Shane - Superlite (#43)

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 of a habit.

Last years Hamilton Motorcycle Club Winter Series was a lot of fun. It was laid back and relaxed and I was looking forward to more of the same this year. So instead of approaching it as a serious race series it's more sociable and feels a lot like a track day but with a grid start and finish line.

For the NZSBK round at Taupo I'd had Denis and Robert at KSS rework the suspension as I'd run out of adjustment. Since then I've been working on getting it right and now it's close. At the NZSBK meeting I was having trouble getting any heat into the front tyre, meaning a change in geometry was required to get more weight on the front. Now I've settled on pulling the forks through the triple clamps by 11mm the back end comes up way too early and way too quickly under braking so some fine tuning of fork fluid levels and also tweaking the preload is still needed. It's getting very close now but I really need to go to Taupo (or Manfeild) to sort it properly as Hampton Downs doesn't have any heavy braking areas. However, I can't be stuffed going to Manfeild in the middle of winter and I won't be back at Taupo until October so it's going to take a little while.

During the night I'd woken up to the sound of very heavy rain. I knew it was meant to clear up by morning but it was still very worrying. However, when I got out to the car everything was looking very promising.

Getting on my way I finally found a bakery that's open at 6:00am on a Sunday morning!! Unfortunately, the pies had only been in the warmer for a short time so they were piping hot on the outside but barely warm on the inside. Didn't stop me from wolfing it down, although in the back of my mind was the possibility of having an upset stomach or a case of the runs in the middle of a race. I drowned those thoughts in coffee because coffee fixes everything.

At the track I was earlier than I'd been aiming for so I got set up in the shed while Colleen and the crew got sign on all set up. By the time Cherie turned up there was nothing to do so after talking to Shayne Lawrey about the starting positions I took it upon myself to make sure everyone was able to find their spot on the grid. Gary Stirling told me where to find some cones so we went and grabbed some and did a couple of reconnaissance laps (the track was proper wet and the worms were out in force) before putting a cone at the edge of the track to mark each row on the start grid. I also had to change my race number as there were two #43's and the other guys was difficult to change. The downside of having numbers that conform to the rules!!

After Riders Briefing it was pretty obvious that the track wasn't going to be dry enough for slicks when the Intermediate class Practice/Qualifying session started so we quickly got the wets on the bike and I got into my gear. The whole time there was an constant stream of guys coming into the pits after only doing a couple of laps saying it was way too slippery for slicks so I was happy we'd decided to put the wets on.

For once I was the first one out of pit lane and had a nice clear track ahead of me. I was sure others would come past me at some stage but no one did so after the first lap I started to pick up the pace a little. The track was cold, wet and slippery and I wasn't going very fast at all. Each lap I upped the pace a little, and each lap I had a quick look out of turn 4 to see who was about to pass me. Each time I was startled to see an empty track. No matter where I had a look I couldn't see anyone else on track at all and I was wondering if I was out there alone, but there weren't any flags to call me in so I pressed on.

On my fourth timed lap I made a few errors, I was just pushing too hard for the conditions, so I decided to cut it short and head into the pits before I threw it into the weeds. Even though there was still plenty of time left I just wanted a grid position and I didn't want to risk a crash.

When I grabbed the sheet with our times on it I started at the bottom knowing I was well off my PB and fully expecting to start from the back of the field. But as I got further up the list I started thinking I hadn't registered a time at all until I got to the top - I qualified on Pole by 1.75 seconds!!

My first ever Pole and I wasn't even trying. It was a total shock. But now I knew the work on the suspension was paying off. Getting it right is a moving target because as the rider gets faster the suspension has to improve as well. What was excellent 6 months and 2-seconds-a-lap ago can be all wrong now so improving it is a constant and never ending process. The last rebuild and subsequent tweaks had been a huge step forward, especially in the cold and Qualifying was certainly cold and slippery.

For Race 1 I lined up on the grid to the unaccustomed view of an empty track in front of me. Starting from Pole means everybody on the grid is out to beat you so I was very conscious that I had to get a good start and not stall.

The lights come up and we were ... waiting, still waiting, lots of engines bouncing off the limiters, still waiting, Gerard Pfijfers from the fourth row came past me having jumped the start big time, and finally we were off!!

I got an ok start but nothing spectacular whereas Phil Munt in P2 got a good start so out of turn 1 I was third. Greg Smith on a Ducati 750 got me before turn 2. Into turn 4 and Nathan Jane is up the inside while Hugo Trenholm is going around the outside!! Four turns and I'm back to fifth place!! Then Damon Rees flies past me!! Stuff waiting to see if the tracks still slippery, everyone else seems to think it's fine!!

