- Round 1: CBR not ready so Boostin lets me borrow his ZXR. Don’t really want to bin it so don’t push.
- Round 2: CBR pretty much rebuilt (thanks RoadRacingOldFart) and dickhead here spins up and gets spat off at turn 1 bending the forks that have just been straightened.
- Round 3: New forks I was a big girly blouse in the wet...and it wasn’t just the lack of wets.
- Round 4: Well, let’s just all forget round 4 shall we.
- Round 5: My mojo isn’t back. I’m scared to get on the gas coming out of corners. Everyone is ripping the pish out of me about getting beaten by a girl.
Ding ding
F3 qualfying: It’s damp, i’m a big scaredy cat. I’m making mistakes everywhere. FFS man...pull your $hit together. I qualify way back in 31st with a 1.27.7
Post Classic qualifying: It’s just started raining hard and a few guys are out on wets. A few punters go out and do a couple of hot laps before the track gets too wet. Bad choice. By the end of the LONG session the track is bone dry. Even though the track is dry i’m all over the shot and pull a slower time of 1.28 (24th).
F3 race 1: Good start and first lap. Huge train of bikes behind me and I’m clearly a mobile chicane...fuggem. They all start passing me on the corner exists cos I’m still paranoid about losing the back end. At least I get to see first hand just how hard Glen Williams can brake and turn an SV. 1.24.7 best lap. Think I finished 18th.
Post Classic race 1: Pretty average start. I’m not aggressive enough on the brakes. Get on Chris Fry’s tail for about 3 laps but can’t pass the wee bugger. He passes Clive Banks (he’s found some speed!) but I can’t. Spend the rest of the race following Clive. Am ready to surrender and wave the white flag myself by lap 13. Front runner on SV650 pushes me (literally) on final corner so I get pipped on line by #127. Finish 10th and match my PB of 1.22.8.
F3 race 2: I know I’m not fit enough for 2 x 20 lap races and then 2 x 10 lappers. As I’m nowhere in F3 I decide to use it to sort out my braking and try some different lines. There’s sand/chalk? Everywhere on the hairpin and higgens....I lose stacks of time avoiding them. By lap 15 I’ve had enough and just ride through the chalk...it’s all good. Mind over matter. Finished miles back...don’t care.
Post Classic race 2: I go reasonably hard but can’t keep up with Chris Fry. Clive’s behind me and slowly but surely catching. He passes about lap 12, I pass him back on the infield. Fend him off for another lap. He passes me on the main straight, there’s nothing I can do. The bike needs more dilithium crystals or something. A J Chappell hunts me down. Our bikes are pretty even and our different lines makes for some interesting overtakes for the next 3 laps. Following him out of the tighter turns gives me a lot more confidence on the gas. He’s outbraking me but I’m reasonably confident as I can slipstream A J on the back straight and am a lot faster on the final corner. Slipstreaming him before higgens he suddenly pulls over to the middle of track. “he’s being tactical and letting me through” thinks I. Hard on brakes, oh fark, huge line of oil. You can smell it. Foot down, get the bike straight again. Brake HARD. Back end lifting pretty high so ease off. Plough into the gravel at well over 150k’s and get ready to launch myself off the bike. Fark me....i keep her up...what a save. Maybe i’d be better at motocross. Turns out a pre82 bike had just blown up right in front of A J. Lose about 7 places. Last 3 or 4 laps spent getting past Warren and Nicksta. Feel pretty unlucky but that’s racing. At the end of the day i’ve only damaged my left boot so Roadracingoldfart won’t shout at me. New PB of 1.22.6 makes up for the lowly 14th.
F3 race 3: I debate whether to bother going out. I’ve paid an extra $10 to cross enter but the tight Scotsman in me can’t stomach loosing $3.33 worth of race fees. I pull the pin out. I have the best launch ever, stuff up Chris Fry around the outside of T1 (sorry mate but you’d do the same to me!) and get up to 7th overall (including the pro twins). Dicing with Matt Rennie and Neil Chappel. Life is good and for once I’m not watching a steady stream of bikes pass me. On Lap 3 I turn in too early for T1, get on the throttle too early and run wide. On the grass she goes. F3 takes no prisoners and in the 3 or 4 seconds I’m gently steering her back about 20 bikes pass me. Doh!!!! I ease off a bit for the rest of the race and finish 15th.
Post Classic race 3: Umm.. Bit of a mixed bag. Usual good start. Scrappy is probably the best word to describe it. Everyone seems tired. I’m guessing a pretty slow pace. Clive passes me on the penultimate lap and then his bike blows up or something. Take it easy rest of the race as next bike a few seconds back.
Main thing is I had a t’riffic meeting and have got my confidence back. I'm not tipping it in the slow corners as quick/hard as I was in round 2 so I need to work on that. Bit more practise, concentration and luck and i’ll hopefully be back dicing with Nicky and Chris fry and making Clivoris look like an old man again. Nicksta beat me fair and square on her viffer. She was having problems with the Canbrace bike but I’m slightly nervous as on the short straights where it was firing properly it left me standing.
To do’s.
- Brakes: New pads and maybe braided lines as the CBR was fading badly on the brakes by about lap 7 of every race.
- More power: The old excuse but even with lots of slipstreaming the front running 400’s were pulling away from moi. Ditch the stock can? Perhaps 2 seasons of bouncing it off the limiter mean the shims need done. The mighty CBR should be pulling away from VFR’s though. Maybe I should just go on a diet.
- Handling: I’ll leave it for now....Paul’s done a bloody good job there considering it's on 20 year old suspenders.
Dithering about whether to keep spending money on the NC23 or go for an NC29 (17" wheels mean slicks are possible). The SV650 dark side is starting to appeal.
Thanks:
Nicksta - for stolen VFR screen and giving me a target
Frenchie - garage entertainer extrordinaire
Drew - sit back on bike body position thingie advice.
Dunlop - rubber was great in the dry. No complaints.
Mrs Roadracingoldfart - letting me stay at her house
Mr & Mrs mumbles - letting me stay at their house.
Roadracingoldfart - thanks Paul for storing the bike, fixing it, making it handle, servicing it, etc etc. I don't think I'd be racing this year without ya.
Originally Posted by Kickha
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can't wait for the next round and i'll try to entertain you some more! 
I hope you didn't mean by falling of lots!
After a few repeats he swears and buggers off so that makes my day easier.
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