Ajturbo's race report from Taupo!!

[ajturbo]

To race, or not to….

That was the dilemma I was going thru only days before the cut off for the entries to the last race of the year anywhere in the world…

I had to find the entry fee… that was the biggest hurdle, but where there is a will there is a way, the money was sent.

I was going racing, unfortunately mud boy would not be there, he was with his mummy in nelson….( and he missed the nelson races)
I was going to drive up on the Saturday and get into it straight away, but then I got thinking…. Why not cruise up on the Friday and stay at in Taupo…. Then I could be at the track nice and early…and a big thanks goes to kiwifruit, thanks for the bed matey (shame I didn’t see you at the track all weekend.. And I have lost ya number!!!)

Flew thru the scrutineering!… all the guy wanted to do was talk about the old times he and his mate had on a GT125 when they were younger…

1^st practice:
It was wet…..well it wasn’t raining when we went out in the buckets.. But the track was wet, but I was running a wet slick on the front so it didn’t really bother me, but I went around like a nana.. Just getting the feel for the track, and the gearing, and I found it was tooo tall, so backed it down a tooth

2^nd practice:
It was starting to dry, so I was starting to push it a bit more…. And found the gearing still not right, also the tyres were a bit soft… in the pits I asked Ivan’s old about this and he recommended 24-25pis… so I put in 22.…. You see I know everything….

3^rd practice:
Lower gearing more air in the tyres and I was flying… the boys on the GP125’s would have struggled to get past….yer right...lol I still was not completely happy with the gearing but what the hell I was having fun!!!

I didn’t crash all day !!!!


In the morning at the rider’s brief, we were told about this and that.. And oh, by the way, does anyone want to have a go at swinging on a side chair? As one team had lost their swinger… someone grabbed my arm and held it up…. And as I was not taking much notice of what was going on … I left it there, thinking that… well I wasn’t thinking anything actually… blonds are good at that.

So there I was , suddenly surrounded by sidecar people.. Wanting to know more..
“have you ridden one before”?….errr only on the speed way…but this looks a bit different!
Are you mad?
Don’t let go…
Are you mad?…etc..

I was on No. 50 an “old” ZX10..fast? Well I thought the bucket was fast, this was even faster!!!!

During the practices, my bucket class was the one before the sidecars.. So there I was, racing around past the chequered flag, when everyone else was slowing down.. I was still going as fast as I could to get back into the pits, so I could jump off the bucket and onto the sidecar and get out ASAP!!!!
In the end, I was allowed to come off at the entrance to the track, just past the start/finish… saved HEAPS of time.
By the end of the day I was exhausted!. but still smiling!

Race day…. write up Will be finished when/if I get home….

[Wasp]

Good stuff aj, was good to see you again and it was amusing watching you dump your bike to jump on the sidecars

[Panther]

Good shit that you got out there in the action!
thanks again for all your help on boxing day in wangas!!
sal

[MadDuck]

Great stuff AJ!

The grin on your face when you got off the sidecar was HUGE!

[Meekey_Mouse]

It was great to meet you Good on ya for gettin out there and doin both!

[GSVR]

I was on No. 50 an “old” ZX10..fast? Well I thought the bucket was fast, this was even faster!!!!

Race day…. write up Will be finished when/if I get home….

Do you snore AJ?

That old Number 50 is piloted by a guy I know. His Mrs must have decided she likes living more than the insanity of sidecar swinging.

[kiwifruit]

was good to meet you AJ, i did come out to the track on saturday... briefly.
didn't get out there on sunday....

hope you had a good sleep

[ajturbo]

am home now.. but am too tired to write anything of interest.. hang on till tomorrow..

[ajturbo]

Race day:

I was up early, the cross I bare is that I am ALWAYS up early.. no matter how late I get to bed…
I managed to wake skunk control… woops not the thing to do I found out, but all was cool once she was up and about.

