Race Reports- Anglesey 25/26 August 2001
In between building a terrace for Gill I have been slowly tidying up bits on the KR. Toodled upto Mallory Wednesday as the decking for Gills garden hadn't arrived. 3 KRs out practicing. Mark Bickerton - who I hadn't seen since the first Anglesey meeting. Apparently Mark fell at Beths (school) and broke a few toes. Second KR I think is Steve Fowlett's who is running a KR in the roadstock series and was doing reasonably well. Steve has had a lot of problems with his bike this year having tried a number of tuners with out much success (in terms of reliability) though not Graham. Needless to say Steve's bike popped a piston. The 3rd KR was Richard Saunders. Rich has just put his bike back together after the left hand cylinder at Gerrards experience. Unfortunately though he said it was going like a bomb - it did. Detonation on the right hand cylinder caused by a ridge being left in the head when it was machined. You could see where the detonation started and why. Think the squish area, and the shape of the head and any irregularities in this area are key to a reliable motor. Rich is booked in for Anglesey so hopefully will have everything fixed by Saturday.
Recommend everybody gets hold of some wets as my wife is coming to Anglesey. Gill has only been to a race meeting twice. Once when I was riding at Anglesey and the weather was so bad I gave up mid afternoon. The second time when we went to watch Dave Page at Cadwell( I wasn't riding) and it rained at Cadwell though everywhere else was dry.
Looks like Stuart Bedford who wasn't going to Anglesey now is. Peter Whiteside who was, then wasn't but now is - had probs with holidays. So looks like it should be an entertaining weekend. (23 August 2001)
Race 2 F400 - Row 3 start, Paul Daley, Stuart Bedford, Pete Whiteside, Mark Brown, Richard Welsh and Dave Marsh all ahead of me. Paul Mumby Croft, Steve Heneghan and John Buchan alongside me. I go for one of my rolling starts and go backwards (relatively speaking - compared with the 125 start it was good, compared with my normal starts it was crap) arrive at the first corner about 8th, get past a couple to get upto about 6th. Mark Brown who has managed to get up to 3rd gives it a handfull exiting Abbotts and loses the backend. This scatters a few of us me in particular and I lose places. Steve Heneghan, Paul Mumby-Croft, Pete Whiteside, John Buchan, Dave Marsh, Richard Welsh and Paul Daley are ahead. Dispose of Paul then it takes me a couple of laps to get past Richard and John - I find it particularly hard getting past John as his KR is a similar speed down the straight and we are the same on the brakes. Eventually get the drive out of Radar and do him on the back straight. Next lap do the same to Dave Marsh then set about catching Paul, Steve and Pete who have made a break. Last lap flag comes out and I am still in pursuit but closing on the leaders. Catch up with Pete Whiteside coming out of the hairpin and line him up for a pass on to the start finish straight. Time the move to perfection and as I go to the right of Pete, he looks over his left shoulder so doesn't see me coming past. Cross the line about 1/2 a wheel ahead of him. Given the mediocre start and the hold up - I am happy with the result. Ok lost a point to Steve Heneghan, but pulled one back on Pete Whiteside. Also towards the end of the race I was easily closing them down. Set the fastest lap at 54.5, not brilliant but not bad for the conditions. Paul Mumby-Croft (RGV) won, Steve Heneghan 2nd, me 3rd, Pete 4th. In the KR's John Buchan was 2nd (7th overall in the f400) and Richard Saunders 3rd (23rd in the F400 - not bad for his first time at the circuit). With Mark Brown not scoring, John closed the gap at the top in the KR Cup.
Race 3 GP250 - Gutted, thats how I felt when we got to the line. The weather has turned for the worse and it is now wet - but what has done me is that they have split the grid. Big bikes first than 20 seconds later the 250's. Any hope of winning has gone up in smoke. I need the big bikes to block the 250's. Still get a good start, getting to the first corner second, behind Rob Mawby. Rob appeared to be taking things carefully (turns out the clutch was slipping) so at the start of the second lap I nip past. Hold my place for about 100 yards before John Lewis comes past, I can't live with his pace (or rather I can't be bothered - its the head again) and ease off very slightly. Rob comes back past followed by a TZ - then John Buchan on a mission. All credit to John B he was flying - a lap or so later he caught and pasted the TZ coming in a very credible 3rd (this was not good - it shows I am mortal and it is the first time a KR has beaten me. I don't count Cadwell as I fell off then started right from the back). John Lewis won - so there went any hope of the 250 championship and I came in 5th. Still I feel confident about the next 400 race. I never seem to be very good in the first part of the day but fly in the second.
GP125 - decide to skip this as I want to concentrate on the F400. I am really developing a hate relationship with the 125 - that is 3 races where things have gone wrong. Dave won by another mile.
