Shane - Superlite (#43)

I'm so sore. I can't believe how sore I am. Didn't crash or anything silly like that but I did do lots of laps on a totally different bike, one that I haven't ridden for well over 3 years and I haven't been on a bike at all for over 9 months.

The test day at Taupo the day before the final round of the Victoria Club's Bridgestone Winter Series was on a Friday so I had to take Thursday off work to finish getting the bike ready. Things like changing tyres (I really hate doing anything other than riding when I'm at the track), figuring out where everything was since moving my bike to a different home, finding my old race licence which had my club membership card with it, fueling up and a hundred other things that seem to go with any form of motorsport. Main problem was the front tyre had accidentally been sent to Wellington so was being sent up to me but it hadn't arrived by the Thursday morning so I had to take the front tyre off the Triumph and swap it over. I didn't really want to do that because it had had oil on it from when the Triumph went bang and had never been cleaned off so I wasn't sure if it was ok or not. However, it was what I had so that was what I had to use.

Friday morning I was in the car about 6:15am, coffee in a travel mug and a quick stop at McDonalds to pick up the traditional track day/race day breakfast.

Upon getting to the track I signed in and was told that all of the sheds were booked. I hadn't put in my Ezi-Up, generator or long extension lead so I was going to have to find some room in a shed. After wandering around saying gidday and generally catching up with people I started moving my stuff into shed 16 with Paul and Peter from Duncan Harkness racing. Looked like things were going to be a little cozy though as we had Nicki and Frenchy squeezing in with us but mainly because there'd been quite a balls up with the shed bookings. Peter had booked sheds 15 & 16 months ago, but Rex Mincher and Mike Perrin (he was riding Abby's old NC30 in Posties using number 18) had both done likewise and had both pre-paid. So we ended up with 2x DH Racing bikes, Nicki and Frenchies bikes, mine, Sam Croft's GSXR (still had tail lights and foot pegs etc), Leigh Tidman, Rex Mincher, Billy and the NC30 being shared by Mike Parsons (he was riding it in F3) with Mike Perrin (riding in Posties).

Bike prep had already been done, so the only things left to do were putting the tyre warmers on, putting some gas in it and adjusting the quick shifter setting.

First session and I was really nervous. I hadn't been out on track for quite a while and this was virtually a new bike to me. Even though I'd ridden it twice before that had been over 3 years ago and I didn't own it then so I was just tootling around barely getting the tyres warm.

First session and I'm going really slow just getting used to where everything is and how it all feels. The quichshifter works fine except when I'm at full throttle so needs somemore adjusting. The shift is race pattern so I have to train myself to do the opposite of what I'm used to. The riding position makes the Triumph feel like a chopper because I'm so far forward and over the front. This riding position is going to cause me problems as I was suffering from lower back problems before I'd got to the track (a week earlier I'd already booked an appointment with the Osteo for the Monday morning following the race).

On the second lap the gear lever started to get lower and lower and within a short time was so low I couldn't actually reach it so I cruised into the pits to see what'd happened.

A quick look and the bolt that holds the small crank had come loose, with the various bits lying on the ground under the bike. I was really lucky it hadn't fallen completely out until I got it on the stands otherwise I would've been screwed.

A dab of thread locker from Frenchy and it's all reassembled. Seat off and alter the quick shifter delay and we're ready to go again.

At some point I realized I hadn't checked the tyre pressures that morning so had a look. I'd told Alan to just pump them up after putting the tyres on and I'd set the pressures at the track. On the tyre warmers they were 40psi! Well over what they should be.

I quickly start racking up laps, just getting comfortable, getting used to race shift pattern (I only headbutted the gas tank once!), wracking up time in the saddle.

Every session I had to bump the setting for the quick shifter up until it was at 140ms, way higher than it really should be.

