wharfy
1st November 2010, 11:02
Fighting for the eight-hour working day
Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day. New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to claim this right when, in 1840, the carpenter Samuel Parnell won an eight-hour day in Wellington. Labour Day was first celebrated in New Zealand on 28 October 1890, when several thousand trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main centres. Government employees were given the day off to attend the parades and many businesses closed for at least part of the day.
Getting there is half the fun !
The day after I posted my entry for Greymouth I blew the 675 up at practice. Last year I crashed at round 6 and landed on my head so couldn't race !
The entry was in, the Van was booked on the ferry, Katie and I had arranged Friday off, friends were coming from ChCh to meet us ! So I decided that the Hornet would have to come out of "race retirement" - Luckily it was still pretty much ready to go.
A change of tyres, new oil and filter -
Spent Thursday night loading the generator, compressor, tools, tyre warmers... all that "stuff" you take to a race meeting :)
We caught the 08:00 Bluebridge and had a not too bad crossing - The "big breakfast" has become a bit of a tradition for ferry crossings and a full stomach makes getting some sleep a better proposition. The drive to Nelson was punctuated with stops at a vineyard near Blenheim where Katie talked and tasted wine with the vinter, a cafe at Havlock for coffee and a pie (for me). We stayed Friday night in Nelson bludging shamelessly off Katies friends ( a plug here for Deans Nursery if your ever in Nelson and need a seedling or some flowers :) ) . I realized I had forgotten to flush the coolant from the Hornet so had to unload half the van to get it out and do that - once again imposing on our hosts.
Saturday morning - another "big breakfast" and off to Greymouth via Murcherson, it was a great trip hardly any traffic and NO cops :)
We arrived in Greymouth in plenty of time for scrutineering, which the Hornet flew through and I left it in the Army drill hall overnight. We met up with our friends from ChCh in Barrytown just north of Greymouth, the coast road hugs the hills as it winds through some of the most amazing scenery you are likely to see anywhere and the 20 minutes or so drive was well worth it. We had a great evening with some nice wine, great food and a magnificent view of the sun setting into the Tasman sea.
Race Day !
By the time we got to the track on Sunday the roads were closed and the pit area (inside the circuit) was "chokka". We found a spot almost exactly where we were in 2008 and then had to retrieve the bike from the army hall.
Setting up the pit was pretty straight forward with no ezee-up or tent, just genset for the tyre warmers and we were ready to go.
I did a bit of a wander round the pits and saw a few people I knew, quite a few more that I "knew of" (like Dan Ormsby from ChCh) and pretty soon was really enjoying the atmosphere. Geymouth is a very relaxed meeting, no lap timing, grid positions are "seeded" from previous results, so practice is just that - a chance to ride the track getting used to the layout and finding the bumps. Although the atmosphere is relaxed Greymouth take their street race pretty seriously. The road markings are sand blasted for better grip, the traffic islands on the course are "removable" and the surface is in pretty good nick.
The course is pretty much "point and squirt" with only one left hand turn (more on that latter) and a hairpin, one "chicane" just before the start/finish line and the rest are right angle intersections. The streets are pretty wide but the camber of the road makes the turns "interesting" and a couple of places even the Hornet gets some "air" :)
I had entered the 675 in BEAR's, F1 and Formula Greymouth but even the relaxed atmosphere (and Triumph leathers) probably wouldn't let me get away with riding the Hornet in BEAR's ! So F1 and FG would give me six races ( 6 laps F1 and 5 laps FG).
The practice went OK ( by that I mean I managed to get through both practice sessions without incident - which I hadn't done at a street meeting for over a year !! )
F1 Race one
Got a good start from the back of the grid, managed to end up racing with a big Aprillia and had a great time. I had forgotten just how ordinary the Hornet is when you start to push it. Even with the RaceTech internals the front end is pretty squishy compared to the 675 and the brakes are - well crap really - :) It does however have a fair wack of torque and about 100 horses at the rear wheel so it launches off the line and out of the corners pretty well.
After the race I returned to the pit sweating and with a very satisfying adrenaline tremor !!!
Although there is no official lap timing I had the sexy GPS lap timer from the 675 fitted and was keen to see what my times were. 56 seconds most laps with one 55 - I wish I knew what the fast guys were doing - I didn't get lapped but I think it must have been close !
FG Race one
Another pretty good start a bit more confident as I was getting used to the Hornet weaving around under brakes. There were a few more bikes in the FG class than F1 so it was a bit more crowded entering the turns and a bit more passing ( the Hornets torque and HP getting me ahead exiting the turns and my minuscule testicles and our considerable combined weight allowing them to re-pass me under brakes ). The bikes I was "racing" with managed to eek out enough of a lead that I could no longer "get them on the exit" and they managed to open a bit of a gap.
