well to start with.. awesome round 6! best race day I have had so far!
Day started promising with some fine weather but I thought I better throw the wets in just in case - turning out to be a good decision really!
Clubmans Qualifying
My mother has always been nervous about me riding bike but being as this was the last round she thought she would come and have a look what it was all about. I was pleased to see a dry track and tbh, it couldnt have been a more perfect conditions. Track and the bike felt fantastic and I was able to ride the thing without having these images of me sliding down the track like in recent times.
All was going magic till I overcooked dunlop a little bit and run wide onto the ripple strip. I didnt think much of it at the time so powered up to have the bike flick out and lost my left hand and both feet off the pegs. I had that very sinking OH NO! feeling as time slowed down but the bike decided to look after me and come back striaght and let me continue. Qualified 7th with a 1.23.281 so was real pleased about that! I come back in to my mother going all quiet and then she did her mother thing and went.. well. Im not watching you anymore! And went home.
Then the rain come! I fiqured the rain was here to stay so I changed to wets. So need a second set of rims really! But wets on and ready for race 1.
Clubmans Race 1.
Starting from second row was something new. The track was wet and I was expecting a huge wheelspin right off the start and not knowing what to expect I was deciding if I should lean forward and keep centre or lean back and try to find some traction on the rear wheel. By the time Id muppeted round deciding what I was going to do the lights were already on and so I figured Id just give it some gas and deal with whatever the bike wanted to do as it come. Turns out.. Wet tyres stick like REALLY good! The bike lauched and got a really good run going into turn 1 3rd. Now I was going. WTF am I doing up here? I wonder if my tyre pressures are right.. I wonder how much stick these wet tyres have? Should I have been using tyre warmers?? Ummmmm Oh well. carry on and see what happens!. Got passed through splash and settled in 4th for a lap till Mark passed me in lap 2 putting me back in 5th. The bike felt like a huge mind fuck really. I kept dodgying between telling myself its raining and its very slippery to I have awesome tyres on the bike and they just wont let go. As the race progressed I felt more at home with leaning the bike and trusting the tyres. The biggest problem I was now facing was my damn visor fogging up. I had this problem in R4 and I treated the visor to some rainex stuff but honestly. It just didnt work. I really need to sort my visor out! More people passed me (that seems to happen quite alot!) in lap 5 putting me in 6th where I finished the rest of the race. It was awesome riding. best time on 1.28.637 in the rain but most of all I really didnt feel like I was going to fall over. +1 for wet tyres.
Race 2 clubmans.
The rain stopped and the track dried out so back to the powers again. Felt like I spent all day changing tyres really!
A few showers come over and I was starting to think that I should have stuck with the wets but as it turned out the track come dry and weather held off for race 2.
Starting in the dry I was a bit more confident. Got a really good start and went into turn 1 second. I figured this was my race and gave it heaps to have the rear spinning up and the front feeling very vague. Got swamped on the first lap to get pushed back down to 7th. I cant help but think that tyre warmers would have prevented this and starting out on cold tyres just isnt that flash of an idea. another couple of laps and the bike started to come better but I was being picked off beign pushed back down to 9th. Just as I was getting in the groove the white flag come out and that was over. I felt like the race was about 2 mins long! Still happy to keep it upright and managed a time of 1:24.988 which surprisingly was slower than my qualifying cause it felt quicker.
So off to the summer series now.
Goals in mind..
Get tyrewarmers!
learn to brake later
get off the bike on a lean better and improve corner speed.
And that brings me to a thanks bit.
First and formost..
Ashhurst Inn. for the sponsership of race entry and transponder. If your ever near Ashhurst then call in for a meal. Fantastic atomosphere and great food
Ashhurst Service Centre. For trailer use (even though 86 stepped up so I never actualy got round to using their trailers but the thought was there)
86gsxr. for carting my bike and company at the track every round.
NZSarge. For race stands and encouragement
GarryH (I was going to put this really small cause you dont want people to know your a nice guy) for advice on repairs and encouragement to get back out there after my spills
Supersonic. for being super... and sonic. (and helping me work on the bike)
Mrs Cowboyz. for painting and letting me go do this adventure
Im sure I have forgotten someone, but overall. Its been an awesome season with heaps of learning. The 9 will be there ready for next year!
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Originally Posted by cowboyz
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