By the end of the day I was really sore. I'd done 7 sessions as there were only 2 groups doing 20 minute sessions each. Physically and mentally I'd held up far better than I thought I would having not ridden for so long, it was just a lack of on-bike fitness that was the problem so certain muscles were really, really sore. Mainly inner thigh and my already suffering lower back.

After getting things set up for the next day I shot off and checked into the motel, followed by a quick trip to the bottle store and then shot around to my Uncle's place. He's painting my new set of fairings but because the weather had been so crap up until Thursday he hadn't been able to do them. Freebies down get done in the freezing cold.

A couple of beers and I'm starting to like the taste a little too much so head off to KFC to get some grease to soak up the alcohol. Sitting in the sun eating dinner and enjoying another beer (they really were tasting nice) after a day of riding bikes where you didn't have to worry about grip at all was wonderful. A nice, long half an hour soak in the shower and I was very happy with life, despite barely being able to stand up straight and walk.

Saturday morning I really didn't want to get out of bed. I'd woken up in the middle of the night cos I was cold and after sorting that out I didn't really sleep much. After a full day at the track I was feeling a bit worn out, tired because I hadn't slept properly and my back was almost rigid. Going back to sleep wasn't an option though. My wife will tell anybody that will listen I don't have an off button, by which she means pain won't stop me. Unfortunately it also won't stop me complaining about it lol.

Sign in is really easy for Vic Club events, as is scrutineering. They're by far the least stressful events I go to in that regard so I was left with little to do except catch up with people and grab a coffee.

Michael (work mate who helps me out at race meetings) turned up during the riders briefing. One thing I hadn't taken care of was to get some gas as I'd used up the entire 20 litres in the gas can plus whatever was in the bike when I got there on Friday so he shot off to the BP down the road to grab somemore.

He hadn't even seen this bike before and things were a little bit different with it. This bike has a fuel gauge for starters so there's no need to measure how much goes into it. With the Triumph we had to pump the fuel out of the tank then top it up just to make sure I didn't run out but also so I didn't end the day carrying a full tank of gas.

After talking to Robert Taylor, Nicki and a few others I lowered my tyre pressures to 24psi cold. I was a bit apprehensive about that because the tyres seemed to be moving around on the carcass a bit the day before, usually a sign pressures are too low. But I decided to go with the popular concensus and try it out.

Super Lites (should still be called Formula 3 dammit) were last up unfortunately. As there were only 5 groups (600's, small class, Posties, Superbikes and Super Lites) there wasn't too much of a wait. The main problem is Taupo's stupid 9:30am kick off and shutdown at 4:30pm. It means everything gets squeezed into a decreasingly small amount of time so if there's a hiccup it's very easy to run out of time.

Qualifying and I do my usual and wait until most people are about 1/3 of the way around their warm up lap before I leave pit lane. Although I don't get as many laps as everyone else it does mean I get relatively clear track because I take my time on the warm up lap. It also means I don't get tangled up with others (Deano at Hampton Downs is an example of what can happen if you're in the leading group in qualifying).

I take my time because the bike feels squishy and soggy, not at all like the day before. Lap 3 and I'm starting to get on with things but I was already finding out that the bike was bouncing horribly under braking at the end of both straights. It's so bad that I overshoot the end of the main straight. That lap is shot so I try for another one but pull my braking marker back a good 50m everywhere. Lap 4 is completed but felt awful so I wind it up a bit for the next one but get both wheels on the white line through turn 8 (the left sweeper before the A1GP corner) which puts the bike into a slide, almost putting me into the grass on the outside of the corner. That's that lap stuffed as well. Too late though because the chequered flag is out.

On the in lap a couple of the 125GPs have stopped on the main straight to do practice starts and I hurriedly decide that's a damn good idea seeing as I've never done a single start on this bike. So a quick practice start and I'm into the pits.

I'm not at all surprised to find out I qualified almost last. Lap 4 I was braking very early so it didn't bounce but the front tyre still felt terrible. So the first thing I do is up the front pressure by quite a bit. I end up with the front at 32psi on the tyre warmers as I'd found that was the best in the front of the Triumph.

