Nicko Race Report - Gladstone Cliffhanger 09
What an amazing weekend, I had heard about the event before and when I decided to enter this years event I watched some of the youtube footage to familiarise myself with the course...but as I found out, nothing compares to being there and doing a run.
Saturday I shot up in the van with Drew (forget his last name) who was on an R6 for us both to have a look at the road for the first time (nice riding over the weekend too by the way!), the KTL van did a respectable first run and we headed back down to gear up for the first group run. Jumped on the 999 and did the first 2 group sighting runs with other bikes, got down and my head was spinning with the number of corners, the speeds you can carry and the lines you need to take (to be fair it still was at the end of the weekend too!). Straight into the first timed run and clocked in a 2.36. Across the day we only got 4 runs due to a couple of crashes (glad riders are ok!) and down to a 2.29.
Sat night had an awesome time at the rally shin-dig, cheap grog, great band, awesome food and excellent company meant a great time for all - Darren on the ZX9 playing a mean set on the drums. The night was freeking cold for a soft JAFA like me and shivered the night away to awake to a cracker of a morning.
Another couple of sighting laps Sunday morning, bit of a lack of grip in the shaded corners but rest of track was mint. Got into the timed sessions, I'd cross-entered a few classes but forgot to register in the first 2 so didn't get a time down for F1, but got a BEARS time and the rest in the Cliff Hanger class. First run took 3 secs of my Saturday time with a 2.26 and each subsequent run I took off a few seconds. My second to last run clocked a 2.20 and my last run I messed up a couple of the corners and did another 2.20. Definitely know there's a heap more time to be taken off up there but even so after seeing and riding the course I've got big respect to Jay and Drew for busting out the times they did last year!
Hell of a unique event, I liken it to going to a course like Manfield but twice as long, four times rougher, ten times sketchier, 100 times less run-off and then being asked to turn in your fastest time within only 10 laps! This is what makes the event what it is though and it's a hell of a buzz when you get your speeds up and get a series of corners just right.
Results for the weekend at prizegiving were bit all over the show but from what I made out I got 2nd behind Drew Mair (well done bro!) in the cliff hanger class (was 4-5 secs behind his best) and won BEARS. I'll definitely be back at this event, it's relaxed, well run and a heap of fun - I'll even try to convince some other north-north islanders to get on down! Look forward to the times dropping even further the next time I go!
Big thanks to Jay and the other guys for some good advice with how to attack the hill, thanks to Kerry, Vicki and Jarrod for your help all weekend and as always thanks to KTL Motorcycles, Anglo American MC Club, Motohaus 2008, BikeTranz, Pirelli and Fredco Motors for all your support
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