Keystone19
8th May 2006, 10:18
Can you believe it? I'm back in Taupo again. On the race track again.
So, here we are again, setting up in the pits, rolling the bikes on to their stands, checking that nothing has got broken in transit, feeling nervous and excited. I wander down to sign up and find that because I only have an Auckland club license (well I didn't think I was going to race any other races this season), I have to pay for a day license. Fork out the cash and take the bike down for scrutineering. This time she gets through with no worries so I push her back to our pit. Those bikes are quite heavy when you have to push them...
I'm racing Clubmans this week because Motobob wants to try his hand at F3 and I might race Clubmans next year at the PMCC rounds and don't want to do F3 in case they won't let me back into Clubmans. There's 7 bikes in Clubmans and it's an exclusive race meaning only Clubmans, not combined with anyone else. I like this, but it does mean that no-one really watches us because we're not very exciting...
Head out on the first practice laps and it's a shocker. I know this track pretty well now but I'm still struggling with getting the tyres warm after coming off on the sweeper here a week and a half ago. Two laps in and I'm still feeling nervous, three laps and I think they must be warm by now but still can't get my head around it and by now it's time to come in. I'm feeling frustrated and unhappy with my efforts and have to have a think about this tyre issue. Motobob thinks I need to go faster to warm up, Shaun Harris says I need tyre warmers to run the slicks. He's right of course but that doesn't help me today!
Second practice lap and I push a little harder. Feeling better, a little more confidence, get my knee down and no problems with sliding, start to open her up a little more but still nowhere near the potential of the bike or myself. Still, feeling pleased with this practice, the bike is handling well although I'm not convinced I've got the gearing right. I'm tending to leave her in third for most of the lap, pushing it up into fourth on the front straight and after the sweeper before the chicane. This means I'm redlining it before the sweeper and at the end of the back straight before having to brake for the corner. There just doesn't seem to be much point in changing gear until I can up my exit speeds from the corners.
I have a bit of a look at the others in Clubmans and see there is a Ducati (he's running tyre warmers), a GSXR600 (he's not running tyre warmers but his bike has just been raced in F1 so his tyres are warm), a couple of motards, a two stroke something or other, and Brandon on Mella Yella in his first race (awesome effort btw, you were looking great in that last race from what I could see). There doesn't seem to be any order on the grid so heading out for the first race I decide that my strategy will be to line up on the front of the grid and if they don't like it I'm sure they'll tell me to move.
I get a brilliant start (even accidently pull my first wheelie) but chicken out heading into the first corner, not feeling comfortable with the tyres. The ducati, 600, two motards and the two stroke get in front of me. I keep in touch with them though and just let my tyres warm up. By the second lap I decide it's time to get going and start pushing a little harder. I manage to get past the two stroke on the back straight but he out corners me onto the front straight so I have to do it again. Now for the motard. I manage to take him around the sweeper and leave him behind. There's no one ahead of me for a while and then I start to see the 600 and the other motard ahead of me. I'm gaining on them with every corner but I run out of time and the flag drops. Oh well, next time. I'm pleased with the race though and manage a 4th place.
Race 2 and I screw up the start, chicken out on the first corner again and find myself in the same position as in the first race. This time though, although I manage to get past the two stroke I just can't get past the motard safely. I manage to get my nose in front of him down the back straight and should have pushed through but the balls just aren't there today (HDTBoy says I'll always have trouble with that, he says a vital part of my anatomy is missing, but apparently if a girl has sex the day before she races it increases the testosterone levels - I'll have to work on that one).
So this time I manage a 5th placing, not so pleased with my efforts but apparently I was going faster - I guess the others must have been too. I enjoyed Clubmans, the guys were the same level of experience as me (i.e. not much) and it was safe to assume that they might do something stupid too. Always good to know what you're fellow competitors might do! Lapped a 1.24 in this race I believe.
Time for a break from the racing for a while. Need to get some tyres I can trust on the SV, need to learn the bike at a few practice days and get some confidence up before getting into next season. Can't wait!
