Matt Bleck
31st December 2011, 12:02
Rnd 1 Hampton Downs
This round started on the friday before for us. We had done the ride day 2 weeks previous and found we where about 2 seconds a lap slower trhan last year running the near stock K3, so we needed to get a setup and as many laps as we could under our belt. We made some steps towards a better lap time, but it was still along way off where I wanted to be. I just couldn't get the entry and corner speed I wanted!
Saturday dawns overcast a alot colder than the day before. We setup in the pits and sign in.
Qualifying: I went out and tried my hardest. I came in to find we had quailfyed 14th with a 1:11:090. 6 sec's off the pace of the front runners. I was far from happy, but what do we do? I had no idea what was up, is it me, is it the bike set-up?
Race 1: I had a bad start and came around turn 1 last. All I could do was try to hold on to the pack, but they all started to get away. I manged to pass Nick Prestige on his Duc, but that was all she wrote. Lap 2 I saw Scotty had gone down on the last corner, was gutted for him as he's been doing really well, but also realised that was a extra place for me. Two laps from the end and with out warning, ie no blue flag, Robbie, then Craig, then Stroud and Cole blow past me! My self esteme went out the window at the point, felt like I was just wasting everyones time. At that stage I just wanted to keep out of the way so just picked my line and didn't deviate from it. Coming around of turn 5 I see Craig and Robbie cruising, Had I missed the checkered flag? I didn't really know. Then I saw others still racing so picked up speed again to get to the checkered flag and got lapped by Choppa just before the hump on pit straight. Finished a lap down in 12th (2nd to last!) with a best lap of 1:10:809.
Race 2: Another bad start and last around turn 1, I put my head down and tried my hardest to go faster. Got the blue flag about 2 laps from the end of the race and got passed by Robbie and Andrew. I was expecting more to follow but no! Finished this one 13th (2nd to last again)!
I left HD gutted, and headed down to Manfield that night for the Suzuki track day and to see if we could get this bike and me sorted out. The day at Manfield was productive with me good mate Jimmy finding that we had way to much rebound in the rear which was not helping with rear grip and edge feel. Thanks mate!
Round 2 Manfield.
We got to Manfield Friday arvo and got a few sessions in at the test day. The bike and I guess myself felt better but I was still along way from the lap times I was looking for.
Saturday dawns overcast and threatening to rain. We head to the track where we had setup with Jamie and the Wolf Pack Crew the day before.
Quailfying: The track was cold and lacking the grip that it had the day before. We quailfyed 12th (3rd from last) with a 1:14:041. I was going back wards!
Race 1: Just as we start the out lap it starts to spit! The race starts and it's now raining! Everyone tippy toes through turn one and I'm surprised to be on the back of the pack and not getting left behind! We come out of Dunlop and back wheels and bikes are going every where with some riders wisley heading for the pits! The race was red flagged!
We head in and put on the wets, but by the time we head back out the track is 90% dry and we're all on wets. The race starts and as per usual I slowly get left behind and then eventually lapped by Clee and Cole! We finished this one 8th (last) with a stuffed rear wet tyre!
Race 2: The track had well and truley dried out abd we're all back on slicks. I had a resonable start managed to get round turn one not last. I tried to be as fast as I could and finished in 11th (2nd from last) with a best lap of 1:11:986. I was stoked not to get lapped for the first time in the series, just!
I was still far from happy with my results, but happy to make one race with out being lapped.
Round 3 Cemetery Circut:
I had decided to go to this round and just try to be smooth as I could and not try to be fast. We had made a small change to the bike but left the suspension as it was. The whole just try and be smooth attitude nearly went out the window when at rider's briefing we where told that if we where not with in 115% of the front row we wouldn't be racing! But I just told myself be smooth as you can and have fun!
1st and 2nd Quailfying: I went out and had a blast. The bike felt good especially over the bridge. The end of the 1st session saw us in 11th with a 54:7 and the 2nd 13th with a 54:3. We made it to the grid!
Race 1: My start wasn't so good, still not agressive enough and I lost alot of places. I managed to claw my way back to 12th. I had trouble passing, I just didn't want to put a move on that wasn't safe. We finished this one 12th with a best lap of 53:6. This qualifyed us for the Robert Holden Memorial race! Oh and I didn't get lapped, CHOICE!
Race 2: A slightly better start this time, but still lost a place or two. Still not confident passing but I did get some postions back and finished this race 12th again with a best lap of 53:7.
Robert Holden Memorial: We where gridded up in 19th. Alot of the grid was empty, maybe because some where saving them selves for their second race or because they missed the call up. I got a really good start. Gained a place getting past Rhys, but then lost it to him going into Robert Holden. I managed to keep him in sight and was gaining very slowly untill the front tucked a lttle going through the esse's. I kept it upright but I really wasn't keen on joining the crowd in the cemetery so pegged it back for the last lap. We crossed the line 12th with a best lap of 53:285.
For the first time I was faster on the K7 than I had been on the K3, and I had the most enjoyable time to date on it.
We finished the series 8th in F1. Lucky to have really I think as a lot of faster guy's didn't do the full series.
So now we head to the Nationals. I'm really nervous about this. We're going to tracks I never set foot on before and a bike that I'm still not completely comfortable on, but I'll just go and try to be smooth and most of all have fun and make the most of racing and learning from NZ and a couple of Aussie's best.
A HUGE thanks to Peter Harkess for the total support he has given me! I absolutly not be doing doing this with out him, thank you so much! Also to Big Steve at Gigabyte Solutionz, Moto TT, Continental tyres, Chris Mitchell, Stompgrip, Alick Saunders, BRM, Qmoto and Acacia Bay R&R!
