Well looks like I'm back first & there's a reason for that. A bit of a jab in the eye for the 2 stroke boys this year & I guess a big serving of humble pie. Mmm tastes good with a bit of Ice cream.
I'm glad Nick & James got 1&2. Truly nice guys & well deserving. 'bout time the south did well in a GP & fair play they certainly did & it was with well prepared bikes, good preparation & some sound riding.
Me, well that's a long story, but principally it boils down to time & money. Unlike the South Island guys I wasn't able to skip off to the track & spend thursday or friday practicing on a few classes. I was lucky to pay my entry fee this year & for the help Mike (Yowling) gave me by lending me his transponder I am truly grateful. Will be coming back with James.
I hadn't raced properly at Taupo B track for a few years & have been a bit freaked by the repair patches. I took off to find some clear track in the first session but it wasn't long before James Hoozi came past me. Fortunately my bike had a tickle more poke in some areas so I could keep him in sight & he gave me a lesson. Slowly I started to trust the patches.
I went over to thank him later & someone came up with the session times so it was a bit embarrassing to find I was fastest of the session. & faster than lap record set a few years back I understand.
Next session there was no one to follow but I started refining what I had learnt & knocked into the next second off. But it turns out Nick & James had gone faster still!
I needed more time. But come the first race my bike wouldn't start. I got a push & took it round to 3rd grid spot. Where it died. Had to push it to the side & jump over the fence. More on that later!
Took it back to the pits & well long story but the ring was smeared in place loss of compression. After prising it out I noticed the piston had a crack. End of play.
Disappointing as I knew I had another second in me. Whether I had a second & a half I don't know. That isn't just idle talk from the keypad. About 4th lap of qual I had a revelation. I was still looking at the patches going around some corners. Looking past them & around the corner, all of a sudden the bike started taking a tighter line & I could gas on much earlier. Beginner mistake for someone racing over 20 years, but old man worrying is hard to pass sometimes. Lap times didn't reflect it as we started to get back marker issues.
But the interesting thing is that on top of that the bike must have smeared the ring in that practice. My fastest time was my 2nd lap.
Heck the race is done & this counts for naught. But for me it gives me hope the old dog can turn the speed on. Some more time would have helped no end. A bike staying together would have immensely.
The next day I started off on the 50. But it was dog slow compared to the 100s/150s. It was a bit depressing to go from a chance, outside maybe, but a chance at the win, to total back marker.
Time to go home & see my young kids. One of them who is struggling to get to sleep, but I still love them never the less.
Next year? Ho-ho. Why not?
Don't you look at my accountant.
He's the only one I've got.
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For the record Qkkid was in my bed, not the other way round
Originally Posted by Yow Ling
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