k14
15th January 2008, 22:03
The anticipation had been building for months, it was January and time for the 2008 New Zealand Superbike Championships Round 1 at Ruapuna raceway.
Friday was practice day. After a bit of stuffing around and sign in we eventually got onto the track around 11am. The first two sessions were just spent getting the jetting and suspension to my liking. I hadn’t raced in these temps since the previous year and a two stroke is constantly in need of minute jetting adjustments to ensure it was running at peak performance. The wind was also causing a few problems, quite a stiff NE breeze which was a half tail wind down the front straight. This was good for top end speed but had to be kept an eye on for gearing modifications.
I managed to do a few 1.46’s in the first session and dipped into the 1.44’s in the second. I was pretty happy with this. My goal for the day was to be able to run in the 1.43’s on old tyres and break out the new ones for qualifying on Saturday morning. The third session was again to get a few good laps in and just make a couple more front end adjustments. Instead I decided that it was a good idea to take the hairpin too tight and clip the inside curb with my leg. Sometimes this comes off ok, but not this time. I was half pulled off the bike and went along for 10m or so hanging off the bike till eventually me and the bike just fell over.
Not the best start to the championship campaign. But oh well, these things sometime happen. No damage apart from a slightly bent gear lever, five mins in the pits and it was fixed. I couldn’t continue the session though, too much lost time so just had the one session left.
This went a lot better. I got a nice bit of track to myself and reeled off consistent 1.44 lap times a best being 1.44.1. This was slightly off my target but happy that I was there or thereabouts ready for Saturday morning qualifying.
Saturday was forecast to be a scorcher and the weather forecasters were for once right. When we went out for our first qualifying at 1100 the temp was already around 27 or so and climbing. I went out first of the 125’s and put in one good lap to ensure I had something to work from, first flying lap a 1.43.8. The engine water temp was climbing due the air temp so I pitted and pulled all the tape off the radiator. I went back out and did another three flying laps in the 1.43’s and then the session was over.
The qualifying was close as ever with the top 9 separated by one second and the top 4 by 0.2s. I was fourth with a 1.43.1. I was happy with this, the front row start was crucial and with the way the day was going it would be a tough task to go any faster for the next session.
The second qualifying session was held at the peak of the day, it was an absolute scorcher by now. Air temp was 32 and track temp was touching 50. I was intending to put a brand new set of tyres on but due to the hot temperatures decided to put on a slightly used set of harder compound tyres to withstand the heat a bit better. Well that’s how the theory went. I went out in the session and saw the massive trail of oil left by a sidecar (how typical) right on the racing line of the fairly fast right hander after the infield sweeper. This would make things interesting.
I only did 2 laps with a best of 1.47. The bike felt good with the harder compound tyres and I was taking it very gingerly through the cement dust where the oil had been dropped. I was just conserving my energy for the 10 lap race that we were to have in about an hours time. Consequently no one ended up bettering their first qualifying time and I kept my 4th place on the grid. Very happy with this and would have a front row start for the race.
The race came around soon enough and after the warm up lap I took my grid position on the outside of the first row. The lights went out and I got a really good start. I was second over the line and passed Adam Chambers for the lead halfway down the straight into the first corner. This was completely new territory for me, I had never led a race before so just kept my head down and didn’t dare look back.
The first three laps flashed by, I kept my lines tidy and managed to hold onto the lead. I could feel the front drifting wide on a few of the corners so was a bit ginger with opening the throttle. After the third lap Tim McArthur came past down the straight and demoted me to second position. Next lap Cameron Jones passed me down the straight again and thus I was down to third. Not quite going to plan but still in with a good showing. I couldn’t keep with these guys so just focussed on keeping tidy with my lines and not making any mistakes.
By now the front tyre was not feeling very nice at all. I had a nasty moment coming through the left hander before the dipper on the fifth lap which stuffed up my run through there. Consequently I lost 4 positions in that one lap and drifted back to seventh. I managed to get up to sixth the next lap but was passed again coming into the hairpin and couldn’t hold the pace. It was too risky and I wasn’t going to dnf the first race of the season. After 10 long laps the race was over and I had finished in 7th. Not the greatest of results but it could have been worse. The tyre choice/gamble turned out to be a very bad choice and probably cost me a few positions. Never the less I had made it through the first race unscathed and knew I could do better in the remaining two races of the weekend.
After the extremely hot conditions of the Saturday, Sunday dawned slightly overcast and with a gentle NE breeze blowing. We changed my tyres before the first morning scrub session to a new set of Dunlops and I went and scrubbed them for two laps before the first of the day’s two races. This was due to commence at approx 1100.
The race came around and the NE breeze was still gently blowing, keeping the temperature down to a more manageable level. After the warmup lap I again took my grid position and didn’t get quite as good a start as the first race but still slotted into third through the first corner. I got a really good run through pothole and suddenly I was in the lead coming out of the hairpin. This was familiar territory and again I kept my head down hoping I could make a bit of a break. I kept the lead for the first two laps and as in the first race, Cameron Jones came roaring past at the end of the straight on start of the third lap. I kept in second for another two laps and then Tim McArthur passed me. This was ok, I was still running at a good pace but knew I had at least one guy right on my tail.
On the next few laps I caught a glimpse of Gregor Stevens out of the corner of my eye but he couldn’t quite make it past me when he came out of my slipstream. I was riding as hard as I could and making sure I covered my lines and not let any easy passes. On the end of the eighth lap I came onto the straight in second, as all other laps and clicked into third as I ran right out to the edge of the track. A second later the bike jumped back into second. Before I knew it I felt a shunt from behind and then that surreal slow-motion couple of milliseconds before the inevitable crash. I came down heavy and was lying right in the middle of the track about 100m before the start/finish line.
I quickly got to my feet and ran to the side of the track. I could feel a pain in my ankle and was still in a bit of shock as to what had just happened. My bike was in a bit of a sorry state and still lying in the middle of the track. I kept looking at the flag marshal looking for the red flag but it wasn’t to come. Very surprising considering the officials red flagged the 600 race before us very quickly. I lay on the side of the track for the final two laps of the race and waited for the ambulance to come. I took my boot off and pretty quickly worked out that my ankle wasn’t broken, just a bit of a sprain. I helped pick my bike up and took it back to the pits to survey the damage.
The crash was one of the worst you can get, probably should be classed as an accident. Just a freak event, mechanical failure when you least expect it. Because Gregor was in my slipstream and mere inches from my back wheel he had no time at all to react. His front wheel went straight into my rear wheel. Then he came off the bike and got his right leg wedged in between my wheel and seat. This locked the rear wheel up and caused me to eventually slide and then go over the top and roll down the track. We were both lucky to get away as unscathed as we did. Just bruises and grazes for both of us.
My bike however was another story. The seat was completely ripped off, subframe bent, rear wheel buckled, expansion chamber, footpegs, brake lever, handlebar and a few other minor bits. Thankfully I had a great pit crew and few other guys lent a hand while I iced my ankle and got my bike ready for the final race of the day.
After the previous events of the day I was a bit nervous and the race showed it. We didn’t pick up the bent rear wheel and that is probably why my bike tried to spit me off a few times coming out of the hairpin. I gradually drifted further and further back having no confidence in the bike or the surroundings and crossed the line in the NZGP a pretty gutting 12th out of 14 starters. A really disappointing end to a day I would rather forget.
This leaves me 13th out of 14 in the 125 championship, again something I’m very disappointed about. But this weekend is the second round and things surely can’t get worse can they?
Big thanks to all my supporters, specially my pit crew Alex and Nigel. Also big thanks to Steve Ward for all the help he gives me and the 125 class in general. Also my sponsors www.motorbikeparts.co.nz and www.visordown.co.nz
Seeya next week :)
Friday was practice day. After a bit of stuffing around and sign in we eventually got onto the track around 11am. The first two sessions were just spent getting the jetting and suspension to my liking. I hadn’t raced in these temps since the previous year and a two stroke is constantly in need of minute jetting adjustments to ensure it was running at peak performance. The wind was also causing a few problems, quite a stiff NE breeze which was a half tail wind down the front straight. This was good for top end speed but had to be kept an eye on for gearing modifications.
I managed to do a few 1.46’s in the first session and dipped into the 1.44’s in the second. I was pretty happy with this. My goal for the day was to be able to run in the 1.43’s on old tyres and break out the new ones for qualifying on Saturday morning. The third session was again to get a few good laps in and just make a couple more front end adjustments. Instead I decided that it was a good idea to take the hairpin too tight and clip the inside curb with my leg. Sometimes this comes off ok, but not this time. I was half pulled off the bike and went along for 10m or so hanging off the bike till eventually me and the bike just fell over.
Not the best start to the championship campaign. But oh well, these things sometime happen. No damage apart from a slightly bent gear lever, five mins in the pits and it was fixed. I couldn’t continue the session though, too much lost time so just had the one session left.
This went a lot better. I got a nice bit of track to myself and reeled off consistent 1.44 lap times a best being 1.44.1. This was slightly off my target but happy that I was there or thereabouts ready for Saturday morning qualifying.
Saturday was forecast to be a scorcher and the weather forecasters were for once right. When we went out for our first qualifying at 1100 the temp was already around 27 or so and climbing. I went out first of the 125’s and put in one good lap to ensure I had something to work from, first flying lap a 1.43.8. The engine water temp was climbing due the air temp so I pitted and pulled all the tape off the radiator. I went back out and did another three flying laps in the 1.43’s and then the session was over.
The qualifying was close as ever with the top 9 separated by one second and the top 4 by 0.2s. I was fourth with a 1.43.1. I was happy with this, the front row start was crucial and with the way the day was going it would be a tough task to go any faster for the next session.
The second qualifying session was held at the peak of the day, it was an absolute scorcher by now. Air temp was 32 and track temp was touching 50. I was intending to put a brand new set of tyres on but due to the hot temperatures decided to put on a slightly used set of harder compound tyres to withstand the heat a bit better. Well that’s how the theory went. I went out in the session and saw the massive trail of oil left by a sidecar (how typical) right on the racing line of the fairly fast right hander after the infield sweeper. This would make things interesting.
I only did 2 laps with a best of 1.47. The bike felt good with the harder compound tyres and I was taking it very gingerly through the cement dust where the oil had been dropped. I was just conserving my energy for the 10 lap race that we were to have in about an hours time. Consequently no one ended up bettering their first qualifying time and I kept my 4th place on the grid. Very happy with this and would have a front row start for the race.
The race came around soon enough and after the warm up lap I took my grid position on the outside of the first row. The lights went out and I got a really good start. I was second over the line and passed Adam Chambers for the lead halfway down the straight into the first corner. This was completely new territory for me, I had never led a race before so just kept my head down and didn’t dare look back.
The first three laps flashed by, I kept my lines tidy and managed to hold onto the lead. I could feel the front drifting wide on a few of the corners so was a bit ginger with opening the throttle. After the third lap Tim McArthur came past down the straight and demoted me to second position. Next lap Cameron Jones passed me down the straight again and thus I was down to third. Not quite going to plan but still in with a good showing. I couldn’t keep with these guys so just focussed on keeping tidy with my lines and not making any mistakes.
