Well, I've got a couple hours to kill before I go get the cast put back on my arm, so I'll do a write up.
Being the idiot that I am, I broke my right hand the week before this event pretty badly, so in order to race I cut the cast off on Friday and taped a home made splint on it. (Aluminium flat bar being redily available on interior building fit outs is handy) It felt pretty good so I was quite hopefull it wouldn't give me any grief. I was wrong.
Qualifying F1, hand hurt lots under brakes but was better than it could have been, I managed to get 7th on the grid.
Qualifying F2 was a different story, turns out the car boys like to cut the corners a bit, so there were a couple tyres bolted to the ripple strip right on the apex of turn 4, and some other places. After making a move to pass Sloan and Johnny out of turn one I was a touch off line through 2 and 3, and on entry to 4, not far enough to worry about so was still on the gas when WHACK! Smashed my right hand straight into the poorly positioned tyres. OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH! Ran off into the kitty litter with only my left hand on the bars and managed not to fall over somehow.
The right bar had bent round to be up against the frame with the impact, so after telling the marshals to go move those f@#kin tyres I forced the bar back to where it should be (ish) with my boot and went back out to try and get a spot on the grid. Fuck it hurt, I'm not ashamed to say I was in tears coming into the hairpin turn 7, and the shicane at the end of the back straight.
Somehow I managed 6th on the grid.
F1 race, got a crap start and just kinda rode around, some how managed to hold my postion or maybe I dropped one. Kinda all a blur of pain and noise really.
F2 race1. Worst start to date, for some reason my clutch would not dis-engage properly, (we later found it was caused by a shattered friction plate) so when I revved the engine to leave the line it just grabbed without warning. Up went the front wheel and stayed there through to third gear. Came out of turn one in a millionth place. Did some work to get back up the pack, and the only memorable moment was on the last lap, Craig Freathy was about 50 meters in front coming onto the back straight. After he beat me at the road race spectacular I wasn't lettin it go and out braked him to make up ground into the shicane, and rode round him onto the front straight to give him a cheeky thumbs up over the line.
Flagged the next F1 race cos I'm a girl and was sore.
Slightly better start with the new clutch in F2 race 2, was making ground on the front bunch, but on lap two coming round the sweaper a fuel line clip let go, and I pulled off the track to watch the others have thier fun from the tyre wall.
Thanks heaps to the vic club for the day, always well run and very professional.
Thanks always to my gorgeous girl Vicki, words fail me when I try to explain what you mean to me.
And thanks to KTL motorcycles, you're a star Kerry Jeffs. Anglo American MC, you guys make the best pit crew and support group ever. Biketranz, for reasons obvious. Silverdale Landscape services, Total Finance, and Chesters plumbing supplies.
A huge shout out to pommy Dave, our recently recruited engineer and mechanical supervisor, thanks heaps for everything mate.
Rob and Cherry Taylor, you guys are awesome. We are both so lucky to have you guys on the team, your efforts are above and beyond, and we will always love you for it.
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... good to see you out there ... but I do hope you heal ok.
Originally Posted by CHOPPA
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