FROSTY
13th September 2004, 10:21
My day started out with me not even knowing if i would be out on the track Mella yella just refused to run despite being ripped apart several times.
I thought -well stuffit I've paid my entry fees and anyways i've gotta go get my 750 from SVS anyhoo.
After flying through scrutineering I stripped MY down again in the pits.
I pulled the bung out for the ignition rotor to find it just sitting there not attached to anything.
WOOHOOO-Franticly bolting it all back together with the expert assistance of SVS's lovely lady (boy do I owe you a beer or two) I got out for beginners/new engine practice.
Even nursing a new engine it was pretty clear MY was really on song.
I was entered into two race classes. F3 with the other KB guys. That class is now for the 4 stroke 400s and 650 twins with the 125 guys having their own class.To make things confusing though we were all on the start line together not knowing who you were racing for points with. In pre89 senior which is for 600cc+bikes built before 1989
There was a fair bit of argument from the officials about the 400 being in 89 senior but I wanted the points (ill be riding the 750 from now on)
First race was pre89 -because the pre82 guys diddn't want us starting in the middle of them we had to start so far down the track I couldn't even see the flag drop I gunned it off the line when the cloud of smoke came up from the pre82 start.
My strategy was to use pre89 to warm my tyres for f3 and gather as many points as I could. I settled down to consistant 1.16's which was fast enough not to get lapped but not overstressing MY's new engine.
I ended up having a fair old dice for the last three laps with a guy on a 1100 katana -We were pretty evenly matched for power but he was a bit hesitant into Jennian and I was consistantly outbraking him into the hairpin.
He had me exiting castrol and down the straight. -- Later he was commenting to me his bike was "only " putting out 80 hp -hmm MY is now at 59hp
Race 1 F3 I had a good start then lost it all going into jennian as a swarm of buzzing lil strokers are all around me .
From now On Im gonna take a fuggit aproach to jennian at the f3 starts and if I need to rub fairings I will.
I was lapping in pretty consistant 1.15's and it felt like I was midfeilding.
I did think for a moment at castrol I was going to have a pillion passenger for the race--aka KK when I had a close up view of his off.
Low point of that race was my own stupidity.
I was running in 9th place -I thought with a decent lead on the guys behind.
I went hot into the hairpin as usual and took it easy coming out.-STUPID STUPID -as two bikes flew past and beat me to the line.
Round 2 and I stuck to plan in pre89 -but I still managed to pass 4 of the pre82 guys pretty fast -Had a bloody scarey moment heading to the hairpin when a pre82 guy chernobled his motor throwing oil on the track and onto the front of mella yella. -It made for an interesting time getting around the hairpin.
Race 2 for F3 was delayed whilst the oil slick was cleaned up-Gave me time to wipe MY down and get onto the dummy grid.
Race 2 started out as a total disaster. I was gridded next to Hoon and I needed to beat him into Jennian so I could be in front for castrol.
Some f$#$ decided as the flag was about to drop to turn his bike at right angles to the grid right in front of me.Effectively giving me nowhere to go
Everyone else was gone and Im sitting there waiting for him to get outa my way.
I was Totally pissed off and I think it showed in my riding -
into turn two grinding the peg then tossed MY on his side into castrol
I pegged back 3 bikes on the straight then got one more into the hairpin
I think the red haze lifted (thank gosh) and I got into a huge battle with a guy on another zxr400 and a guy on a 125 stroker.
I out braked them both into the hairpin and started to clutch it out when the fairing lower dug into the track and lifted the back wheel off the ground. I ran wide onto the grass and let them both back through.
2 laps later and I did the same thing --well Im nothing if not consistant
lap times down to 1.14 and a tenth place.
Round three -Pre89 -off the start and im into the pre82 guys like a rat up a drainpipe --yeehaa. Then on the entry to Jennian (which for those that dont know it is a semi blind fast right hander) , right in front of me another pre82 bike blows up -dumping oil all round the entry to Jennian and there is a HUGE cloud of smoke i ride through.
On the restart common sense won out and I basicly circulated and picked up the points for a third place finish. -still doing high 1.14's so almost on the f3 pace. Jennian was scarey beacause of the oil and the dust cloud that came up every time a bike crossed the oil cement dust
Race 3 f3-was great fun -I was having a fight with another zxr whilst slowly reeling KK in. Thanks dude -you showed me how to get over the hill with the power properly on. Pity about the oil mist lol
I hesitated a moment going over the "hill" on the final lap and it was enough for the other guy to come out of my slipsteam and beat me to the line.
The last race of the day was total Magic.
