neil_cb125t
21st November 2011, 08:13
Hi All,
Going into the round I was 2nd overall in the street stock class by 2 points. So saying it was tight was an understatement.
On the day
I qualified well on the 150 I think doing a 1:30.6, but I was still behind Tyler by .8 of a sec a lap.... the bike was working well but I was the one that was going to have to pull finger.
Qualifying on the on 600 was interesting - I had tried to change the riding position on lees bike bike making the seat pad thicker moving my body forward so I could lock on to the bike better. In F2 qualifying I basically had no rear end grip for the whole session, I believed my body was too far forward causing there to be not enough weight distributed to the back. Out of heavy drive corners the rear would light up terribly......... as much fun as that was, my drive out suffered. I came back to the pits and took a layer off the seat pad and thought id double check the tyre pressures.. ... the rear tyre was a tad high by 6 pounds...:-( F1 qualifying felt much better - much more re end grip and a more roomy body position meant I felt far better. To put my head in a spin I found out I was a second faster in F2 with no rear end grip qualifying 4th in F2......
Race 1 Street stock
I lined up waiting for Tyler to line up next to me, his bike never showed up... some other bike was in its place... Tyler had bought a new bike, it was faster than his last one, which was already faster than mine... DAMMIT! I put up a good fight and dropped a second off my qualifying time but Tyler dropped 2, beating me in the process.
Race 1 F2 & bears
I got a blinder of a start and open the can up HARD - I had passed a couple of people in the first lap and just aimed to keep it tight to see if I could keep them behind me. Down the long back straight it was very apparent that Lees 600 was not quick..... it was getting hosed down by anything that followed me out on the double apex left. This meant some very heavy and late braking at before the chicane - shown in pic 1. My buddy Dan k drafted then passed me down the main straight at about the halfway point on the race. As we approached the chicane ( your at redline in 6th at this point... take your pick on speed 260 ish I suppose) I out broke Dan as we entered the chicane round the outside, passed him then headed up the front straight. I took my left hand off the bar and showed Dan 2 fingers .....not stating up yours, but saying "thats two times Dan!" I had pulled the same move on him at the same spot, 3 years ago. to his credit Dan did pass me back and I think I finished 5th or 6th overall happy with the fight I put up - even managed to hold off Travis Merkle for a few laps. I managed a 1:37.1 ( I think ) very happy with that as a starting point.
Just before Race 1 F1 it started to rain.......excellent.
I missed that race changing tyres to wets - and got ready for Street Stock ... in the rain.
Race 2 Street stock
Great start, went absolutely as hard as I could trying to make as much time on Tyler as I could, the track was terrible on street tyres in the rain. I think I placed 2nd in the race but was a few spots ahead of Tyler...... we went back to Tyler leading overall by 2 points in the championship... it would have to be down to the last race. At the end of that race I spoke to race control - stating that I believed it actually was not safe with learner riders in Street stock to be out on road tyres in the rain at Taupo anyway.251008251009251010251011251012251013
Race 2 in F2 & bears
I lined up on wets - with a smile on my face. Reds went out - I shot out off the line, took first place then nailed the crap out of lees slow bike. Focussing on my throttle control and pickup opened up a lead, after 3 laps or so Mr Sloan frost passed me on the BMW bears bike, we diced and I passed him in the final chicane before the start finish straight, back in the lead - head down Chappell! The track started to dry, and the back section was very dry - this started to cook lees 1 year old wets very quickly, driving onto the back straight I spun up the rear badly, I new is Sloan was up my date he could draft me and pass me at the end of it. He did exactly that - so I tried another mid chicane overtaking job but could get it to stick, as we went round for that lap the chequered flag was out .... aye? they hadn't given me the white the lap before - so I had no opportunity to reply on Sloan.
As lees wets where well used I sat out the F1 race. Then as the rain got worse VMCC called off the meeting.... finishing the championship.
Prize giving was well done - Tyler won Streetstock by 2 points, he deserved it and spoke well whilst receiving his 1st place trophy.
The surprise of the day for me was winning the F2 class for the round, for the second time in a row. I was beside myself the first time it happened......
Special thanks goes to all that raced with and against me in Street stock, Tyler, Sam C, graham B and that poor fella I knocked into twice! and F2/bears, Phil v, Dan k, Luke, Travis, Marcus and even Avalon at one stage! Sloan, I will get you next time... tui ad. I had a blast competing against you all.
Congrates to the class champions of this year, particularly Eamon Timms wining Post classics JNR on a well build RELIABLE kawasaki and Leigh Tidman for getting that F3 trophy!
Thanks to all the guys and girls that supported the team this year, The RNZAF, Dunlop tyres, Team Martindale racing, Gallagher Painting and decorating, luke millar.co.nz.
Enjoy the snaps - some show how wet it really became.
Going into the round I was 2nd overall in the street stock class by 2 points. So saying it was tight was an understatement.
On the day
I qualified well on the 150 I think doing a 1:30.6, but I was still behind Tyler by .8 of a sec a lap.... the bike was working well but I was the one that was going to have to pull finger.
Qualifying on the on 600 was interesting - I had tried to change the riding position on lees bike bike making the seat pad thicker moving my body forward so I could lock on to the bike better. In F2 qualifying I basically had no rear end grip for the whole session, I believed my body was too far forward causing there to be not enough weight distributed to the back. Out of heavy drive corners the rear would light up terribly......... as much fun as that was, my drive out suffered. I came back to the pits and took a layer off the seat pad and thought id double check the tyre pressures.. ... the rear tyre was a tad high by 6 pounds...:-( F1 qualifying felt much better - much more re end grip and a more roomy body position meant I felt far better. To put my head in a spin I found out I was a second faster in F2 with no rear end grip qualifying 4th in F2......
Race 1 Street stock
I lined up waiting for Tyler to line up next to me, his bike never showed up... some other bike was in its place... Tyler had bought a new bike, it was faster than his last one, which was already faster than mine... DAMMIT! I put up a good fight and dropped a second off my qualifying time but Tyler dropped 2, beating me in the process.
Race 1 F2 & bears
I got a blinder of a start and open the can up HARD - I had passed a couple of people in the first lap and just aimed to keep it tight to see if I could keep them behind me. Down the long back straight it was very apparent that Lees 600 was not quick..... it was getting hosed down by anything that followed me out on the double apex left. This meant some very heavy and late braking at before the chicane - shown in pic 1. My buddy Dan k drafted then passed me down the main straight at about the halfway point on the race. As we approached the chicane ( your at redline in 6th at this point... take your pick on speed 260 ish I suppose) I out broke Dan as we entered the chicane round the outside, passed him then headed up the front straight. I took my left hand off the bar and showed Dan 2 fingers .....not stating up yours, but saying "thats two times Dan!" I had pulled the same move on him at the same spot, 3 years ago. to his credit Dan did pass me back and I think I finished 5th or 6th overall happy with the fight I put up - even managed to hold off Travis Merkle for a few laps. I managed a 1:37.1 ( I think ) very happy with that as a starting point.
Just before Race 1 F1 it started to rain.......excellent.
I missed that race changing tyres to wets - and got ready for Street Stock ... in the rain.
Race 2 Street stock
Great start, went absolutely as hard as I could trying to make as much time on Tyler as I could, the track was terrible on street tyres in the rain. I think I placed 2nd in the race but was a few spots ahead of Tyler...... we went back to Tyler leading overall by 2 points in the championship... it would have to be down to the last race. At the end of that race I spoke to race control - stating that I believed it actually was not safe with learner riders in Street stock to be out on road tyres in the rain at Taupo anyway.251008251009251010251011251012251013
Race 2 in F2 & bears
I lined up on wets - with a smile on my face. Reds went out - I shot out off the line, took first place then nailed the crap out of lees slow bike. Focussing on my throttle control and pickup opened up a lead, after 3 laps or so Mr Sloan frost passed me on the BMW bears bike, we diced and I passed him in the final chicane before the start finish straight, back in the lead - head down Chappell! The track started to dry, and the back section was very dry - this started to cook lees 1 year old wets very quickly, driving onto the back straight I spun up the rear badly, I new is Sloan was up my date he could draft me and pass me at the end of it. He did exactly that - so I tried another mid chicane overtaking job but could get it to stick, as we went round for that lap the chequered flag was out .... aye? they hadn't given me the white the lap before - so I had no opportunity to reply on Sloan.
As lees wets where well used I sat out the F1 race. Then as the rain got worse VMCC called off the meeting.... finishing the championship.
Prize giving was well done - Tyler won Streetstock by 2 points, he deserved it and spoke well whilst receiving his 1st place trophy.
The surprise of the day for me was winning the F2 class for the round, for the second time in a row. I was beside myself the first time it happened......
Special thanks goes to all that raced with and against me in Street stock, Tyler, Sam C, graham B and that poor fella I knocked into twice! and F2/bears, Phil v, Dan k, Luke, Travis, Marcus and even Avalon at one stage! Sloan, I will get you next time... tui ad. I had a blast competing against you all.
Congrates to the class champions of this year, particularly Eamon Timms wining Post classics JNR on a well build RELIABLE kawasaki and Leigh Tidman for getting that F3 trophy!
Thanks to all the guys and girls that supported the team this year, The RNZAF, Dunlop tyres, Team Martindale racing, Gallagher Painting and decorating, luke millar.co.nz.
Enjoy the snaps - some show how wet it really became.