Shane - Superlite (#43)

I'd been waiting to race at Hampton Downs for quite a while now, especially as I've done a few laps on it at track days. Unfortunately things didn't go quite as we wanted for a number of reasons.

I picked up Michael (one of the guys I work with) at 6:30am as he had volunteered to help me out in the pits for the day. He'd never done anything like it before but has always been interested in motor sport.

After a nice quiet drive to Hampton Downs we arrived to find the paddock chocka and large parts coned off as the place is still a building site. We found somewhere to squeeze in right in the middle of everyone at the pit entrance end. It was crowded and once everyone fired up their generators it was also farken noisy. I was literally surrounded by 1/2 a dozen generators. Noisy bastard things.

We pulled the bike off the trailer then wandered off to find out where to sign in. Looks like it was a good idea to get to sign in early as there was almost nobody there. After signing in I found scrutineering and grabbed the bike. By the time I got back to get the bike scrutineered there was quite a line so I climbed on the bike and had a wee sit down.

I'd never been to an AMCC race before so this scrutineering was new to me. Seems their scrutineers are actually very strict and quite particular. Things that usually get ignored were picked up and we failed 1st time through and had to make a couple of adjustments before being re-checked. The problems ranged from no valve caps on the wheels to the oil filter clamp not being done up tight enough, the gear lever having a little bit of movement in it and the left side footpeg able to be undone by hand (although it took him quite a bit of effort to start loosening it).

I quickly got those problems sorted out; a bit of tape around the splines on the gear lever shaft, a quick tweak with the poly grips for the foot peg, Michael swiped a couple of valve caps off the car and also got a screw driver on the clamp around the oil filter. I also lock wired the filler cap as the dude had missed that.

Back to get re-checked and we're all good this time.

By now the MNZ Steward had turned up so I grabbed my helmet and licence and wandered over to find the helmet check area.

Back to the bike and I realized that I didn't have a transponder yet so I went back to sign on and saw the line. I'm really glad I did it early. Seeing as I wasn't going to wait in line I skipped around to the other door and slipped into the line for transponders. After grabbing that I got Michael to put it on the bike while I started pulling my gear on. It seems that Formula 3 was to be the 1st up for practice.

Things were taking some what longer than they should've been. Apparently the lights on the start line weren't working correctly and nobody would be able to go out on track until they were sorted as they could be showing something different to the flags, a situation that could be very dangerous.

Eventually riders briefing was called and I wandered over. It was pretty relaxed and straight forward and there were a hell of a lot of people there.

Back to the bike and I started getting ready while the people who had never done a single lap on the track did 2 slow laps.

Tyre warmers came off, I climbed on and weaved my way through the paddock to pit lane. By the time I got to the dummy grid it was abundantly clear that there was a huge field for Formula 3 and I suspect that a number of bikes weren't actually meant to be there, either sneaking a quick look at the track or genuinely in the wrong class as the sighting lap for the 1st timers wasn't on the programme so they probably thought this was the 2nd classes practice/qualifying.

Out we go and it's very crowded. A couple of slower laps and I start trying to look for some clear track to get a decent lap in. The bike doesn't feel quite right and this is the 1st time I've ridden it quickly with the new suspension. The track day I'd done previously had sorted a couple of the problems but I was still finding it difficult as the bike felt very different now.

Unfortunately I didn't get any clear laps and continually got caught in traffic so I only qualified 26th. I was pretty bummed with that but at least I wasn't on the last row.

Tyre warmers back on and we wander around for a while; get a coffee, see whose around and just talk to people. I have a chat to Dave with the Twister Pro-Twin bike. It's an interesting little bike; a Triumph Scrambler engine in a hand built frame built to resemble an American Flat Tracker. Pretty cool and Dave's crazy enough to put Shaun Harris on it for the day.

After a while the very light drizzle starts to get heavier and soon the ground is most definitely wet. We pull the tyre warmers off and stuff them and the electrical gear in the car and then sit there, looking around at everyone changing tyres, swearing a lot. Race Control declare it a wet race and halt the meeting for 1/2 an hour to let everyone change tyres.

I hadn't put up the Ezy-Up, mainly because it had gotten a bit damaged in wind last time I had it out and I really needed somewhere a bit more sheltered to put it up because I definitely wasn't changing tyres in the rain. So after wandering around for a while I eventually found an unusually quiet spot that was sheltered and I could tie the Ezy-Up to something. We grabbed the bike and stuff and moved ourselves to the new location and got set up. Michael went back to move the car while I got the wheels off. By the time he got back with the car I had both wheels ready to go.

We grabbed a wheel and a wet tyre each and wandered off to find young Jeremy, the tyre changing Ninja.

There was a small queue waiting for him to do his thing so I waited patiently and wound him up a little bit. He started on my wheels while I wandered back to the car as I'd left my wallet behind. As I approached the car I could see someone standing near my Ezy-Up in a bright flouro safety vest. I thought I was about to be told off as the spot I'd set up at was actually inside a ring of cones and nobody was meant to be inside it. Turns out it was my brother who'd turned up to watch and take some photos.

A quick chat and he had a walk around while I went back to grab my wheels.

The rear wheel proved to be a bit of a bastard as it wouldn't bead so J started on the front while I gave the rear wheel a bloody good seeing to. Next time we put the air on it the wheel beads. Marvellous.

We grab the wheels and wander back to where I'm pitted only to discover that Formula 3 are on the dummy grid and being released for the warm up lap for the 1st race. Errrrrr, bugger. Another 10 minutes and we'd be fine. Shit.

So my result for the 1st race was a DNS. Bollocks.

