The Wanganui Experience
Getting ready, like all good racers I think preparation is key, new brake pads where in order, I got some and installed them and thought mmmmmmm I need to road test this, so I go out the drive in to our street and did 4 laps warming up the brakes and bedding them in nicely, backfiring and really working up the neighbours (you can tell cant ya
eh) so up down up down (they all fucking hate me now bang bang etc) and last lap decide to get up to about 50- 60 k and give em a good ole fucking stopping when……………….. fuck me not here not now Ole Quasi is supermanning over the handle bars heading towards the bitumen thinking “you got to be fucking joking” yup Im flying and now Im LANDING !! ouch fuck ouch fuck ouch FUCK !!
As I picked up the bike (on adrenalin) im sure I heard a few cheers from the neighbours !
Yeah that’s me, big fucken Motard racer of to Wanga’s cant even go up the road and back
So first lesson KTM has a wind back on the front brake lever which I didn’t know about, I kind know know. But I went into Wangas with bandages which is better than the other way around eh
Anyway back on topic Wanganui Cemetry circuit
I arrived into the Pit area about 6am to get the scrutineering done on the bike and gear, as it happened I went through at the same time as Mr Clee so we had a couple of words together “hows it” “should be a good day” and the regular kinda a small talk (mixing it with the gods ) with all the time me thinking that this is without doubt the biggest event I have ever been involved in and faaaarrrrrkkk I hope I make it through the day unscathed, the nerves where definitely attempting to leave my skin and fuck of back to Hamilton, it was a situation where I had to constantly remind myself to think positively and stay focused.
The bike flew through scrutineering and I was good to go.
I pitted with Sloane Frost and Eddie Gixxer (can anyone spell his last
name?)
The spirit was great amongst everyone and for me it was great to be with some mates. It wasn’t long before I was putting on the leathers and bits to get ready for the sighting lap.
The sighting lap was for the first timers, a chance to get to learn the track at a slow pace, we did two laps and I didn’t notice the track at all but there must have been one, I was more like a schoolboy walking through a museum for torturing devices on the walls because with mouth-
a- gape all I did notice was torturing devices like haybales, fences, curbs, big white lines (slippery ones) I was thinking, and we are going to race on this ?
Qualifying
Out we go…………..nerves gone and its time for action, I found myself all over the place, not smooth poor braking timing everything was just crap, luckily we had two qualifying sessions, the first I did a 1.05 and the second a 1.01 time, that put me 20th on the grid.
Race one
(what I can remember) apparently the flag dropped not that I saw it but I got the idea once everyone took off lol so I went hard into turn one (complete chaos) into turn two had a nice slide powering through the exit and another on the exit of turn 3 then into the cemetery, well fuck me days if that aint some scary shit!!! Ya see (now a lap with quasi) you exit the railway set up for the turn right hit a man hole cover slide a little, get the bike over fast for a left hander and the front wheel is of the ground throw you weight forward to get it around that and a fast entry into Robert Holden, and at this point im way to fast and brake late with a bike fuckin nearly clipping me as he comes in front (my fault….I think…..nah fuck him its his fault I had the line) then it’s the exit of Holden and its all about white lines, big fat slippery fuckers and WHOAAA its going going going ……….nope saved all go, set up for the right hander whilst trying to ignore the haybales infront of you (who seem to be inviting me in for a cuddle) and then up towards the bridge (the one that always concerned me always thought it would suck going over the fence) its turned out that its not that bad, then full tit down the hill with a light front end……..a quick wave to the adoring crowd (nah not really) put in a big backing in and powerslide for the crowd (nah not really) and there is a lap.
I don’t know where I came in the race but I did a 58.90 so that’s a lot quicker than practice.
Race two and three, much the same, kinda hanging on to the seat of ya pants !!!
Race two I did a 59.44 and race three a 59.81 so race one was the fastest (weird) but I felt race one was a bit outta control to (maybe I need to be outta control a bit more). I think the last feature race was the best for me I actually started to enjoy it I was smoother and more in control, if I had another race (and wasn’t fucked) I think I could have taken another second off my time.
So highlights, well just being there with some good mates not getting hurt.
Low lights, well none really apart from waiting at the starting grid for the race and the bike over heating and blowing hot water out through the cap pressure release hose, I plugged it back on and started the bike and went for a ride up n down the pit lane to get it cool then into it.
After this it was two days at Taupo, but will write about that another time!
Photos courtesy of Nadroj and Pritch (thanks dudes)
Other thanks to
Eddie n Sloane for letting me pitt with you
Eddie for getting me to bring his big breasted brolly dolly down who happend to be wearing a low cut top on possibly the bumpiest road in NZ
Shaun Harris for giving me some good advise
Quasimoto for sponsoring me (read Paula for letting me do this stuff)
Mobil for the best oil on the planet
Knox for the best body protection
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Originally Posted by Quasievil
Karma ... Justice catches up eventually !! 
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