Kinnell! Wish I could get a Pass Out to go watching Bike Racing on Easter Day! Pesky Wife and 3 Kidz puts paid to that!
If you manage to get out off working Saturday mate give us a shout and i'll ride there with you, Sunday's not looking good....
Well after a weekend of awesome racing we found that the most fun can be had on the mountain, going the wrong way, on an adult push scooter... (belonging to paul the 6th)
See if the camera was facing the other way would there be two large burley unhappy security guards with night sticks waiting to beat you for disobeying track guidelines?
Gonna stop being lazy and do the write up for cadwell.. So round 2! Awesome weekend and before I talk about the racing just wanna say had a right laugh with wedge and his family and friends- top lads!! Test Day Awesome weather on the Friday and gave a chance to get some practice in and try out the brand new Power Cups. Spent the day trying to work on the bits I still struggle with- mountain through to the hairpin, and trying to get more drive out of barn and charlies. Started consistenly getting 1m47s/48s which isn't too bad for me on the R6. Starting to get on with the bike a bit better now. Saturday Again top weather and got out for qualifying feeling good. Qualified with a 1m46 which was near the back of the grid p23 out of 31. Race 1 I got away to a good start and managed to make up a few places and finished 13th in class with a race time of 1.43 which I was dead happy with. Race 2 got away OK again from the start and managed to make up some places again, finished 12th in class and had some good battles. Still think I'm being too nice on the start, get away well then let people past on first few corners (must get out of trackday mode!!), managed to pip one of the national riders at the line who's been racing for 5 years, well chuffed and did a similar time to race 1. It was close! Sunday Got up Sunday and it pissed down! Nerves started to creep up because I've hardly ridden the wet and I'm **** in it! Went out for qualifying and crashed out at the gooseneck. Back came round, stood the bike up, saved it, but ran out of track and as soon as I hit that wet grass down she went. Qualified 27th on the grid By the time Race 1 came round it had dried up completely. Got a really good start and managed to make up 8/9 places, finished 19th (I think?) overall and 11th in class (1 outside top ten! grrrr), set a personal best of 1.42.1 which is the best I've done round cadwell and better than what I did on the 750 which I'm sure you all know was quicker and I was a lot happier on!! Race 2 was just as fun as Race 1, again got a great start and finished in a similar position passing quite a few riders. All in all best weekend yet and I am now suffering from a major case of racing blues. Anglesey is too far away!!! Managed to go through a set of tyres which are now past the wear markers front and rear- gonna be expensive! Definetely improving and going quicker than I through I could, next time I will get into the 1m30s I'm sure of it. Can't wait for the next round and even though I'm gonna be living in my overdraft all month it's worth every penny. Here's some pictures:
congrats mate!!! what did I tell ya? I knew you would bet the time from your gixxer!!! give the bike some time and you will gel. lovely feeling setting new PB's, even racing is great... I'm just really gutted I've stopped racing and am only doing trackdays now, nothing like the racing feeling.... Like one of the lads said on here, either jimbo or jase, don't take prisioners on the start, get in there next time and own the first corner and stuff the rest!!!!! bloody expensive this racing is without sponsorship isn't it? how you getting on with the R6 now??
Starting to enjoy riding it now, I can see that it is a very capable bike. Starting to suss out the grip of tyres now I'm pushing it a bit more, got a few slides on the rear and everytime I went through coppice on the first 2 laps I could feel the front moving across (only slightly), I now understand that they won't jsut let go and do give you quite a bit of warning first. Learnt a lot about front end feel as well, going into park and mansfield I was braking pretty damn hard and the tyres where soaking it all up, rather than casuing problems I just noticed that the bike was pulling away from the apex instead. Started breaking later into corners and got a lot more confidence in the front. I think my bike as is will probably be capable of a decent 1.35 around cadwel. Given more time and not under race conditions I could have got under a 1.40, was getting held up when I did the 1.42 so quite pleased with my progress. Still feel as though it could turn quicker, was having to throw my body over to the left of the bike whilst still leant over to the right when going through the chicane. Still considering droppping the forks through the yoke a ring or two. As for riding in the wet- hated it. Forgot to adjust my suspension and felt sooo sooo slow. Honestly have no idea how people go fast in the wet and have no confidence whatsoever, just seems like a dark art of which any knowledge evades me! Either way I was going into corners quicker than I ever would have on a trackday and gained some more confidence getting on the throttle. Think my fear of highsiding has pretty much gone now, so all in all, lots and lots of positives from the weekend for me.
Chuffed for you mark, and finally seems like your getting to grips with the bike! all about positives which there seems tonnes of right now and most importantly you had fun!!! well done mate.
Never taken sooooo long to get used to a bike but think its finally coming into place. Just needs setting up, would love to spend some money on it but I'm too skint. Need some sponsors desperately
