Nationals Rd2 Levels
The sidecars didn’t make the trip south to Teretonga as we couldn’t put good numbers on the grid so Levels was our first round.
Tuesday we’re out in Divvos garage changing the handle as I couldn’t reach it properly to get my weight out far enough, he’d tacked it in place and warned me to watch out for the hot weld so being careful I tried it for size and then he did the rest of the weld, I reached across the outfit to move something and stuck my hand down on the bit he’d just welded and fuck did it hurt, right across the palm, cold water and ice and it was bearable but on the drive home the pain set in, Joni ran me in to the after hour surgeryand some pain killers, cream and a dressing later it was manageable
Wednesday and the pain is all gone and we’re loading up that night, we head south on the Friday morning once Divvo remembers where I work after driving straight past where I’ve been transferred to
The pits are already filling up and we grab an area down the back and set up along with the other sidecar crews, breeze through scrutineering and head out for a few easy laps, we’re taking it easy and then dial it up a bit, Dags and Wazza on the Aussie 900 go around us off the end of the straight and we catch and pass a few other outfits and then coming onto the back straight as Divvo cranks it up it spins up the back and snaps sideways, we’re already both fucked after 4 laps so we pull back in and set about putting a new rear tyre on
Friday night and we head off to the campground as the sidecar guys have booked out a block of cabins but when the lesbians don’t turn back up to do their party trick with the gnome we decide to head off and find a motel and in the quest for food we also find the fish and chip shop with the crappiest service I’ve visited yet
Saturday Q1
We have two qualifying sessions and the weathers doubtful so we change onto wets which turns out to be a bad choice as when we get on the track there’s dry lines so we cruise around slowly for three laps and then pull in, Tim manages to fall on his arse and Trish has a bit of a “moment” when she misses a handhold but it’s relatively incident free
Q2
We’ve refitted the new rear slick and in the process of doing this I rip the top off the massive blister I’ve got from the burn so I whack a dressing on it and we go out to “run the tyre in” we’re doing easy laps to get it up to temp and following bill around and notice a lot of smoke coming out of his out fit which turns out to be bodywork rubbing, with 18 sidecars there’s a fair bit traffic and it’s hard to get a clear lap, Burt and Ernie snap a steering bracket and run off the track and then for a bit of off track entertainment Divvo head butts the tent pole when he’s taking his leathers off, checking the times we’ve ended up on row 6 in 11th which wasn’t to bad for just cruising
Saturday Race 1
Off the start and we immediately pick up a spot after passing Phil/Tony who were gridded in front of us, there’s a big bunch we pick off another outfit down the straight, coming off the back straight and there’s goober/Pig going slow after missing a gear and loosing drive, we get on the back of the Windle of Adam/Vince and the LCR of Perry/Leighton all three of us are a similar speed but we get a run onto the start finish straight and get up the inside of the Perry/Leighton into turn 1 and set off after the Adam/Vince combo, in the meantime the Stu/Darren NZ2 outfit has snapped a rear axle about a third of the way down the back straight and spun off the track and Burt and Ernie get a flat front tyre at warp factor 9 down the back straight, there’s a yellow flag out down the back and we slow down, next corner is clear and we’re into lapped traffic, Adam/Vince choose the wrong side for the pass and we take them and the other outfit around the right into the hairpin, by this time we’re both getting a bit puffed but the chequered flags out and we’re home in 5th
The grid marshal comes up and gives us lollies for being such good boysand finding our grid positions so quickly
Sunday
There’s time spare in the program at this point and the officials offer us 15 lapsinstead of ten , I’m hoping no bastard is going to say yes and to my relief (and several others) we stay with 10
Sunday Race 1
We keep our qualifying grids all weekend so we’re stuck on 11th and we get a flyer, we’re past three outfits buy turn one, Goober/Pig are over the ripple strip and sideways there outfit snaps right and their rear wheels lifting and then we’re past them, off the end of the straight and Adam/Vince come back past in the Windle, we chase after them but they’re pulling away at a second a lap, I’m in a fair bit of pain from my arm bashing the fairing on all the left changeovers and when I miss my footing out of the hairpin for a moment I think “I’m gone” but I get it back together, we lap the Keith/Tim LCR, the PBR girls Tracey/Kellie and are coming up to lap Bill/Glen when the flag come out for a 7th place finish
I go to lift my drink bottle after the race and in my left arm can’t get it higher than waist height, it’s gone numb and I’ve got pins and needles in it, I’d padded the fairing but it really didn’t help, Divvos arms are pumped up and he makes a castor change to the outfit to lighten the steering
Sunday Race 2
Due to delays this is shortened to 8 laps,On the warm-up lap we get a good look at the marshals’ vehicle which got hit by a bike and its looking pretty fucked
Another good start and turn one is free of any “incidents”, we’ve got Burt/Ernie glued to our tail and Paul/Rat right behind him, after chasing us for 4 laps Burt/Ernie pull a pass around the decreasing radius and start edging way and Paul/Rat close up, on the next lap Burt/Ernie are off at the chicane having managed to pull his kill switch tether off (thanks guy), my left arm is starting to go numb and then I cock up the change after the hairpin and aren’t fully to the left as we turn in, the chairs lifting, lifting , lifting and then Divvo slows and I gain my composure we’re off again , Charles/Rat are pushing us hard and I’ve never been so glad to see the flag and we come home 6th and end up 5th overall for the weekend
A day later and I feel like someone has kicked the shit out of me, bruised all over the place, ribs, arms, feet, legs and 5 days until we do it all over again, I can’t wait
A very special thank you to Joni for the support she has given leading up to and during this event and travelling down to spend her birthday hanging around a racetrack with a bunch of ruffian sidecar riders
Originally Posted by scracha
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yank tank at Glenorchy 2006 rally
Joni probably did for making her get up at some early crap hour on her birthday.
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