Getting my head together I quickly pass Phil and then Damon who runs really wide at turn 6, losing him a bunch of places. I go after Hugo, passing him before the start grid. I start lining up Nathan but Hugo gets me back again. We repeat this a few times on the next 4 laps, me passing him but he comes back past me somewhere else. It's exciting but really annoying cos I want to catch the others!! At one point I decide to go up the right side of him over the brow of the hill into turn 5 but we bump into each other, right in front of the entire Team Aspire crew who are pitted over looking turn 5!! It doesn't cause either us any problems though so I quickly get back past Hugo and go after Nathan. Heading up towards pit entrance I'm on the right side of Nathan, managing to squeeze through the tiniest of gaps between him and the yellow line-we-must-never-cross that marks the pit entrance.

Onto the last lap and I've clawed back the gap to Gerard, knowing I need really good drive out of the last turn. I get on the throttle early and drive hard up the right side of him, holding it until the line where I'm less than 0.2 seconds ahead in second place!! That was an epic race!!

I could've sat behind Gerard because he was guaranteed a penalty for the huge jump start but being in front on the track is more important to me. Settling for the spot you're in does nothing for you and you don't push yourself to improve so if there's someone in front of me and catching them is possible I always try. There's always the possibility of crashing but we're not playing Tiddly Winks.

Not only way the race exciting but I was finally, after hundreds of hours on bikes, starting to figure out what I could do on Pirelli slicks. I finally started to feel that I was using the tyres properly. They're so different to the Metzeler and Dunlop road tyres I'd liked in the past and I wasn't able to figure out the feedback I was getting from them. But now the suspension is allowing me to tell what's happening with the Pirelli's and I'm able to push far harder at the start of corners than I ever have been able to. Corner exit has always been a strong point for me, but corner entry and the effect that has on mid-corner speed has always been a big problem.

While I was calming down after the race Paul Garrett rolled into the shed. He's the guy I bought the CBR from and a former racer himself. It was great to sit around talking bikes with him and finding out a bit of the history of my bike. He was eying up Nick Kampenhout's Husqvarna 900 Nuda and I reckon one of those would be a good fit for Paul.

Race 2 we lined up again but this time I wasn't going to check out the track conditions on the first lap.

The lights went out and I got a much better start, heading toward turn 1 side by side with Phil Munt. As I had the inside line I was able to take the turn in front of Phil and started pushing to stay ahead of the field. However, Greg Smith's Ducati is a beast off the start line and again he got past me into turn 2. A short while later Gerard Pfijfers also got past me so he must have pulled another huge jump start.

I chased Gerard hard until the third lap when I got him out of turn 6 and put my head down and went after Greg.

On lap 5 I was close enough to get up the inside of Greg into turn 2 but he came back strong into turn 4 and took me on the inside line.

Last lap and I knew I had to stay close into the last corner if I had a chance but unfortunately I got a bit of wiggle into turn 5 which put me off line and I was slower than usual coming out, leaving Greg with a comfortable win.

Another second place and another good race, although nowhere near as exciting as the first. I did, however, knock 1.3 seconds off my PB so I was really pleased.

Before the third race we upped the tyre pressures a bit as the track was warming up and I was tearing the hell out of the right side of the rear tyre.

Onto the grid and I got an alright start, but Phil Munt got a better one and Greg Smith was better again, coming through from the second row to lead into turn 1. Phil looked like he didn't have any heat in the front tyre as it pushed very wide leaving me to drive up the inside into second place. Into turn 2 and Matt Ferguson stuffs it up the inside fairly late but pulls it off and I have just enough room that I don't have to change line or anything.

Hugo Trenholm goes around the outside at turn 4 again and I start to think the air in the front was a mistake as it's clouded over and the tracks cooled off again. I chase the 3 in front of me but I keep losing ground to them cos I'm making little mistakes.

Fifth lap and I see a shadow out of the corner of my eye as Nathan Jane lines up a pass and makes it. Onto the last lap and we're down to the last corner. I know I'm going to be hard pressed to pass Nathan on the run to the line but I give it a big handful out of turn 6. Nathan drifts right so I have to go the long way around him and we're side by side charging for the finish line but Nathan pips me by less than half a wheel!! I was trying so hard I almost don't slow down enough to get around turn 1, running really wide and almost making it to the dirt.

Even though the last race placing was disappointing I still had a great day racing with my first ever pole position, some really good results and more excellent, close, hard racing. I'm really happy with the suspension and the feel I'm getting from the tyres and there's only a little more tweaking to do so that I can brake at 100% without any misbehaving.

• Cherie for helping out in the pits
• Vince at Burrell Signs
• the Hamilton MCC, marshalls, ambulance crew and all the volunteers that made for such a good day
• Robert and Dennis at KSS for the suspension work
• Craig @ Grey Street Motors
• Stefan @ DL Consulting
• Tony, Diane, Boaz and Eve for looking after my bike

Facebook account required for the following two links

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...levant_count=1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...levant_count=1