Race 1 and the back of the grid is a bit of a mess. For some reason the row in front of me is 5 across and there's gaps elsewhere.

The 125's take off and I wait for the lights to come up for us.

Lights out and we're off, although a couple of guys stall!!

Even before the first corner I found a problem. Because I'm too busy looking for a gap and avoiding crashing into everyone else I'm not looking at the rev counter so I'm guessing at when to change gears. Seems I'm changing too late. Peak horsepower is at 12,500rpm and from there it drops off so fast the 15,00rpm redline is absolutely useless. When I change gear the revs are still past the peak, making the bike lurch and throw me forward with each change then the revs drop back to peak power and the bike starts to go forward again. At least I think that's what's happening. The gear changes between the start and turn 1 are absolutely terrible but it doesn't show up any other time.

I ease around turn 1 and the front doesn't have much grip. Seems I went from one extreme to the other with tyre pressures.

Turn 4 and there's hands up, the race has been red flagged.

Back to the pits and we're sent straight back out to the grid again.

Second start and things appear to be utter chaos but everyone survives.

I got an alright start, losing a few metres on some but gaining on many. I'm very wary of the front tyre as it doesn't seem to have the grip I want so I'll have to wait for it to warm properly. Even so I manage to pick off a few people and settle down to try and get into a flow. Second lap and I've got clear track in front of me to try and chase down the group up ahead.

I'm not making any progress though and when the white flag comes out James Charleton and Jason Dawes come past me. I get Jason back straight away but James manages to stay in front.

Good race. Slow (I was 10 seconds off where I should be on this bike) but still I enjoyed it. The race did highlight a few problems though. Firstly the problem with changing gears off the start line. Also I'd put too much air in the front so it didn't have any grip for a while, but most annoyingly I'm not able to brake where I want to at the end of the straights.

There were two reasons for this. The front end seems to be riding too high under brakes, making the back end come up and skip all the way into the turn. Also, I'm having trouble changing gears while braking hard meaning I have to back off earlier, change gears then brake.

Race 2 seems to take a long time to come around but eventually we get there.

This time I get a very average start but lose a whole bunch of places into turn 1 as I'm trying to go around the outside but I'm blocked by another bike and there's a stream of bikes going past me on the inside.

There's no red flag this time but I would've benefitted if there had've been since I lost a bunch of spots at turn 1. Another that could've benefited from a red was Tim Gray who must've bogged down badly on the start and came sailing past me 2/3's of the way through lap 1 only to toss it at the scenery somewhere on lap 2 (at least I think he crashed although he is on an Aprilia SVX550 so it might well have been mechanical!).

James Charleton is in front of me again so I start chasing him down. However, he seems to have found something and edges away. I try to settle into a rythmn but I make a couple of mistakes and run wide a couple of times. Still, there's a bike coming back towards me and I put my head down to try and get him before the finish line but don't quite get there.

I couldn't settle down in that race so my lap times were all over the place, with my fastest lap slower than in the first race where I had been lacking grip at the front for a good part of it.

Michael and I pack away some of the stuff in preparation for a quick departure after race 3. One of the things that we pack away is my chair so I collapse on the floor, leaning against a wall looking all pathetic and sore. Nicki looks a little concerned and comes over to see if I'm alright but I'm fine, just very sore cos my back seizes up once I get off the bike so I'm not moving much. It'd spasmed a couple of times through the day but nothing too major, ignore the spasms and complain loudly to anyone. I'm actually quite pissed off about a crap race 2 and I'm determined to do better in race 3.

Race 3 rolls around much quicker as the last round of races are shortened.

Off the line I get a good start and don't lose places at turn 1. Lap 2 and there's a red flag out cos there's a 125GP sitting in the middle of turn 1.