By now the front tyre was not feeling very nice at all. I had a nasty moment coming through the left hander before the dipper on the fifth lap which stuffed up my run through there. Consequently I lost 4 positions in that one lap and drifted back to seventh. I managed to get up to sixth the next lap but was passed again coming into the hairpin and couldn’t hold the pace. It was too risky and I wasn’t going to dnf the first race of the season. After 10 long laps the race was over and I had finished in 7th. Not the greatest of results but it could have been worse. The tyre choice/gamble turned out to be a very bad choice and probably cost me a few positions. Never the less I had made it through the first race unscathed and knew I could do better in the remaining two races of the weekend.
After the extremely hot conditions of the Saturday, Sunday dawned slightly overcast and with a gentle NE breeze blowing. We changed my tyres before the first morning scrub session to a new set of Dunlops and I went and scrubbed them for two laps before the first of the day’s two races. This was due to commence at approx 1100.
The race came around and the NE breeze was still gently blowing, keeping the temperature down to a more manageable level. After the warmup lap I again took my grid position and didn’t get quite as good a start as the first race but still slotted into third through the first corner. I got a really good run through pothole and suddenly I was in the lead coming out of the hairpin. This was familiar territory and again I kept my head down hoping I could make a bit of a break. I kept the lead for the first two laps and as in the first race, Cameron Jones came roaring past at the end of the straight on start of the third lap. I kept in second for another two laps and then Tim McArthur passed me. This was ok, I was still running at a good pace but knew I had at least one guy right on my tail.
On the next few laps I caught a glimpse of Gregor Stevens out of the corner of my eye but he couldn’t quite make it past me when he came out of my slipstream. I was riding as hard as I could and making sure I covered my lines and not let any easy passes. On the end of the eighth lap I came onto the straight in second, as all other laps and clicked into third as I ran right out to the edge of the track. A second later the bike jumped back into second. Before I knew it I felt a shunt from behind and then that surreal slow-motion couple of milliseconds before the inevitable crash. I came down heavy and was lying right in the middle of the track about 100m before the start/finish line.
I quickly got to my feet and ran to the side of the track. I could feel a pain in my ankle and was still in a bit of shock as to what had just happened. My bike was in a bit of a sorry state and still lying in the middle of the track. I kept looking at the flag marshal looking for the red flag but it wasn’t to come. Very surprising considering the officials red flagged the 600 race before us very quickly. I lay on the side of the track for the final two laps of the race and waited for the ambulance to come. I took my boot off and pretty quickly worked out that my ankle wasn’t broken, just a bit of a sprain. I helped pick my bike up and took it back to the pits to survey the damage.
The crash was one of the worst you can get, probably should be classed as an accident. Just a freak event, mechanical failure when you least expect it. Because Gregor was in my slipstream and mere inches from my back wheel he had no time at all to react. His front wheel went straight into my rear wheel. Then he came off the bike and got his right leg wedged in between my wheel and seat. This locked the rear wheel up and caused me to eventually slide and then go over the top and roll down the track. We were both lucky to get away as unscathed as we did. Just bruises and grazes for both of us.
My bike however was another story. The seat was completely ripped off, subframe bent, rear wheel buckled, expansion chamber, footpegs, brake lever, handlebar and a few other minor bits. Thankfully I had a great pit crew and few other guys lent a hand while I iced my ankle and got my bike ready for the final race of the day.
After the previous events of the day I was a bit nervous and the race showed it. We didn’t pick up the bent rear wheel and that is probably why my bike tried to spit me off a few times coming out of the hairpin. I gradually drifted further and further back having no confidence in the bike or the surroundings and crossed the line in the NZGP a pretty gutting 12th out of 14 starters. A really disappointing end to a day I would rather forget.
This leaves me 13th out of 14 in the 125 championship, again something I’m very disappointed about. But this weekend is the second round and things surely can’t get worse can they?
Big thanks to all my supporters, specially my pit crew Alex and Nigel. Also big thanks to Steve Ward for all the help he gives me and the 125 class in general. Also my sponsors www.motorbikeparts.co.nz and www.visordown.co.nz
Seeya next week :)