Non championship round at Lydden (6th-October-2001)

Only need to give you two words to sum up the racing MONSOON and AR$E! 

Andrew and I started at the back of the gird, 29th and 30th respectively, but how cool was it that Andrew and I were about to have a head to head! 

After Saturdays embarrassment of me being well off the pace coupled with the fact I was now next to Andrew on the grid I was well psyched up to give him a run for his money, didn’t care where I came in the race as long as it was in front of Andrew. I really really wanted to beat him in the wet too, coz a: he had better times than me in the wet Sat and getting cocky and b: he does seem more confident than me in the wet and I couldn't be doing with him beating me. I was either going to beat him of bin it trying!

Andrew made his usual ‘Anticipated’ start, but I got really good drive and passed him and several other bikes before the first corner, I positioned myself on the inside line so no one could come up the inside and wipe me out if it went wrong. So I lined up and followed the bike in front. It is a long corner and about halfway round Andrew crawled around the outside (g*t!), thing is I was now sandwiched in a train, he passed 2 other bikes before the straight, so after the first corner Andrew had put 2 bikes between us and about 8 bike lengths.  I wasn't that bothered as I had met my goal of surviving the first corner and with him in front on the same bit of kit I had a guide and something to aim at.   

By the time the other bikes had passed Andrew again there was about 15 bike lengths between us.  I managed to match his pace, but was struggling to gain, as I was uncomfortable in these conditions.  After 2 laps I was starting to settle in a bit and wanted to start stepping up the pace to real him in now, the next couple of laps I did just that (slowly but surly). However what I had been noticing was that I was not really getting on the power as hard as normal as the throttle didn’t seem to responding as usual.  After the next lap it had changed from the occasional 'that’s weird' to fu@k there is something wrong.  Couldn't figure out what it was at first, I would change gear and the engine would seem to die, thought it could be electric’s at first, this made cornering difficult too as I balance the bike on the throttle (especially in the wet!) and then power out. 

I then found I could keep twisting and twisting the throttle, yet the bike wasn’t powering up, the problem was vividly brought to light when my hand came off the bar with the twist grip still in it!!!  To cut a long story short, water had seeped under the grip and the grip was turning on the twistgrip.  To my amazement even with all this I was still holding ground on Andrew, in fact making it in leaps and bounds?!?  I finally caught him on about lap 5 (of 10) and passed him round the outside at the Devils elbow with seeming ease, he tried to squeeze me off the track on the exit, but I held line and chopped his nose off coz I was a wheel ahead.  My hand was hurting like bu@@ery now as I was griping the grip so hard trying to turn the throttle, with limited effect I might add.  I was again amazed that even though I had not been powering up and prolly, had an unbalanced bike throughout the corners (hence going even slower than I would have been) and only ever getting 1/4  - 1/2 throttle at best … Andrew hadn’t passed.  I couldn’t see an orange p1llok on the grass verge covered in turf, so presumed he couldn’t be far behind.  It was lap 8 and the blue flags started flying, so I gave the leaders some room, hence slowing even more myself (first time I have ever been lapped, that sux!). 

I expected to see Andrew take this opportunity if he was indeed struggling to pass, but he didn’t.  Lap 9 and OUR final lap, Andrew finally made his pass, he chose on the brakes into the devils elbow, up the inside. … this didn’t bother me as I was expecting it sometime and I could get a good line on the power to blast past holding the line for the next corner, it would be difficult to pass me from that point on.  So I crossed my fingers it would work and gripped the grip as hard as I could with my now throbbing had, but got nowt!! :0( Andrew powered up ok and got 10 bike lengths before the next corner … it was all over,  I cruised back to the line in last place and utterly gutted!!!!! 

I spoke to Andrew after and the reason I could pass even with my troubles was that he had come off his ‘hot’ pace as he could see he had a comfortable lead.  Don’t think he expected the pass, but when it happened he decided to simply sit behind and cruse round, close enough for the last lap pass.  He said he nearly smacked into the back of me a couple of times, (this is where we would both hook up, I could change gear and then get a fist full of nothing and he would still be on the gas!)  He at the time thought I was just being a poof. 

I was gutted for both Andrew and I as if he was ever to beat me it would be in the wet and this was the perfect opportunity for him.  If he was to beat me I (and obviously he) wanted him to do it fair and square (as all is fair in racing I suppose he did).  I think we would have had great dicing from the off (well after the first couple of laps) if I didn’t have the mechanical problem. It would have been an exciting race for us, with one putting one on the other etc. lap after lap …. Andrew consequently said his pre race thoughts were the same as mine … i.e. win it or bin it!!! It would have been a great race!!!