I had been looking forward to the Taupo Endurance race and had put in a lot of planning and preparation for this event. I was sharing the 3 hour ride with Franz Schuler. Everything was going to plan until the week before when I unexpectedly caught the Flu. Despite my best efforts to rest up it got a lot worse before it got better and I spent the 7 days before the race in bed. However, by Boxing day I had recovered enough to save Franz from doing the race solo, arriving in Taupo, with family in tow, on Saturday afternoon.
Practice
Race day was warm and dry but overcast. The track however was initially very cold and slippery keeping laptimes down but by the second practice we were feeling confident.
We utilised the practice/qualifying sessions to scrub-in the new tyres, do some practise rider changes, practise refuelling and try out Franz’s ‘flashy’ new pit board. There was a small drama with our quick filler but some last minute modifications (involving hammers and banging) by the team quickly solved this.
Franz rode the qualifying sessions putting us 16th on the grid of 32 starters. Happy with our laptimes and qualifying position we had an hour to relax before the race start at 2pm.
Race
All too soon we were being called to the start line for the LeMans style start. After posing for some group photos, I lined up on the pit wall for the start.
A quick flag drop and we sprinted in full leathers to our bikes. Some panicked fumbling with the key and nearly tipping the bike over as I got my leg over, I was off! (the start line)
The first corner was crowded and for the first 2-3 laps I was at sprint race pace reeling in a hard charging Stevie Gregg before settling into a comfortable pace for the remainder of my session.
Nicki was on the pit board and it seemed like a long wait for the 10min mark. For a large part of the session I was mostly riding alone except for passing the occasional back marker half way through the session. Despite this the bike was pulling strongly, no brake fade like last year and the new clutch spec worked a treat. Still recovering from the Flu I was worried about stamina but eventually the board came out to pit and I gladly made the exit to pitlane.
The team were ready and waiting. Everyone knew their job and a flawless rider change and refuel was done. The roar of the engine revs as Franz powered out of the pits (at the pitlane speed limit ) summed up the buzz of a good pit stop. Combined with the large crowd watching from above the pit garages and the frenzy of activity in pitlane, the buzzing atmosphere was like nothing I had experienced at any other race meet.
After the previous week’s Flu I was shattered from my session and looking forward to a rest before going out for my final ride. Meanwhile Franz was quickly getting into the groove and was maintaining a good consistent pace. He was obviously very confident in the bike’s setup attacking the corners with more speed and putting in more passes.
Soon we were setting up for another rider change and a splash of fuel. Again it was a flawless pit stop and I was able to rejoin the race without pausing for a gap in the field. Feeling more relaxed and energised, I tagged onto the back of another rider and got a good tow for most of the session. Having a pitboard was new for me but it proved invaluable in planning out the session pace and took away the need to think about when to pit. The session was uneventful but groups were beginning to form which luckily did more to maintain my pace than slow me down. None too soon I was signalled to pit.
This pit stop again went like clockwork but the team had pulled me in early as they were worried about the life of the rear tyre. An eager Drew Mair was ready and waiting with a socket in hand but we made the call to keep the same tyre. The time saved proved invaluable and while Franz was beginning to experience sliding, watching him carve up the now noticeably crowded field it didn’t seem to slow him down.
Back in the pits I made the effort to try and catch what the announcer was saying hoping to get a clue as to our position. By chance I managed to hear my name and the 8th position we were in. With only 10 mins left I watched anxiously from the pit wall with Nicki, willing Franz to go just a little faster and make another pass. Finally, although a little earlier than our reckoning, the white flag came out and finally the chequered as we finished in 8th in the field of 28 finishers. Where was the wheelie across the start/finish Franz??
Franz and I are really happy with our final position, especially considering the calibre of the field, but this result could not have been achieved without the team work of our pit crew: John and Malcolm on the fuel can, Dallas for keeping the bike upright during the rider change and Nicki for timekeeping, setting up the pit board and generally keeping the boys in line.
Of course this years racing would not have been possible without the support of my sponsors: Metzeler tyres, Maxima Oils, TripleZee Cycles Dyno tuning and Botany Honda.
A big thanks also goes to Chris Lawrence and Andy Scrivener for running such a well organised event. Bring on next year !!
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Originally Posted by PrincessBandit
one of the biggest highlights of it all for me was just after the race finished and all the riders pulled in to the pits! it was like we had all just one!! there were smiles ever were you looked! Thanks again Gah for letting me share this with you.
it was great to read your report Gah.
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