Marknz
11th October 2010, 20:31
So in the best interests of my fellow competitors :yes:, I arrived at Manfeild for the Friday test day still with Pirelli wets on from the cancelled Round 5. I’m sure you all appreciated getting a full day of dry testing in. Meanwhile, I removed the rims from #67 and dragged myself and some Continental Race Attack tyres down to the good folk at Worsley Suzuki in Feilding who changed tyres for me in very little time.
The remainder of the day was spent just trying things out, making sure I was comfortable on the bike and cutting laps to make sure all the cobwebs were out of the system. I also got brave at one-stage and noted that the foot-pegs on the 07 GSX-R600 were adjustable. I figured if I raised them and took them back one setting, it might have a positive outcome. Hey, a change is as good as a holiday right? As it turns out, it provides an easier riding position and has also stopped me missing a gear change from 3rd to 4th that seemed to have crept into my race pattern.
So Saturday dawns not too bad, and we head out for our 10min qualifying session in dry conditions. I managed a best of 1:27.481 which was still about a second off my PB from late last season on the short circuit. I’ve been quite disappointed with my times this season as I really wanting to see some progression with a view to moving up a class for next year. But hey, Hampton Downs wasn’t built in a day.
By the time Race 1 comes around the rain has been on and off like you know what, and I decide to stick with the dry tyres because well, quite frankly, I couldn’t be bothered any more. The out lap was interesting to say the least, and there was so much shite on the track now that I didn’t know if I was spinning and sliding due to oil, to fuel, or simply because it was a wet surface. I think I only managed two race laps before I completely lost my sense of humour and came in for lunch, leaving the other boys and girls on their 1000cc+ bikes and good tyres to play in the rain.
Race 2 was much more fun. The wind had picked up and the track had dried a little more, so the outlap was a lot more positive. From my 15th place on the grid, there were a couple of near misses in front of me as the lights went out and a couple of the bigger bikes on the 1st and 2nd rows either bogged down or stalled. I may have been 6th or 7th through turn one, and tried hard to stay with some of the bigger machinery and better riders around me. I followed Richard on his RS250, and Malcolm on the 749R through to Higgins and passed them both coming down to Dunlop. I felt like I was going reasonably well and then after a couple of laps Rob on the HP2 Sport and Laurie on the KTM passed me either into or out of T1, and I tried to stick with them through the infield until they just blew me away with horsepower down the straight to Higgins. I then spent the rest of what seemed a very short race trying to catch Mark on his 675, but to no avail. 11th in the last race of the season, and I was really happy to have just finished the season in one piece really.
Then the time sheets came out… a 1.24.946 on lap 3 of race 2 was a new PB for me on the short circuit. I’m absolutely wrapped with this as this time last year I was struggling to get out of the 1.30’s, and have spent pretty much all of this season being frustrated as hell at not getting lower than my previous PB of 1.26.591.
Big thanks to Clive and all of his crew at VMCC for the Winter Series. You can’t do anything about the weather, but you all do your best to provide great meetings for us selfish riders. To my right hand man Grant who is always there to take the bike off my lardy arse when I’ve finished on the track, to my lovely wife Janice who supports me through this adventure , and to all the other supporters behind all of us that make the race days safe, enjoyable and friendly, Thank You!
Roll on 2011!
The remainder of the day was spent just trying things out, making sure I was comfortable on the bike and cutting laps to make sure all the cobwebs were out of the system. I also got brave at one-stage and noted that the foot-pegs on the 07 GSX-R600 were adjustable. I figured if I raised them and took them back one setting, it might have a positive outcome. Hey, a change is as good as a holiday right? As it turns out, it provides an easier riding position and has also stopped me missing a gear change from 3rd to 4th that seemed to have crept into my race pattern.
So Saturday dawns not too bad, and we head out for our 10min qualifying session in dry conditions. I managed a best of 1:27.481 which was still about a second off my PB from late last season on the short circuit. I’ve been quite disappointed with my times this season as I really wanting to see some progression with a view to moving up a class for next year. But hey, Hampton Downs wasn’t built in a day.
By the time Race 1 comes around the rain has been on and off like you know what, and I decide to stick with the dry tyres because well, quite frankly, I couldn’t be bothered any more. The out lap was interesting to say the least, and there was so much shite on the track now that I didn’t know if I was spinning and sliding due to oil, to fuel, or simply because it was a wet surface. I think I only managed two race laps before I completely lost my sense of humour and came in for lunch, leaving the other boys and girls on their 1000cc+ bikes and good tyres to play in the rain.
Race 2 was much more fun. The wind had picked up and the track had dried a little more, so the outlap was a lot more positive. From my 15th place on the grid, there were a couple of near misses in front of me as the lights went out and a couple of the bigger bikes on the 1st and 2nd rows either bogged down or stalled. I may have been 6th or 7th through turn one, and tried hard to stay with some of the bigger machinery and better riders around me. I followed Richard on his RS250, and Malcolm on the 749R through to Higgins and passed them both coming down to Dunlop. I felt like I was going reasonably well and then after a couple of laps Rob on the HP2 Sport and Laurie on the KTM passed me either into or out of T1, and I tried to stick with them through the infield until they just blew me away with horsepower down the straight to Higgins. I then spent the rest of what seemed a very short race trying to catch Mark on his 675, but to no avail. 11th in the last race of the season, and I was really happy to have just finished the season in one piece really.
Then the time sheets came out… a 1.24.946 on lap 3 of race 2 was a new PB for me on the short circuit. I’m absolutely wrapped with this as this time last year I was struggling to get out of the 1.30’s, and have spent pretty much all of this season being frustrated as hell at not getting lower than my previous PB of 1.26.591.
Big thanks to Clive and all of his crew at VMCC for the Winter Series. You can’t do anything about the weather, but you all do your best to provide great meetings for us selfish riders. To my right hand man Grant who is always there to take the bike off my lardy arse when I’ve finished on the track, to my lovely wife Janice who supports me through this adventure , and to all the other supporters behind all of us that make the race days safe, enjoyable and friendly, Thank You!
Roll on 2011!