Str8's Round 3

**Str8 Jacket** · 26th July 2009, 17:15

I had been looking forward to this round as I have done the short track at Manfeild a few times now and pretty much know it off by heart!
I think I was a bit too cocky however...

I set myself 2 goals for this round:
GOAL 1 - Try to beat my best time of 1.37
GOAL 2 - Work on my track placement and cornering

So off we (myself and koba) go to the track, leaving Wellys at 5am and getting there just after 7am was awesome. We lined up with a few other cars for the gate to open and went straight to the pits to steal ourselves a space. Then off to get my obligatory race day pie for brekkie...

Koba had offered me a bit of mentoring so I walked around the first half of the track with him while he showed me lines and braking markers. I can highly reccomend a walk/cycle round the track to everybody as it looks quite different at walking pace and can really help you mind to become 'race ready'. I learnt alot about what I was doing wrong and that I was doing some things right..

QUALIFYING:
Well I got 3 laps in and then the bike lost all power so I sat at the side of the track and watch as others went faster an faster... As I am accustomed to destroying bikes I always try and keep a packet of smokes in my racing leathers just in case... Anyway I forgot to grab them and then when I got back to the pits some dickwad had stolen them. DAMMIT! Anyway I qualified last with a time of 1.47, pretty bad really!

Got back into the pits and pulled the bike apart. Koba cleaned the main jet and carb for me and we hoped for the best...

RACE 1

I got a really tragic start but thought 'fuck it' all I have to do is beat my time so I put my head down and just worked on getting my corner entry right and made sure that I was staying on the throttle as much as possible through the corners. I realised that I was not going to get past any of the guys in front of me so I relaxed, put my head down and had a blast. At one point I came out of higgins to see poor Malcolm standing on the side of the track. It threw me a bit but he was OK...
As it turned out I was not the last home although it felt like it! My best lap was a 1.39 so I was pretty bummed but glad the bike was still going!

RACE 2

The start of the race was a bummer for me. Poor old koba stalled his bike and then had to park it up and not race, I felt soo stink for him!! But wow, I have never started form the back of the grid until this round. Its awful, bikes everywhere almost hitting each other with no clear path through. All I could do was sit at the back and position myself for T1. At the exit of T1 I was in last place with Jase W in front of me. I followed him round for a lap or two and then finally got passed him and managed to keep him off. At time I could hear right there wanting to get passed me but I darent not look for fear of him passing me! Managed to finish in front of him but he made me work for it. I had alot of fun and really felt relaxed out there so I know I can do better next time.

When I got my times back at the end of the day I was truly bummed as I did a 1.41 which I know is alot slower than I can do.

I left the track feeling a little bummed as I felt sorry for Malcolm and I was bummed that although I rode 100% better and I felt way more comfortable I was slower than I have ever been. Everyone else seems to be getting better but I seem to be going backwards. I guess that I need to raise the bar for next round, grow some balls and not worry about crashing. After all I have new leathers now!!

**Trudes** · 26th July 2009, 17:20

And you look "The Part" in your new leathers too chick!!
Hey don't be too bummed with the times, you felt more comfortable and relaxed and you certainly looked smoother and relaxed, so I'm sure the times will come down. Well done you!!

**Billy** · 26th July 2009, 17:31

Sounds like a bad at the manfeild office,Still you said at 1 point you were having fun and thats what its about.Keep plugging away at it and you WILL get there.Ill be there for rd5 if you can try and squeeze up there Friday Ill give you a hand out otherwise we will have to do it during Saturdays racing so you can do that PB on the Sunday

**Str8 Jacket** · 26th July 2009, 17:32

Originally Posted by Billy

Sounds like a bad at the manfeild office,Still you said at 1 point you were having fun and thats what its about.Keep plugging away at it and you WILL get there.Ill be there for rd5 if you can try and squeeze up there Friday Ill give you a hand out otherwise we will have to do it during Saturdays racing so you can do that PB on the Sunday

Actually, that'd be awesome. I will try and get the day off and get my arse up there. Thanks!

**Foxzee** · 26th July 2009, 17:40

Hey hun....

You did really well and looked great out there.....everyone has a "oh bum" day...the next one you will have a blinder!!!

**Clivoris** · 26th July 2009, 20:52

Originally Posted by zak

Hey hun....

You did really well and looked great out there.....everyone has a "oh bum" day...the next one you will have a blinder!!!

What she said Chick. Always good to see you your man at the track Hels.

**Her_C4** · 26th July 2009, 21:07

Originally Posted by Trudes

And you look "The Part" in your new leathers too chick!!
Hey don't be too bummed with the times, you felt more comfortable and relaxed and you certainly looked smoother and relaxed, so I'm sure the times will come down. Well done you!!

Great write up Hels, and you looked great out there - I even managed to get some reasonable shots so you can't have been going too slowly, but as Trudes says you looked a bit smoother than the last time I watched you. Good on you for getting out there and doing it!

See you round 4

**Number One** · 26th July 2009, 21:16

Wot Trudes sed + you didn't crash so sounds like it was a pretty good days work to me! Sorry for Koba but racing bikes in a relationship is swings and roundabouts - sometimes he races and you don't sometimes it's this way.
Enjoy it chick - enjoy the write ups too

**sinfull** · 27th July 2009, 12:19

Good on ya for doing the write up even though ya felt ya had bummed out !
I'm feeling much the same re the times i'm doing, still haven't matched my speed 3 times on the daytona yet and the guys i was dicing with have all gained 4 or 5 seconds on me now after 2 bummer rounds !
But like someone said to me on sunday, it's all about being there and the seconds will fall off in lumps ! And your doing just that, the commitment is all there, so the rest will come !
Was cool pitting next to you and Koba, you two make a wicked team !

**Str8 Jacket** · 27th July 2009, 17:08

Originally Posted by sinfull

Good on ya for doing the write up even though ya felt ya had bummed out !
I'm feeling much the same re the times i'm doing, still haven't matched my speed 3 times on the daytona yet and the guys i was dicing with have all gained 4 or 5 seconds on me now after 2 bummer rounds !
But like someone said to me on sunday, it's all about being there and the seconds will fall off in lumps ! And your doing just that, the commitment is all there, so the rest will come !
Was cool pitting next to you and Koba, you two make a wicked team !

Cheers mate. I like to write up race reports as I get alot of interested people, mostly chicks telling me that it helps encourage them. The reality is though is that racing is full of GOOD and BAD times. If you love it, which I do then even when you have a bad day you are still counting down the days to the next race!!
I am lucky to have Koba there with me, racing with me and fixing things that I break. He is my rock some days at the track that's for sure. Now if only he'd would move up a class, lol....

**Kendog** · 27th July 2009, 19:56

You looked way better out there this time than the previous round, your times will come down for sure.

Just remember how you felt when you came in after each race. You know, that "buzzing" feeling. That's what it's all about

**Kendog** · 27th July 2009, 20:00

And you beat Malcolm in both races

**Number One** · 27th July 2009, 20:10

Originally Posted by Kendog

And you beat Malcolm in both races

We also noted that!

Nice pic KDog and Hels the leathers look trick mate

**Str8 Jacket** · 27th July 2009, 20:24

Originally Posted by Kendog

You looked way better out there this time than the previous round, your times will come down for sure.

Just remember how you felt when you came in after each race. You know, that "buzzing" feeling. That's what it's all about

Yeah, you're right. You always get that buzzing feeling after finishing a race no matter!

Awesome photo, thanks!!