So, here we are again, setting up in the pits, rolling the bikes on to their stands, checking that nothing has got broken in transit, feeling nervous and excited. I wander down to sign up and find that because I only have an Auckland club license (well I didn't think I was going to race any other races this season), I have to pay for a day license. Fork out the cash and take the bike down for scrutineering. This time she gets through with no worries so I push her back to our pit. Those bikes are quite heavy when you have to push them...
I'm racing Clubmans this week because Motobob wants to try his hand at F3 and I might race Clubmans next year at the PMCC rounds and don't want to do F3 in case they won't let me back into Clubmans. There's 7 bikes in Clubmans and it's an exclusive race meaning only Clubmans, not combined with anyone else. I like this, but it does mean that no-one really watches us because we're not very exciting...
Head out on the first practice laps and it's a shocker. I know this track pretty well now but I'm still struggling with getting the tyres warm after coming off on the sweeper here a week and a half ago. Two laps in and I'm still feeling nervous, three laps and I think they must be warm by now but still can't get my head around it and by now it's time to come in. I'm feeling frustrated and unhappy with my efforts and have to have a think about this tyre issue. Motobob thinks I need to go faster to warm up, Shaun Harris says I need tyre warmers to run the slicks. He's right of course but that doesn't help me today!
Second practice lap and I push a little harder. Feeling better, a little more confidence, get my knee down and no problems with sliding, start to open her up a little more but still nowhere near the potential of the bike or myself. Still, feeling pleased with this practice, the bike is handling well although I'm not convinced I've got the gearing right. I'm tending to leave her in third for most of the lap, pushing it up into fourth on the front straight and after the sweeper before the chicane. This means I'm redlining it before the sweeper and at the end of the back straight before having to brake for the corner. There just doesn't seem to be much point in changing gear until I can up my exit speeds from the corners.
I have a bit of a look at the others in Clubmans and see there is a Ducati (he's running tyre warmers), a GSXR600 (he's not running tyre warmers but his bike has just been raced in F1 so his tyres are warm), a couple of motards, a two stroke something or other, and Brandon on Mella Yella in his first race (awesome effort btw, you were looking great in that last race from what I could see). There doesn't seem to be any order on the grid so heading out for the first race I decide that my strategy will be to line up on the front of the grid and if they don't like it I'm sure they'll tell me to move.
I get a brilliant start (even accidently pull my first wheelie) but chicken out heading into the first corner, not feeling comfortable with the tyres. The ducati, 600, two motards and the two stroke get in front of me. I keep in touch with them though and just let my tyres warm up. By the second lap I decide it's time to get going and start pushing a little harder. I manage to get past the two stroke on the back straight but he out corners me onto the front straight so I have to do it again. Now for the motard. I manage to take him around the sweeper and leave him behind. There's no one ahead of me for a while and then I start to see the 600 and the other motard ahead of me. I'm gaining on them with every corner but I run out of time and the flag drops. Oh well, next time. I'm pleased with the race though and manage a 4th place.
Race 2 and I screw up the start, chicken out on the first corner again and find myself in the same position as in the first race. This time though, although I manage to get past the two stroke I just can't get past the motard safely. I manage to get my nose in front of him down the back straight and should have pushed through but the balls just aren't there today (HDTBoy says I'll always have trouble with that, he says a vital part of my anatomy is missing, but apparently if a girl has sex the day before she races it increases the testosterone levels - I'll have to work on that one).
So this time I manage a 5th placing, not so pleased with my efforts but apparently I was going faster - I guess the others must have been too. I enjoyed Clubmans, the guys were the same level of experience as me (i.e. not much) and it was safe to assume that they might do something stupid too. Always good to know what you're fellow competitors might do! Lapped a 1.24 in this race I believe.
Time for a break from the racing for a while. Need to get some tyres I can trust on the SV, need to learn the bike at a few practice days and get some confidence up before getting into next season. Can't wait!