Checking the lap times back in the pit showed that after lap two I had actually slowed down a fraction each lap, but that my lap times were quicker than the first race so I was not unhappy - in fact I was fizzing -. I was not sure weather the drop of in pace was due to the other bikes getting a "bit of a gap" and me just not trying as hard or if I was getting tired (the Hornet is a bit more work than the 675)
F1 Race two
Another good start from the back of the grid, I was using the same tactics each race, starting on the outside position on the last (or second to last) row of the grid, staying almost in the gutter for the first 30 meters and taking the outside at turn one. The traffic jam on the inside and the very short straight between turns 1 and 2 meant that I was exiting turn 2 about halfway up the field (I think it is hard to be sure) and during the course of the race I would inexorably drift back through the field to finish near the back of the pack.
Once more the lap timer showed my best times early in the race and improving lap two 54 seconds. All I needed to do I thought was to try and keep the pace up, and to that end took aboard some nourishment in the form of a whitebait fritter sandwich for lunch. Checking the fuel and tyres etc. I noticed a wee smudge of oil marking the "fully compressed" position on the near side fork leg.
Hhmmm... I wonder if that means the seal is on the way out ?
FG Race two
I was busy "doing chatting" with Jadin Curtis's dad (Jadin was in third place behind Dan Ormsby and Scotty Southerland in the BEARS class - and keeping then honest ! - The BEAR's was a 675 fest filling the top 3 spots)
I noticed some familiar bikes heading for the dummy grid. A few quick inquiries revealed that indeed it WAS Formula Greymouth being called - SHIT !! A run to the bike, the young guy who was working in Jadin's pit came and helped Katie get the tyre warmers off as I pulled on the helmet and gloves. I made it to the dummy grid just as they opened the gate whew...
This would be my fourth race of the day and this time I was determined to try and keep the pace up throughout the whole race. I followed the pack round for the warm up lap and took MY spot on the outside of the second to last row. A bit of nerves on the front row almost had a false start by the front-runners but when the flag did drop I got another good clean start and once again took the outside line and a number of places at turn 1, turn 2 and good drive on the exit had me in probably the best position I had been in all day, drifting to the right hand side of the road (not too far as there is an intersection and the converging cambers make a bump just about where I start braking ) hard on the brakes for the only left hander on the course - FUCK - the front just tucked !! Me and the Hornet are spinning down the road - Luckily the guy I had just "out braked" didn't get collected and the Hornet ended up off the line and no one hit me.
I scrambled to my feet picked up the Hornet and pushed it well into the run-off area, the tyre mark on the seat showed that while no one hit me someone had used the Hornet for a berm to get round the corner !!
The tell-tale oil leak indicated a cracked alternator cover - my day was over.
Katie and our friends from ChCh had just arrived at the corner as it was a good place for a photo, Katie managed to get one of me picking up the bike ! At least she was able to see that I was unhurt and we watched the rest of the race together :)
After the race ended I pushed the Hornet back to the van and put it on the stand for a quick evaluation. Broken clutch lever, bent foot-peg (consumables on a race bike I guess :) ) and indeed the alternator cover was cracked - and paper thin - the Hornet has been down the road on that side a couple of times :(
And the left hand fork leg was covered in oil - the wee smudge had become a gusher ! Looks like the seal had "blown" . I don't know for sure that the fork seal failure under hard braking caused the front to tuck, but its to good an excuse not to use :)
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/andyandkaren/1/1288267132/he-managed-to-walk-away.jpg/tpod.html#
So the van was packed and ready to go in time for us to watch the last race and the final Kart demo from the pub conveniently located at turn 2 :)
We went to the after match function - happily paid the $5 fine for failing to pick up my license, its a charity event after all - :) and cheered the winners and the volunteers, had a couple of beers and a feed, then headed off to spend another VERY pleasant evening watching the sun sink into the Tasman sea (as it does every day according to the locals)
Thanks to all the Members of the Greymouth Motorcycle Race club and volunteers and sponsors, this is a great event that raises money for the local community - I recommend it to all racers - give it a go ! And anyone even vaugely interested in bikes should at least go and watch it once !
Spending Labour weekend on the west coast is pretty cool, the place is steeped in the history of the Labour movement in NZ. I gives a bit of insight into how the rights NZ workers enjoy were VERY hard won and it is deeply disturbing (to me at least) that workers rights are being whittled away and that the generations entering the workforce in the era of ECA have no clue that the tea and biscuits provided by the employer (if in fact they are !) were won through bitter struggle by union members.
