Kickaha
24th January 2009, 20:49
Ruapuna Nationals 2009 Rd 3
As usual I took the Friday off to help set up at Ruapuna and we went out for a few easy laps to make sure everything was ok
Tim had been saying his outfit was weaving under brakes and as we went under him at the hairpin I could see it squirming around as he got on them, one lap later we come back around and see the yellows out and he’s parked off the edge, turns out the lap after we passed him he got on the brakes the outfit flicked around and they turned it upside down, so that’s one slab of piss already owed for the weekend :beer:
All was good with us so we parked it up, checked it over and buggered off to catch up on some people, I wandered over and introduced my self to Choppa who was turning is some fairly respectable times for his first visit to Ruapuna
Saturday
At the track nice and early and we gas up and check tyre pressures, it was pushing the front yesterday so Divvo hooks out the back shock and makes a small change to the preload
It’s heating up and looking like being a fairly hot day, so drinking water is nearly a full time job:drinkup:
We head out for P1, unlike previous years the first session of the day is practice only and qualifying is the second
P1
We do a few laps and then hooking into “Pothole” we loose the front and its off over the ripple strip and out into the grass, we gather it up and head back to the pits, a quick discussion and back out for another couple of laps, despite the heat it feels very slippery and we pull back in not very happy with the way it’s going and a 1.52 sec lap proves just how slow we were going:slap:
We check the gas and top it up, bleed new fluid through the brakes and after a bit of discussion about the session we’re wondering what to do when Divvo decides to lower the gearing which turns out to be the single best thing we do on the outfit
The lovely Joni turns up with food and drinks and for us and immediately sets about making sure we’re hydrated and fed
Q1
Immediately I notice the change, it punches off the corners far better and feels much more controllable mid corner and on exit:2thumbsup
We’d decided to go out do a couple of warm up laps then hit it hard for another couple and that’s pretty much what we do and when the times come out we’re third on the grid and have done a 1.46.796 which is a personal best and we’re pretty happy with that
Another look over the outfit, check the fuel consumption and gas it up and the waiting starts, it doesn’t fell like it’s getting any cooler and I’ve been through 3 litres of water so far, I soak the T shirt in a bowl of water and put it back on to try and cool down which works for about 30-40 minutes before it dries out
We’re first up after the lunch break and I’m getting my gear on as the 5 minute call come through and wondering whether I’ll handle the 30+ degree heat for the 8 laps
We’re on the grid and waiting as someone down the back fucks up there spot, 30 sec board moves off and the revs come up
The Launch isn’t bad and we’re behind Stacey/Louise but Pete the Pirate gets a flyer to drop us to third, we get through T1 with no drama but Steve/Denny cocked up the start and have the “angry face” on and come hammering past with millimetres to spare just before we hit pothole, the Lawrence’s were about to try an outside pass at the same spot but Chris decides against it and takes us into the hairpin instead and then passes Pete the Pirate/Jono
We spend the whole of the race trying to pass Pete the Pirate, he’s faster on the straights and we gather him up under brakes and through the corners, We hook into the hairpin out a bit wide and turn in and just about rear end him, we’re both fairly loose through the right hander after the hairpin, through the left and into the infield sweeper, the outfits lighting up and I’m shifting around trying to find us a some grip, onto the front straight and he pulls a few bike lengths and we close him down under brakes again, I’m yelling in my helmet to “fucking pass him”:mad:
My right hand is hurting like fuck due to the heat off the oil cooler blowing directly onto it and I’m looking for the white flag, fuck it not this lap must be another to go, we’re the closest we’ve ever been and looking for the gap and not finding it, white flags out and we’re coming up on back markers, Pete the Pirate slips past them before pothole, Divvo has hung back and we get good drive out of pothole past the backmarker and latch back onto Pete the Pirate at the hairpin, through the infield sweep and we’re spinning up, along the short straight and we’re running out of corners, we carry more speed through the righthander and shoot up the inside before the left hander, the pass is untidy but it sticks and we lead him through to the chequered flag, 4th place and a new personal best lap at 1.45.876:D
Back into the pits and our adoring public flock to congratulate us, we’re well happy with our result and lap times and think that if we’d past Pete the Pirate earlier we’d go faster again
Well tomorrow we get another chance and hopefully we can step it up a bit more
I’d also have to say a big thanks to our local support crew (Joni) she turns up to support me at every meeting, makes sure we’ve got food and water and is very supportive of me and my chosen sport (and cook an awesome banana cake which all the guys loved)):hug:
