Race Reports


	Race Reports
3/9/00	Mallory Park- loaded up the car with the KR fuel generator and 12 pairs of tyres (I have a load of 125 rubber and bits that I am not using and need to sell). Toodled up on Saturday afternoon. Cars were out on the track so we weren't allowed into the Paddock until they had finished (At Mallory the paddock is contained within the circuit and access is only possible via the track). So went for a drink in the bar. About 5:30 the gates opened and we had scenes similar to the old movies showing a goldrush. Vans and caravans heading into the paddock as quickly as they could to get a power point. Only just made it, getting the third last point. Set up shop, put up the advert for 125 bits and posters giving details of the KR cup. Rich Davis turned up with his newly sprayed KR, in a very bright shade of green - looked rather good (note the past tense). Sandy turned up with Telly ready for tomorrows GP and Superbikes. Retired up the pub for food and beer. Sunday - woke up with a stinking head ache (fixed with a couple of pills) can't be beer as I didn't drink much so must be a poor nights sleep. I must remember to level up the caravan as I spent all night rolling down hill. As my sleeping bag is one of these cocoon things you can't spread out to stop yourself rolling. Sunday blue skies and sun - looks like they have finally got a forecast right. While Sandy is getting the KR scruitineered Dave turns up up with the TZ. today I will be riding the KR and TZ and Dave is on the TZ and 125. Sandy got a bit of grief about the front tyre, you are meant to run a rear backwards when it is on the front ( I run it the right way to get the water clearance correct - I will swop it over later in the season to get the extra mileage as they tend to wear one side as most corners are right handed). Rich who is running the same combination of KR364 rear 115/50x17 on the front and 160/55x17 on the back didn't get any comment from his scruitineer. Take the KR out for practice and put in a few steady laps come in before the end of the sesssion. Can't be bothered to take the TZ out. Dave has already taken it out and scrubbed in a new front. Dave is out in the first on the 125 then the TZ, then it is me on the KR then the TZ. Dave has a good 125 race getting a second behind Matt Jackson. He then takes the TZ out and comes back in after a few laps. The bike is over heating (we have forgotten to take the tape of the rad - we taped it up for practice as the air temperature was low). Race 1 F400 - I have a row 7 start. Eliot Forsey, Adam Greenwood, Lloyd Cripps are all nearer the front. I get a good start getting the drop on row 6 and arrive in Gerrards with row 4. I get past a few going round Gerrards and slot in to about 12th place. I slowly make my way up the field getting upto 8th. I am sitting behind Andy Sprake and am quite chuffed to see I can hold him down the straights and am quicker through some of the bendy bits. (I find out later that one of Andys main jets has dropped out and his bike is running rough!!) Simon Hedges gets past me on the last lap at the esses and then pulls 20 yards on me going out of the elbow, making enough ground to get past Andy just before the finish line. 9th place and a best lap of 56.2". Race time is 5'50" not very good. I am getting the front end going light and pattering coming out of Gerrards and the esses which doesn't encourage fast laps. I am also braking way to early for the esses which may be a subconcious thing from my tumble on the 125. Eliot wins, though there was a bit of barging at the hairpin on the last lap. Both riders have different stories to tell. Adam Green wood was second and Lloyd (it's a standard NSR) Cripps and the bike wasn't handling was third. Lloyd got the fastest lap 53.5' which is very quick - he claimed that the rear wheel was out of line causing him to run wide in Gerrards (I am jealous as I can't get anywhere near that time well done Lloyd). Race 2 Open 250 - Row 7 again which I don't mind as I want to try the TZ out before the next race where I am on row 1. Get a so, so start but the clutch is slipping, the motor goes 8000 to 13,000 in every gear. I do this for 1 lap then call it a day. Adjust the clutch in the pits and swop the front wheel as we had a bit of a patter. Dave has a good ride in his second 125 race starting from the sixth row and getting up to 5th. The race is stopped on about lap 6 by a nasty crash at the esses. One bike slowed up then went across the track, a bike following T-boned him as he crossed the track. Dave decides not to go out on the TZ. Race 3 F400 - Front row start. Get a good launch and arrive in Gerrards along side a GSXR400. Eliot Forsey arrives alongside (?? He started on the fifth row so how the F* did he get there so quickly???), Half way round Gerrards Adam Green wood and Lloyd Cripps go past. I go up the back straight in fifth place. Next time round Andy Sprake goes past then the next lap a Yam 400 goes past (I don't know why I am bothering) Simon Hedges then comes past on his Aprilia, but I get back past him on the brakes at the hairpin. I manage to hold him of for another lap then he gets me. The Yam pulls up so I am back into 7th and thats where I finished. Lap times were poor best was 56.8', rest were in the 57'. Race time 5'49". The patter on the front was worse than the first race. Adam won by a country mile Race 4 GP250** - Launch and go backwards, the clutch slip is not fixed. Last out of Gerrards and I pull in after the esses. Watch the superbikes on the telly. Brilliant scrap between Haga and Bayliss.
	Overall Summary - Not really a good day. The weather was ace but I rode badly. I should be doing mid 55' laps. I have to sort the patter on the front end. I have changed the fork legs and I need to check/change the oil as I think I might need a bit more? I am also running the 115/50 on the front which may be affecting the handling. I am braking to hard for Gerrards and to early for the esses, though having followed Simon Hedges through the Elbow I am getting better out of there. Rich Davis had a mixed day. He ran into a faller at the hairpin and was taken out of one race. He had a really good ride in the Open 250 then took a tumble in the novice race. I feel guilty about this as Rich borrowed the tyre warmers before the race. We had told him that if he used them he could go hard into Gerrards as the tyres would be warm. Unfortunately Rich got a row 7 start and really went for it - he went into Gerrards too hot and only managed to get 2/3 of the way round before he ran out of track (The bike just ran wide). Scratch one set of newly painted body work. Thankfully Rich was OK and even though the bike tumbled, on inspection the damage was found to be not to extensive. Jacking up the back should fix that problem. Only three KRs at the meeting, but a few people expressed an interest in the KR cup. It is suprising how many people have got one tucked away in a garage. Think I might have found the cause of the front end patter. Whilst checking the runout on the front discs (it is currently 0.1mm which isn't bad for a set of 9 year old brakes) Rock noticed that the front tyre wasn't round. On closer inspection we found that the bead was not even all the way round with about 2 to 3 mm difference over the circumference. Will get a pot of proper tyre paste tomorrow and have a go at seating it properly. So far I have always used fairy liquid. I also know that the front popped really easily and that I didn't take the pressure much above 20 psi when seating the tyre. This time I will take it up to 50 psi. See if that fixes the problem. Except the next meeting is at Anglesey so I wouldn't expect the patter to really show up. BR>
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