Labour Day commemorates the struggle for an eight-hour working day. New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to claim this right when, in 1840, the carpenter Samuel Parnell won an eight-hour day in Wellington. Labour Day was first celebrated in New Zealand on 28 October 1890, when several thousand trade union members and supporters attended parades in the main centres. Government employees were given the day off to attend the parades and many businesses closed for at least part of the day.
Getting there is half the fun !
The day after I posted my entry for Greymouth I blew the 675 up at practice. Last year I crashed at round 6 and landed on my head so couldn't race !
The entry was in, the Van was booked on the ferry, Katie and I had arranged Friday off, friends were coming from ChCh to meet us ! So I decided that the Hornet would have to come out of "race retirement" - Luckily it was still pretty much ready to go.
A change of tyres, new oil and filter -
Spent Thursday night loading the generator, compressor, tools, tyre warmers... all that "stuff" you take to a race meeting :)
We caught the 08:00 Bluebridge and had a not too bad crossing - The "big breakfast" has become a bit of a tradition for ferry crossings and a full stomach makes getting some sleep a better proposition. The drive to Nelson was punctuated with stops at a vineyard near Blenheim where Katie talked and tasted wine with the vinter, a cafe at Havlock for coffee and a pie (for me). We stayed Friday night in Nelson bludging shamelessly off Katies friends ( a plug here for Deans Nursery if your ever in Nelson and need a seedling or some flowers :) ) . I realized I had forgotten to flush the coolant from the Hornet so had to unload half the van to get it out and do that - once again imposing on our hosts.
Saturday morning - another "big breakfast" and off to Greymouth via Murcherson, it was a great trip hardly any traffic and NO cops :)
We arrived in Greymouth in plenty of time for scrutineering, which the Hornet flew through and I left it in the Army drill hall overnight. We met up with our friends from ChCh in Barrytown just north of Greymouth, the coast road hugs the hills as it winds through some of the most amazing scenery you are likely to see anywhere and the 20 minutes or so drive was well worth it. We had a great evening with some nice wine, great food and a magnificent view of the sun setting into the Tasman sea.
Race Day !
By the time we got to the track on Sunday the roads were closed and the pit area (inside the circuit) was "chokka". We found a spot almost exactly where we were in 2008 and then had to retrieve the bike from the army hall.
Setting up the pit was pretty straight forward with no ezee-up or tent, just genset for the tyre warmers and we were ready to go.
I did a bit of a wander round the pits and saw a few people I knew, quite a few more that I "knew of" (like Dan Ormsby from ChCh) and pretty soon was really enjoying the atmosphere. Geymouth is a very relaxed meeting, no lap timing, grid positions are "seeded" from previous results, so practice is just that - a chance to ride the track getting used to the layout and finding the bumps. Although the atmosphere is relaxed Greymouth take their street race pretty seriously. The road markings are sand blasted for better grip, the traffic islands on the course are "removable" and the surface is in pretty good nick.
The course is pretty much "point and squirt" with only one left hand turn (more on that latter) and a hairpin, one "chicane" just before the start/finish line and the rest are right angle intersections. The streets are pretty wide but the camber of the road makes the turns "interesting" and a couple of places even the Hornet gets some "air" :)
I had entered the 675 in BEAR's, F1 and Formula Greymouth but even the relaxed atmosphere (and Triumph leathers) probably wouldn't let me get away with riding the Hornet in BEAR's ! So F1 and FG would give me six races ( 6 laps F1 and 5 laps FG).
The practice went OK ( by that I mean I managed to get through both practice sessions without incident - which I hadn't done at a street meeting for over a year !! )
F1 Race one
Got a good start from the back of the grid, managed to end up racing with a big Aprillia and had a great time. I had forgotten just how ordinary the Hornet is when you start to push it. Even with the RaceTech internals the front end is pretty squishy compared to the 675 and the brakes are - well crap really - :) It does however have a fair wack of torque and about 100 horses at the rear wheel so it launches off the line and out of the corners pretty well.
After the race I returned to the pit sweating and with a very satisfying adrenaline tremor !!!
Although there is no official lap timing I had the sexy GPS lap timer from the 675 fitted and was keen to see what my times were. 56 seconds most laps with one 55 - I wish I knew what the fast guys were doing - I didn't get lapped but I think it must have been close !
FG Race one
Another pretty good start a bit more confident as I was getting used to the Hornet weaving around under brakes. There were a few more bikes in the FG class than F1 so it was a bit more crowded entering the turns and a bit more passing ( the Hornets torque and HP getting me ahead exiting the turns and my minuscule testicles and our considerable combined weight allowing them to re-pass me under brakes ). The bikes I was "racing" with managed to eek out enough of a lead that I could no longer "get them on the exit" and they managed to open a bit of a gap.
Checking the lap times back in the pit showed that after lap two I had actually slowed down a fraction each lap, but that my lap times were quicker than the first race so I was not unhappy - in fact I was fizzing -. I was not sure weather the drop of in pace was due to the other bikes getting a "bit of a gap" and me just not trying as hard or if I was getting tired (the Hornet is a bit more work than the 675)
F1 Race two
Another good start from the back of the grid, I was using the same tactics each race, starting on the outside position on the last (or second to last) row of the grid, staying almost in the gutter for the first 30 meters and taking the outside at turn one. The traffic jam on the inside and the very short straight between turns 1 and 2 meant that I was exiting turn 2 about halfway up the field (I think it is hard to be sure) and during the course of the race I would inexorably drift back through the field to finish near the back of the pack.
Once more the lap timer showed my best times early in the race and improving lap two 54 seconds. All I needed to do I thought was to try and keep the pace up, and to that end took aboard some nourishment in the form of a whitebait fritter sandwich for lunch. Checking the fuel and tyres etc. I noticed a wee smudge of oil marking the "fully compressed" position on the near side fork leg.
Hhmmm... I wonder if that means the seal is on the way out ?
FG Race two
I was busy "doing chatting" with Jadin Curtis's dad (Jadin was in third place behind Dan Ormsby and Scotty Southerland in the BEARS class - and keeping then honest ! - The BEAR's was a 675 fest filling the top 3 spots)
I noticed some familiar bikes heading for the dummy grid. A few quick inquiries revealed that indeed it WAS Formula Greymouth being called - SHIT !! A run to the bike, the young guy who was working in Jadin's pit came and helped Katie get the tyre warmers off as I pulled on the helmet and gloves. I made it to the dummy grid just as they opened the gate whew...
This would be my fourth race of the day and this time I was determined to try and keep the pace up throughout the whole race. I followed the pack round for the warm up lap and took MY spot on the outside of the second to last row. A bit of nerves on the front row almost had a false start by the front-runners but when the flag did drop I got another good clean start and once again took the outside line and a number of places at turn 1, turn 2 and good drive on the exit had me in probably the best position I had been in all day, drifting to the right hand side of the road (not too far as there is an intersection and the converging cambers make a bump just about where I start braking ) hard on the brakes for the only left hander on the course - FUCK - the front just tucked !! Me and the Hornet are spinning down the road - Luckily the guy I had just "out braked" didn't get collected and the Hornet ended up off the line and no one hit me.
I scrambled to my feet picked up the Hornet and pushed it well into the run-off area, the tyre mark on the seat showed that while no one hit me someone had used the Hornet for a berm to get round the corner !!
The tell-tale oil leak indicated a cracked alternator cover - my day was over.
Katie and our friends from ChCh had just arrived at the corner as it was a good place for a photo, Katie managed to get one of me picking up the bike ! At least she was able to see that I was unhurt and we watched the rest of the race together :)
After the race ended I pushed the Hornet back to the van and put it on the stand for a quick evaluation. Broken clutch lever, bent foot-peg (consumables on a race bike I guess :) ) and indeed the alternator cover was cracked - and paper thin - the Hornet has been down the road on that side a couple of times :(
And the left hand fork leg was covered in oil - the wee smudge had become a gusher ! Looks like the seal had "blown" . I don't know for sure that the fork seal failure under hard braking caused the front to tuck, but its to good an excuse not to use :)
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/andyandkaren/1/1288267132/he-managed-to-walk-away.jpg/tpod.html#
So the van was packed and ready to go in time for us to watch the last race and the final Kart demo from the pub conveniently located at turn 2 :)
We went to the after match function - happily paid the $5 fine for failing to pick up my license, its a charity event after all - :) and cheered the winners and the volunteers, had a couple of beers and a feed, then headed off to spend another VERY pleasant evening watching the sun sink into the Tasman sea (as it does every day according to the locals)
Thanks to all the Members of the Greymouth Motorcycle Race club and volunteers and sponsors, this is a great event that raises money for the local community - I recommend it to all racers - give it a go ! And anyone even vaugely interested in bikes should at least go and watch it once !
Spending Labour weekend on the west coast is pretty cool, the place is steeped in the history of the Labour movement in NZ. I gives a bit of insight into how the rights NZ workers enjoy were VERY hard won and it is deeply disturbing (to me at least) that workers rights are being whittled away and that the generations entering the workforce in the era of ECA have no clue that the tea and biscuits provided by the employer (if in fact they are !) were won through bitter struggle by union members.