Ok this is a long winded report as i like to drag things out when i have faaaark all else to do !!! So if ya suffer from ADD go watch some you tube !
Well after going like a madman last week to get the new toy into shape and ready for round two at Manfield this weekend, i now realise i should have been working more on my shape ! (I know, I know round is a shape)
It had been a few months since i last raced and i was keen as to get back out there, round three of the summer series had me coming away on a bit of a high with 2 out of 2 at Taupo, in clubmans on the speed triple !
So i had decided that it was time to move up a notch and started looking for something to move up to another level on ! I was lucky enough to secure a trade on a 675 which i could afford and jumped at it !
Missed round 1 (but like i was gonna be in the points anyway lol)
Practise day
So Friday morning i was up at dawns crack (more like half way to the track when the sun made an appearance)
Had the bike set up nice and early and was looking forward to taking it out for its first appearance !
In short ! Fucking awesome !!! First couple of sessions were a bit of familiarisation with the bike (and track) but then i started warming up in the arvo and shit it felt like it was on rails ! Managed a good half doz 20 min test sessions and came away with a silly grin !
Friday night the realisation hit me, christ i was hurting ! Knees felt like i'd jumped off a two story roof, shoulders ached awwww yuck, Ok hot shower, couple o Nuerophen +++ And snoring by 9.00 !
Race day 1
Woke saturday morning to the pitter patter of rain on the roof and the lip dropped a bit, but it turned out to be localised to wellington (and here) , the manawatu was clear as with frost everywere !
F1 Qualifying, wasn't really expecting miracles and none came really lol 26 on the grid with a 2.12 and surrounded by guys i'd raced against in the past, so felt comfy !
F2 Qualifying , pretty much the same outcome with a 2.11 and 27 on the grid ! I was happy, knew i was gonna get nowhere near the points this weekend and it was all about getting used to the bike !
Race 1 F1 ,
Churrr, out with the big boys, choice !
1ST grid start on the new toy and i could have done better lol but again it wasn't about winning, so i didn't really care what position i made it round turn 1 in, so long as i made it round !
Race mode woooohoooo lap 1 went pretty smooth and we started stretching out a bit,
I'd been over cooking the back hairpin during Qualifying and even ran off on one lap, so had worked out to hold it in second and when i hit the limiter, thats when i hit the piks for the 90 degree corner and drop it over...... Next thing i hear the screech of tyres and whack !!!!
WTF... bike stands upright, legs flailing all over the place and smack... i cracked the right foot into the peg (think seeering pain) and i'm on the grass, upright but wobbling !
I'm thinkin damb, someone smacked into me but they made it through, as i saw no one on my way back onto the track (turns out i didn't look back far enough, check Whafys report with hopefully a pic of the horny triumphs humpin)
Foot was throbbing and of course the head was playing tricks with me and the bike just didn't feel right in the back end anymore !
Not to mention The rest of the pack had vanished around the sweeper so i thought mehhhh, get off the track and check the bike out ! My first ever DNF ! (the rest come easy lol)
Turns out the bike was fine and the smack on the foot was just a peening !
Race 1 F2
Was back a grid line for this one and had pretty much the same sort of start !
So came round turn one unscathed and toward the rear of the pack, which is cool and where i deserved to be (didn't say like to be)
Took it seemly for that first lap and got around to the back hairpin only to find a pile of bikes laying over the track (3 down and Steve doing a stunta impersonation) So it was a bit of a wobble around the mess and it turns out there were 5 of us on our own, with a big gap ahead to the rest of the pack (ironically 3 triumphs included)
Kevin and Keemin got through the mess ahead of me so it was 675 675 675 with Clive and another rider hot on my tail ! Coool, the race of the back markers was on (we so need our own class hehe)
Followed Keemin round for the next lap and kevin was starting to get a bit of a gap going on !
One thing i've found this weekend is my gearing is all wrong and have some serious lag coming out of T1 and the first hairpin, but on lap 3 i did something right and managed to get past Keemin before higgins !
Kevin had managed to dissapear into the extension by this time so i was thinking he's gone, but i do like that bit round there and made some good gains, then by the time i had flicked through the infield once more (seem to have sped up a bit there) and gone hard through the extension again i was right on his tail coming into the back hairpin on lap 5 !
I had worked out a point to cut in to apex right on the trench in the left sweeper ! Lucky for me Kevin had taken a wider line and i managed to tuck under him and made it stick !
Round to the white flag and i was blowing like ya wouldn't believe !
Knew the bugger (not to forget Keemin and Clive) would be right there behind me as we were pretty close HP wise (one good thing is, i never looked back once, which is something i'd been doing a bit in my clubmans races) Held it together through the infield and hoped i had enough to counter the lag out of the hairpin (i must have) then braked hard into higgins, on the rev limiter into the extension (love that corner and new gearing will make it sooo cool) then round onto the short stretch to the back hairpin !
Why i changed up i'll never know (i'd been holding it in second like i said using that as a guage instead of finding a brake marker like i should have) so this time i bloody over cooked it and ran wide, damb !
There he goes inside me grrrr and the bugger apexed the trench perfect blocking me from getting under him again !
So there we were, pretty much equal HP, with him holding good blocking lines the rest of the way to the finish !! Great riding wharfy, loved it !!!
Ended up with a 2.09.2
Got home Sat night feeling like i'd been carrying a bag of cement on my shoulders all day !!! blahhh !
Day 2 Rather not talk too much about it haha feel very old and unfit !!! But here it is !
Flagged the F1 ten lap race and thought i'd save myself for F2
(not to mention having trouble getting my leathers done up, shit talk about Mac bloat !)
F2 race 2
Got out there and had me a great launch, Yeah !!! Made up about 3 places and went round T1 feeling pretty good !
Unfortunately by the end of lap one I was cramping up in the left leg and it only got worse lol (was only a few Heinikens during the rugby and i'd drunk a bit of water this morning gaaaah !)
End of lap 2 the cramp had moved into both legs and i was having trouble stopping my thumbs from feeling like falling off WTF grrrr !
Thought to myself, relax, slow down and work through it, but by the time i got through the extension on lap 3 i felt like pulling onto the grass and having a laydown !
Soooo whats an old coote to do but pull in and find somewhere to laydown !
AJ's look as i came through pit lane said it all, haha arms out to his side mouthing what the fuck are ya doing ?
Knew my limits had been reached, the leathers were packed up and i became a spectator for the day !
Another 2.09.2 so the goal of knocking another 3 seconds off wasn't reached, but learnt some fitness goals !!! (tui ad)
Yep, ya got to be pretty bloody fit to do three days grrrrr, never even crossed my mind in the weeks leading up to this event !! Good thing there aint too many two dayers aye ! Pass the anti inflamitry's (and the beer)
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........... being (lets say not young and slim anymore) i can relate to all off that.
Originally Posted by SWERVE
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