Nicksta's Wanganui Cemetery Circuit 2008
Wanganui Cemetery Circuit 2008
Boxing day came and went so fast I fell like I blinked and missed it. After deciding my summer’s racing would exist of Wanganui Streets, Taupo Road Race Spectacular and Paeroa, I spent the last few months packing myself about the streets of Wanganui and everything my safe track sanctuary avoided. My goal was simple: have fun and finish!
First and foremost, I would like to thank my partner Frenchy for all his support leading up to Wanganui and on the day and days after. Big thanks to my sponsors who make my racing possible: Dave and Donna at Kiwibike Insurance Brokers, Dunlop Tyres and Paul and Dianne from Team Showerbuddy.
Sighting laps:
Out first thing for 5 sighting laps to see exactly what this track is about, we had walked it the night before, but I was still oblivious to what the track felt like under some tyres. I followed Frenchy out and planned to stick behind him. First note, the painted triangle at Robert Holden: very slippery, next corner, painted stop: very, very slippery! Bridge: awesome smooth and fast! Turn 1 and 2, bumps in the apex and throw you wide, train tracks were fine but watch the service cover! The litre bikes sped up so I was riding Tweety hard to keep behind Frenchy. 5 laps went by in a blur and we were in the pits again.
F3 Practice:
After a 600 dropped its oil round the whole track, we were warned of a lot of concrete dust, they weren’t wrong! I felt comfortable but very wary of the freshly painted lines and dust. 2 laps in I was feeling good and picking up pace, Glen Williams passed me just before the bridge, I wanted to catch his lines as much as I could so went hard through the bridge corner, down the start finish but without a solid breaking marker found myself breaking hard coming into T1, first mistake of the day and I find myself breaking hard on concrete dust on top of a white line and I loose the front, poor Tweety goes sliding to the outside and I’m tumbling to the middle right in front of Chrissie and her camera! All I hear are cheers and see this huge crowd. I get back to Tweety who is flooded so I had a bit of difficulty getting her started. Finally get her revving and I turn around in the run off area, I have to say it was awesome having the crowd cheer when I got going again, thanks you guys! Definitely picked up my spirits and took my mind off my knee which had started hurting. So 3 timed laps completed I had dripped my time from a 1:15.8 to a 1:08.4, not bad for my first time out and surprisingly there were 4 bikes slower than me.
F3 Qualifying:
With some duct tape on the scratches and a new foot break lever end, Tweety was ready to go again. The sidecars had done a fantastic job of sweeping the dust off the track, thanks guys! Taking it a little more gingerly, I set out to get used to the track and figure out gearing, breaking and lines. 3 more laps down and I’m feeling happy again, not as fast, my best was a 1:08.6 but I kept Tweety shiny side up and it turns out I qualified in 31st spot out of 32. Feeling much more confident I was looking forward to starting – something I hadn’t thought about after my last Vic Club round in October, eek!
F3 Race 1, 6 laps:
Thank you to Briony (Chopper’s better half) for holding a brolly on the dummy grid (I felt so special not to mention cooler as the sun was getting hot!) Rolling out onto the track the nerves were gone and I was feeling happy. Lining up on the grid a bike was in my spot, that was when I realised how much of a downhill the grid was on! Next thing I knew the flag had dropped and the poor guy next to me hadn’t even lined up yet. I had managed an awesome start and passed maybe a row or 2, turn 1 was crazy, a white bike went down and it was a mad scramble to get around, I lost a few places but started to speed up and held my ground. Crossing the start finish I took what had become my comfortable line into T1 just to the left of the centre line to round off the right angle corner, unfortunately I didn’t count on the 400 behind me taking a shallow entry, as we both turned in I was holding a faster corner speed and I didn’t have time to react and hit his back tyre as he cut in front on the inside. I lost my front and went sliding for the 2nd time in T1 much to the crowd’s entertainment. I ended up with my left foot stuck under my swing arm and I couldn’t lift it off, big thanks to the marshals who came out and lifted Tweety off me and got her and myself to safety. I was worried while trapped looking back at T1 and thinking I was right on the race line and hoped like anything nothing was coming. Wanting anything to get back in the race I checked Tweety over and asked the marshals to let me back out to finish, they said yes and let me out in a gap. I finished that lap and had enough time to see the white flag for a last lap. Overall, I completed 3 laps out of 6 so not enough to cover 65% of the race for a recorded placing but noted as 28th, the first of the non classified.
F3 Race 2, 6 laps:
I wasn’t sure if I would make it or last the last race after my second crash of the day but planned to go out and see how I felt in the warm up lap. Flag dropped just as quickly as the first race, I got another good start but was very tentative into T1. I was on the back of a little bunch but didn’t have it in me to keep up or dice for position. I just wanted to finish the race without mistakes and complete a full day of racing the streets. I was comfortable again and happy with my lines, getting smoother I was riding a little faster but not as fast as earlier in the day. A crash on the streets has a little more effect I discovered compared to one at the track, which I usually shrug off. It’s a little more real here. 4 laps into the race I come over the railway lines to see a yellow flag in the cemetery, it’s a blind corner into the right/left so I take it easy, I see a blue SV and I see its Jason’s bike, I look for him but cant see him, hoping he’s ok I continue on to finish. Final placing 28th, I’m over the moon its over, but sad as I had finally gotten to grips with the track.
Overall I placed 30th out of 32 in F3. I totally loved my first street experience and wish now we didn’t have to wait a whole year to battle it again. Speaking later with Anthony (Suglite) he summed up the streets “If racing on a track is like a boxing match, the streets are like a cage fight” I totally agree with his thoughts and I am thinking even now about how much more aggressive you have to be and of tactics and lines for next boxing day. The Cemetery has my respect, so do the racers like Shirriffs and his predecessors who now I have had a taste, I conclude are superhuman and are so much more than just a racer.
Thanks you again to my partner Frenchy and all my sponsors for all your help and guidance. Thank you also to Suzuki and the sponsors/organisers/marshals/st johns and volunteers who all worked hard to make this event happen for us racers. Also a big thank you to all of you who checked on me after my crashes, its awesome to have such a community of people who care and whose encouragement and support goes such a long way to help us racers mentally and physically. Thank you.
Roll on Paeroa where I’ll be keeping it rubber side down and bringing it for the girls on the streets!!
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Originally Posted by Nicksta
with the nerves out of the way i can focus on the task at hand better at Paeroa 
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