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Mudflaps
15th August 2010, 20:33
We didn't make to the track day this round, so drove up early on Sat morning. Nothing like an early morning road trip, good coffee on the way (I recommend the coffee cart on the right side of the road in Otaki!) and good yarns. We came well prepared this round and had a sweet set up including a table, coffe plunger, jug and toastie pie machine...all on a nice blue table cloth!! Next round, a vase with flowers. :yes:

Qualifying was a strange one again. It never seems to be consistent. This round we got 3 laps, one of those under a yellow flag? So no passing first lap, and used the second lap to get some clear track or at least be in less traffic. Third lap I started to go a bit harder. I did have a small rear wheel slip exiting Higgens, but apart from that traction was ok. Was happy with that lap, and thought I'd push a bit harder again on lap four, but got a checkered flag instead. Damn. I thought the lap was clean but not very quick. As it happened, I qualified 2nd!! I wasn't sure how, but was super stoked!! I think it helped that I was a bit calmer (head wise). Now to make good of the front row, and not play silly games like jump starting the lights, or another favourite one of mine, bog second gear.:blink: :yes:

Gridded up and felt good. Was focused on leaving AFTER the lights, which went well. Was 4th or 5th to turn one and was enjoying the lack of bikes around. Passed Daniel M which surprised me, just to have him pass me back on the front straight. I managed to out brake him though into turn one and stayed in front of him. Then came a great battle with Joel Dykstra. A battle that lasted all 3 of the final laps. I lost count how many times we changed leading each other!! Was really exciting and I couldn't help thinking to myself that this was one of THOSE race battles that could go either way. I was having to push hard to pass Joel back at times, including inside him OVER the patch/bump on the long left hander on the back track. Real grit your teeth stuff at times...AWESOME!! Managed to just stay in front of him at the end and finished in second. Woo Hoo!!:wari: My first finish in the top three!! Loved the battle Joel and I had, and to come in 2nd...wow.

Race two warm up lap had a shower of rain in it, which I thought would slow things down a bit, but no one told Sam, Joel or Daniel that. The first lap felt fast and had to work hard not to lose places early on. After the first lap I was in 3rd behind Daniel, with Sam Croft already pulling out and making a nice lead for himself. I was trying to hunt down Daniel, and was tucked behind him comong down the straight to Higgins. I out braked him on the inside, and felt good with my line, but a quarter of the way round lost the front!! Hit the ground pretty hard with my right knee and went for a bit of a slide!! Not sure how Daniel didn't run over the top of me actually. Nice work Daniel. Stopped sliding and looked up to see 3 bikes coming straight for me. Pretty sure (in my mind anyway:innocent:) that I was the fastest man on the planet and ran to the side of the track. :shutup:The bike had slide off the track into the gravel which was good.

I walked around for a while trying not to let my knee seize up. Had a look at the bike and while there was some damage, it was no where as bad as I thought it was going to be. It's amazing how many things I thought about while sliding along the track...keep your helmet off the track, how I was a dick for dropping the bike, losing points for the championships, blowing the chance to finish the round in the top 3, telling Chrissie and Craig about how I just dropped their bike (and for the record, they were both AMAZING, which I prob shouldn't be surprised about eh), what my boss was going to say on Monday, what my wife was going to say (who was also awesome about it). All of that in about three seconds. Ha ha.

Went with the Ambo people and got checked out. They were alll great and very thorough. Went and got x rays which all checked out fine, and made sure I got my clearance cert from the doc to get my track license back. Drove home with our team and shared a few beers and had some dinner.

So out of this day I have learnt that I'm surrounded by great people, which I kinda already knew, about having to push hard all the time and that keeping a calm head is a great thing to try and do. Oh, and that it feels great to finish second!!:yes:

A big thanks to Craig and Chrissie for being awesome through out the day, and to Sue Futter for checking in on me. Her smile is def contagious. To the ambo staff and the pick up crew that bought my bike back in.

So once the swelling in my knee goes down (it's fatter than my thigh at this point) I'll get out an give the bike a clean and help Craig fix it up again. Then...bring on a two day round next month!! AWESOME

Clivoris
15th August 2010, 21:44
Great write up and you sure do have some good supports. You were one of the many coming through the race office with huge grins. Glad you're mostly ok.

Duke girl
16th August 2010, 08:41
Dave l felt so gutted for you when l was coming into Higgins and saw the Marshall pushing your bike over to the wall. It wasnt until l came around again that l saw you standing beside the bike checking it over.
Glad to find out when seeing you in the ambulance room that other than a very red and swollen knee that you were ok.
You are doing Awesome out there and lm sure you will continue to do so for the remaining 2 rounds so Goodluck to you for them.
See you at Round 5 next month and heal up fast ok?.

J_Buell
16th August 2010, 09:12
Hae glad to hear your ok. Thanks heaps for the battle in the first race that was awesome.
Pity you droped it cause i was looking forward to a repeat of Race 1, hope your there for the next round

rachprice
16th August 2010, 16:41
oh darling!

we can be cripple together!

you rode AMAZINGLY!!!!!!

Bert
16th August 2010, 17:57
Another great write-up Dave.
Real gutted I couldn't make it out there..

Well done on race one, I can only imagine that you buzzing about that result!!

Bugger about the spill; Higgins mid corner "back hole" strikes again :innocent:; glad to hear that you haven't done to much damage to the bike for sponsors to fix up...

Good luck on the healing mate, two words: arnica cream...
believe me it works, you can buy a triple trauma pack from those hippy health shops.

Her_C4
17th August 2010, 22:48
Great write up Dave, and 'yeeeehaaaa' on the results of the first race, that was neat to watch :yes: you should that again I think.... :sunny:

The bike is looking a bit sorry for itself, but not as bad as your poor ole knee:gob:!! Hope that swelling goes down real quick !

Don't worry if you are not fit enough to ride round 5 - you can watch from the sidelines with me and we will send Craig out for a go :shutup: :shit:

Mudflaps
18th August 2010, 16:25
Thanks Chrissie, and to everyone that wished me a speedy recovery!

Coming second was a real buzz!! Felt so good to finally place after being on the front row a couple of times and never doing better than 5th. (high expectations maybe). Definitely something I would like to replicate!! :yes:

Leg is slowly getting better. Just swelling to contend with now. Got some EPIC bruising coming through on the backs of my legs. Pretty cool really!!

Rumors are around that there will be a few south islanders coning nex round!! That''ll be great too. Looking forward to it:Punk:

Kendog
18th August 2010, 18:50
Great read.
Shame about race 2, but that first race sounded like a real blast.

Hopefully you are better for round 5 of buckets as well.

Mudflaps
18th August 2010, 19:51
Great read.
Shame about race 2, but that first race sounded like a real blast.

Hopefully you are better for round 5 of buckets as well.

I just realised that we fly in from Sydney at lunch time on the Sunday, so I'm not going to make it:bye: Which is going to change things on the table, and make an almost impossible task to catch you in points. I am shaking my fist at you as I type this!!

Kendog
18th August 2010, 21:19
I just realised that we fly in from Sydney at lunch time on the Sunday, so I'm not going to make it:bye: Which is going to change things on the table, and make an almost impossible task to catch you in points. I am shaking my fist at you as I type this!!

That's a shame :wari:

You will just have to go for the moral victory by trying to beat me in the last round.