As usual I took the Friday off to help set up at Ruapuna and we went out for a few easy laps to make sure everything was ok
Tim had been saying his outfit was weaving under brakes and as we went under him at the hairpin I could see it squirming around as he got on them, one lap later we come back around and see the yellows out and he’s parked off the edge, turns out the lap after we passed him he got on the brakes the outfit flicked around and they turned it upside down, so that’s one slab of piss already owed for the weekend :beer:
All was good with us so we parked it up, checked it over and buggered off to catch up on some people, I wandered over and introduced my self to Choppa who was turning is some fairly respectable times for his first visit to Ruapuna
Saturday
At the track nice and early and we gas up and check tyre pressures, it was pushing the front yesterday so Divvo hooks out the back shock and makes a small change to the preload
It’s heating up and looking like being a fairly hot day, so drinking water is nearly a full time job:drinkup:
We head out for P1, unlike previous years the first session of the day is practice only and qualifying is the second
P1
We do a few laps and then hooking into “Pothole” we loose the front and its off over the ripple strip and out into the grass, we gather it up and head back to the pits, a quick discussion and back out for another couple of laps, despite the heat it feels very slippery and we pull back in not very happy with the way it’s going and a 1.52 sec lap proves just how slow we were going:slap:
We check the gas and top it up, bleed new fluid through the brakes and after a bit of discussion about the session we’re wondering what to do when Divvo decides to lower the gearing which turns out to be the single best thing we do on the outfit
The lovely Joni turns up with food and drinks and for us and immediately sets about making sure we’re hydrated and fed
Q1
Immediately I notice the change, it punches off the corners far better and feels much more controllable mid corner and on exit:2thumbsup
We’d decided to go out do a couple of warm up laps then hit it hard for another couple and that’s pretty much what we do and when the times come out we’re third on the grid and have done a 1.46.796 which is a personal best and we’re pretty happy with that
Another look over the outfit, check the fuel consumption and gas it up and the waiting starts, it doesn’t fell like it’s getting any cooler and I’ve been through 3 litres of water so far, I soak the T shirt in a bowl of water and put it back on to try and cool down which works for about 30-40 minutes before it dries out
We’re first up after the lunch break and I’m getting my gear on as the 5 minute call come through and wondering whether I’ll handle the 30+ degree heat for the 8 laps
We’re on the grid and waiting as someone down the back fucks up there spot, 30 sec board moves off and the revs come up
The Launch isn’t bad and we’re behind Stacey/Louise but Pete the Pirate gets a flyer to drop us to third, we get through T1 with no drama but Steve/Denny cocked up the start and have the “angry face” on and come hammering past with millimetres to spare just before we hit pothole, the Lawrence’s were about to try an outside pass at the same spot but Chris decides against it and takes us into the hairpin instead and then passes Pete the Pirate/Jono
We spend the whole of the race trying to pass Pete the Pirate, he’s faster on the straights and we gather him up under brakes and through the corners, We hook into the hairpin out a bit wide and turn in and just about rear end him, we’re both fairly loose through the right hander after the hairpin, through the left and into the infield sweeper, the outfits lighting up and I’m shifting around trying to find us a some grip, onto the front straight and he pulls a few bike lengths and we close him down under brakes again, I’m yelling in my helmet to “fucking pass him”:mad:
My right hand is hurting like fuck due to the heat off the oil cooler blowing directly onto it and I’m looking for the white flag, fuck it not this lap must be another to go, we’re the closest we’ve ever been and looking for the gap and not finding it, white flags out and we’re coming up on back markers, Pete the Pirate slips past them before pothole, Divvo has hung back and we get good drive out of pothole past the backmarker and latch back onto Pete the Pirate at the hairpin, through the infield sweep and we’re spinning up, along the short straight and we’re running out of corners, we carry more speed through the righthander and shoot up the inside before the left hander, the pass is untidy but it sticks and we lead him through to the chequered flag, 4th place and a new personal best lap at 1.45.876:D
Back into the pits and our adoring public flock to congratulate us, we’re well happy with our result and lap times and think that if we’d past Pete the Pirate earlier we’d go faster again
Well tomorrow we get another chance and hopefully we can step it up a bit more
I’d also have to say a big thanks to our local support crew (Joni) she turns up to support me at every meeting, makes sure we’ve got food and water and is very supportive of me and my chosen sport (and cook an awesome banana cake which all the guys loved)):hug: