Silverstone Trackday and Race report (20th-October-2001) 

Andrew and I decided to do a trackday at Silverstone on Thursday, to practice for the race there on Saturday.  To give me a ballpark of what laptimes I should be getting, I had looked at the MRO results for their race at Silverstone earlier in 2001, the winners fastest lap was 1:00.0 so I figured 1:04.00 should see a win (or near it) in my championship (MRO are quicker).  

It was wet in the morning and by the end of the first session I was doing ~1:36.00 oh my … that was slow!!!!  It was very greasy and wet I am not that confident in the wet!) About 10 people had binned it in the morning session and I didn’t want to join them! By the end of the morning I was doing ~1:18.00s. Over lunch the track dried and by the end of the afternoon sessions I was now consistently mid 1:06s.  Figure not far of my aim and should see me a top 10. 

It had rained during Friday night so on arrival Saturday the track was wet … bum!!   

Race 1 Clubman 600, 15th on the grid, A few people had come to see me and I had 4 races lined up so I didn’t really want to lob it! I figured I would just take it easy in the morning and hope it dried up later. Anyway, the track was soaked so full wets were in order. The spray on the start was immense; visibility was down to my fog city! Several people binned it during the race (including Andrew (who incidentally had started in 24th and just managed to catch me, (I think he thought he would celebrate by rolling in the kitty litter!!)), I narrowly avoided 2 other incidents! Felt real uneasy all race.  My Fastest time 1:17.34 Finished 14th 

Race 2 Rookie 600, much the same as race 1, but even more disappointing result.  Started 10th finished 16th. … Andrew was still fixing his bike, only fairing damage ad hydraulic lock caused by flooding where it had been on its side. 

Race 3 Clubman again.  Started as I finished in the last Clubman i.e. 14th.  Now on full dry tyres, brand new 208s non scrubbed in!!! … damp conditions … not cleaver!! Even after a bad start and taking it easy for the first couple of laps to scrub the tyres in, I managed to get to about 11th by about half way though the race. I had noticed that the bike didn’t want to go down gears, I would be tap-dancing on the shifter playing roulette to see if it was to go down or not!  Anyways I rode around this and was just starting to get confidence up, … then two bikes decided to collide right in front of me, at the end of the backstraight (why always right in front of me!!! There is only one good thing about having a crash happen in front of you … that is knowing you have just made a place of two ;0)  ) doesn’t do the nerves much good mind!!), I was coming down from 150mph odd, when I saw the collision which was only about 20 bike lengths in front of me (not much at this speed), both bikes and riders proceeded to tarmac surf, bikes dumping oil on my braking zone!!! Oh f**** slowed as much as I could, then when I hit the oil my bike slid all over, had to feather the front and keep it in a stright line, managed to avoid both bikes and riders, but couldn’t tip it in for the corner so had come to a halt.  The bike had decided to have one of its moments where it wouldn’t change down, which a: didn’t aid my slowing a moment beforehand and b: meant I had a bike that was stationary and stuck in 4th. After wrestling with the gearshift I managed to get 3rd, and was loosing so much time I thought f*** it … so just slipped the clutch and moved off, once moving I managed to get 2nd and rejoined the pack when a gap appeared.   

Came to the first corner and although taking it gingerly, the bike slid what seemed to be a foot sideways, oh sh**, I continued, but with caution, by half a lap more the tyres were still sliding, especially the rear, so I decided to pull over and check I didn’t have a flat, it seemed pumped up so I concluded that basically I must have oil soaked tyres. I rejoined again when a marshal let me out, by now I was a lap or so down, but decided to finish the race anyhow, if only to help clean the tyres up. 

Total flop that race.  Got back to the pits totally naffed off!  On inspection, there was oil mist/spray all over the front of the bike and my slippy visor&lid showed the extent of it!! 

Race 4 Rookie 600 second race.  Track was predominately dry, but with scary wet patches if you went off line.  The gearshift problem had been traced to sticking leaver, so bob a job fixed that before the race.  After the trauma of the previous race, I wasn’t really getting down to it then after a couple of laps Andrew passed me (remember he had started at the back of the grid as he had a DNF) I though jeez I must be going slow! I can’t have Andrew finish ahead of me so this gave me the kick up the bum I needed, I set about reeling him in.  It took me about a lap or two to catch him, then I made my pass, I was now on a mission, looked at my laptimer, I had been doing 1:09s 1:10s at the start of the race, now I was doing 1:06s to get past Andrew, then 1:05.5 I was passing loads of people and feeling comfortable at this new pace, knowing that is what roughly what I was doing lap after lap by the end of Thursday … passed a few more then had the lead group in my sights (an 6 man train) so I got my head down further … 1:05 … then 1:04.5 … I was within about 10 bike lengths of the trains tail man on the last lap and on the last corner of the last lap I had caught them, I took the inside line hoping they would go wide … but the guy in front had the same idea … he slowed me up and there was no room for a clean pass, so crossed the line in 9th (reckon I could have made 7th or maybe even 6th on that corner alone had I picked a different tactic).   When the results came out even though I finished back in 9th I was the 3rd fastest man on the track (and according to my laptimer I was actually second fastest) give me 3 more laps and I reckon I could have got 3rd … possibly ;0) …  That’s racing though, if you aren’t on it form the off, you have your work cut out!! 

What started out to be a pap day actually ended on a bit of a high for me as I truly believe/d that I WAS capable of getting a podium position that day!! !! (just gutted I hadn’t got my head down earlier)