I discreetly move the cones so that we're not inside the coned off area anymore, although anyone from the construction company would probably have a cry because I'd tied the Ezy-Up to their digger. But tough. I wasn't moving.

More wandering, talking and watching some racing we head back to start getting prepared at the start of the Pro-Lites/Street Stock race. We watch the Pro-Lites race from inside the pavillion as it's actually a bit cold outside and I need to warm up a little so that I don't cramp or seize up. A quick sit down with my eyes closed for a while and I decide it's probably a good idea to get into my gear early and stand around with that lot on as it's much warmer.

After a few minutes wearing my helmet and gloves I'm feeling much cozier and look forward to the race.

The main advantage of where we moved to, other than being sheltered, was that we were closer to the PA system than anyone else so I could clearly hear when it was time to head for the dummy grid.

Unlike practice/qualifying I got to the dummy grid 1st instead of at the back and had to get Leanne to do up the top of my jacket as I'd forgotten.

Once they released us I cruised around to the start grid and tried to figure out where I was meant to be. The grid was marked out but the numbers were for a two wide car grid so after a little bit of head scratching I gridded up where I thought I was meant to be. Don't know if I was in the right spot but nobody told me to fark off so all good.

As we were waiting I blipped the throttle a couple of times and noticed the revs wouldn't drop. Errrrr, what the hell is going on?!?!?! I look down and give a another couple of blips and it revs like a bastard. I look up and the lights have gone out and everyone is away and I'm a split second behind them all so I just open the throttle and dump the clutch and get the hell out of there.

Surprisingly I only lose a couple of places off the line, gaining them back going into turn one and promptly lose them and more as the 125GP's go around the outside of everyone. I ignore them and put the wee problem with the throttle aside and ride around a ZXR400 who is taking things quite cautiously. Up the inside of someone at turn 2 I settle into my rythmn and concentrate on being smooth.

The front end still doesn't feel quite right and I'm not sure whether it's the wets, the new suspension or the throttle playing up, but decide right now isn't the time to find out.

We form a bit of a procession for the rest of the lap and I get someone at turn 1 again. I'm now following someone who nips up the inside of Abbey out of turn 4. Apparently she's got the slow engine in her bike because the good engine snapped the end of the crank. It may be the slow engine but VFR's are quicker than just about everything in the tight stuff so there was no way I was getting past her until we hit a straight and it wasn't until the straight approaching turn 1 that I was able to pass.

Once I got past Abbey I had some clear track and rode how I wanted, slowly reeling in the guy up in front of me. Now that I'm by myself it's obvious the throttle is sticking quite a bit at random times so I wind back the enthusiasm and settle into a quick but cautious pace, although nowhere near as quick as I want to be.

I hit the start/finish straight to see the white flag is out and get ready to launch an assault on the guy ahead of me around about turn 4, once I'm closer. I line up turn 1, kick it down a gear, ease the clutch out and she's instantly pushing the front hard, clutch in, down a gear thinking I'd made a mistake and not gone down one and ease it out again only to find she's pushing the front hard again. So clutch in, stand her up and nail the brakes to find the engine is almost red lining. Wonderful.

I didn't leave the track but I was way off line and almost dead stopped but I only lose 1 place and soon catch him up. The throttle is definitely stuck wide open and is proving to be very "inconvenient". Never the less I'm not giving someone else a free placing so I line up the guy on the 2 stroke and comfortably pass him well before the finish line. I guess he must've been a bit disappointed but lifes like that.

MyLaps tells me I ended up finishing 27th on the track but I'm not sure how many 125's were there. I remember seeing that there was two rows of them on the qualifying sheet so that was probably about 20th in class?? Disappointed with that but considering the problems I was having with the front end and the random throttle jams I should just be happy to have finished.

The in-lap was actually scarier than the race as the engine was doing 12,000+ revs and trying to spit me off everywhere. I really should've just ridden the warm down as if it was the race and it wouldn't have been anywhere near as scary, but I got back to the pits ok.

After flicking the kill switch and pushing the bike back to my pit I pull off the seat unit and petrol tank and try to figure out why the throttle was sticking. After a bit of poking around I find that the throttle cables outer sheath slips out of the recess it normally sits in when I open the throttle, catching on the edge when I release the throttle so that the butterflies never close.

Now that I've found the problem I have to figure out how to fix it without pulling the fuel rail etc off. After taking a couple of burns on my fingers, lots of swearing and some abortive fiddling with duct tape I get some lock wire around the cable sheath, getting it under the end cap and successfully lock wire it to another part of the engine. This proves very successful and the outer sheath no longer moves when the throttle is opened.

Awesome. So I sit down and have a celebratory Macaroon and relax a bit. Unfortunately Leanne cruises past and tells me the last round of races are going to have to be abandoned because of the late start and change in the weather etc so I sit there and sulk for a bit.

My brother wants to get some photos of me and the bike so we find a spot and take a few. He's going to get them to me in a couple of days so I'll put them on here when I get them.

We then pull everything out of the car, pack it all into it's correct place and then repack the car. Bike etc back on the trailer, hand in the transponder, get my race licence back and get our shit together and we're ready to leave. Except I can't find my wallet and I'm not leaving without it. A quick search and we still can't find it. I start wondering if I took it out of my jacket before the race and see that it's quite possible I raced with it in my pocket and it fell out somewhere on the track. That'd be a hell of a disaster.

I pull my riding gear out and quickly discover that I had indeed raced with my wallet in my pocket but it hadn't fallen out. Disaster averted.

So we hit the road for the relatively short journey home.

It was an interesting day that's for sure.

Thanks to Michael for helping out
AMCC for the day
Brent for building the bike
Andrew for fabrication
John for stickers
Stefan @ DL Consulting
Bruce and Doesjka @ Layer X