lukemillar
17th May 2011, 10:13
Haven't written one of these for a while so here goes.
At the end of last year, I scored an 89 NC30 to go Post Classic racing in the winter series. A few people have been bagging me about what will be an uncompetitive bike, but I have wanted one of these since I started riding (actually I wanted an RC30, but this is a close 2nd) and so for the past 3 months I have been stripping shit off my 675, and buying shit for the NC.
The engine is stock except for the full system instead I chose to spend the pennies on refreshing the suspenders, getting a 17" rear and some decent rubber. I had to take the last 3 days off work to get it ready for a shakedown to the test day before. Took a little getting used to after the 675 - especially the brakes and the gearing was waaay off, but apart from that, the bike ran pretty well! (apart from running out of petrol on the opening session :facepalm: fucking fuel tap)
Posties qualifying
Get to the track and it is wet. I have a set of wets but no spare rims until Dan Plaisted lends me a set which he randomly has in his boot! Sweet. I take it easy as it is already starting to dry out. End up 11th on the combined grid which is about the middle of the middle. Happy with that, but shocked at the time 1m33 :blink:I haven't been in that territory since my first ever race!
Race 1
The track is pretty much dry so I go for slicks. Get a crap start (story of the day for me) and slot in sort of around where I qualified for turn one. I pick off a couple of bikes through the infield. As soon as I hit the straight after the hairpin, the bikes in front just clear off :blink: I figure I just got crappy drive off the hairpin trying to go up the inside of someone but it happens again after Higgins and then the start/finish. Seems the little NC isn't as ponied up as the competition! I manage to catch and hang on to Eamon Timms in 4th until the last lap, turn 1, I am right on his tail. We catch up with some lapped traffic, I get a better line, open the gas and get nothing - I missed a gear change coming into T1. By this point it is almost game over, except I notice Steve Bagshaw going real slow coming out of dunlop and try to scalp him before the line but miss out but a couple of tenths. Finish 5th in pre-89jr which I was quite happy with on my first time out!
Race 2
More of the same, albeit a slightly better start. Have a really good dice with Tim Baker and manage to take the position a number of times only to get blasted past one the straights. The is also a guy on a FZR1000 who I must pass about 5 times though the corners only to get nailed on the straights. We aren't even racing for position, but it is still great fun. This is exactly the kind of racing I was hoping to get in Posties! Finish 6th with a new posties PB of 1m24.1 (lol!)
Race 3
Let the clutch out too early and bog off the line :facepalm: Spend the rest of the race catching and passing as many people as I can but somehow manage to get up to 5th again!
Overall, I had and awesome weekend. I love the post classic class and really felt like I gelled with the bike. There are a load of things I need to work on for next time (gearing more than anything) but now I'm trying to figure out how to make thing faster! Kind of funny because this is exactly what everyone told me would happen. I have had a look at the videos and I know of a few places where I can make up time, but interestingly comparing laptimes to my F2 times, I'm actually carrying more corner speed though a lot of the corners.
Big thanks to the Vic club for putting on a awesome show. Motorad for sorting us out with parts and tyres, Robert Taylor for the great suspension work, Dan Plaisted for use of his rims and all the people who came and helped/said hello over the weekend. It was all very appreciated.
Bring on round 2! :woohoo:
Here are the videos for anyone interested:
Race 1: http://vimeo.com/23716692
Race 2: http://vimeo.com/23716890
Race 3: http://vimeo.com/23717160
At the end of last year, I scored an 89 NC30 to go Post Classic racing in the winter series. A few people have been bagging me about what will be an uncompetitive bike, but I have wanted one of these since I started riding (actually I wanted an RC30, but this is a close 2nd) and so for the past 3 months I have been stripping shit off my 675, and buying shit for the NC.
The engine is stock except for the full system instead I chose to spend the pennies on refreshing the suspenders, getting a 17" rear and some decent rubber. I had to take the last 3 days off work to get it ready for a shakedown to the test day before. Took a little getting used to after the 675 - especially the brakes and the gearing was waaay off, but apart from that, the bike ran pretty well! (apart from running out of petrol on the opening session :facepalm: fucking fuel tap)
Posties qualifying
Get to the track and it is wet. I have a set of wets but no spare rims until Dan Plaisted lends me a set which he randomly has in his boot! Sweet. I take it easy as it is already starting to dry out. End up 11th on the combined grid which is about the middle of the middle. Happy with that, but shocked at the time 1m33 :blink:I haven't been in that territory since my first ever race!
Race 1
The track is pretty much dry so I go for slicks. Get a crap start (story of the day for me) and slot in sort of around where I qualified for turn one. I pick off a couple of bikes through the infield. As soon as I hit the straight after the hairpin, the bikes in front just clear off :blink: I figure I just got crappy drive off the hairpin trying to go up the inside of someone but it happens again after Higgins and then the start/finish. Seems the little NC isn't as ponied up as the competition! I manage to catch and hang on to Eamon Timms in 4th until the last lap, turn 1, I am right on his tail. We catch up with some lapped traffic, I get a better line, open the gas and get nothing - I missed a gear change coming into T1. By this point it is almost game over, except I notice Steve Bagshaw going real slow coming out of dunlop and try to scalp him before the line but miss out but a couple of tenths. Finish 5th in pre-89jr which I was quite happy with on my first time out!
Race 2
More of the same, albeit a slightly better start. Have a really good dice with Tim Baker and manage to take the position a number of times only to get blasted past one the straights. The is also a guy on a FZR1000 who I must pass about 5 times though the corners only to get nailed on the straights. We aren't even racing for position, but it is still great fun. This is exactly the kind of racing I was hoping to get in Posties! Finish 6th with a new posties PB of 1m24.1 (lol!)
Race 3
Let the clutch out too early and bog off the line :facepalm: Spend the rest of the race catching and passing as many people as I can but somehow manage to get up to 5th again!
Overall, I had and awesome weekend. I love the post classic class and really felt like I gelled with the bike. There are a load of things I need to work on for next time (gearing more than anything) but now I'm trying to figure out how to make thing faster! Kind of funny because this is exactly what everyone told me would happen. I have had a look at the videos and I know of a few places where I can make up time, but interestingly comparing laptimes to my F2 times, I'm actually carrying more corner speed though a lot of the corners.
Big thanks to the Vic club for putting on a awesome show. Motorad for sorting us out with parts and tyres, Robert Taylor for the great suspension work, Dan Plaisted for use of his rims and all the people who came and helped/said hello over the weekend. It was all very appreciated.
Bring on round 2! :woohoo:
Here are the videos for anyone interested:
Race 1: http://vimeo.com/23716692
Race 2: http://vimeo.com/23716890
Race 3: http://vimeo.com/23717160