The red flag isn't actually a bad thing for me because getting on the bike and jumping around loosens up the muscles in my back so it's really the only time when I'm pain free. So now I get to restart after being fully warmed up and already focussed.

After the restart Jason Dawes got a better start than I did and ended up in front of me. Turn 5 I forget I'm using race shift and change the wrong way, putting me 2 gears too high and Jason pulls an instant 50m. I get a bit angry and start to chase him down, throwing it into corners a bit quicker. It still takes an entire lap to catch and pass him, which I do coming out of turn 9, the A1GP corner. The CBR is definitely loud to ride and obviously Jason can hear me over the sound of his bike because he looks directly at me over his shoulder as I fly up the outside of him on the exit.

I'm actually feeling quite good and start pushing a little faster into each corner, finally figuring out why I've been missing certain apexes all day. Because the seat is so close to the bars and I ride forward on the bike anyway when I push with my inside hand I'm actually pushing almost vertically down rather than forward. So instead of counter steering I'm doing the equivalent of standing on a foot peg except with the handle bars. That explains why I wasn't able to pull it into the apex often and also why the front felt unresponsive and a bit rigid at times. Once I figured that out I started to move my arms to different positions to find which works best and suddenly I had the grip and responsiveness I was missing.

But the race finished dammit.

After figuring out the counter steering bit I was really starting to get my head down and starting to find the things I knew were missing so I got all of 1.5 laps riding how I actually wanted to be riding both days. I wanted another race dammit.

Into the pits and the bike went straight on the trailer. When Michael got back with the timing sheet he looked very pleased to see I'd made steady progress through the entire race, getting faster and faster each lap. That sort of thing never happened on the Triumph as I usually had an average to shocking qualifying (if something didn't break) then the first race would be the best, lap times and consistancy getting worse through out the day.

We packed up and got the hell out of there fairly promptly. Michael had been looking to see which way he could head home so I pointed him up one of my favourite bits of road on the western side of Lake Karapiro. I trudged back up SH1 because I was towing the bike and couldn't be bothered having a good drive after all the riding I'd done. Unfortunately I wasn't being careful enough and a bloody cop pulled me for doing 101kph. I was all of 1kph over because they don't pull towing vehicles that sit between 90-100kph as enforcing the 90kph limit causes more problems on the road than it solves.

1kph = $80.00 + 20 demerits ffs.

Other than the ticket and being extremely sore most of the time (google Hyper Mobility of Joints) it's been a great 4 day weekend. Friday track day, Saturday racing, Sunday stay in bed and recover while writing another epic tale and get served breakfast in bed, Monday get my back straightened out. The weather for Friday and Saturday was beautiful. The repairs to the track were considerably better than the previous balls up and there was amazing grip. I was back at the track having truck loads of fun again. The pizza and beer when I got home was epic. Most importantly, the bike is brilliant.

The CBR is so much lighter, smaller, faster, has more grip, far more potential and is more responsive than the Triumph ever was. My first race on the CBR I bettered the Triumph's best lap time by more than 5 seconds, by the end of the race meeting I'd extended that to more than 8 seconds and there is clearly a lot more to come. It's significantly more reliable as well so I can concentrate on making improvements rather than trying to fix things that were trying to kill me. Any problems aren't with the bike itself, they're mainly rider/machine interface issues.

Can't wait to the new fairings done and onto it cos it's current paintjob consists of duct tape in places.

Thanks must go to

• Michael for driving down Taupo to help out on the race day even though he knew he was going in the dog box for it
• Paul Garrett for the bike
• Pete McDonald for sorting the dyno work at a good price
• Paul Grant and Wellington Motorcycles for the dyno work
• Alan at Grey Street Motors for tyres changes
• Tony, Diane, Boaz and Eve for giving my bike a good home
• Allan Ure for the great pictures
• VMCC for a great event

As raced. But the new fairings and paint job it will look 10x better
 
Photos by Allan Ure