scracha
14th June 2010, 22:43
Full report at http://honda-motorcycle.co.nz/?p=251
Friday:Arrived nice and early at damp track. Frankencane arrived a wee while later sporting sorted forks and a yellow ohlins sticker. First session.....soaking wet. Bike felt better handling but hard to tell as the brakes were just simply awful. Right hand clipon wobbly. Spent morning stripping and cleaning brake calipers. Chris Osborne fixed the right clipon. Afternoon session. Brakes slightly less crap. Track dry. Bike felt fantastic, turn in much quicker, transition smoother and more importantly, I could actually feel the back tyre misbehaving before it got out of control. Back end a bit loose under hard braking. Robert Taylor twiddled something 4 clicks. Back end sorted. Frenchy was out on his GSX600 and looking slow. I’m a happy bunny so a late night drinking with Darrin and Phil ensues. Marcus “biggles” and his girlfriend wisely wimp out at 10pm and I regret the late Chinese meal in the morning.
Saturday:
Track is soaking. @#*%socks. I’m average at Manfield full track and everyone knows I’m awful in the wet.
F2 Practice:- Track is wet. I go out on the trusty Dunlop GPR’s as figure it’s going to dry . Putted around. Just trying to get my head around the track. Chris Osborne decided to smack into my left clipon at about 180 clicks just before I tip into Dunlop. I think he likes running into the back of my bike as he’s done this before :Punk: I wobble round for a few more laps.
F1 Qualifying:- It’s raining a bit but track is just damp . Good to be following fast guys but I’ve gotta remember I’m lacking on grip. Qualify 19th (3rd last) with a 2.20 Bike obviously sliding around but it’s the tyres.
Pre89 Qualifying :- Ho hum. Full track not my bag baby so I’m going for a crashless top 5 this weekend. I qualify 2nd in the juniors with a 2.14 but it’s miles behind Ernie Cudby’s (FZR 6/4) 2.11. Still, Frenchy and the rest of the juniors are 4s or more behind me.
F1 Race 1 :- Track is dry. I have slicks but consider the temperature too low so keep with the GPR’s. Awful start, need to work on them. Lonely race but I work on my lines. I finish 17th (ok, 2nd last) and get pipped on the line by race winner Sloan Frost as he laps me. Hopefully a good photo LOL. I’m stoked with the 2.11
Pre89 Race 1 :- Full off confidence after my 2.11 in F1 I’m a happy bunny. Last race of the day. The heavens open at the 2nd call to the grid and we convince Dee Wintel (CoC) to declare it a wet meeting. We’ve got 20 minutes to change rubber. Jimmy changes the front in a jiffy. At this point Drew discovers the spare rear wheel has a spacer/sleeving mismatch and can’t be used. I have a bright idea and sprint across in full leathers to borrow Billy’s tyre groover. I’m VERY nervous as he’s never used one before but Drew sets to work and does a sterling job of modifying the rear GPR.
Decent start, Ernie Cudby leaves me for dead. I’m keeping a constant gap behind Frenchy. Red flag at lap 2. Drew takes some air out the front. Restart and Frenchy is gone. The grooved GPR isn’t actually too bad but bizarrely the front feels like a balloon (later discover it’s something to do with the 20psi!). The sun is low and the heavy rain and reflection makes the track very difficult to see. I’d by lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see Frenchy’s bike parked up on the 2nd last lap but I didn’t want to beat him like this. I push just enough to gap a ZZR600 behind me for the whole race but I’m about a minute behind the next bike by the race end. 7th overall and 2nd in my class with a 2.30. Ernie pulls a 2.13, I’m guttered.
Sunday
F1 Race 2 :- Soaking wet track, some of it with deep puddles. As I’d missed scrub-in and having never used a wet rear tyre I thought it wise to get a feel. WOW. LOTS OF GRIP. I gingerly applied more throttle coming out of corners and it didn’t let go. Came off track after 3 laps as want to get refuelled and head sorted before posties race. 2.29
Pre89 Race 2 :- Rain rain go away. This time I’ve got wets. I’m about a second behind Frenchy and stick to him for 2 laps. We get stuck behind Michael Webster’s ZXR750. After a couple of failed attempts, Frenchy loses his patience and pulls a crazy pass into the right hand hairpin. It sticks. I unfortunately keep getting passed back by the 750 on the straights and am stuck. Frenchy disappears. The ZXR750 blocks me a lap later and George Gaisford (KR250) takes the opportunity and buggers off past us both. This infuriates me but I don’t want to risk throwing the bike away for the sake of 2 measly points. Should have just cruised as about a minute ahead of the next junior bike. A best lap of 2.22 on lap 2....grrr. 9th overall and 4th in my class.
