Bridgestone Winter Series Round 1 Review
The build up to Round 1 for me was pretty stressful because I had a lot of work ahead to get my Kawasaki EX250 ready for the track and racing. I purchased it as a road bike 2 weeks prior to Round 1 as I was having issues with my RG150 and felt it was time to move up into the 250 Production realms. But with the help of the team at Bayride Motorcycles Tauranga I was able to get in all the parts I needed and had it ready to go just in time.
Come Saturday morning I was relatively nervous about taking my new bike (which I hadn’t even had time to test on the road) out on a track I had never ridden. But with so many people supporting me when it came time for qualifying, that nervousness faded and I was just glad to get out there. The goal for qualifying was simply to get to know the bike and track, bed in the new tyres and brakes and simply bring myself and the bike back in one piece. I took it easy for the first 3 laps then built up confidence and speed during laps 4 and 5 managing a satisfactory 1:34.218 on lap 5 to place me 2nd on the grid.
Race 1 provided me with a perfect learning situation given the racing circumstances as I spent most of the race on my own in 2nd place. After a wicked start which saw me first into turn 1, Josh Head came by under brakes into Higgins and then pulled a lengthy lead to allow him the race win. But blasting around by myself meant I was able to test a few of the different lines and turn in points Chappy and I had discussed pre-race. This allowed me to drop my best lap time to a 1:32.242.
Race 2 went down much the same as Race 1 as I once again took off from the start and was first into turn 1, this time holding Josh off until the back sweeper. I tried to stick with Josh for a lap or two before dropping off to concentrate on cementing my lines and turn in points at Higgins and the final turn. By the end of the race my best lap time had dropped to a 1:31.517 which I felt was satisfactory but left plenty of room for improvement.
By Race 3 I had started to find some lines and points that worked for me and I intended on pushing these a bit more during this race. 3rd time was the charm off the start and I stormed into the lead and built a good lead from Josh and the rest of the pack. I’m not sure how long it took Josh to catch me but I managed to hold him off for two laps before he passed me under brakes at turn 1. This time though I was determined not to let him get away as easily and passed him at the back sweeper. The battle continued for another lap but mistakes from me while I was pushing my lines meant he was able to once again pull away and take the win with a very good ride. I was satisfied though as I had already achieved my goal for the weekend of getting below 1:30 with a best time of 1:29.319.
Sunday brought much warmer weather which lifted the track temperature and created much more grip. Race 4 started well much the same as the other races but I had lost my touch overnight and it took me a few laps to get back into the groove again. Once I had though, the tyres provided a lot more feeling and I started pushing a bit harder. I had already worn down the foot pegs a lot on Saturday finding the edge of grip but the extra grip on Sunday generated ground clearance issues with the stock exhaust. I battled with Josh for a few laps again but he quickly created about 1.5-2 seconds lead. This was close enough for me to follow his lines a bit and find areas where I was strong and he wasn’t so strong. He’s a good rider though and there were very few areas. Once again I finished 2nd and again I improved my best lap time to a 1:29.185 (not much but still an improvement).
With all the improvements I had made over the weekend and all the help and encouragement I had received from numerous people, I felt obliged to give it my all in the last race and leave nothing on the table. While I knew I wanted to push harder still, I was well aware that a DNF doesn’t mean much to any championship hopes. For this reason, come Race 4 (the very last race of the weekend) I was determined to put on a show for my supporters and the fans who had hung around. I blitzed the start once again and put my head down in an attempt to open a gap. Unfortunately, Josh was aware of what I was trying to do and caught me pretty smartly. We battled for the rest of the 8 laps, changing leaders 2 or 3 times most laps. It developed into the best race of my life so far with both of us pushing each other harder every lap, determined to win. It was such a close race and such an epic battle that my competitive streak did not want to let me finish 2nd once again. With so much adrenaline pumping, I decided to make a last ditch effort into the final corner, braking extremely late and throwing the bike up the inside. Unfortunately though, the tighter line caused me to lose traction in the back wheel as I hit the tightest point of the corner which ruined my drive for the line. With Josh almost rubbing fairings with me at this point, he stormed out of the last corner and crossed the line 0.6 seconds ahead. While I once again finished second, it was a race I will not soon (if ever) forget with both of us beating our PB lap times. In the final lap we both pushed in to the 1:27’s with Josh throwing down a 1:27.984 and me a 1:27.946 (at least I can claim the fastest lap even if it was only by 0.04 seconds).
Overall it would be hard for me to be happier with how the weekend went and I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help. I just wanna thank Vic Club (Brent and everyone else involved) and Kiwibike Insurance for helping me get out there by providing my scholarship. Also California Superbike School – namely Chappy – for all his help as there is no way I could have improved as much as I did without him. Joshua Head for making me push myself and the bike as hard as I did – watch out next round though ;D. Also my handy-dandy pit crew, Jake, William and Kyle who worked extremely hard standing round and starving themselves all day. Finally I wanna thank the marshalls and anyone who came up to me with advice, encouragement or just to have a general chat because you guys are what makes the motorcycle racing scene such a friendly and awesome atmosphere.
Cheers everyone, I’m counting down the days till Round 2 and I hope to see you all there again.
Regan
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