vtec
10th June 2008, 17:53
Me again,
Went racing at Philip Island again. Had to get up at 5am, got my stuff together, and rolled the bike to the corner of my street by 6am. My friend Marcel, a German backpacker, was coming along today to check it out as he was into mountain biking and stuff but had never been to motorbike racing, but there were no trams or trains at that ungodly hour, so he had to catch a taxi from town to my place. Ken turned up and complained about the traffic? So we loaded the bike up backwards onto the trailer cause he had two other 250's on it already. Ken's modified Kawasaki Balius, and a very modified Yamaha Zeal aswell.
Got to the track, and the fog was just lifting, as usual through scrutineering they threatened to no let me out because I've got no engine case covers, but let me bend the rules a bit. I had a fairing bracket turned upside down covering the casings a little bit.
When I first went out for the F3 practice on my little CBR250RR, the track was still damp, and I'd had to hoon straight from scrutineering to get out in time, so hadn't had a chance to check the tyre pressures which always drop between race meetings. I forgot all about it though, and just focussed on being careful in the wet patches. Had a few minor slides here and there, but felt really good, and enjoyed the smooth predictable circuit, and the fact that I knew where I was going as this was my second venture on this track helped with the fun factor too.
Got back to the pits, found Ken already stripping his bike down, unhappy with how it was running after changing the carbs, he works so fast, checked and cleaned all the jets and stuck them back. Checked my tyre pressures, and grid position for the first interclub race. I think I was about 4th row of the grid, the first of all the 250 4's. Yay.
As I rolled out down the pits the bike seemed to be changing from first to second gear ok, so because this race didn't matter in the 250 4 class, I was going to try launching from first gear. In this race, I actually managed to launch the bike quite well, and I had Keith (on a well modified GSXR250) on my outside into turn one, but I just kept it pinned right through the corner, then I cleared out from him and passed a few more 400's, then managed to pass this RGV250, but he passed me back on the straight, I managed to pull him back in on the last by going really late on the brakes, and cornering extremely fast, I was putting my elbow on my knee with my knee on the ground, and my arse just about touching down too, with the pegs scraping. Loving it. Everything was working pretty good. I drafted the RGV onto the front straight, but he just kept pulling away from me. Still I was first of the 250 4's by a long way.
The F3 race (with my class in it) I was on the 7th row of the grid in 25th position bugger. Gearbox had started playing games again after that last race. Tried putting it in second on the starting grid but it wouldn't go, so I put it in first and started hoping for the best. On the launch I lifted the front wheel a bit, and was hauling arse, and thankfully it clicked quickly to second gear. Then I was into it. Quickly chased down and passed Keith on his GSXR, and one of the indian guys on a ZXR (with Rossi leathers and helmet) around the outside of turn 2. Then I passed a few 400's and 650's too, and just kept going as fast as I could cause it felt so good. I think I'm cornering the little CBR250 as quickly as it'll go, and it's a really good smooth circuit. The Dunlop GPR alpha 10's with a 140/70 rear profile arent' very steep, so I think I rounded the edges of the tyre off. Going full throttle after the downhill front straight into the sweeping turn one right hander, using up all the track at about 190k/hr over a few ruts and bumps that were there, felt the front wheel hop and jiggle a bit, but not too bad, was backing it into the downhill tight right hander after lukey heights. Had a clear track ahead of me for about 400metres, I looked back and about 100 metres behind me was a single file line of 400's and 2 strokes. hehe. I was clear of the pack. Kept expecting them to come past onto the front straight, but my entry speed to the straight was really fast, only gained about 20-30k/hr along the straight to about 190. It's not as fast when you're not able to draft. Finished the race in that position, they couldn't catch me, felt awesome. So I was on course for winning the class and the $200 prize money.
