid the entry fee.
I rode my pushbike around the track to recap on all the lines and braking markers etc etc and had a good feel for things as it was a nice crisp morning with the sun just shining from angle, giving a gentle warmth to us all, with not a cloud in the sky. Some of the guys were hard at work sweeping up the sweeper (final turn) as there had been an oil spil just the day before.
Well, it was practice time! I hoped on me bike and went through the pit exit and got straight into it (all thanx to the tire warmers). Coming out of the sweeper which was still very greasy, it was really fun with the lack of grip. With the throttle on at about 60%, the back wheel was letting go little bit by bit as I drifted out towards the ripple strip but just missing it. Because of the greasy sweeper, it actually became the most fun part of the track cause you could treat even a 600 like as if it's got enough power like a thousand to slide the rear. I was messy in a few spots but not doing too bad in practice 1.
Practice two was similar, only this time I pushed it a bit harder to prepare for race 1 coming up next.
Everyone had their 2 practice runs and it was now lunch time and the track time. After having a bit of a chat with K14, he was kind enough to let me have a go on his RS125! Yeeehaar, I always wanted to see what 125 GP bike felt like so now was my chance. After riding it for a few laps, I loved it. It would take a bit of getting used to to ride it fast and hard but it was a lot of fun. The only way I can describe it is, go kart on 2 wheels. The seat is unbelivebly low and it's insane, how it can go around corners at much higher speed compaired to bigger bikes.
So lunch was now over and it was time for race 1!
Race 1: I was still getting my shit sorted, while the rest of the F1/F2 guys were doing their 1st warm up lap (again!) *sigh*... After chucking on my gear quickly I managed to get to the pit exit, only to be told I had to start from the pit area since I was late. Then at the last moment, the guy felt sorry for me so he said "hurry up fella, get to the back of the grid!". so I launched out of the pit area got around the sweeper and made it just in time to be the last one at the starting grid. The green flag was up (which I could barely see cause I was so far back!), and then it was droped. I was surrounded by quite a few 400s who were wanting a crack at F2 so after a quick "see you later", I moved up on the field down the straight with the power of my 600. To my surprise, I actually almost got into 3rd position, then I just clicked. With all the hype of trying to get a quick start to catch up, I had missed the braking marker and was shooting past people who were braking. Ooooopss! So I hauled on the brakes and got the back wheel slightly off the ground in two occasions and the front tire was squirming, wanting to tuck under, while a green kawasaki was wanting to go around the outside. I was thinking Ah fuck! I am going to lowside and take out this poor bugger as well. Luckly, I managed to keep it on 2 wheels and go around turn 1 safely but since I was a bit shaken up I lost a few positions and got down to 7th. Then I got a good feel for things and watched the guys up front going on the gas earlier than me so I did the same to try and keep up/catch up. I was stuck behind the Moto mart ducati 749 for a few laps, then I passed him by going into the sweeper which now became my favourate cause I loved going through the greasy stuff while others weren't going as hard as they would have normally gone in perfect conditions. All up, I managed to finish 6th or something in race 1 so it was a pretty good start to keep the spirits up high for the next race.
Race 2: After a lession learnt from race one, I got to the dummy grid on time and went hard in the warmup lap to start from the front row. Sure enough, that's exactly what I got to do. I didn't think much of the race start and just watched the flag and the flag holder's facial expression. When he droped the flag I knew at which instant he was going to do it, so I shot off the line as quickly as I could. Amazingly I was now on the lead! Fancy that, for the first time, I was leading the pack during a F1/F2 race. Anywhoo, that sweet feeling soon ended as I was passed by nicko and the other quick dude on the K4 after the first lap. Then I just followed them for a bit and watched my self loose ground from making a few silly mistakes. After I saw the white flag, I was pretty happy to know that I was going to get 3rd, so going around the last turn feeling pretty happy, the #50 RS125 GP bike just shoots out of nowhere and passes me. I was like "Oi you prick, I'am supposed to be 3rd!!" I tried to exit hard on the gas to chase him down to the finish line but it was too late... So I finished 4th in Race 2, which I was still happy about. My times by this stage was mid 43 seconds.
Race 3: From race 2, the feeling of being on the lead was so good that I was going hard in the warmup lap just to be up front and enjoy every second of it and think "yea this is pretty sweet!". Anyway, back to reality. I stopped at the front row and got ready as the others lined up as well. When I saw the GSX-R 1000 starting just to the left of me, I thought "Oh fuck, maybe I should have started on the inside rather than the outside because this 1000 is just going to block my line with his power and push me down the field". Oh well, it was too late to swap places so I just concentrated on the flag guy again. It was funny to see the 125cc GP bike jump the start as the flag was twitching (cause 125cc alwasy get crap starts when you have them on the same feild as the bigger bikes). The 125cc got back on the starting line and then I waited for the moment, the flag droped. As soon as he dropped the flag, I launched as quick as I could and to my surprise, I was in the lead again! I saw that the inside was clear so I just took a nice line without worrying about others. This time I tried hard, and I mean I tried hard not to get passed! I held on to the lead for 2 laps doing everything thing I could but after the 2 laps the guy on the 600 who came 2nd and 1st in the previous races passed me. I didn't want to give up the battle just cause I was passed, so I braked as late as I could and got on the gas as early as I could. By this time I was trying way too hard and going around the right hander after the hair pin, the back end completly slid out. Instantly I stood the bike up and prepared to take on the massive tank slapper! The steering head wobbled like crazy but I kept the gas on. I could clearly hear the front wheel skidding and skimming off the track as it made screeching noises. Amazingly, the bike came back under control!! (I was told later on that all the people in the stands where gobsmacked and were just wondering how bad the crash was going to be). During that time nicko was directly behind me so he would have had a great view of it all. Wondering what the fuck I was up to, nicko passed me going into the sweeper. Even I didn't know what the fuck to make out of it but I knew that I still had a shot for 3rd place so I kept the pace on. I probably didn't try as hard to get on the gas as early as possible and slide the rear but I was still trying hard to brake late and have a good line. sAsLEX and Justsomeguy said to me that right after the near (and i mean near!!) major high side moment, I clocked a 42.6s on the very next lap which was my personal best for the day (There you go for next week WT). Then as things looked good still, I mucked up shifting up after the hairpin (real stupid mistake) and probably lost about 2s cause I went into neutral then into 2nd then it fired back into neutral as I gassed it. After seeing the white flag I kept a nice clean lap but still did my best to keep the pace and managed to finish a distant 3rd at the end of it all.