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Toast
20th October 2008, 14:32
Well round 5 was a bit mixed and went something like this:

Qualifying - Superbike: Messed around with new suspension settings. Found it a waste of time in the damp on slicks so came back in. Qualified 31st or so.
Qualifying – Supersport: Got some decent laps in (and a mean pic to put on my desk at work – see profile), qualified 9th.
Race 1 – Superbike: Shoulder checked Jason Hulme and ended up with a rashed bike and a sore arse, back, leg, etc. Enough already said about that incident
Race 1 –Supersport: Had a great time and some good battles, consistent 1:14s was decent considering the patched up bike, dodgy brakes, the aching body, and the exhaust which had split in half at the mid pipe.
Race 2 – SB: Messed around, had some fun dices, almost over Dodgy Matt’s bouncing body as he highsided from 1m in front of me on the last lap.
Race 2 – SS: Had a great battle with BJ Cawthorn and Jamie Rajek. Very close, position swapping, a bit of good and bad luck passing lapped riders, it had it all, probably my new fave race ever!! A front end tuck in turn 1 near the end which was saved on the knee should have warned me of things to come…
Race 3 – SB: Crap start, saw Frenchy and Eddy going slow so thought I’d go give them some shit. Lost front in turn 1 and crashed. Blamed myself for being a muppet
Race 3 – SS: Killer start. Lost front in Higgins not going that hard and realised something must be up. Checked front tyre and it was past the wear marks on right hand side. Muppet!

I made the call then not to race round 6 ‘cos the bike was a mess and I was pissed with it all. My Dad twisted my arm though, so we got the bike sorted and ready for round 6 (just!).

Round 6

Being a bit skint I flipped the rear tyre around and found a usable SC0 front in my cupboard. Skipping on the tyres would be my regret for the weekend, but luckily didn’t land me on my arse

Qualifying – SS: The soles of my new boots were covered in wax so I could barely keep my foot on the pegs and I couldn’t change down gears because the lever position was too high. I had a shit of a time, basically, and a qualifying time about 7 seconds off my best. Ended up in 26th and a bit unhappy!

Qualifying – SB: Confidence had taken a hit in the first qualifying but I started to get back in to it. The left of my rear tyre (which was the right hand side last round) was very tired after being shagged first by Andrew Stroud and then by me for 3 days at the last round. Had a couple of slides out of the hairpin. The SC0 front was definitely not liking the cold track and I had a moment mid corner in Splash. Again a bit unhappy with a 1:17 landing me 24th on the grid.

Race 1 – SS: Really couldn’t get in to it. Front was giving no confidence on a still fairly cold track, and a full restart didn’t help in trying to build rhythm. Lost 3 or 4 places on the last lap through Splash just from not having the balls/confidence to commit to it. Finished 15th or so and had a best lap of about 1:16, which was especially disappointing because everyone else seemed to be lifting their game while I was dropping mine. Thought about chucking it in ‘cos the tyres were giving me no confidence but decided that I could do worse than to just go out and practice sliding the rear out of the hairpin a bit.

Race 1 – SB: Bad start but got in to it and at least got down to a low 1:15 in this one. The front was starting to feel better, if anything, which I attributed to the track temp getting warmer and allowing the compound to work a little.

Race 2 – SS: Another full re-start. Had a good tussle with dodgy Matt, but the lap times were even slower this time. Finished 11th.

Race 2 – SB: The track temp was now a decent bit warmer and I had a little more confidence in the front. This also allowed me to ride around the rear grip issue in left handers and actually get stuck in and have a bit of a race. Got a blinding start and came out of Turn 1 somewhere in the top 10. Had Tony.OK cane past on the middle straight. Managed to break away from a couple of 600’s and got in to a bit of a rhythm. Front tyre was performing well but I still wasn’t trusting it totally. Tried to make up for it by braking harder and squaring some of the corners off more. That seemed to work and I strung a few 1:14’s together. Was along for most of the race and on the last lap decided to take it a bit easier, 1) ‘cos I was stuffed, 2) ‘cos I really didn’t want to bin on the last lap of the last race of the last round!! I was lucky to finish in 12th as I lost 2.2 seconds to Luke Mair on the last lap (he had a blinder on the SRAD with a 1:13.and I slipped in to the 16’s. A good, fun race and a reasonable end to the day.

It’s been a great season and huge thanks has to go out to the Vic Club and all of the volunteers for that! Special thanks to my Dad for being the best pit crew ever, not to mention a very talented fibre glass worker.

I’ve learnt heaps this season and my PB has come down over 3 seconds from last year to a low 1:14, and at round 5 I was laying down times consistently around that. I’ve also been able to improve my best position scoring a 4th and a 5th in F2 races in the wet and a 6th in an F1 race.

One thing I’ve come to realise though is that I probably do have to start spending a bit more and getting proper tyres. Second hand slicks are awesome value at around $50-$100 a set, and my tyre bill has been a low $150 for the 4 dry rounds this season. However, the inability to always get the right compound you need and the variability in grip and profile that you get doesn’t really inspire huge confidence when you want to go out and push yourself at a race day. I’m sure Stroud could jump on the bike with the same shagged tyres and go waste everyone, but at this stage in my learning I just don’t need the head fk that is shagged tyres when I’m trying to do well in a race. So it’s time to start saving hard. Luckily I live close to the City Mission.

So from here it’s on to Wanga’s where I will hopefully have well sorted Robert Taylor stuff for my front suspension and some brand spankin’ new tyres. It’s gonna be mental fun and I can’t wait!! :D

Deano
20th October 2008, 16:34
Great stuff Phil. The bike is looking good with its new paint.

See you at Wangas.

Drew
20th October 2008, 16:57
+1

Good stuff mate, the tyre bill on a supersport bike is something I will have to swallow myself next year, so I feel your pain.

Awesome shit bro, see ya at a street race some place.

NinjaBoy
20th October 2008, 17:02
Great report Phil and its been great pitting with you through the series. I've learnt a lot in the last 2 rounds playing with the big boys in SuperSport/Superbike, but seeing how far you've come in the last year has given me some goals to aspire to.

See ya soon

Tony.OK
20th October 2008, 17:16
Shit hot mate........100% with ya on the tyre thing.
Nice start in race 2 man, don't tell anyone but I do shit starts on purpose........just so I can pass someone....(insert tui ad) :laugh:
Hopefully catch ya at Wanga's:niceone:

driftn
20th October 2008, 17:28
Cool write up toast. Was loads of fun chasing you round in race 2. One more lap and I would have had you. Always next year though . Your bike looks good with new paint and its still shiny and thats the main thing. See you next year.

flame
20th October 2008, 18:44
Awsome stuff Phil. Best of luck for Wanga's:niceone:

Clivoris
21st October 2008, 08:52
You seem to be riding well given the circumstances Phil. Get decent tyres like you said and see what you can really achieve, but I get what you say about the expense too. Well done man.

Sketchy_Racer
21st October 2008, 09:31
Hey Phil,

Very impressive to hear that you were racing the season on second hand tyres and to hear how low your tyre bill was. To get the results you were getting on the budget it sounds like you have is quite a feat. Congrats on your placing and good luck for the future!

-Glen

Frenchy
21st October 2008, 16:34
Well done mate! You had a wicked start in the second race you'll have to teach me your tricks!! Can't wait to see you out there on some new rubber.

Nicksta
23rd October 2008, 20:49
well done Phil :)
i think you did fantastic considering the lack of fresh rubber!
cant wait to see what you can do on a new set!
catch ya boxing day... we should pit close ay... organise a KB area!

vtec
27th October 2008, 18:36
Nice Phil,

1.14 was all I got on my CBR600RR on second hand tyres too. I never did get it feeling very nice that bike. You might need to give up on it soon and go for one of the newer ones. I'm sure the seat on them is way too high up, you feel perched on top and very unstable and unsafe. Little lower bikes are better and safer I reckon.