Next interclub race I was on the second row of the grid for some reason, in amongst F1 and F2 bikes, after the start about 4 of them went off the track after someone binned it, so we went around again and waited while the ambulance cleared a rider, and the bikes were picked up. At the restart I was going to try starting in first gear again. Got a great start, equal with all the 600's to the top of first gear, then it wouldn't click second, and heaps of people shot past while I kept kicking at my gear lever. Got it in gear, and chased down the indian guy on the zxr, passed around the outside of turn 2, at full lean, then chased down Keith on the GSXR. Tried braking extremely late after lukey heights as I wanted to chase some of the 400's that were clearing out from Keith. Didn't want to push him wide, so I kept the brakes on quite firmly as I tipped into the tight right hander trying to slow it down mid corner so Keith would have room on my outside, and the bike started sliding, my arse was already really close to the ground, so I just started sliding along on my arse and my knee, still had the tyres on the ground somewhat but I was drifting wide and didn't want to take keith out, so I gave it a bit of throttle to try and get it to pick me up and get moving again, but the bike just slid out from underneath me and I saw some metal bits break off as I slid to the outside of the corner. Possibly my slowest crash ever because of how much speed I'd lost in the slide. The guilty metal part was my front brake lever, but apart from that there was only a bit more grazing on the engine case... sweet.
Got back on it and hooned to the pits. Ran around trying to source a replacement brake lever, but Johnny runs a 600 bike master cylinder on his CBR250rr, and another guy thought he had one but it turned out he didn't. So I missed the last F3 race, and with it went the $200 prize money, which would have covered my costs from the day. (250 4stroke is so cheap). Tyres last the season, one tank of gas filled up at the start of the day, and oil changes once every 4 or 5 meetings?
Still, had a lot of fun, got my confidence up after coming 4th or 5th overall at a wet and dodgy Broadford circuit. And a $30 crash is very affodable. Very happy. I've still got it despite only riding motorbikes once a month.
Some more news, my girlfriend/cooking instructor/gym buddy Jessica has gone back to Spain via New York (she's there now). :(
An older guy sharing our pit garage won the F1 class, holy crap, and that's one of my competitors Dan creaming himself with excitement in the photo (he rides a really well modified Yamaha FZR). All the guys from the Vic Wreckers ride in the 250 class except for Rob who does stunting instead. I was going to go watch him do a performance yesterday but it started raining.
Went racing at Philip Island again. Had to get up at 5am, got my stuff together, and rolled the bike to the corner of my street by 6am. My friend Marcel, a German backpacker, was coming along today to check it out as he was into mountain biking and stuff but had never been to motorbike racing, but there were no trams or trains at that ungodly hour, so he had to catch a taxi from town to my place. Ken turned up and complained about the traffic? So we loaded the bike up backwards onto the trailer cause he had two other 250's on it already. Ken's modified Kawasaki Balius, and a very modified Yamaha Zeal aswell.
Got to the track, and the fog was just lifting, as usual through scrutineering they threatened to no let me out because I've got no engine case covers, but let me bend the rules a bit. I had a fairing bracket turned upside down covering the casings a little bit.
When I first went out for the F3 practice on my little CBR250RR, the track was still damp, and I'd had to hoon straight from scrutineering to get out in time, so hadn't had a chance to check the tyre pressures which always drop between race meetings. I forgot all about it though, and just focussed on being careful in the wet patches. Had a few minor slides here and there, but felt really good, and enjoyed the smooth predictable circuit, and the fact that I knew where I was going as this was my second venture on this track helped with the fun factor too.
Got back to the pits, found Ken already stripping his bike down, unhappy with how it was running after changing the carbs, he works so fast, checked and cleaned all the jets and stuck them back. Checked my tyre pressures, and grid position for the first interclub race. I think I was about 4th row of the grid, the first of all the 250 4's. Yay.
As I rolled out down the pits the bike seemed to be changing from first to second gear ok, so because this race didn't matter in the 250 4 class, I was going to try launching from first gear. In this race, I actually managed to launch the bike quite well, and I had Keith (on a well modified GSXR250) on my outside into turn one, but I just kept it pinned right through the corner, then I cleared out from him and passed a few more 400's, then managed to pass this RGV250, but he passed me back on the straight, I managed to pull him back in on the last by going really late on the brakes, and cornering extremely fast, I was putting my elbow on my knee with my knee on the ground, and my arse just about touching down too, with the pegs scraping. Loving it. Everything was working pretty good. I drafted the RGV onto the front straight, but he just kept pulling away from me. Still I was first of the 250 4's by a long way.
