vtec
24th July 2006, 11:56
Well I'm going to cut to the chase with this writeup, as there was a crap load of racing done on the day.
Streetstock Qualifying:
Went out looking to take it easy for the first lap or so, cause I'd heard that the additional back section of the long circuit was pretty tricky. Didn't take Texmo long to come hooning past into the first lefthander entering the back section. Tried to follow him, but he got a gap on me through that section pretty quick. Looks like the few laps that he did the day before really helped gain some insight to the new section. Was going to have to ride hard to get that kind of pace. Put down a reasonable lap trying to stick with Texmo (Aaron), but didn't really make much ground. Came in hoping that I'd be on the first row of the grid, wasn't sure, as I was feeling pretty average out there, not pushing it anywhere near hard enough through some of the corners.
Superlite Qualifying:
Can't remember everything that happened in this run, but didn't take it as serious as the Streetstock qualifying, just wanting to stay out of the way of the bigger bikes, as they were busy trying to cut me off into corners and stuff. After this session though, the tendons in my forearm were already starting to play up, was a bit worried that I wasn't going to make it through all the races.
Streetstock Race 1:
Waiting on the grid, red flag runs off the circuit, I start revving my engine to about 6000rpm, waiting for the green flag to drop, as soon as it starts to go down, I spike my revs to about 16,000rpm, and feather the clutch out to keep the revs at about 15-16,000rpm and launch real hard, the front wheel lifts slightly off the ground, and i go shooting through the nearly stationary 125gp bike group. Amazingly end up second out of the GP bikes and get straight into my workload. Get around half a lap before another 125 bike makes a challenge on me, and the pass sticks. Then I get him back, still riding pretty hard, put down a reasonable first lap. Then onto the second, heading around, and as I go onto the left hander entering the extended part of the circuit, I'm thinking to myself, I could have gone way faster on the last lap. I then proceed to badly over cook it through the left hander, try braking while I'm cornering, but I'm just way too far out of shape. I stand the bike up, then proceed into the muddy grass with just the back brake dragging. The bike's wobbling around on the mud like a very wobbly jelly. Notice that the tyres are approach a little fast for my likings, grab some of the front brakes, it starts to slide the front end straight away, but helped brush off a bit of speed, but also badly destabilised the bike. Then just as I'm about to stop, the bike twists sideways and plops into the mud. Bugger, not such a good start to the points chase for the day. Pick the bike up as fast as I can, wouldn't start, so I have to roll it back and forward trying to get it to neutral before it will restart. Got it started, put it in first rev it up, and it's not moving, just sprays a bit of mud out of the back. Proceed to push it back on the track while feathering the clutch to get it back out there. Was sinking in the mud up to the ankles of my riding boots. Once I'm back on the bike, I can see a few riders go through just ahead. My feet are sliding around on the pegs like anything due to all the mud. And the tyres still well and truly caked are all over the road. I do a few squiggles to clear most of the surface area of the tyres. Then get back into it, only really half hearted though, as the race is merely four laps and making up a minute is no easy task. Still I cruise round get onto the last lap, and I can see a couple of riders up ahead. One's AJ Chappell. So I work for the next lap and a half reeling them in. I get the first of them around the back section of the track, and then I'm following AJ going into the sweeper before the run to the finish, so I set up running it really wide so I can get a really good swing in for the run onto the straight, and carrying a lot more speed I get him easily just as we enter the front straight. And get the bike home to salvage an 8th place out of 12. 13 points helps to keep my points tally respectable, and not too far behind Neil Chappell.
