Racey Rider
22nd May 2005, 17:28
Well,, It’s been a long time since I last wrote one of these.
And a longer time since my last good run at the track. Basically, I’m still a newbe when it come to track riding (Excuse #1), and it showed yesterday.
Some of you may have read about my long term hassles getting this KR150 running right. After seizing it in practice in Round 1, I’m please to say it went well all day at yesterdays
Vic club Winter series Round 2.
After the detonation caused seizer of round 1 I had to re-sand the barrel, sand down a old, heavily scratched piston, and fit it with old rings back into the motor.(Excuse #2).
Motor had 120psi compression (130+ is normal). and with a bit of a thrash up our country roads at home, I couldn’t make it detonate or seize no matter how long I held it open on 96 Octane.
Race day started with drizzle, wet track and a big oil line spread 9/10ths of the way across the first hairpin corner. “No worries! Us novices will go out first and test track condition for you all!” So I say my prayers, and out I go with the other 150 two strokes & 250cc four(/)s. I get a couple of laps in before I see the BLACK FLAG come out.
Nobody else seemed to slow down,, so I come round the s,s thinkin, ‘was that for ME?!’
Sure enough I get the finger from a official, so pull off the track, end of practice without even getting a fast lap put in. (#3). They black flagged me because of the cheap disposable rain coat I tried out was coming apart and flapping around behind me. :o
No worries! I had also entered the 150 in F3 to get extra track time, so had another track practice to come. :niceone: The track was drying when I rolled out with 40 odd F3 bikes to show Two Smoke some lines. :yes: Got another couple of laps in before I felt something tapping my boot heel. Looked down to see my side cover had come off.
Luckily I had plastic tie to hold it on in one place which kept it with the bike. I was able to pull into pit lane (allowing TS to get pasted me<_<), to get it back in place, but on returning to the track, the cover came off again in no time as I had lost a rubber grommet that holds it in place. So practice 2 was over to soon for me as well. (#4).
So on the grid in race 1 of Streetstocks (SS) because of the Black flag incident I was 10th of 11 in the class.
Green flag goes down, and I would have had a good start, except the guy next to me suddenly pulls right into my line, and I have to get off the gas for a moment to avoid hitting him. :mad: (#5). Not having a good practice showed as I wasn’t on the pace at all, but it was dry and I put in my best BT for the day of 1:36 (My PB from back in August 03
was 1:33), to finish 8th of 11.
Race 1 of F3 was also dry. I lined up at the back of a 40 strong grid, with one other 150 on the row in front of me. 40 bikes, but in my mind it was just Me & Him! He (Neil I think?) was the man to beat. I got a good launch of the line and pass some bikes down to the hair pin. Was surprised at how much later on the brakes I was than a lot of the other bikes.
WIMPS!
(O yer! that felt good saying that!)
But with their extra power they soon got me back and were gone. Neil had his cornering technique sorted well and also got passed me. I was also surprised that My sad motor KR had more top speed than his RG, which made for a interesting battle throughout the race.
For the record I beat him by .169 of a second.
EASY :cool:
Race 2 SS.
It was now light rain, and the track had got quite slippery in places. My back tyre is just an old half worn Touring (probably) thing (#6), and it let me know quite often around the track that it didn’t like what I was expecting from it. The old tyre on the front felt reasonably well planted, but the rear was sliding around in, not a dangerous manner, but one that makes a newbe feel uncomfortable. Still, I stayed upright when two others did not, and picked up 7th place.
Race 2 F3.
Still wet, so didn’t go out for this race as was sliding on my tyre and didn’t want to smash my new signwritten bike unnecessarily. (More about that later)
Race 3 SS.
I gave my Vid cam to Lynda Blair to get some footage of me riding in this race. On viewing it I have a new appreciation for the term ‘Riding like a Nanna!’ Talk about Sunday Driver! How embarrassing! it looks so Slow! So Thankyou LB for saying on the tape “how slippery it was out there”. Tho I remember getting wheel spin off the start line which was a First. Another 7th place.
Race 3 F3
But the last race of the day was my best race. A 9 lap, drying track. Halfway through the race I spotted a GSX400 Impluse ahead of me and set my sights of catching him. My tyres were warmed up and I was braking later and cornering faster than him. He had more speed on the straights, but if he made any mistakes...... Well,, there was a chance!
