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Pembrey 21st and 22nd September 2002
After my off at Mallory in June, it had taken a long time for my head and back/spine to recover. As Miers race team had disbanded (i.e. Andrew had got petticoat orders that racing was to dangerous for a man with his responsibilities) on top of sorting my body out, I had to also get a bike sorted, Andrew was happy to sell out to me, so at least I would still be using the same bike and I knew its history (better the devil you know and all that) therefore I didn't have to worry about those added 'variables'. I had done a trackday at Cadwell on the 5th September 2002 to see how i got on back on track ... I was toughly disappointed with my performance, not only was I at best 7 seconds off my old pace, but it simply wasn't 'coming together' ... I was hopeful that under race conditions it might be a different story, but realise I had a long way to go to get 'back on form'. I decided to do an event with a different race club, for two reasons really, 1: to take the pressure off trying to compete against those that I know I should normally beat and 2: my mate Matt (my loyal mechanic/race mental conditioner) is a member of that club and races with them, so I could go with him and it would be nice to do a round with him and I wouldn't be Billy as Andrew was no longer competing (although he did come to watch me). Morning Practice After scrutennering etc, signed in … looked in the programme and Matt and I had been put in different ‘Qualifiers’ (well 1st races) I was in the 600 B race, he was in the 600 A race … I was in the Open A race he was in the Open B race … that p1ssed me off a bit as it would have been nice to have him as a target … but I just hoped I would qualify for the same afternoon races as him in both (lets face Matt normally only qualifies for the B race … so chances are that would be the case)… Morning practice … only had 5 laps per session, but
2 sessions, was improving throughout the 1st session, but still felt
pretty pap. I knew Matt fastest lap
there previously was a high 1:04 (Club lap record 600cc 1:01)… but he was
generally pulling 1:05s/6s … I felt that I must have been pulling 1:15s mibie
1:20 … When I got back in I was surprised at my laptimes … I was knocking
off (after an initial 5 seconds on the 2nd lap) 1-2 seconds per lap
and was within a second of Matts practice times (1:07s IIRC) … second
practice, I still felt pap and saw Matt disappear out of sight … but by the
end of the 5 laps was getting a bit more used to the track, was supposedly
pulling the same laptimes as matt … high 5s low 6s. therefore although out of
sight by the time I had picked my game up he was not getting away. Race1 600B race (Qualifier) (Saturday) Well I had watched the start and first 3 laps of Matt's ‘A’ race (i.e. he was the race before me) and was surprised to see him up in 7th place … I though “oh flock the boy is on fire!!!! I am gonna look a right chump!!!” (bearing in mind Matt would normally finish 15th odd!!! Anyhow I was 17th on the grid (row 5) and decided that I would NOT really go balls out for the first start/corner as it might end my w/e prematurely … and simply try and settle in then see how I get on without over doing it … Andrew could sense I was a bit nervous and said if I finished in the top 10 then he would give me a set of tyres … I though ‘yeah right like a top 10 is gonna happen’ … but it was an incentive and I though if I was in the position to get a top 10, then I would try as hard as I could to hold it. Well Did exactly as I planned, after the first couple of laps I started to buckle down and work my way thought the pack. I then came across one of the Frasers guys that I normally think is pap (he is normally much slower than Matt) … I realised I was having to work hard to keep in check, but got settled/comfortable, then found focus and started to real him in … he was about 30 bike lengths in front, and it took me about 3 laps to get in touch, but having him there really helped me to dig deep. After I got passed him I lost focus … but then after another lap or so buckled down again and passed a couple more people … Was pretty chuffed that I felt I was actually trying and things were much much smoother and more in time/’coming together’ than when I was at cadwell … was a little miffed that I had to work that hard to get passed Andy and it made me have much more respec’ for him. Finished the race in 8th. (oh and later found out Andy was having a v-good w/e … his best ever) Found out when I got back to the pits that Matt finished his rasce in 7th. An amazing result for him (b#stard, why he have to go get on form now … he has never qualified for an A race …). However looking at the laptimes and overall race time I was actually much faster …my fastest laptime (1:04.5) was about 1 sec quicker and I was 7 seconds quicker over race distance … but the way