Well, I got there early and was given a complimentary can of something designed to give an energy boost. It actually tasted quite good by the time I needed it...
I guess I had somenthing of an epiphany today. Although I'd attended two racing wekends at Paeroa over the last four years I never got this close to teams and riders nor had I ever been into the commentary box. For an old guy like me, being right in among the atmosphere, talking technical with the riders and crews and being right beside the commentators during the racing brought me a special insight into the sport.
Chatting with the likes of Andrew Stroud, Dennis Charlett, Craig Shirriffs, Marcus Beagley, the mad German Patrick Howdoyouspellit from Kerikeri, Merv from way down south and Josh McGrath's grandparents along with Spyder and the team in the commentary box and a few others racing Bears, (well done Sean, No.3, on your immaculately prepared GPZ1100!), I got to really appreciate how tough and expensive this game is if you want to be anywhere near competitive.
Marcus had done a heroic job of getting his Kwaka back on track and up to speed, and while not in the top placings, he blamed his head rather than the bike needing to get into the right space again. He certainly had the speed and drive out of the corners and despite a couple of tyre issues, is looking good for the the rest of the season. He didn't make mistakes and I feel he got the best out of the bike on the day. It's fast, for sure! He's obviously got talent and I was impressed with his determination and his understanding of racing. He's endeavouring to build a business that can support up and coming riders and wants to be as successful and as helpful as he can be. He's running on a shoestring and doesn't have the budget to have the best of everything and relies heavily on his sponsors for their support. He deserves it too, in my opinion, a genuine Kiwi battler with talent that needs to be acknowledged.
Dear Craig, please stop falling off...Craig Shirriffs qualified third, (Cole, Bugden Shirriffs, with Stroudy in 8th), and was obviously very fast with a well prepared bike that looked even better in the metal than in the pics! Main race was very fast with Robbie Bugden in no mood to tarry, setting off like the hounds of hell were after him, with Andrew Stroud in hot pursuit, the two quickly gapped ahead with Nick Cole and Craig in a tussle for third and fourth. I commented to Dennis Charlett, who naturally backed Andrew to win, that Craig would have to get very brave to pass Nick as they were so closely matched it was as though they had a rope between them. These four were well ahead of the field by the time Nick ran on at turn two, allowing Craig to slip by. Just as it looked like Craig would get an easy third, he disappeared! Slid off on the third turn, left-hander. His tyre was like a billiard ball on the left shoulder and he was lucky not to have high-sided. Not too much damage but to his pride I think...
Andrew was looking good, making a lot of changes to the set-up, so I didn't stop long to chat, not the best way to make friends and influence people if you hold them up at important times, so I left him to get on with it. He's a genuine nice guy, though, as were all the riders I spoke to. His main race was marred a bit by severe rear tyre wear and a bit more fuel on board than he thought he had, which made a slight but significant difference to the handling. These bikes are so finely tuned and running on the ragged edge that such a small matter of a litre or so of extra fuel or one turn of the adjusters can make a difference. He settled for second, backing off about 3/4 race distance as it was obvious Robbie wasn't going to let anyone near him and Andrew was having the tyre problems that meant he could have tossed it away if he'd kept up the full pace.
I came away with a new-found respect for the talent and commitment these guys have, and put, into their sport! I was finding it hard to get my head around the sheer speeds on the front straight that all the top bikes were pulling! The 1000's were in a class of their own and I was in awe of them. The 600's were hardly slower and faster than I had envisioned. Once again the Motards surprised with their pace and the talent of their riders! The Bears were great fun and some of those guys, while nearer my age than not proved they were still a force to be reckoned with! Some had been racing for thirty years!
The sidecars showed up an unusual issue and one that I think will revolutionise their group. The leader was on a newly designed machine that used carbon-fibre technology and a tub type chassis, much like Formula 1 cars and it was really a purpose built outfit that had precious little to do with bikes as a base. They were so far ahead of the field they were in their own race altogether, and the rest raced their own race against each other. If this is the future of side-cars the other teams will have no choice but to adopt this technology if they want to be anywhere near competitive. The machine was quiet and unbelievably fast!
In all, and having my 5min of fame on the mike during a break in the racing where Spyder interviewed me about the batteries, I really enjoyed the day.
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Originally Posted by CHOPPA
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