Scracha VMCC Round 1, Manfeild (2014)

**scracha** · 6th May 2014, 22:19

After a wee 4 year break due to much skintness, Frankencane was rescued from Drew's garage and taken to the track. Aim was to stay upright and not come last.

Saturday
Qualifying: I'm so nervous on dummy grid that I wish I'd worn Tenaladdie. Track was dry....bike felt nice, nobody passed me and I didn't do anything stupid. Andrew Carr passed me on a Honda CBR600F2 that I mistook for an F1....so I hung on to his tail for a couple of laps and then passed. Pitmate Roger told me I'd came in 2nd overall behind some stinky 300cc 2 stroke (Richard) and 1st in my class. Laptime 1.20.5. I was stoked.

Race 1: 3 bikes around me jumped the start and I was wondering if maybe the last light meant go. Anyway, decent start. ZZR600 (Terry Moran) and the 2 stroke outdragged me. ZXR4/CBR6 (Robert Hadley) passed me out of LH hairpin. Parked bike up inside of T1 under both Terry and Robert. Waited for them to swoop past me on exit but I think I'd surprised them as it didn't happen. Put head down...couldn't catch the 2 stroke. Properly lost back end out of hairpin but thought it was just coldish tyre. Bike started feeling a bit wooly up top after 3 or 4 laps. Popped out of gear a couple of times going into sweeper (yikes). Worked on maintaining 3 second gap. Yay...1st in class. 1.19.3. Victory dance in the pits.

Race 2: Start of race a bit vague but I recall chucking it under the ZZR through splash. Terry probably couldn't turn that bus too quick. Up to 2nd place quite quickly. Robert passed me on the power....his bike clearly more squirt. Whole race dicing with him. He's got better exit grip (slick 180 tyre vs Deano's old 165 supercorsas) and top end but every fool knows ZXR400 front ends are crap so I'm pulling him in on the brakes and on corner entry. Overcook it sticking it under him through spash, back end hopping in air and she still gets round. Bike missing gears a LOT...grr. Final lap, charge into Higgins round outside of Robert leaving him no choice but to almost stop (or crash into me). "That's the Win" thinks I but the damn Honda takes 3 boots before finally shifting into 4th. Massive gap, I don't give up, scrape the engine cases through the final turn but it's a lost cause. Peeved about the result but no denying that it's one of the most interesting races I've ever had. 2nd in Class. 1.18.8 - new PB.

I text Drew to request the engine gets swapped for next round.

Race 3: Mint start, agressive first lap and I'm leading. Gearbox does its thing out of Higgins. Bollox. Hats off to Robert as he's braking better and turning in faster. The 2 stroke and Robert are dicing for the whole race but not slowing each other up enough. I wait for the opportunity to pounce but it doesn't happen. Rear tyre is slippy slidy the whole race. 1.18.9

Neil Chappel gives me a pretty mint Dunlop slick for a bargain price. Check oil and water...she's all good. It dawns on me in the morning that I'm barely hooking 6th and that I have in my posession a bigger rear sprocket but with my (lack of) spannering skills I decide to wait until after the first race. Besides....maybe I'll use more of 6th gear with the spiffy rear slick.

Sunday

I regret the port I'd drunk at Nick and Allies (as if)...

After morning scrubin I spot one of the spark plug caps isn't quite flush like the rest of them. Oh dear, it's just literally sat on top of the spark plug. Probably wouldn't have helped matters. DOH!

Race 1: In morning scrubin the bike felt mint so it's a real surprise in the warmup lap when the bike sounds like a triple. Methinks "Maybe I haven't put that plug cap on right". Good start but the bike is clearly well down on power. Everyone is passing me. Crap....well...3 bikes in my class so I'm as well nursing it round for points. Lap 5, downshift into final sweeper but feels weird....pull in clutch...try again..nah...pull in clutch....look behind me ....smokey smokey. I dab brakes and keep left. Debate whether to go into kitty litter but figure its a valve and it doesn't seem safest place to park bike so cruise around outside of track into pits. Engine is still running so I kill it. Turned out most of oil had dumped out the FRONT of the fairing on the back straight when whatever the hell went through the front of the engine decided to let go. At least race wasn't red flagged. 1.23.4 best lap.

Blardy nice chewing the fat with everyone again...oh...and the going round in circles around the track was fun too. Thanks Vic Club and everyone who's worked on my bike, took me for pizza, nearly started a fight with a 'Nam veteran, carried the broken bits back to get fixed.. If I can get her going again then with sorted gearbox, tyres and sprockets I'm gunning for a 1.17. Still not Chappy or Cudby-esque but as long as it's fun.

Oh...and BIG thanks to Nick for taking me shooting with his pistola to cheer me up even though I wasn't THAT down.