I got a fantastic start and shot through to about 8th place (which was 4th or 5th in f3)
I managed to leave hoon and the other zxr guy behind and settled down to have fun. I could hear Hoon right behind me and just gave everything I had to stopping him from getting a chance to pass.
He was getting really good drive out of castol but I brake later at the hairpin. -I commit to jennian harder and faster than he does but hes much more committed on the corner leading to the "hill"
He finally got me 2 laps from the end when the fairing dug in again But I retook him just after the hill. He wasnt giving up and came up on the OUTSIDE of me when I was going wide anyways.I thought maybee if I leaned on Hoon little he would back off-But NO chance. I knew whoever got through Jennian in front had the race so I diddn't bother braking and tossed it on its side and nailed it for all I had . Bugger me -Hoon was still there on the outside of me so close we coulda swapped bikes.
He beat me into turn two by halfa bike lenth and grabbed a 1 bike length lead exiting Castrol.
Even matched down the back straight I out braked him and went inside of him at the hairpin but He was having none of that and closed the door firmly in my face--(frosty ya gonna hafta try harder than that ) He got better drive up the hill and pulled that vital 5 or 10 meters on me .
Last lap and he hesitated a milisecond into jennian-I gained back 6 meters
Into castrol and he took a gracefull and clearly fast line where I was trying a more toss it down and pick it up fast aproach.
Over the line and hoon deservedly beat me. but still a best lap ever of I think 13.22 and a solid 8th place. Thanks Hoon--it was cool mate :not:
Guys I had the best days racing I have had in years.
My lap times have gone from 1.25 My very first ride on mella yella to solid 1.14's and best of 1.13 .I managed two eighth places in F3 a tenth and an eleventh -(possibly two tenth places) -I also got great points in Pre89 picking up two second places and two thirds -I can't wait to get out there on the 750
I was able to sort a few personal gremlins and I can see places I can pick up a few fractions of a second here and there.
I know Im slow at Castrols exit I'm not sure if its my carb setup or me so Ill work on that.
Definitely the left right up the "hill" scares me and im not on the throttle as hard as other guys. I'm not consistant with the throttle .I guess my survival instinct is too strong -I need to commit more into corners.
Mella yella aint gonna be touched except for a severe trim back on the lower fairings which will give me more ground clearance and possibly a rear shock rebuild.
Ill be back out in 3 weeks with hopefully my 750 in pre89 and MY being down to just one class.
Unless of course the 750 becomes mella yella 2 :whistle:
I thought -well stuffit I've paid my entry fees and anyways i've gotta go get my 750 from SVS anyhoo.
After flying through scrutineering I stripped MY down again in the pits.
I pulled the bung out for the ignition rotor to find it just sitting there not attached to anything.
WOOHOOO-Franticly bolting it all back together with the expert assistance of SVS's lovely lady (boy do I owe you a beer or two) I got out for beginners/new engine practice.
Even nursing a new engine it was pretty clear MY was really on song.
I was entered into two race classes. F3 with the other KB guys. That class is now for the 4 stroke 400s and 650 twins with the 125 guys having their own class.To make things confusing though we were all on the start line together not knowing who you were racing for points with. In pre89 senior which is for 600cc+bikes built before 1989
There was a fair bit of argument from the officials about the 400 being in 89 senior but I wanted the points (ill be riding the 750 from now on)
First race was pre89 -because the pre82 guys diddn't want us starting in the middle of them we had to start so far down the track I couldn't even see the flag drop I gunned it off the line when the cloud of smoke came up from the pre82 start.
My strategy was to use pre89 to warm my tyres for f3 and gather as many points as I could. I settled down to consistant 1.16's which was fast enough not to get lapped but not overstressing MY's new engine.
I ended up having a fair old dice for the last three laps with a guy on a 1100 katana -We were pretty evenly matched for power but he was a bit hesitant into Jennian and I was consistantly outbraking him into the hairpin.
He had me exiting castrol and down the straight. -- Later he was commenting to me his bike was "only " putting out 80 hp -hmm MY is now at 59hp
Race 1 F3 I had a good start then lost it all going into jennian as a swarm of buzzing lil strokers are all around me .
From now On Im gonna take a fuggit aproach to jennian at the f3 starts and if I need to rub fairings I will.
I was lapping in pretty consistant 1.15's and it felt like I was midfeilding.
I did think for a moment at castrol I was going to have a pillion passenger for the race--aka KK when I had a close up view of his off.
Low point of that race was my own stupidity.
I was running in 9th place -I thought with a decent lead on the guys behind.
I went hot into the hairpin as usual and took it easy coming out.-STUPID STUPID -as two bikes flew past and beat me to the line.
