Number 94

It seemed like forever since I was last racing and thinking about it this would be only the second full race day (provided nothing stopped me from finishing the day) in a year.

I had a list of things to do to the bike but due to real life stuff the priority of that list dropped until I forgot what I'd done with it. I'd definitely changed the oil and filter and lock wired everything back up so the only thing I really needed to do was ...

24th August 2014 at 12:01pm was the last time I had been on my race bike. That day ended with a trip to the A&E Department with a broken right clavicle. It's been a long wait to get back to normal but recently I'd been cleared by the surgeon to get back to everything I usually do, including getting back on my bike. The first possible race day was going to be Round 4 of the AMCC, 7 months and 19 days since I'd last ridden.

There were a ...

The first two rounds of the Hamilton MCC Arai Winter Series had been great. I'd gotten my first pole position and had some really good results, but I'd also had a DNF in the rain when I withdrew and the points were getting really close. Nathan Jane and I were going to be battling it out for second place in the championship, with first all but wrapped up by Greg Smith if he turned up.

For the last round I'd run out of tyres and ...

At the first round of the Hamilton MCC Series I'd had my first ever Pole position and came away with some great results. Turns out I'd also ended up making a couple of decent bloopers as well. First, I forgot to pick up my race licence before leaving the track. Worse, I'd put the excess petrol in the fuel jug into the bikes petrol tank while it was sitting on the trailer and I'd forgotten to put the fuel cap back on. So I drove all the way ...

 


Seems like it's been ages since I was last racing but it's actually only been 5 weeks. The summer was quite hectic as I was either racing, working on the bike to go racing or organsing the rest of life around race meetings, so the end of summer was a quite a relief. The sudden halt of everything to do with racing made the break feel like I'd been away from my bike for months and this made getting the bike ready a chore instead ...

 


For the last couple of months it feels like I've been doing nothing but racing. Since 15th February I've done 5 events. Not many really but my wife hasn't been seeing me much on the weekends because even when I wasn't at the track I'd be fiddling with my bike. So the end of summer racing matches up with the AMCC round 6 quite nicely. After this event I get to have a rest for a while as I'm only doing the Hamilton MCC Winter Series, ...

 


In December I was going to do the Suzuki Series round at Hampton Downs then decide if I wanted to go on and have a stab at the NZSBK round in Taupo this year but, unfortunately, I got bowled by a nasty chest infection followed closely by weeks of neck pain so bad I blacked out at work. So my plan through to the end of March had been ruined but I decided I might as well have a go at the NZSBK round anyway.

At the ...

 


The Cliffhanger Hill Climb is a great fun event. Unfortunately this year we lost a good man at it. Kevin "Wharfy" Waugh died of injuries sustained in a crash while competing. He was a gentle, decent, sincere man who was willing to stand up when he saw something wrong. He was passionate about injustices, political and environmental issues. Respected by friends and loved by family but for me Wharfy was an inspiration because he ...