A few laps later and I was on him,,, Two more corners,,, and I was through!! Only to be taken again down the front straight.
Through the s,s, the hairpin, the far sweeper was My area. The straights were His,, the rest was Even! Right on his tail through the s,s, taking him on the outside at the hair pin, both nailing the gas down the Danny Hulms straight. He pulls away,,, I follow him down the straight, unable to stay in his slipstream.
Coming into Higgins sweeper I’m telling myself ‘Don’t brake yet, Don’t brake yet!’ And I out brake him into the corner. Somehow I keep infront of him down the back straight and around to get the white flag. Last lap,, and I’m in front still at the end of the front straight. Through the hairpin,, through the s,s, I get round the next hairpin and take a quick look back. The lead riders are in front of me, and there’s plenty of bikes coming about to lap me,, But I can’t see Impluse man anywhere. On the gas down and through the next sweeper,, I look again. Lots of bikes,, No Impluse man. Nailing it down the back straight I’m thinking, ‘Maybe he’s come off,, Maybe he’s amongst those bikes and I haven’t seen him’. Not wanting to take any chances, I go into the last sweeper holding the throttle half open all the way in, instead of closed as I was normally doing. ‘Keep the bike under power! Don’t slow down through here or He’ll have you if he’s there’ I was thinking. Hit the apex,, hit the power,, onto the front straight,, chequered flag in sight,, Three seconds,, two seconds,, one second,, YES!
BUT at that exact moment,, this bike barrels past me. I look up to see a @%##*%! Suzuki GSX400 IMPLUSE. :gob:
YOU DIDN’T JUST PIP ME ON THE LINE DID YOU??!!
???????????????????????????????
So I park my bike.
and doubtfully trot over to wait for the results sheets.
And the official word is:
NO! I BEAT HIM!!! 0.62 of a second.
Stick That up you GSX400 and smoke it! :banana: :wari:
So all in all, finally a good day for me.
I didn’t smash the bike in the wet.
The motor held together well.
And Me and my 150 beat a 400!
I know it was only a Suzuki, but still!
Happy days my Friend,
H A P P Y DAYS!! :niceone:
Racey.
And a longer time since my last good run at the track. Basically, I’m still a newbe when it come to track riding (Excuse #1), and it showed yesterday.
Some of you may have read about my long term hassles getting this KR150 running right. After seizing it in practice in Round 1, I’m please to say it went well all day at yesterdays
Vic club Winter series Round 2.
After the detonation caused seizer of round 1 I had to re-sand the barrel, sand down a old, heavily scratched piston, and fit it with old rings back into the motor.(Excuse #2).
Motor had 120psi compression (130+ is normal). and with a bit of a thrash up our country roads at home, I couldn’t make it detonate or seize no matter how long I held it open on 96 Octane.
Race day started with drizzle, wet track and a big oil line spread 9/10ths of the way across the first hairpin corner. “No worries! Us novices will go out first and test track condition for you all!” So I say my prayers, and out I go with the other 150 two strokes & 250cc four(/)s. I get a couple of laps in before I see the BLACK FLAG come out.
Nobody else seemed to slow down,, so I come round the s,s thinkin, ‘was that for ME?!’
Sure enough I get the finger from a official, so pull off the track, end of practice without even getting a fast lap put in. (#3). They black flagged me because of the cheap disposable rain coat I tried out was coming apart and flapping around behind me. :o
No worries! I had also entered the 150 in F3 to get extra track time, so had another track practice to come. :niceone: The track was drying when I rolled out with 40 odd F3 bikes to show Two Smoke some lines. :yes: Got another couple of laps in before I felt something tapping my boot heel. Looked down to see my side cover had come off.
Luckily I had plastic tie to hold it on in one place which kept it with the bike. I was able to pull into pit lane (allowing TS to get pasted me<_<), to get it back in place, but on returning to the track, the cover came off again in no time as I had lost a rubber grommet that holds it in place. So practice 2 was over to soon for me as well. (#4).
So on the grid in race 1 of Streetstocks (SS) because of the Black flag incident I was 10th of 11 in the class.
Green flag goes down, and I would have had a good start, except the guy next to me suddenly pulls right into my line, and I have to get off the gas for a moment to avoid hitting him. :mad: (#5). Not having a good practice showed as I wasn’t on the pace at all, but it was dry and I put in my best BT for the day of 1:36 (My PB from back in August 03
was 1:33), to finish 8th of 11.
Race 1 of F3 was also dry. I lined up at the back of a 40 strong grid, with one other 150 on the row in front of me. 40 bikes, but in my mind it was just Me & Him! He (Neil I think?) was the man to beat. I got a good launch of the line and pass some bikes down to the hair pin. Was surprised at how much later on the brakes I was than a lot of the other bikes.
WIMPS!
(O yer! that felt good saying that!)
But with their extra power they soon got me back and were gone. Neil had his cornering technique sorted well and also got passed me. I was also surprised that My sad motor KR had more top speed than his RG, which made for a interesting battle throughout the race.
For the record I beat him by .169 of a second.
EASY :cool:
Race 2 SS.
It was now light rain, and the track had got quite slippery in places. My back tyre is just an old half worn Touring (probably) thing (#6), and it let me know quite often around the track that it didn’t like what I was expecting from it. The old tyre on the front felt reasonably well planted, but the rear was sliding around in, not a dangerous manner, but one that makes a newbe feel uncomfortable. Still, I stayed upright when two others did not, and picked up 7th place.
Race 2 F3.
Still wet, so didn’t go out for this race as was sliding on my tyre and didn’t want to smash my new signwritten bike unnecessarily. (More about that later)
Race 3 SS.
I gave my Vid cam to Lynda Blair to get some footage of me riding in this race. On viewing it I have a new appreciation for the term ‘Riding like a Nanna!’ Talk about Sunday Driver! How embarrassing! it looks so Slow! So Thankyou LB for saying on the tape “how slippery it was out there”. Tho I remember getting wheel spin off the start line which was a First. Another 7th place.
Race 3 F3
But the last race of the day was my best race. A 9 lap, drying track. Halfway through the race I spotted a GSX400 Impluse ahead of me and set my sights of catching him. My tyres were warmed up and I was braking later and cornering faster than him. He had more speed on the straights, but if he made any mistakes...... Well,, there was a chance!
A few laps later and I was on him,,, Two more corners,,, and I was through!! Only to be taken again down the front straight.
Through the s,s, the hairpin, the far sweeper was My area. The straights were His,, the rest was Even! Right on his tail through the s,s, taking him on the outside at the hair pin, both nailing the gas down the Danny Hulms straight. He pulls away,,, I follow him down the straight, unable to stay in his slipstream.
Coming into Higgins sweeper I’m telling myself ‘Don’t brake yet, Don’t brake yet!’ And I out brake him into the corner. Somehow I keep infront of him down the back straight and around to get the white flag. Last lap,, and I’m in front still at the end of the front straight. Through the hairpin,, through the s,s, I get round the next hairpin and take a quick look back. The lead riders are in front of me, and there’s plenty of bikes coming about to lap me,, But I can’t see Impluse man anywhere. On the gas down and through the next sweeper,, I look again. Lots of bikes,, No Impluse man. Nailing it down the back straight I’m thinking, ‘Maybe he’s come off,, Maybe he’s amongst those bikes and I haven’t seen him’. Not wanting to take any chances, I go into the last sweeper holding the throttle half open all the way in, instead of closed as I was normally doing. ‘Keep the bike under power! Don’t slow down through here or He’ll have you if he’s there’ I was thinking. Hit the apex,, hit the power,, onto the front straight,, chequered flag in sight,, Three seconds,, two seconds,, one second,, YES!
BUT at that exact moment,, this bike barrels past me. I look up to see a @%##*%! Suzuki GSX400 IMPLUSE. :gob:
YOU DIDN’T JUST PIP ME ON THE LINE DID YOU??!!
???????????????????????????????
So I park my bike.
and doubtfully trot over to wait for the results sheets.
And the official word is:
NO! I BEAT HIM!!! 0.62 of a second.
Stick That up you GSX400 and smoke it! :banana: :wari:
So all in all, finally a good day for me.
I didn’t smash the bike in the wet.
The motor held together well.
And Me and my 150 beat a 400!
I know it was only a Suzuki, but still!
Happy days my Friend,
H A P P Y DAYS!! :niceone:
Racey.