It started with a message from Clive the previous Friday evening.
Clive – “you bringing that SS150 bike down for next round?”
Steevie – “It’s not mine, it’s not running right and I won’t have space to take Frankencane back to Te Love”
Clive – “I have a spare Kawasaki you can use”
Thus, with absolutely no excuses left I entered my first race for nigh on two years.
Sat Qualifying: ERm…kinda wobbled around. Tried (and failed) following some of the other kiddies around. All over the shot really. Mid 1:39 put me middle of streetstock 150 and 11th on the grid. Bike roomier than Frankencane.
Sat Race 1: Ok start but cagey at first turn. Meekly followed everyone around before the gap in front of me started increasing. High 1.36’s most of the race. Ben Carter passed me on his 250 after 3 or 4 laps. Tried following him to get lines. Had better corner speed. Decided his lines were weird and his bike merely faster. Not confident in skinny tyres. A sniff under 1:35 on final lap. Finished 11th (or 2nd last) and I’m panting and sweating like a Jimmy Savile at a high school. Clive’s daughter Mihi was well in front of me. Much piss taking in pits ensued from a 15 year old girl. Bollocks.
Sat Race 2: Good start again. Passed Mihi at hairpin. She passed me back a couple of laps later and wasn’t seen again. Worked on braking points for rest of the race. A low 1:34. 11th again. More piss taking from Mihi in pits. I thank Mihi for telling me to put in enough fuel in the bike before qualifying to last the whole day.
Sat Race 3: Cracking start….wish I’d qualified higher! Start turning in later and taking swoopier lines more akin to my old 400 as point and squirt isn’t working on the wee bike. Mid 1:34 again but consistent . 9th. Mihi had face like a spanked arse in the pits….blamed her bike not running right or some bollux. Yay!!
Sun Race 1: 12 lapper….wondering if I’ll tire. Same strategy as yesterday, go for consistency. Banging in 1.34’s and Mihi passes me on lap 5. No way Jose, I’d rather crash than let Clive’s daughter beat me and besides, it’s his bike. I start throwing the bike in later and faster on the faster corners. I’m faster on the infield so pull a couple of block passes at the hairpin. Mihi’s way faster through T1 and Higgins as the sparks coming off her sliders testify. I don’t gain from slipstreaming as I’m taller and erm….fatter. Lap 9, I’m faster on final fast sweeper so punt it up the inside, but she either doesn’t notice me or closes the door on me. I decide against colliding with her and a sphincter tightening ride on the paint ensues. I catch up with her on the infield again and decide to just pressure her and formulate a plan to go under her on the final lap sweeper (this time I’ll be closer). Mihi runs too hot into Higgins on lap 10 and slides off at a fair pace. I ease off for remainder of race. I finish 9th and our dicing has dropped my time to a flat 1:32.0 (paintwork and all). Planned victory dance falls flat and I feel the tiniest wee twinge of guilt as Mihi returns to pits crying like an erm…girl. I give her the "chin up that's racing" pep talk and point out some better lines for her on the infield.
Sun Race 2: Caffeine withdrawal kicking in. I put on my ear plugs and took a nana-nap in the pits before one of the kiddies (Rogan??) smacked me with their oversized skateboard. Lil bastard….why can’t you hit kids anymore? Couldn’t punt him off on the track either as couldn’t catch him. Anyways…the race. Good start. By lap 5 I’ve got quite a few seconds gap on Mihi until someone on a 250 passes me into Higgins and then pretty much comes to stop mid-corner right in front of me. I presume they'd missed a gear or two. Soooooo….this lets Mihi catchup and we spend the next 4 laps passing each other. Wish I hadn't given her the advice about lines on the infieldAs I’m too tall to properly crouch on the wee 150, the strong headwind on back straight isn’t working in my favour (piss weak excuse!). I cockup on lap 8 and spend next 2 laps playing catchup. El Dumbarseo misses the white flag. I think Mihi would have had it on pure determination anyway. 11th again. 1.32:9
I’d had a pre-conceived notion that streetstock 150 would be shite on a power track like Mansfield. Not the case at all, much fun and the same amount of “racing” as on a bigger bike. Sure, you’re not worrying about losing the rear on the gas but things like lines and corner entry are far more challenging as you lose so much time on the wee bikes if you bollox it up. I’d hate to say Billy is correct but his mantra of “learning how to @#$ckin corner before going on a thou” seems to make a bit of sense. All I can say to the haterz is don’t knock it until you try it. Cracking weekend.
Ta muchy to Biggles and Dom for the lift, Drew for talking shit, chappy and Mumbles for letting me crash and most of all Clive for loaning me the bike.
Thanks to Skunk for allowing my late entry.
Thanks for the piccy Bounce
Next round I prob won't be on Frankencane as some silly billy fell off his Kawasaki 450 in Posties so Neil will likely be using it again to win the class.
Originally Posted by Kickha
Reply With Quote
you doing the final round?
. Was very cool to hang out and see you on the track again Steevie. We need to get Drew on one of these.
Bookmarks