they do the placing for the finals meant that Matt was 13th, I was 16th on the grid for the afternoon race. Open A race (Qualifier) (Saturday) Not much to say about this one really, but started 15th on the grid, went backwards at the start finished 11th. Fastest lap 1:03.?? .. doing consistent (progressively lower) 1:04s for most of the race. 600 A afternoon race (Saturday) Matt was on the same row, but on the LHS of the track I was staggered back on the RHS. Didn’t get the best start ever, after the first corner there were about 5/6 bikes between Matt and myself (later found out I had slipped back to 20th Matt was runing 14th) … once things had settled a bit I dug in deep and took the guys between Matt and myself … probably passing Matt on about lap 5 … lost a bit of focus after passing, but regained concentration and buckled down some more … over took a few more bikes then crossed the line … Looked behind about ½ way round the cool off lap and couldn’t see Matt anywhere … I finished in 11th, Matt had binned it at Dibenni on the last lap. The backend went, he had highsided, landed back on/off the bike then slid off … the bike carried on and hit the tyre wall at full chat …He twisted/sprained his ankle and hit his bonse, but was essentially ok. Bike had bent forks and split rad (+bodywork gone), his w/e was over, but the bike (and he) wasn’t that bad really. Open A final (Saturday) Well as Matt had just lobbed it I was in no means wanting to go out and destroy what confidence I had gained by doing the same … Started 17th(I think) on the grid … decided just to take it easy and relax and only ride to what I was comfortable. Not the best of starts and pretty uneventful race … but put a few fast laps in during the race … can’t even remember where I finished, and didn’t really care …. ‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’ DAY2 ‘’’’’’’’’’ 600 B qualifier (Sunday) Well I really wasn’t in the mood for racing, but thought, hey I could go out and ‘Game’ it so I ended up in the B race … thus have a chance of a win … 17th on the grid Abysmal start … but I really couldn’t be bothered … spent the first 2-3 laps pootleing round trying to wake mesel up … then started to dig in … passed a few riders then really got stuck in … finished 18th (I think). This actually meant I kinda flocked up a bit as I ended up in qualifying 10th on the grid for the B race … thus leaving mesel quite a bit of work to do … b0ttom … Open A Qualifier (Sunday) Had spoken to Matt and developed some hand signals to tell me what I had to do to ‘game’ the open to qualify on the front row of the B race (obviously he was not riding and speculating). It was ‘wave cap’ to say slow down, ‘wave fist’ to say speed up, do nothing if OK. Well I decided what I would do was to purposely get a bad start, then get on the pace to take the places back I needed … this way I can ride hard to get back on the pace, yet not endanger qualifying to get in the A race … Was last out of the first corner … great … had a bit of
a rear slide round Dibeni (left hander) … I didn’t want to repeat Matts
episode so took this as a warning … the slide was so bad (considering I was
pootling) I thought I might have a flat or summin … had a quick look, but
obviously couldn’t tell … another slide round Dibenni2 … but it was ok on
the next right hander, so I put it down to cold tyres … took it easy for the
next lap and it still slid at Dibeni, but to a lesser extent … by lap 3 it was
Ok, so I started to dig in … caught the back of the pack up and passed a few
in fact so many I was loosing count … I looked out for Matts hand signals
after a bit … but no hat or fist waving … I though I must already be in the
correct position so hung back. Next
lap I noticed Matt was holding his cap up with 1 finger in front … I thought
oh does that mean I need to
overtake 1 more?? … got one that lap and then had 2 fingers up … ooops does
that mean I need to let 2 people past? … so I let some pass (3 actually) then
he was holding 3 finger up … what the flock??? I took those three back, then
there seemed to be no fingers for the next lap so I presume with downed riders
that I was now in the correct position and finished the race … A bit of
miscommunication, but I got it anyhow … unfortunately Matt had miscalculated
an I had qualified on the back row of the A race not the front of the B …
plop!!! 600 B race final (Sunday). After about 4 laps with nothing ahead I was loosing
concentration and making minor mistakes, hence loosing time ... I thought it was
a good idea to take a look behind to see if I could relax ... there was a guy
behind, bike 101, but he was not threatening ... looked behind again next lap
and the gap was bigger ...looked behind again next lap and the gap was slightly
bigger again, thought ok, I'll just take her home, there is no one chasing/in
contention and there can't be many laps left ... no point in being a hero ...
just back off slightly but hold this nice pace ...next lap I looked behind and
he was right on me ... b0llox ... perhaps I had backed off too much ... there
was a backmarker ahead and I didn't want to ram him ... unfortunately Mr 101
wasn't as cautious ... he went under me into Honda and then under the back
marker on the exit of Honda ... I went round the outside of the back marker on
the exit watching him closely hoping he wouldn't accidentally run me off the
track with the shock of the other guy wasting him ... I knew I could have Mr 101
into Hatchets and did so, then held a defensive line through Dibenni1&2 ...
then the cheeky bu66er went to slip it up the inside of me at the next right
hander ... he was going in pretty hot and on totally the wrong line ... I though
he would over cook it and I would get him straight back or simply wait until
Hatchets again, so let him through instead of slamming the door shut and
potentially risk taking us both out ... he managed to semi hold the line but
nearly took my front out and certainly got in my way, making me have to back off
not to hit him ... so hatchets it was ... got onto the start finish straight and
notice the last lap flag ... focused back on the track and basically said to
mesel however late he brakes into hatchets, I am braking later ... at the end of
pit wall he seemed to slow, I presumed he missed a gear or summin ... GREAT ...
stormed the next few corners and took some more back markers ... looked behind
on the backstraight again and he was nowhere ... I though jeez he must have
binned it??? So I just cruised home sitting up 'shopper' style through the last
2 corners and across the line ... I HAD WON (or so I thought) ...got back
to the pits and I wasn't met with congratulations ... I was told they thought I
had NOT won ... eh??? ... to cut a long story short what I thought was the last
lap was actually the cool down lap ... so 101 would have indeed been infornt on
the previous lap 2 things had happened ... 1: me concentrating on the
backmarker made me miss the REAL last lap flag (although Kym said that they
didn't really put it out until I was actually crossing the line either so I
prolly wouldn't have seen it anyhow??) and 2: they hadn't withdrawn the last lap
flag before showing the chequered ... they may have had both out?? But I came
out of Honda saw what I thought was the (intended) last lap flag then
concentrated on the track and the job ahead and would have missed the chequered
anyhow … What a shame, but it thought me a lesson in complacency ...
also had that backmarker not come into play taking my focus and blocking my line
of sight I could/should have seen the real last lap flag and I would have either
chopped Mr 101s nose off or actually tried to get him back before the line ...
but not realising the urgency, I had held off of any such moves thinking I could
safely (and easily) get him into hatchets then ride the defensive line for the
rest of the lap to take the win ... B0LL0X ... B0LL0X ... B0LL0X ... and double B0LL0X ...I was not a happy boy!!! But hey "That's Racing!!!" To add insult to injury my toeslider had warn right through and I had gone through the side of my boot a bit too ... B0LL0X ... As always I managed to snatch defeat in the jaws of victory!! Open A final (Sunday) As there weren’t many people in the open on the Sunday, they decided to combine the A&B final anyway … oh for flocks sake what next?? … I couldn’t be bothered with trying with the upset of the previous race … so didn’t find any focus to even bother trying … as the race went on I did start trying but wasn’t really bothered about where I finished or anything …. OVERALL Well, not a bad w/e and it did exactly as intended, and
although I was not really my confidence had grown and I had proven to myself
that it is worth continuing racing … I was and still am gutted about the B race on Sunday … just looking at my laptimes you could see I was walking it … my laptimes were leisurely 1:04s when I put a bit of effort in to made the break then backed off to 1:05s6s with the odd high 4 for the rest of the race then did a 1:03 when that bloke passed and I had to pick my game up … but all too late … |