Was I nervous? I really don’t think I was, the bucket was running fine, the rider needs more time on it.
1^st race, bucket
I had qualified 7th behind the faster buckets and 150’s, so I was happy to be on the second row. I knew my bike was fast off the line… if I watched the flag fall that is… yep that’s right I was looking somewhere else when I realised that the rest of the field was moving, then I stalled it, bugger I thought, but I was not the last to the 1^st corner! There was this one guy, on a 150 who I managed to out brake into the corner, and … well he pulled out and over took me before the next corner, then he held me up for the next 5 corners, each time he pulled away from me then slowed too much for the corners… but I knew it wouldn’t last and but the end of the 1^st lap he had pulled away, but I had fun while it lasted.. where did I finish? Who cares? I had fun.
The final flag fall, everyone slows.. but not me, I had to get to the pits as fast as I could so that I could jump on the sidecar.


1^st race, sidecars.
I flew into the pits… and jumped straight onto the waiting No.50 sidecar, I had enough time to catch my breath, just. Before we were lining up for the first time in a race.. we had somehow been put in pole? Was this done for me? Was it safer? No time to think as the next thing I knew I was hanging off for the first corner, fark this thing is FAST, Des, the rider must have forgotten that I really didn’t know what I was doing!!! He was throwing the bike around everywhere…I don’t think I stuffed up too much on THIS race….i think we finished 4th …


2nd bucket.
This time I remembered to watch the flag… it is amazing just how much better a start one gets when they watch for the flag… I pushed the poor little bike hard this time and I was starting to feel the front move out on the right handers… I think I'll let the pressure down a bit…what else did I think of?... oh that’s right I was wondering if I had enough coke for the rum, and if I had enough Export, and I started to think of the steak I was going to cook that night at BabyB’s…..I had a lot of fun..
The sidecar rider had organised for me to come into the dummy grid entrance to lessen the wait for the rest of the sidecars… it felt very strange going the wrong way into pit lane, but it saved HEAPS of time…

2^nd sidecar
I was getting used to the speed and power of the beast, and a bit cocky.. and my chest and hip was really starting to hurt from the bruising of getting banged around, in this race I think I stuffed up one of the corners and it sent the car into a fishtail and it spat me off. I hit the ground laughing, I was sliding, rolling, laughing and thanking QUASI for the leathers. When I finally stopped moving I suddenly thought “ where the hell was the next car?” I stood up….and I stayed up!! I run to the side of the track… hell I am still standing, well I might as well run and get back on the bike!, jumped on and we were off, even before the next guys caught up!!!
3^rd bucket.
I had let the front tyre down to 21psi, and this seamed to be the ideal one for the day I pushed hard and had more fun.. but I still think that I could have gone a lot faster around the corners…
3^rd sidecar.
It was a sigh of relief to know that this was going to be my last one for the day, I was so sore, and tired, and we had just 6 more laps to go… this time I made a point of making sure that I had at least one hand holding at all times…
Think we finished 4^th

I want to thank
RG100 . For the use of his pit shed, thanks Glen!!
Ivan’s old man, for al the advice and use of tools..!
Buellbabe.. for turning up!
Goblin… for putting up with my bullshit stories..
Skunk.. for letting me beat him…and waking up his wife…
LB for the photo’s !
BabyB for the company and bed for the nights I needed!!!
Kiwifruit for the bed .. I had enough sleep…just lol

[Kickaha]

[ in this race I think I stuffed up one of the corners and it sent the car into a fishtail and it spat me off. I hit the ground laughing,

falling off means you have to shout the beers for the sidecar guys

[ajturbo]

Do you snore AJ?

That old Number 50 is piloted by a guy I know. His Mrs must have decided she likes living more than the insanity of sidecar swinging.

no i don't snore.. unless i am very .......under the weather and wobbly on my feet

[Sketchy_Racer]

Trust you, ya nutter....

I bet the sidecar swinging was a bit of fun yeah?

ohh, cant wait till Ruapuna!! See you there!!

[Ivan]

RG100 . For the use of his pit shed, thanks Glen!!

That was my pit garage my dad hired that and then everyone hired a lease of my dad for it.

[Sketchy_Racer]

That was my pit garage my dad hired that and then everyone hired a lease of my dad for it.

Yes Ivan, And i paid your dad for the bucket guys, and myself.

So, Know the facts before you go blowing you trumpet

[ajturbo]

That was my pit garage my dad hired that and then everyone hired a lease of my dad for it.

sorry.. i was on the understanding that glen had paid for my little corner...