Formula 3 Race 1:
Wrist tendons starting to give me strife now. Talked to Bert, and he suggested moving my clutch lever to a lower angle. I find that it helps, but it's too late my clutch hand feels buggered. Green flag drops and I launch hard again, do another little wheely, and gain a whole bunch of places again. But take it very gingerly into the first corner, as there are heaps of bikes all squeezing in to a very tight space in the first corner. Thus I lose a bunch of places. I think I would be more aggressive if that was actually my class, but I don't want to be involved in any incidents that would adversely affect my points chase in Streetstocks. Again out on the back section, I overcook one of the lefthanders and run really wide, hoping that I can keep it on the track, but to no avail. Run off onto the mud again, luckily I go over a connecting part of the circuit, so I get a small patch of tarseal with which to use my front brakes, so I slow it down plenty before I run off onto the mud again, but at least the bike is still up right and running, I get off to push it back onto the circuit again. Rejoin, and look back to see the pace car not too far behind me, embarrassing. Get busy shaving the mud off the tyres... again. Then back into it, make a few passes during the race, and finish up 27th out of 33 finishers. But at least I had fun.
Streetstock Race 2:
The forearm tendons are no worse than in the last F3 race, but I'm still worried about them. Decide to try using clutchless upshifts, but I've never really done many before. Green flag drops I again shoot past Aaron on the back wheel, and right up through the GP bikes again. I head around the first lap, chasing after a couple of the GP bikes. I'm doing alright this time, and am still in front of Aaron going into back section of the second lap, just before one of the right handers at Shell corners, I have a couple of big rear end lockups, and end up just staying on the track, but Aaron got an easy pass in, and again there was already a big gap so I was going to be unable to match his braking points and lines, was going to have to just copy his style and see if I can make some good ground on him. Going onto the last lap, I hadn't made too much ground, but was determined to make a concerted effort to get the win. The whole lap I make good ground, decide he must have buttoned off because he'd lost sight of me behind him, finally get some of the corners on the back section right, and have the bike well leaned over with the tyres groaning a bit, pegs and knee on the ground at the same time with my butt barely clearing the surface. Got pretty close going into the last sweeper before the run onto the straight, but Aaron seems to love that sweeper, and always goes in quite a bit faster than me, although I think I come out a bit faster. Still I don't make enough ground, and he takes the win by just under a second. Still was pretty happy that I got the best lap time of the day off that last lap in that race.
Streetstock Qualifying:
Went out looking to take it easy for the first lap or so, cause I'd heard that the additional back section of the long circuit was pretty tricky. Didn't take Texmo long to come hooning past into the first lefthander entering the back section. Tried to follow him, but he got a gap on me through that section pretty quick. Looks like the few laps that he did the day before really helped gain some insight to the new section. Was going to have to ride hard to get that kind of pace. Put down a reasonable lap trying to stick with Texmo (Aaron), but didn't really make much ground. Came in hoping that I'd be on the first row of the grid, wasn't sure, as I was feeling pretty average out there, not pushing it anywhere near hard enough through some of the corners.
Superlite Qualifying:
Can't remember everything that happened in this run, but didn't take it as serious as the Streetstock qualifying, just wanting to stay out of the way of the bigger bikes, as they were busy trying to cut me off into corners and stuff. After this session though, the tendons in my forearm were already starting to play up, was a bit worried that I wasn't going to make it through all the races.
