Keystone19
27th March 2007, 09:55
Well it was back to Pukekohe 2 weeks after the Nationals there and I was nervous! Despite the fact that I still seem to be able to, I worry incessantly that I won't be able to go as fast as the last time! Ah well, the weather was perfect, the company great, it didn't really matter anyway!
Qualifying: There is nothing better than that feeling you get when you pull out of pit lane onto the track for the first time. As long as I keep getting that feeling - I'm gonna keep playing this game! I did a bit of a sighting lap to check on the condition of the track and then decided to up the pace a bit when I saw it all looked good. Felt pretty comfortable out there so was hopeful of a reasonable place on the grid. Circulated about 9 times and then wandered back in at the end of the session.
I had signed up to do protwins but decided not to run in this class as I was still suffering from a sore shoulder and had knocked back a fair amount of voltaren to get me through the day. Don't ask how I got the sore shoulder but let me just add that dodgy wheelies should be avoided two days before racing.
After about 10 minutes the qualifying times and grid positions went up. I was stoked to see that I pulled the fastest qualifying time at 1.07.41. Woohoo! My first pole position! Now I just had to make it stick!
Race 1 and I line up on the grid. I get an awesome start and I'm first going into corner 1. I manage to hold this position for maybe the first two laps and then my arch nemesis Bill Vandehoven drafts me out of the hairpin and sneaks past. I work hard to hold onto him but despite similar corner speed he seems to have a little bit more speed than me down the back straight. I can out brake him into the hairpin but he pulls away too fast and I'm stuck behind him. Finish second with a fastest laptime of 1.06.55.
Race 2 and I screw up the start. I really need to work on my aggression into corner 1, holding my line and just being onto it. I think I'm getting better but it's slow! Who's got some aggression pills? So I'm maybe 6th or 7th out of corner one. I manage to get back most of these places by outbraking half of the bikes into the hairpin. But Bill's still in front of me and I know it's going to be hard to get him. And then!!! 1 1/2 laps from the end Paul Dobbs shoots past me on his Norton 750. Bugger! Back to 3rd! So much for my pole position! I try to line him up to draft him over the hill and take him on the finish line but I completely screw that up, lose my foot off the right hand footpeg over the hill, run wide and he's gone. Oh well, it was worth a try! Still, a PB in this race of 1.06.43.
Race 3 and another dodgy start. Logan shoots underneath me and Wiggles around the outside and I know it's all on this time! Bill's in front as is Dobbsy. Jeez...when will I get this starting thing sorted! End of lap one and Wiggles is still in front of me. Can't have that so I dive under him coming into Jennian, realise that I'm going a bit too hot to make the turn, run wide into the dust fully cranked over, come in tight to the left hander and manage to take the corner with a bit of fancy foot work! Much to my surprise neither Wiggles or Logan come under me as I run wide. I think Logan thought I was going to crash - nah bro...didn't even feel it slide! Still, this relatively dodgy manoeuver brings me back to third where I remain for the rest of the race.
So, a second, two thirds and a personal best. And some good racing too! So I'm pretty stoked with the days efforts! Thanks to Strat and Bugjuice for helping in the pits! Thanks to Gordon for being there! And thanks to AMCC and marshalls for a really well run day!
Qualifying: There is nothing better than that feeling you get when you pull out of pit lane onto the track for the first time. As long as I keep getting that feeling - I'm gonna keep playing this game! I did a bit of a sighting lap to check on the condition of the track and then decided to up the pace a bit when I saw it all looked good. Felt pretty comfortable out there so was hopeful of a reasonable place on the grid. Circulated about 9 times and then wandered back in at the end of the session.
I had signed up to do protwins but decided not to run in this class as I was still suffering from a sore shoulder and had knocked back a fair amount of voltaren to get me through the day. Don't ask how I got the sore shoulder but let me just add that dodgy wheelies should be avoided two days before racing.
After about 10 minutes the qualifying times and grid positions went up. I was stoked to see that I pulled the fastest qualifying time at 1.07.41. Woohoo! My first pole position! Now I just had to make it stick!
Race 1 and I line up on the grid. I get an awesome start and I'm first going into corner 1. I manage to hold this position for maybe the first two laps and then my arch nemesis Bill Vandehoven drafts me out of the hairpin and sneaks past. I work hard to hold onto him but despite similar corner speed he seems to have a little bit more speed than me down the back straight. I can out brake him into the hairpin but he pulls away too fast and I'm stuck behind him. Finish second with a fastest laptime of 1.06.55.
Race 2 and I screw up the start. I really need to work on my aggression into corner 1, holding my line and just being onto it. I think I'm getting better but it's slow! Who's got some aggression pills? So I'm maybe 6th or 7th out of corner one. I manage to get back most of these places by outbraking half of the bikes into the hairpin. But Bill's still in front of me and I know it's going to be hard to get him. And then!!! 1 1/2 laps from the end Paul Dobbs shoots past me on his Norton 750. Bugger! Back to 3rd! So much for my pole position! I try to line him up to draft him over the hill and take him on the finish line but I completely screw that up, lose my foot off the right hand footpeg over the hill, run wide and he's gone. Oh well, it was worth a try! Still, a PB in this race of 1.06.43.
Race 3 and another dodgy start. Logan shoots underneath me and Wiggles around the outside and I know it's all on this time! Bill's in front as is Dobbsy. Jeez...when will I get this starting thing sorted! End of lap one and Wiggles is still in front of me. Can't have that so I dive under him coming into Jennian, realise that I'm going a bit too hot to make the turn, run wide into the dust fully cranked over, come in tight to the left hander and manage to take the corner with a bit of fancy foot work! Much to my surprise neither Wiggles or Logan come under me as I run wide. I think Logan thought I was going to crash - nah bro...didn't even feel it slide! Still, this relatively dodgy manoeuver brings me back to third where I remain for the rest of the race.
So, a second, two thirds and a personal best. And some good racing too! So I'm pretty stoked with the days efforts! Thanks to Strat and Bugjuice for helping in the pits! Thanks to Gordon for being there! And thanks to AMCC and marshalls for a really well run day!