Two Smoker
12th December 2005, 19:05
Hey everyone,
Well for a first, my week before the racing was full of rushing around and last minute preperations... I had a new steering damper to fit, and I needed to find a 43 tooth rear sprocket...
Well with the help and graciousness of some certain KB'ers (those guys being, Hoon, Quasievil and White Trash) I managed to get a 43 tooth rear sprocket and sprocket carrier (I left mine at coleman's, cheers Hoon) and a clamp to attatch my steering damper (cheers Quasi and WT) I was all sorted for the weekend.
I told Bugjuice to be at the track by 7am, so naturally I turned up late due to working on my bike until 2am. But once there i got all sorted, signed in, got the bike scruiteneered and officially had the ugliest looking bike there... I went and said my hello's to everyone around, and got my bike ready for the first practice with White Trash and Bugjuice frantically putting on the steering damper. Out i went and felt good but wasnt too happy with my braking at the hairpin or my entry speed into turn 1. But came back with a new personal best of 1:07.752 which put me 6th on the grid 0.004 seconds behind Derek Hill.
Well i thought about what i can improve on and was keen to get out for Qualifying... Once again I felt good out there and alot smoother. But still wasnt happy with my braking into the hairpin. I broke my personal best again and put down a 1:07.662 qualifying me 6th once again.
Race 1 was on, and I was very nervous. On the grid on the second row and ready, reving the motor and the lights went out, slip the clutch, and watch all the bikes go around me... Those SV650's have so much launching power... I managed to get reel a couple of bikes in on the first 3 corners and then got Geoff Booth under brakes... I then got into a good dice with Chris Bramely. It took me about 3 laps to get past him, and settled down to close up the 150 metre gap between myself and Derek Hill. Then on the next lap, Chris Bramely came up the inside of me on the back straight, and using his brakes got infront of me before the hairpin... I then got infront of him, by going around the outside of him coming up the hill, and around Jennian (those SV's are FAST). I was now infront and pushing hard, trying to brake at 120 metres, only to have the bike become unstable, and go too hot into the hairpin. This race was full of passing manuvoures between Chris and myself. On the last lap, he once again got me under brakes into the hairpin. I tried to get around the outside of him coming up the hill (which i did) but he used the SV's power and bet me by 0.080 of a second...
I wasnt happy with the brakes, so we took out the pads to find them very glazed over. I went and had a chat to a few people, and they recommended new pads. Me being poor couldnt afford that, so Jason Nairn recommended that I sand them down.
Race 2: Milky had arroived back from Aussie, so was able to help Bugjuice in the pits to work on my bike. With the help of Milky we sanded down the pads and i was ready to test them in the practice. They felt alot better in the first 3 laps, but began to fade in the last 3. We took them out and found that they had once again glazed over (in only 6 lps :( ) So once again sanded them down as well as giving the discs a quick sand. Race two was on, and i was determined to get a better start. YES finally i did, i had less bike pass me initially, but still a few did, making me work for it. I was stuck right behind Derek Hill and Mark Weller who were having a good dice with each other and passed Chris Bramley. I locked onto Chris Bramley and was braking at 120 metres and closing up in to corners quickly. In lap three i went around the outside of him coming up the hill, and then went around the outside of him into turn one, outbraking him into the esses to make a clean pass. I got a great drive out of Castrol and protected my line by staying close to the inside of the track, I braked as late as i could, and luckily i didnt see him come up the inside of me. I pushed as hard as i could up the hill and through turn one (i now go full throttle from the hairpin and through turn one)... I was quickly catching upto Derek Hill quickly.... (to be continued...)
Well for a first, my week before the racing was full of rushing around and last minute preperations... I had a new steering damper to fit, and I needed to find a 43 tooth rear sprocket...
Well with the help and graciousness of some certain KB'ers (those guys being, Hoon, Quasievil and White Trash) I managed to get a 43 tooth rear sprocket and sprocket carrier (I left mine at coleman's, cheers Hoon) and a clamp to attatch my steering damper (cheers Quasi and WT) I was all sorted for the weekend.
I told Bugjuice to be at the track by 7am, so naturally I turned up late due to working on my bike until 2am. But once there i got all sorted, signed in, got the bike scruiteneered and officially had the ugliest looking bike there... I went and said my hello's to everyone around, and got my bike ready for the first practice with White Trash and Bugjuice frantically putting on the steering damper. Out i went and felt good but wasnt too happy with my braking at the hairpin or my entry speed into turn 1. But came back with a new personal best of 1:07.752 which put me 6th on the grid 0.004 seconds behind Derek Hill.
Well i thought about what i can improve on and was keen to get out for Qualifying... Once again I felt good out there and alot smoother. But still wasnt happy with my braking into the hairpin. I broke my personal best again and put down a 1:07.662 qualifying me 6th once again.
Race 1 was on, and I was very nervous. On the grid on the second row and ready, reving the motor and the lights went out, slip the clutch, and watch all the bikes go around me... Those SV650's have so much launching power... I managed to get reel a couple of bikes in on the first 3 corners and then got Geoff Booth under brakes... I then got into a good dice with Chris Bramely. It took me about 3 laps to get past him, and settled down to close up the 150 metre gap between myself and Derek Hill. Then on the next lap, Chris Bramely came up the inside of me on the back straight, and using his brakes got infront of me before the hairpin... I then got infront of him, by going around the outside of him coming up the hill, and around Jennian (those SV's are FAST). I was now infront and pushing hard, trying to brake at 120 metres, only to have the bike become unstable, and go too hot into the hairpin. This race was full of passing manuvoures between Chris and myself. On the last lap, he once again got me under brakes into the hairpin. I tried to get around the outside of him coming up the hill (which i did) but he used the SV's power and bet me by 0.080 of a second...
I wasnt happy with the brakes, so we took out the pads to find them very glazed over. I went and had a chat to a few people, and they recommended new pads. Me being poor couldnt afford that, so Jason Nairn recommended that I sand them down.
Race 2: Milky had arroived back from Aussie, so was able to help Bugjuice in the pits to work on my bike. With the help of Milky we sanded down the pads and i was ready to test them in the practice. They felt alot better in the first 3 laps, but began to fade in the last 3. We took them out and found that they had once again glazed over (in only 6 lps :( ) So once again sanded them down as well as giving the discs a quick sand. Race two was on, and i was determined to get a better start. YES finally i did, i had less bike pass me initially, but still a few did, making me work for it. I was stuck right behind Derek Hill and Mark Weller who were having a good dice with each other and passed Chris Bramley. I locked onto Chris Bramley and was braking at 120 metres and closing up in to corners quickly. In lap three i went around the outside of him coming up the hill, and then went around the outside of him into turn one, outbraking him into the esses to make a clean pass. I got a great drive out of Castrol and protected my line by staying close to the inside of the track, I braked as late as i could, and luckily i didnt see him come up the inside of me. I pushed as hard as i could up the hill and through turn one (i now go full throttle from the hairpin and through turn one)... I was quickly catching upto Derek Hill quickly.... (to be continued...)