The F3 race (with my class in it) I was on the 7th row of the grid in 25th position bugger. Gearbox had started playing games again after that last race. Tried putting it in second on the starting grid but it wouldn't go, so I put it in first and started hoping for the best. On the launch I lifted the front wheel a bit, and was hauling arse, and thankfully it clicked quickly to second gear. Then I was into it. Quickly chased down and passed Keith on his GSXR, and one of the indian guys on a ZXR (with Rossi leathers and helmet) around the outside of turn 2. Then I passed a few 400's and 650's too, and just kept going as fast as I could cause it felt so good. I think I'm cornering the little CBR250 as quickly as it'll go, and it's a really good smooth circuit. The Dunlop GPR alpha 10's with a 140/70 rear profile arent' very steep, so I think I rounded the edges of the tyre off. Going full throttle after the downhill front straight into the sweeping turn one right hander, using up all the track at about 190k/hr over a few ruts and bumps that were there, felt the front wheel hop and jiggle a bit, but not too bad, was backing it into the downhill tight right hander after lukey heights. Had a clear track ahead of me for about 400metres, I looked back and about 100 metres behind me was a single file line of 400's and 2 strokes. hehe. I was clear of the pack. Kept expecting them to come past onto the front straight, but my entry speed to the straight was really fast, only gained about 20-30k/hr along the straight to about 190. It's not as fast when you're not able to draft. Finished the race in that position, they couldn't catch me, felt awesome. So I was on course for winning the class and the $200 prize money.
Next interclub race I was on the second row of the grid for some reason, in amongst F1 and F2 bikes, after the start about 4 of them went off the track after someone binned it, so we went around again and waited while the ambulance cleared a rider, and the bikes were picked up. At the restart I was going to try starting in first gear again. Got a great start, equal with all the 600's to the top of first gear, then it wouldn't click second, and heaps of people shot past while I kept kicking at my gear lever. Got it in gear, and chased down the indian guy on the zxr, passed around the outside of turn 2, at full lean, then chased down Keith on the GSXR. Tried braking extremely late after lukey heights as I wanted to chase some of the 400's that were clearing out from Keith. Didn't want to push him wide, so I kept the brakes on quite firmly as I tipped into the tight right hander trying to slow it down mid corner so Keith would have room on my outside, and the bike started sliding, my arse was already really close to the ground, so I just started sliding along on my arse and my knee, still had the tyres on the ground somewhat but I was drifting wide and didn't want to take keith out, so I gave it a bit of throttle to try and get it to pick me up and get moving again, but the bike just slid out from underneath me and I saw some metal bits break off as I slid to the outside of the corner. Possibly my slowest crash ever because of how much speed I'd lost in the slide. The guilty metal part was my front brake lever, but apart from that there was only a bit more grazing on the engine case... sweet.
Got back on it and hooned to the pits. Ran around trying to source a replacement brake lever, but Johnny runs a 600 bike master cylinder on his CBR250rr, and another guy thought he had one but it turned out he didn't. So I missed the last F3 race, and with it went the $200 prize money, which would have covered my costs from the day. (250 4stroke is so cheap). Tyres last the season, one tank of gas filled up at the start of the day, and oil changes once every 4 or 5 meetings?
Still, had a lot of fun, got my confidence up after coming 4th or 5th overall at a wet and dodgy Broadford circuit. And a $30 crash is very affodable. Very happy. I've still got it despite only riding motorbikes once a month.
Some more news, my girlfriend/cooking instructor/gym buddy Jessica has gone back to Spain via New York (she's there now). :(
An older guy sharing our pit garage won the F1 class, holy crap, and that's one of my competitors Dan creaming himself with excitement in the photo (he rides a really well modified Yamaha FZR). All the guys from the Vic Wreckers ride in the 250 class except for Rob who does stunting instead. I was going to go watch him do a performance yesterday but it started raining.