F1 Race 3 :- Decent dry line but it’ll take balls/skill to keep pushing on it. Went out to practise my start and assess the grip of the track. Diced with a repsol CBR6 and a Daytona 675. Really enjoying myself but came in after 2 laps as I didn’t want to stuff up my wet tyres like Frenchy has just done in F2. 2.26
Pre89 Race 3 :- Track dry with the odd wet patch. Wrong tyre choice I think but it’s too late now. I’m under instructions to ignore Ernie and Frenchy and just beat George Gaisford. Ernie’s on dry tyres....damn. Frenchy gets a minter of a start. I’m up Ernie’s chuff. Out of Higgins he has a huge slide and I take the opportunity to fire up the inside the fast left hander. At that moment it dawns on me that even though I’m slightly ahead of him he might not expect this so I slam on the brakes. I miss his rear by a few inches. George Gaisford pounces. I try the same manoeuvre at the next right hander and by the hairpin I think Ernie’s got the message that I want past badly so he leaves me a gap. I pull the pin, reel in George. Pass in Murray Cross (FZR1000) and reel in Frenchy who this time is the one stuck behind Michael’s ZXR750.
Lap 4 and it starts raining heavily. A proper dogfight ensues and it’s reminiscent of the previous year on the 400’s....only a lot faster. Visibility is again difficult, the track is getting slippier (or the tyres are going off), we’re going faster and faster and I’m beginning to lose my bottle. I’m passing him on the faster corners but twice I overcook it on the brakes into the right hand hairpin letting him through. Although he’s mine on the final corner, Frenchy has the upper hand braking into turn 1. Lap 6, left hander after Higgins and Frenchy has what can only be described as a HUGE MOMENT. I pounce, put the head down and pull a decent gap. He gives up...phew. I finish 2nd overall with a 2.16 and 1st in my class. 1st overall on the day...woohoo. Shame the Mairs have drunk all the beer in the pits though :shit:
Thanks to:
Dunlop Tyres – Sticky black things
Paul Martindale – For building Frankencane.
Luke, Drew & Jimmy Mair – Tyre changing, spannering, encouragement.
Graham Billington – Squaring off my naughty pointy tail section and loan of tyre groover.
Franz “Frenchy” Schuler/Nicky Smith - Taking the CBR to Crown Kiwi Technical in New Plymouth.
Chris Osborne – Fixing broken right clipon on Friday test-day.
Robert Taylor (Crown Kiwi Technical) – Fitting Emulators, springs and shoehorning my old 748r rear shock onto the CBR. Also took the CBR to track and offered continuous assistance throughout the weekend.
Friday:Arrived nice and early at damp track. Frankencane arrived a wee while later sporting sorted forks and a yellow ohlins sticker. First session.....soaking wet. Bike felt better handling but hard to tell as the brakes were just simply awful. Right hand clipon wobbly. Spent morning stripping and cleaning brake calipers. Chris Osborne fixed the right clipon. Afternoon session. Brakes slightly less crap. Track dry. Bike felt fantastic, turn in much quicker, transition smoother and more importantly, I could actually feel the back tyre misbehaving before it got out of control. Back end a bit loose under hard braking. Robert Taylor twiddled something 4 clicks. Back end sorted. Frenchy was out on his GSX600 and looking slow. I’m a happy bunny so a late night drinking with Darrin and Phil ensues. Marcus “biggles” and his girlfriend wisely wimp out at 10pm and I regret the late Chinese meal in the morning.
Saturday:
Track is soaking. @#*%socks. I’m average at Manfield full track and everyone knows I’m awful in the wet.
F2 Practice:- Track is wet. I go out on the trusty Dunlop GPR’s as figure it’s going to dry . Putted around. Just trying to get my head around the track. Chris Osborne decided to smack into my left clipon at about 180 clicks just before I tip into Dunlop. I think he likes running into the back of my bike as he’s done this before :Punk: I wobble round for a few more laps.
F1 Qualifying:- It’s raining a bit but track is just damp . Good to be following fast guys but I’ve gotta remember I’m lacking on grip. Qualify 19th (3rd last) with a 2.20 Bike obviously sliding around but it’s the tyres.
Pre89 Qualifying :- Ho hum. Full track not my bag baby so I’m going for a crashless top 5 this weekend. I qualify 2nd in the juniors with a 2.14 but it’s miles behind Ernie Cudby’s (FZR 6/4) 2.11. Still, Frenchy and the rest of the juniors are 4s or more behind me.
F1 Race 1 :- Track is dry. I have slicks but consider the temperature too low so keep with the GPR’s. Awful start, need to work on them. Lonely race but I work on my lines. I finish 17th (ok, 2nd last) and get pipped on the line by race winner Sloan Frost as he laps me. Hopefully a good photo LOL. I’m stoked with the 2.11
Pre89 Race 1 :- Full off confidence after my 2.11 in F1 I’m a happy bunny. Last race of the day. The heavens open at the 2nd call to the grid and we convince Dee Wintel (CoC) to declare it a wet meeting. We’ve got 20 minutes to change rubber. Jimmy changes the front in a jiffy. At this point Drew discovers the spare rear wheel has a spacer/sleeving mismatch and can’t be used. I have a bright idea and sprint across in full leathers to borrow Billy’s tyre groover. I’m VERY nervous as he’s never used one before but Drew sets to work and does a sterling job of modifying the rear GPR.
Decent start, Ernie Cudby leaves me for dead. I’m keeping a constant gap behind Frenchy. Red flag at lap 2. Drew takes some air out the front. Restart and Frenchy is gone. The grooved GPR isn’t actually too bad but bizarrely the front feels like a balloon (later discover it’s something to do with the 20psi!). The sun is low and the heavy rain and reflection makes the track very difficult to see. I’d by lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see Frenchy’s bike parked up on the 2nd last lap but I didn’t want to beat him like this. I push just enough to gap a ZZR600 behind me for the whole race but I’m about a minute behind the next bike by the race end. 7th overall and 2nd in my class with a 2.30. Ernie pulls a 2.13, I’m guttered.
Sunday
F1 Race 2 :- Soaking wet track, some of it with deep puddles. As I’d missed scrub-in and having never used a wet rear tyre I thought it wise to get a feel. WOW. LOTS OF GRIP. I gingerly applied more throttle coming out of corners and it didn’t let go. Came off track after 3 laps as want to get refuelled and head sorted before posties race. 2.29
Pre89 Race 2 :- Rain rain go away. This time I’ve got wets. I’m about a second behind Frenchy and stick to him for 2 laps. We get stuck behind Michael Webster’s ZXR750. After a couple of failed attempts, Frenchy loses his patience and pulls a crazy pass into the right hand hairpin. It sticks. I unfortunately keep getting passed back by the 750 on the straights and am stuck. Frenchy disappears. The ZXR750 blocks me a lap later and George Gaisford (KR250) takes the opportunity and buggers off past us both. This infuriates me but I don’t want to risk throwing the bike away for the sake of 2 measly points. Should have just cruised as about a minute ahead of the next junior bike. A best lap of 2.22 on lap 2....grrr. 9th overall and 4th in my class.
F1 Race 3 :- Decent dry line but it’ll take balls/skill to keep pushing on it. Went out to practise my start and assess the grip of the track. Diced with a repsol CBR6 and a Daytona 675. Really enjoying myself but came in after 2 laps as I didn’t want to stuff up my wet tyres like Frenchy has just done in F2. 2.26
Pre89 Race 3 :- Track dry with the odd wet patch. Wrong tyre choice I think but it’s too late now. I’m under instructions to ignore Ernie and Frenchy and just beat George Gaisford. Ernie’s on dry tyres....damn. Frenchy gets a minter of a start. I’m up Ernie’s chuff. Out of Higgins he has a huge slide and I take the opportunity to fire up the inside the fast left hander. At that moment it dawns on me that even though I’m slightly ahead of him he might not expect this so I slam on the brakes. I miss his rear by a few inches. George Gaisford pounces. I try the same manoeuvre at the next right hander and by the hairpin I think Ernie’s got the message that I want past badly so he leaves me a gap. I pull the pin, reel in George. Pass in Murray Cross (FZR1000) and reel in Frenchy who this time is the one stuck behind Michael’s ZXR750.
Lap 4 and it starts raining heavily. A proper dogfight ensues and it’s reminiscent of the previous year on the 400’s....only a lot faster. Visibility is again difficult, the track is getting slippier (or the tyres are going off), we’re going faster and faster and I’m beginning to lose my bottle. I’m passing him on the faster corners but twice I overcook it on the brakes into the right hand hairpin letting him through. Although he’s mine on the final corner, Frenchy has the upper hand braking into turn 1. Lap 6, left hander after Higgins and Frenchy has what can only be described as a HUGE MOMENT. I pounce, put the head down and pull a decent gap. He gives up...phew. I finish 2nd overall with a 2.16 and 1st in my class. 1st overall on the day...woohoo. Shame the Mairs have drunk all the beer in the pits though :shit:
Thanks to:
Dunlop Tyres – Sticky black things
Paul Martindale – For building Frankencane.
Luke, Drew & Jimmy Mair – Tyre changing, spannering, encouragement.
Graham Billington – Squaring off my naughty pointy tail section and loan of tyre groover.
Franz “Frenchy” Schuler/Nicky Smith - Taking the CBR to Crown Kiwi Technical in New Plymouth.
Chris Osborne – Fixing broken right clipon on Friday test-day.
Robert Taylor (Crown Kiwi Technical) – Fitting Emulators, springs and shoehorning my old 748r rear shock onto the CBR. Also took the CBR to track and offered continuous assistance throughout the weekend.