Streetstock Race 1:
Waiting on the grid, red flag runs off the circuit, I start revving my engine to about 6000rpm, waiting for the green flag to drop, as soon as it starts to go down, I spike my revs to about 16,000rpm, and feather the clutch out to keep the revs at about 15-16,000rpm and launch real hard, the front wheel lifts slightly off the ground, and i go shooting through the nearly stationary 125gp bike group. Amazingly end up second out of the GP bikes and get straight into my workload. Get around half a lap before another 125 bike makes a challenge on me, and the pass sticks. Then I get him back, still riding pretty hard, put down a reasonable first lap. Then onto the second, heading around, and as I go onto the left hander entering the extended part of the circuit, I'm thinking to myself, I could have gone way faster on the last lap. I then proceed to badly over cook it through the left hander, try braking while I'm cornering, but I'm just way too far out of shape. I stand the bike up, then proceed into the muddy grass with just the back brake dragging. The bike's wobbling around on the mud like a very wobbly jelly. Notice that the tyres are approach a little fast for my likings, grab some of the front brakes, it starts to slide the front end straight away, but helped brush off a bit of speed, but also badly destabilised the bike. Then just as I'm about to stop, the bike twists sideways and plops into the mud. Bugger, not such a good start to the points chase for the day. Pick the bike up as fast as I can, wouldn't start, so I have to roll it back and forward trying to get it to neutral before it will restart. Got it started, put it in first rev it up, and it's not moving, just sprays a bit of mud out of the back. Proceed to push it back on the track while feathering the clutch to get it back out there. Was sinking in the mud up to the ankles of my riding boots. Once I'm back on the bike, I can see a few riders go through just ahead. My feet are sliding around on the pegs like anything due to all the mud. And the tyres still well and truly caked are all over the road. I do a few squiggles to clear most of the surface area of the tyres. Then get back into it, only really half hearted though, as the race is merely four laps and making up a minute is no easy task. Still I cruise round get onto the last lap, and I can see a couple of riders up ahead. One's AJ Chappell. So I work for the next lap and a half reeling them in. I get the first of them around the back section of the track, and then I'm following AJ going into the sweeper before the run to the finish, so I set up running it really wide so I can get a really good swing in for the run onto the straight, and carrying a lot more speed I get him easily just as we enter the front straight. And get the bike home to salvage an 8th place out of 12. 13 points helps to keep my points tally respectable, and not too far behind Neil Chappell.
Formula 3 Race 1:
Wrist tendons starting to give me strife now. Talked to Bert, and he suggested moving my clutch lever to a lower angle. I find that it helps, but it's too late my clutch hand feels buggered. Green flag drops and I launch hard again, do another little wheely, and gain a whole bunch of places again. But take it very gingerly into the first corner, as there are heaps of bikes all squeezing in to a very tight space in the first corner. Thus I lose a bunch of places. I think I would be more aggressive if that was actually my class, but I don't want to be involved in any incidents that would adversely affect my points chase in Streetstocks. Again out on the back section, I overcook one of the lefthanders and run really wide, hoping that I can keep it on the track, but to no avail. Run off onto the mud again, luckily I go over a connecting part of the circuit, so I get a small patch of tarseal with which to use my front brakes, so I slow it down plenty before I run off onto the mud again, but at least the bike is still up right and running, I get off to push it back onto the circuit again. Rejoin, and look back to see the pace car not too far behind me, embarrassing. Get busy shaving the mud off the tyres... again. Then back into it, make a few passes during the race, and finish up 27th out of 33 finishers. But at least I had fun.
Streetstock Race 2:
The forearm tendons are no worse than in the last F3 race, but I'm still worried about them. Decide to try using clutchless upshifts, but I've never really done many before. Green flag drops I again shoot past Aaron on the back wheel, and right up through the GP bikes again. I head around the first lap, chasing after a couple of the GP bikes. I'm doing alright this time, and am still in front of Aaron going into back section of the second lap, just before one of the right handers at Shell corners, I have a couple of big rear end lockups, and end up just staying on the track, but Aaron got an easy pass in, and again there was already a big gap so I was going to be unable to match his braking points and lines, was going to have to just copy his style and see if I can make some good ground on him. Going onto the last lap, I hadn't made too much ground, but was determined to make a concerted effort to get the win. The whole lap I make good ground, decide he must have buttoned off because he'd lost sight of me behind him, finally get some of the corners on the back section right, and have the bike well leaned over with the tyres groaning a bit, pegs and knee on the ground at the same time with my butt barely clearing the surface. Got pretty close going into the last sweeper before the run onto the straight, but Aaron seems to love that sweeper, and always goes in quite a bit faster than me, although I think I come out a bit faster. Still I don't make enough ground, and he takes the win by just under a second. Still was pretty happy that I got the best lap time of the day off that last lap in that race.