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We are holding a BEARs meeting the 2nd and 3rd April 2016 and have a slot for Post Classic Sidecars and welcome you entries for those who meet the requirements (refer to entry form for Sup Regulations)
For entry form attached, see Facebook or link below.
http://www.sportsground.co.nz/pmc
Enquiries and entries to Brent
president.pacificclub@gmail.com
NZ Nationals Rd4 Hampton Downs
It’s hard to get enthused about the trip to HD, it’s about 16 hours including the Ferry crossing each way and 1000km of driving
First up the van wouldn’t start, a jump start later and we’re on our way with a stop to gas up in Woodend
Arriving at the ferry and we find there’s three people booked with the van, a quick check of the cab confirms there’s only two of and after a bit of a wait we load up on the top deck
Arriving in Wellington we go to start it and the van is dead and we’ve got a bit of a queue behind us, the guys on the boat give us a push and we crash start it down the ramp and carry on
It’s getting dark about Otaki and I turn the lights on, they seem pretty dim so we stop and actually check they’re working, carrying on down the track and just after Levin the van dies and we coast to a halt
I’m getting a bit spewy about it and pretty much ready to set it all on fire to keep ourselves warm for the night but I drag the winch battery out and ft it, I’m not expecting too much but it fires it up and the lights are bright again
We stop off in Bulls and buy another battery just in case and carry on to Taihape where we’re staying the night
The winch battery won’t start the van the next day so I fit the new one and carry on to Taupo where we drop off Scrivy’s Hayabusa motor and get a multimeter to check the charge rate, 11.8-11.9 isn’t quite hacking it and we aim for Tauranga where Steve Bryan has organised us another alternator
After a few hours of dicking about fitting it, an extra trip to the sparky after we stuff the first plug and another trip to get another belt and with 13.5 volts cranking out we’re back on the road and off to Pokeno for the night
Saturday
Arriving at the track and the skid pan has some no entry signs at the entrances to the skid pan, spotting Alex/Andy over the far side we head off over there and get set up beside him, not long after this they remove the no entry to the skid pan signs
Sign in and we get told we’ve been selected for drug testing which we both pass ok although Will has to have two goes at it
Practice
Our last visit here was pretty disappointing but with the bike setup having been changed quite a bit we’re hoping for better things this time around
We circulate for a few laps until the session ends and pull back in, the bikes feeling a lot better than the previous visit and although our lap times were slower we know we can get a lot more out of it
Qualifying
I’ve been thinking about the gearing as it seems we’re clicking into top a bit further up the hill but we leave it as and fit a better rear tyre before we go out
There are a couple of corners where I feel between gears, not having quite the speed to carry the higher gear but one down being a bit low
We end up on P5 and a second slower than our last visit but each time we go out it feels better and better so we know we’ll go a bit quicker yet
Race 1, 8 laps
As we roll out off the dummy grid I notice Alex/Andy seeming to have a problem starting and sure enough he doesn’t line up in his spot
Our starts ok but no better than anyone else and Pirate/Darren slowly drop us off
Alex/Andy come past after a few laps making up for their pitlane start after their starter button fell to bits so we start pushing harder to stay with him
Pirate/Darren are slowing and we reel them in, a lap to go and we’re right behind them into T4 and then I have to get off the gas and run out wide so we’re not climbing into their tray as they pretty much stop right in front of us on the exit to the corner
That gives them a bit of a break and I think we’ve blown our chances but we’ve got it cranking heading down into T5 to pull them back in, we’ve been getting good drive out of here and this lap is no exception and we pull past Pirate/Darren as we straighten up to go over the hill for 4th and knock a couple of seconds off our qualifying time
Sunday
We’ve been discussing the gearing and decide to drop a tooth on the rear, not a big change but I’m hoping we can then use the higher gear through a couple of places
The scrub session confirms it was a good choice, using 3rd through T2/3 and 4th out of T6
Race 2, 8 laps
We’ve got a good spot on row 3 to watch Pirate/Darren and Ben/Stu playing dodgems off the line and down into T1 when the lights go out
Alex isn’t pulling away in this one and on lap 4 we get a good run out of T5 up the hill, we’re carrying more speed pulling him in fast, he’s out a little wide to avoid the bumps and I’m aiming for inside and as we get the nose alongside he’s moving across
I feel a bit of a bump as we go through and know we’ve made contact, T4 he passes us back on the inside, we’re getting real bad oversteer out of that corner and it’s costing us big time driving out it but we’re side by side up to the hairpin and we make it back in front
A lap later and Alex/Andy outdrive us out of T5 and the sprint down to T6, we make a bit of space back up through T6 and heading up the hill I take it a bit wider and we ride around the outside of them and down into T1
Alex/Andy are back in front at T4 and we stick with them and pull them back in out of T6 and up the hill, I’m aiming for the outside into T1 again but Alex/Andy move over and we can’t make it
Out of T4 and up to the hairpin and we pull off the pass and are back in front which immediately turns to custard when I miss a gear on the exit of T5 and Alex/Andy blow back past us, it gives them just enough of a break that we can’t get them back before we cross the line for the last time
Not all bad though as we’re now back to just under our previous fastest time around here
Race 3 NZTT, 10 laps
It seems as though I can only get the really good start at the home track Ruapuna as I don’t make any spots up off the line at any other track this season
Alex/Andy are hard out after Pirate/Darren and on the first lap we get dropped off a bit, exiting T6 and getting a good run up the hill we pull Alex/Andy back in as we head down into T1 but Pirate/Darren are extending the gap
Next lap are we’re close enough to make the pass on the inside into T1 and move up a spot, it doesn’t last very long as Alex takes the spot back into T4 and we’re back to chasing him
Lap 6 and we’ve got a good run off the hairpin and aiming for the outside and are running out of track as Alex/Andy move over and we have a bit a rub on the way through
T4 and I must be leaving too much room as Alex/Andy make an inside pass again, we out drag them up the hill and get back in front through the hairpin
Next lap and the take us at T4 again, it’s our worst corner on the track and we just can’t find a nice way through it, we chase them down through T6 and pass him back up the hill to the start/finish line
Blue flag is out as Alex/Andy go around the outside into T4 yet again and Ben/Stu pass us up into the hairpin giving Andy a nudge on the way past and closely followed by Colin/Robbie
We aren’t quite close enough to Alex/Andy to mount a challenge on the last lap and he has a few bike lengths on us over the line
Race 4, 8 laps
Best start of the weekend and we make T1 in 4th having passed Alex/Andy on the way in
It takes them until lap 2 and some massive understeer out of our favourite corner ( T4 ) before they get by us, we get them back on the run up to the hairpin and lead them the next couple of laps
We can see the Pirate/Darren in front of us and they don’t seem to be pulling away like they normally do, we hold off Alex/Andy for about half race distance when they manage to get in front
Alex/Andy have their sights set on the Pirate/Andy and find a bit of extra speed and puts the hammer down and starts pulling away to leave us riding around by ourselves for the remainder of the race
We’re packed up and on the road within 30 minutes of the race ending, thankfully the trip home is a lot less eventful than the trip up
Thanks to
Joanne van der Westhuizen
Gary Macefield and Matt Southron from Independent Line Services
Scott McCone from Prometal Industries
Also a huge thanks to Spike Taylor for the time and effort he spent with us at Levels going over the outfit and doing the setup with us and his passenger Astrid Hartnell for all the encouragement she has given me over the rounds, it was very much appreciated
Good write up Kick.
Cheers
Merv
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