Hanging in there @ Round 3

[scuzeme]

VMCC Round 3 Race Report

The last week before the round saw me frantically running round getting the Yamakazi cleaned up including the dismantlement of the back end, and pulling my hair out because the race bodys were late back from the painters.
I had a new set of wets and a set of race techs that had done a couple of races and thought that they would see me through the weekend.
Left on Thursday evening only to be turned around 20 mins out of Wellington because of a slip the weather was complete shit too.
Finally made it up to Manfield in the morning and preceded to get set up in the stalls and wait to wee what the weather was going to do while I put the new race body on changed tyres blah blah blah.
Tony OK, Gah and Biggles set up in the stalls next to me and finally around midday after much umming and ahhring I paid my hundee chucked my wets on and decided to go out and have a play.
The track was wet, a river in some places and the rain was off and on, my whole take on wet track riding is you have marginally less traction than on a dry track if your using the right rubber and have tuned in your suspension and tyre pressures, so I always go out and punch it hard infact the wetter it is the better I seem to go.
All in all a good practice afternoon that had me feeling good about the next day.

RACE DAY QUALIFYING
If theres one track condition that drains my confidence it’s a semi wet one when your riding on intermediates in other words I puttered round the track for both qualifiers all the while watching splash claim a new set of victims.
F1 Qualified 32nd with a lap time of 1:27
F2 Qualified 23rd with a lap time of 1:22
Both times well off my personal best of a 1:15

RACE 1 F1
Got a way better start then usual, in fact all my starts were reasonable over the race day and I tried to swing round the outside on T1 and the broad sweeper coming into splash quite a few riders didn’t finish the race (the tale of the day) but I managed to hang in there with a best lap time of 1:18 to come in 22nd staying ahead of Wharfy but not good enough to finish infront of Clive on his super fast Honda.

RACE 1 F2
A better race for me with a best lap time of 1:16 holding Clive off till mid race then trying to keep the pressure on him, I find my 600 tends to have a wee bit more legs than a lot of other bikes and I rely on this speed to carry me past my competitors on the straights this how ever wasn’t working against Clives CBR and I just couldn’t get the edge then you guessed it splash struck out and Clive he went down and it was very lucky for the both of us that his forward momentum carried him sort of side ways off the track for a minute there I though I was going to hit his head! I placed 16th

RACE 2 F1
By this time I was wondering whether I should have stayed in clubmans it seems everyone else looks to be improving and after a good round last month it was like I was going backwards.
Had to work hard to catch up to Aria and Nick Prestige and managed to get a good drive out of Dunlop to over take them then it was just a matter of trying to hold them off coming in 18th after being lapped by Hayden and Craig with a lap time of 1:17
Not good to see Phil Derby go down and not move but he and all his stuff got home thanks to the Race officials, I rang him the next day and he told me that the Doctor couldn’t find his brain but it was OK because his skull was still intact! I told him that, that was OK because his brain was fucked anyway  , hope your ok for next month Phill as its always a pleasure to share the pits with you.

RACE 2 F2
Another best lap of 1:17 and coming home 14th after a gigantic tussle with Nick Prestige for anyone who actually saw our little meelee I owned out of the corner drive and the straight lines he owned corner entry speed and had a unsettling way of cutting infront of me out of nowhere.
Thanks Nick for some real excitement after 4 laps of the same I decided to hang on to the back of you and chance my luck in Dunlop to get the drive onto the finish, it didn’t work but watch out next month.

Lastly
Thanks to all the guys that shared our garage what a great mix of guys, Welcome Dodgy Dave to your first race meet great work to take out Clubmans Race 1 and come back in 8th Place in your second race after flying off onto the grass and watching the whole field pass you.
Thanks to the race officials for organizing the race day you guys do an awesome job.
Thanks to Marcus for my new Camera man these things are well worth it!
Cheers to everyone that told me how shit I was no one knew it more than me LOL.

[sinfull]

Nice write up Darrin, been waiting for ya to post it up !!
Watched you race from the stands mate and no way can you say your going backwards !!! I can only wish i could be doing the times you are mate, you got the saki thumping around that track !
Your at the point now (so they say) where the gains aint gonna be big jumps and it prolly feels to you that your not, but your deffinately smooth man and run a good defence line !
Another thing is your staying upright, that wasn't too easy this round lol ! I know now, the confidence knock ya cop makes a difference to yr times and it obviously takes a round or two to regain what ya lost then move on !
So short version is, i cant wait to see the gains you make in round 4 now !!!

[Deano]

Sounds like you had some fun with Nick. Good guns bro. Clive's CBR is a whole lot quicker now it's racy orange. lol

[NinjaBoy]

Hey Darrin...great write up and sounds like you had fun with your own little tussles in the field.

I was a little concerned that after your obvious form on Friday's test day that Race day was going to be a repeat of the previous round. But I don't think you were too far off form. In the later rounds when the weather is (hopefully) dryer you will be a force to reckon with !!

Catch ya next round.

[Biggles08]

Just stop whining and HTFU! :-D

Nice write up dude and as always a pleasure hanging with you off the track too!

[Tony.OK]

Nice to catch up with ya properly on the weekend mate, was impressed as hell on Fri with how you went in the wet.
Mate don't worry about not hitting your PB, the track was certainly not throwing low #'s at anyone. Starting the day on a weeping track seems to make most keep a little in reserve all day.................hell I never got my knee down once all day hahaa.
Look forward to catching up with ya soon

[Clivoris]

It's true man, you're shit and should give up and get some t-shirts printed that say "Clive would have beaten me but his saggy-old-man-balls got caught in the rear wheel and he crashed" I'm buying a jock-strap and it's all on for round 4. I have my fingers crossed that Steevie will be random enough to get in your way again.

Naaah mate. You were streets ahead of me on the long-track and everyone has a meeting where things plateau. The times will drop again soon and you did stay upright=winning.

[slowpoke]

Nice write up Darrin. Don't stress about the times mate, the racecraft you learn battling folks like Clive, Nick and Aria is money in the bank.

Thanks for the info on Phil....and Dodgy Dave, it's about time he strutted his stuff in competition, the burgling bugger.

[DVS 69]

Bet you guys are getting fast as, you looked good last month i didnt make it this time as my mate was having a title fight etc. Hey what kind of camera have you got ? Does marcus sell them ?

[wharfy]

Good shit mate, it is good sharing a garage with you. You were going so well in the wet I almost wanted it to rain on race day to see you upset a few people ( almost )

See ya at the long track next month