Very short report this one.
The track was Very wet. I didn't have wets and the tyres were coming in stone cold. The tyre warmers seemed a waste of time but I used them anyway. Qualified 20th for both Post Classic Junior and F3. Just couldn't get any traction from the rear tyre. Following a couple of guys in Post Classic who also weren't on wets, putting my weight to the back of the bike (like wot Paul had told me) getting on to the fattish bit of the tyre before rolling on the gas at a similar rate to them the CBR's rear was stepping out whereas they were going forwards. The GPR's are superb in the dry but I just couldn't get to grips (no pun intended) with them in the wet.
All my races were much the same. Basically commuted round, got lapped by most of the field and lapped twice by the front runners in the first two races which after last rounds fun was very sobering. Lonely races, no dicing. Just banged in a few points. Had very few moments but didn't see the point in pushing it as there wasn't a lot of points at stake at the back of the pack (or in my case, well behind the back of the pack).
Think I finished most of the races dead last or second last but to be fair, the entrants had dropped from around 40 bikes to 20. At the end of the racing day I was just glad to have finished every race.
Track dried out for about 4 laps in the 2nd F3 race so I pushed a wee bit harder and started reeling in a few bikes but the front end let on turn 4 (yep..the one after the left hander) so I thought "@#$ck this for a game of soldiers". Desperately latched onto the tail enders in the 2nd Post Classic race but after the back stepped out good style at Coca Cola (exactly how I crashed last round) and at Dunlop my cahunas shrunk an I went back to a slower rythm.
Faster damp laptimes last year in Clubmans but it's hard to compare as on race-day the track was never as cold and wet as it was this round. I can't just blame the lack of wets, I think I've lost my wet weather riding mojo as I just haven't ridden in the wet since last year. I know I can turn the bike in faster and further in the slower corners (I'm bad at this in the dry but embarrassingly so in the wet) and brake a lot harder so I'll work on this next round. It's a mind over matter thing and I guess I was too conscious of dropping the bike again. Wouldn't mind doing some wet trackdays but I'm skint from the recent spate of falling off.
The new (as in new to me) front forks felt fine. The different brake pads were awful and after 6 laps of even my pretty gingerly braking they started to fade badly in every race. That can be easily sorted though. Paul found a problem with my carb inlet manifold (or something technical like that) and even with the temperature gauge not coming above the minimum mark, the wee CBR was pulling a lot better.
Gobsmacked that there's a bloody pothole already at Castrol (seems a real strange place for a hole to appear anyhoo). I normally love higgins but with the tram lines that have appeared right on my usual racing line it's a completely different corner in the wet. Figured out a wet line that sorta worked for me by the end of the 2nd F3 race.
It pains me to say it but Chris Fry and Nicki Smith looked fuggin awesome out there.
Originally Posted by Kickha
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. I would have parked it up and sat like a grumpy ass on the sideline
Hope next round is better for ya!
well to stay on man, i was on michelin pilot sports all day and wasnt quite good enough to stay upright for both races.
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