This round started on the friday before for us. We had done the ride day 2 weeks previous and found we where about 2 seconds a lap slower trhan last year running the near stock K3, so we needed to get a setup and as many laps as we could under our belt. We made some steps towards a better lap time, but it was still along way off where I wanted to be. I just couldn't get the entry and corner speed I wanted!
Saturday dawns overcast a alot colder than the day before. We setup in the pits and sign in.
Qualifying: I went out and tried my hardest. I came in to find we had quailfyed 14th with a 1:11:090. 6 sec's off the pace of the front runners. I was far from happy, but what do we do? I had no idea what was up, is it me, is it the bike set-up?
Race 1: I had a bad start and came around turn 1 last. All I could do was try to hold on to the pack, but they all started to get away. I manged to pass Nick Prestige on his Duc, but that was all she wrote. Lap 2 I saw Scotty had gone down on the last corner, was gutted for him as he's been doing really well, but also realised that was a extra place for me. Two laps from the end and with out warning, ie no blue flag, Robbie, then Craig, then Stroud and Cole blow past me! My self esteme went out the window at the point, felt like I was just wasting everyones time. At that stage I just wanted to keep out of the way so just picked my line and didn't deviate from it. Coming around of turn 5 I see Craig and Robbie cruising, Had I missed the checkered flag? I didn't really know. Then I saw others still racing so picked up speed again to get to the checkered flag and got lapped by Choppa just before the hump on pit straight. Finished a lap down in 12th (2nd to last!) with a best lap of 1:10:809.
Race 2: Another bad start and last around turn 1, I put my head down and tried my hardest to go faster. Got the blue flag about 2 laps from the end of the race and got passed by Robbie and Andrew. I was expecting more to follow but no! Finished this one 13th (2nd to last again)!
I left HD gutted, and headed down to Manfield that night for the Suzuki track day and to see if we could get this bike and me sorted out. The day at Manfield was productive with me good mate Jimmy finding that we had way to much rebound in the rear which was not helping with rear grip and edge feel. Thanks mate!
Round 2 Manfield.
We got to Manfield Friday arvo and got a few sessions in at the test day. The bike and I guess myself felt better but I was still along way from the lap times I was looking for.
Saturday dawns overcast and threatening to rain. We head to the track where we had setup with Jamie and the Wolf Pack Crew the day before.
Quailfying: The track was cold and lacking the grip that it had the day before. We quailfyed 12th (3rd from last) with a 1:14:041. I was going back wards!
Race 1: Just as we start the out lap it starts to spit! The race starts and it's now raining! Everyone tippy toes through turn one and I'm surprised to be on the back of the pack and not getting left behind! We come out of Dunlop and back wheels and bikes are going every where with some riders wisley heading for the pits! The race was red flagged!
We head in and put on the wets, but by the time we head back out the track is 90% dry and we're all on wets. The race starts and as per usual I slowly get left behind and then eventually lapped by Clee and Cole! We finished this one 8th (last) with a stuffed rear wet tyre!
Race 2: The track had well and truley dried out abd we're all back on slicks. I had a resonable start managed to get round turn one not last. I tried to be as fast as I could and finished in 11th (2nd from last) with a best lap of 1:11:986. I was stoked not to get lapped for the first time in the series, just!
I was still far from happy with my results, but happy to make one race with out being lapped.
Round 3 Cemetery Circut:
I had decided to go to this round and just try to be smooth as I could and not try to be fast. We had made a small change to the bike but left the suspension as it was. The whole just try and be smooth attitude nearly went out the window when at rider's briefing we where told that if we where not with in 115% of the front row we wouldn't be racing! But I just told myself be smooth as you can and have fun!
1st and 2nd Quailfying: I went out and had a blast. The bike felt good especially over the bridge. The end of the 1st session saw us in 11th with a 54:7 and the 2nd 13th with a 54:3. We made it to the grid!
Race 1: My start wasn't so good, still not agressive enough and I lost alot of places. I managed to claw my way back to 12th. I had trouble passing, I just didn't want to put a move on that wasn't safe. We finished this one 12th with a best lap of 53:6. This qualifyed us for the Robert Holden Memorial race! Oh and I didn't get lapped, CHOICE!
Race 2: A slightly better start this time, but still lost a place or two. Still not confident passing but I did get some postions back and finished this race 12th again with a best lap of 53:7.
Robert Holden Memorial: We where gridded up in 19th. Alot of the grid was empty, maybe because some where saving them selves for their second race or because they missed the call up. I got a really good start. Gained a place getting past Rhys, but then lost it to him going into Robert Holden. I managed to keep him in sight and was gaining very slowly untill the front tucked a lttle going through the esse's. I kept it upright but I really wasn't keen on joining the crowd in the cemetery so pegged it back for the last lap. We crossed the line 12th with a best lap of 53:285.
For the first time I was faster on the K7 than I had been on the K3, and I had the most enjoyable time to date on it.
We finished the series 8th in F1. Lucky to have really I think as a lot of faster guy's didn't do the full series.
So now we head to the Nationals. I'm really nervous about this. We're going to tracks I never set foot on before and a bike that I'm still not completely comfortable on, but I'll just go and try to be smooth and most of all have fun and make the most of racing and learning from NZ and a couple of Aussie's best.
A HUGE thanks to Peter Harkess for the total support he has given me! I absolutly not be doing doing this with out him, thank you so much! Also to Big Steve at Gigabyte Solutionz, Moto TT, Continental tyres, Chris Mitchell, Stompgrip, Alick Saunders, BRM, Qmoto and Acacia Bay R&R!