Round 2 and I stuck to plan in pre89 -but I still managed to pass 4 of the pre82 guys pretty fast -Had a bloody scarey moment heading to the hairpin when a pre82 guy chernobled his motor throwing oil on the track and onto the front of mella yella. -It made for an interesting time getting around the hairpin.
Race 2 for F3 was delayed whilst the oil slick was cleaned up-Gave me time to wipe MY down and get onto the dummy grid.
Race 2 started out as a total disaster. I was gridded next to Hoon and I needed to beat him into Jennian so I could be in front for castrol.
Some f$#$ decided as the flag was about to drop to turn his bike at right angles to the grid right in front of me.Effectively giving me nowhere to go
Everyone else was gone and Im sitting there waiting for him to get outa my way.
I was Totally pissed off and I think it showed in my riding -
into turn two grinding the peg then tossed MY on his side into castrol
I pegged back 3 bikes on the straight then got one more into the hairpin
I think the red haze lifted (thank gosh) and I got into a huge battle with a guy on another zxr400 and a guy on a 125 stroker.
I out braked them both into the hairpin and started to clutch it out when the fairing lower dug into the track and lifted the back wheel off the ground. I ran wide onto the grass and let them both back through.
2 laps later and I did the same thing --well Im nothing if not consistant
lap times down to 1.14 and a tenth place.
Round three -Pre89 -off the start and im into the pre82 guys like a rat up a drainpipe --yeehaa. Then on the entry to Jennian (which for those that dont know it is a semi blind fast right hander) , right in front of me another pre82 bike blows up -dumping oil all round the entry to Jennian and there is a HUGE cloud of smoke i ride through.
On the restart common sense won out and I basicly circulated and picked up the points for a third place finish. -still doing high 1.14's so almost on the f3 pace. Jennian was scarey beacause of the oil and the dust cloud that came up every time a bike crossed the oil cement dust
Race 3 f3-was great fun -I was having a fight with another zxr whilst slowly reeling KK in. Thanks dude -you showed me how to get over the hill with the power properly on. Pity about the oil mist lol
I hesitated a moment going over the "hill" on the final lap and it was enough for the other guy to come out of my slipsteam and beat me to the line.
The last race of the day was total Magic.
I got a fantastic start and shot through to about 8th place (which was 4th or 5th in f3)
I managed to leave hoon and the other zxr guy behind and settled down to have fun. I could hear Hoon right behind me and just gave everything I had to stopping him from getting a chance to pass.
He was getting really good drive out of castol but I brake later at the hairpin. -I commit to jennian harder and faster than he does but hes much more committed on the corner leading to the "hill"
He finally got me 2 laps from the end when the fairing dug in again But I retook him just after the hill. He wasnt giving up and came up on the OUTSIDE of me when I was going wide anyways.I thought maybee if I leaned on Hoon little he would back off-But NO chance. I knew whoever got through Jennian in front had the race so I diddn't bother braking and tossed it on its side and nailed it for all I had . Bugger me -Hoon was still there on the outside of me so close we coulda swapped bikes.
He beat me into turn two by halfa bike lenth and grabbed a 1 bike length lead exiting Castrol.
Even matched down the back straight I out braked him and went inside of him at the hairpin but He was having none of that and closed the door firmly in my face--(frosty ya gonna hafta try harder than that ) He got better drive up the hill and pulled that vital 5 or 10 meters on me .
Last lap and he hesitated a milisecond into jennian-I gained back 6 meters
Into castrol and he took a gracefull and clearly fast line where I was trying a more toss it down and pick it up fast aproach.
Over the line and hoon deservedly beat me. but still a best lap ever of I think 13.22 and a solid 8th place. Thanks Hoon--it was cool mate :not:
Guys I had the best days racing I have had in years.
My lap times have gone from 1.25 My very first ride on mella yella to solid 1.14's and best of 1.13 .I managed two eighth places in F3 a tenth and an eleventh -(possibly two tenth places) -I also got great points in Pre89 picking up two second places and two thirds -I can't wait to get out there on the 750
I was able to sort a few personal gremlins and I can see places I can pick up a few fractions of a second here and there.
I know Im slow at Castrols exit I'm not sure if its my carb setup or me so Ill work on that.
Definitely the left right up the "hill" scares me and im not on the throttle as hard as other guys. I'm not consistant with the throttle .I guess my survival instinct is too strong -I need to commit more into corners.
Mella yella aint gonna be touched except for a severe trim back on the lower fairings which will give me more ground clearance and possibly a rear shock rebuild.
Ill be back out in 3 weeks with hopefully my 750 in pre89 and MY being down to just one class.
Unless of course the 750 becomes mella yella 2 :whistle: