Race Reports
Race 1 - GP125 It is a split start race with LC250's having a ten second head start. I am on the second row of the 125's and get an indifferent start. About 12th into Gerrards. Upto about 7th after lap 1,then 4th lap 2. The leaders have disappeared and I spend the whole race scrapping with Dan Ray (about 15 years old) on a TZ125. Quicker through the bendy bits than Dan but he keeps passing me on the straights. I don't think I have got the 125jetting right. Following Dan through Gerrads is scary. His bike is not handling and he is all over the place. He gets past me on the start finish straight on the last lap and holds me off to the end of the race. I am in the ACU stars series and get £30 prize money for being the 3rd Clubman/novice home. A good race - but fairly slow the best lap was 57, the first 1.09 and the race average was 1.01. The fastest lap of the race was mid 55. The temperature is slowing everybody down.
Race 2 - F400. Third row start get a reasonable take off but bike is still a pain as it bogs on 1 to 2 change. ride round a bunch in Gerrards and exit in 5th place, Andy Sprake, Elliot Forsey, Lloyd Cripps and an Aprilia in front of me. The Aprilia takes a really odd line through the bus stop and I get better drive out going up his inside in to the elbow. Aprilia highsides, I get clipped by the bike as rider flies overhead (I don't know the chaps name but I hope you are ok). The race is red flagged which is a shame as I was sitting in fourth hard on LLoyd Cripps tail. Changing the coil hasn't helped the bike is almost unrideable.Restarted race again problem with 1 to 2 change but come out of Gerrads in 4th right behind the 'usual suspects'. LLoyd is all over the place but I don't have the straight line speed to get past - the first two pull away a bit. Lap three coming out of Gerrards the KR dies on the 5 to 6 change, I put my hand up, the bike fires up and away I go, but I get the same problem next lap. I pull in as it is pointless trying to ride the bike as it is. This is really beginning to *iss me off. The bike is handling beautifully, I am riding well and I know I can win these races - yet I am stuck in 2 to 4th place (or in this case nowhere).
Race 3 - GP 125 I fancy my chances of getting a fourth or possibly a third if I can get a good start. The bike bogs on the line and I get into Gerrards last. I start passing people and am making my way up the field when on about lap 4 or 5 going down the back straight I see a white cloud at the esses. I assume somebody locked their brakes going in. Wrong. An LC had blown up and dumped its gear box oil all over the esses. Yep I was the first bike on the scene about 4 seconds after the event having just passed two bikes on the back straight. About 1/3 of the way round I see the oil at which point the front just folded under me. Bugger - then the bloke I had just overtaken comes off and his bike bounces of me. The bloke behind him also takes a dive. Apparently it looked quite good with bikes and riders all over the place. I just remember coming to a halt on the grass lying still as I wiggled the toes in first one foot then the next, they were still there and connected. My left arm was still there, but I couldn't feel my right arm. This got a bit worrying as I couldn't see it either. A few seconds later I got a pins and needle sensation in my right fingers then shortly after the whole arm let me know it was there by hurting like hell. Result two cracks in the round bit of the arm bone in the shoulder socket and some sorry looking body work. It just ain't worth spending time and money getting a bike looking pretty. I suppose it is my fault for making such a hash of the start. If I had't I wouldn't have been there at the time. That was the end of the days racing. My new leathers look very second hand, the helmet was a write off - scratch about £500.
Overall Summary - In hindsight I enjoyed the day. The weather was great - too warm all the two strokes were suffering. The other KR's Rich Davies, Paul Kidd, And Tom Ely all had problems with engine temperature. Ambient got upto 31° C 39% and 1009mB. Rich got a second in class in the novice race. Paul and Tom were happy as their bikes ran all day an improvement over last time. Winning £30 was nice - though I think I will give it to the medical centre. And I am happy that I am still in one piece albeit it a bit frayed at the edges. My chances of a result in the EMRA series have as good as gone so I think I will now concentrate on the Derby Phoenix. I need to figure out what is wrong with the KR. I also need to get some money together as this last month with all the spills and problems has as good as wiped me out. Still I am not the only one with problems, Chris has blown his engine twice and I found out that Richie Webb nuked his NC35. The rad was leaking when it warmed up, and whilst running at Darley ran out of water. The temperature gauge being in the rad stayed about normal whilst the engine suffered terminal meltdown - scrap £1000 (£450 for a new motor plus £600 odd for tuning.
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