The forecast didn't sound too good, but Kickaha persuaded me that it would be sweet, so at 6am Artifice, Kickaha, Diesel Pig and I set off to the 3rd round of King of Levels. Diesel Pig was riding his CB125 in the buckets and Artifice and I were riding in the non-licensed social class. He was on a NC30 VFR400 and I was on a 1987 TZR250 aka shitbox.
We arrived at levels around 8am. It was a very plesant day, mostly clear sky and around 10 degrees or so. Well I was riding "Shitbox" again and as soon as we arrived we found it was definately living up to its name. I put 16l of petrol in it at ashburton and we found a big puddle of petrol under it on the trailor. Hmmm, whats causing this. Copius amounts of petrol was pouring out of the overflow on both carbs, so we decided that the fuel tap musn't have been closing properly, when the bike was turned off (being a vacuum operated system).
So the team mechanic, Kickaha and I pulled it apart. We found that the spring that closes the diaphram was too weak. So we managed to fix it (or so we thought at the time) by extending the spring trying to increase the force it put on the diaphram. So the first session approached and oh no, its started pissing out again. So we pull it to bits again and fix it for the 2nd time. We get it together and I manage to go out after the other riders had completed about 2 or 3 laps of the session. After about the first half of a lap, going down the main straight the bike conks out. So I pull off to the grass verge , thinking it was a terminal problem. After a 500 or 600m push back to the pits we try starting it again and it runs no problems. Damn, thats the first session lost, oh well a few more to come.
Yet again we see the petrol starting to leak. So I decide to jam the diaphram shut permanently with a 5c piece and now I can turn the fuel supply on and off, (because stupid yamaha didn't actually put a normal off position on the fuel tap) manually. Problem finally solved.
So I go out on the second session of the day. Bike felt alright, starting to get back into the groove of things when I underestimate the amount of radius decrease on the decreasing radius and decide to do a "small" motocross ride over the outside of the corner. Crisis avoided and I'm back on track, taking it a little easier now. I keep lapping by myself, shitbox was running fine and eventually get a best time of 1:26s. 2s slower than my best last time, but not too bad I thought, I knew I could decrease it a bit more next session.
The third session came and what an eventful 3 laps it was to be. My main ambition of this trackday was to get my knee down (yes I know its all a load of wank, but my ego needs stroking and this is a good way to do it). First lap felt good and was going fine, getting a good line going. Then on the first corner of the second lap YAY, knee scrapege at long last. Then later in that lap I manage to do it again on the decreasing radius. That lap felt really good and later I found out it was a 1:24, back to my best time. Looking to improve a little more I again managed to get my knee down on the corner coming onto the back straight. This is when things kinda went pear shaped. The gear lever dug into the road which lifted the rear wheel up. Next thing I know I am thrown up in the air and staring at the mudguard while the "old boys" down below have a fairly abrupt introduction to the top of the petrol tank. I managed to keep it up and a few people must have got a good laugh at some unco newbie, lol. Damn, a few deep deep breaths follow and I pack things in and take it into the pits.
This was my last session of the day as the weather deteriorated and we packed things in around 3pm. Although Diesel Pig decided to take Shitbox out to race in clubmans. After the warm up lap he bought it into the pits cause he was apparantly fairing for his life, oh well. I didn't see too much wrong with it, the best bike I've ever raced. It was then decided that this would be shitbox's last foray into the track world and he would be retired back to the stables for the remainder of his life, lol.
This was another great trackday. Thanks to kickaha for taking me down and diesel pig for letting me ride shitbox, I really appreciate it guys.
I managed to get a few pics, here they are (and no mocking my facial expressions, it was the sun) A few of my and artifice on the dummy grid, and another with me just in the frame as I wizz past at about -20kph.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by k14
we loughed.... sorry dident relise it was you at that time or we wouldve had a real fit 
......na not realy 
<---- for you K14.
soon we will take over all the tracks muahahahaha....
Bookmarks