Race 4 F400 - It is getting late in the day, delays have held the programme up and we are about 7 races from the end of the day - and there is a 6pm curfew. At 5:40 we gather in the holding area. I am really buzzin - I have got my head in gear, I have a front row start and I know I can kick ass. The track has dried with a few damp patches to freak people - just the way I like it. 5:45 the 600 race before us is red flagged on the last lap. If we don't get out soon thats it for the day. The time ticks by and it appears an eternity before the track is cleared. 5:50 and the Clerk of the course declares it a day. No more racing today as we are too close to the deadline. £$%*** that means starting again tomorrow and psyching myself up again.
Sunday - We are the first race of the day. At least the weather is good. F400 - The omens are not good, I am on new tyres - not a problem yesterday but today it is eating me. The bike also feels flat on the warm up lap - I should have re-jetted. I get a crap start going backwards. I am mugged by Stuart Bedford, Dave Marsh, John Buchan and Richard Welsh. Up ahead Steve Heneghan and Pete Whiteside are checking out. I take it cautiously into the first corner and lose a couple of places. I slowly work my way up but at the end am a distant 4th, not a good race. Again it took an eternity getting past the other bikes. The KR lacked drive and generally felt crap both in terms of engine and handling.
Race 5 GP250 - Must have done this race but can't remember a thing- sorry.
Race 2GP250 - Not a lot to say - I changed the jetting and the gearing and went round and round. Finished a distant 3rd.
Race 3 F400 - Row 2 start alongside Richard Welsh, Dave Irons and Mark Brown. Pete Whiteside, Steve Heneghan, Stuart Bedford and Dave Marsh are on row 1. For this race I am taking no chances - I have re-jetted the bike now on 140, the rear shock is back to 2mm of pre-load, I have set the rebound damping back to where it usually is, I have softened the pre-load to 8 rings showing and I have gone back to a 45 tooth rear so I am running 14/45, i.e. the settings I had last May. Again I get an awful start going into Beths in 8th place. Round Abbots and up to Radar I think I picked off Mark Brown. Up behind Dave Irons coming out of Radar but Dave is slow out and I lose drive coming out, Dave pulls away a bit down towards the hairpin, but I squeeze up the inside on the brakes then run wide as he tries to come round me. Mean time Steve, Pete and Stuart are disappearing with Dave Marsh grimly following. Next up I think was Richard Welsh who I caught up going upto Radar, suprised how quick his FZR was going out of Radar but get him on the brakes. Now up to 5th and a lap and a half have gone. Set after Dave Marsh again catching him up by Abbots, can't get past going up to Radar so hang back a fraction and get a clear drive and a run to the hairpin. Sail past then brake tip over for the hairpin and I am away - two and a half laps and I am running out of time. Steve, Stuart and Pete are scrapping some way ahead, suprisingly it only takes a lap to catch them up on the exit to Abbots (they must have been holding each other up as they scrap amongst themselves) - three and a quarter laps gone. Pete made a bit of a mistake coming out of Abbots and I try nipping up the inside but he cuts my nose off. Out of Radar, Pete and Stuart are alongside each other and I can't go up the inside as Pete is there, and round the outside might as well go via Holyhead. These 400's are big lardy things. No chance of out braking them at the hairpin. Steve Henegahan is only just infront of them if only I can get past. All of them are dead slow on the section through Mountview and Douglas but there is no way of getting round them. Though all 3 get excellent drive on to the start finish straight. End of lap 4 and the last lap flag is hanging out. I follow them round Beths (school) as Peter nips up the inside of Stuart into Abbots, not enough room for me to follow and I sit impatiently behind as we work our way through Radar. Made the mistake of being too close to Stuart so didn't get the drive onto the back straight. I can't get past on speed so it is going to have to be the brakes. Stuart defends the inside line and is a tadge cautious on the brakes,so I have no choice but to take the long route. Sail past on the outside brake as late as possible and drop across Stuart's nose. Then after Pete. There is a possibility I can outdrag him to the start finish line so I take care not to get to close so I can get drive out of the Douglas/Mountview corners. Get good drive and am clsoing on Pete but this time I left a gap a tadge to big. Pete crossed the line about half a bike length ahead. Steve was about a bike length or so infront of Pete. As Homer would say, Doh. If.... Still it was a cracking race, pulling up from eigth and closing a three or four second gap on the leaders was good. I was easily quicker than any of them through the twisty bits (Sorry Steve, Pete and Stuart - but this is my little ego trip - got to have something to remember from such a bad weekend). Odd thing was I wasn't really pushing, the bike rode the bumps beautifully it is amazing what that little change to the suspension did. Also the jetting change gave me drive which I lacked before, I must remember to jet a tadge on the rich side at Anglesey. Only error was I think I would have gone quicker with the 44 tooth rear. Now the bike was running well, I was over revving again and not short on grunt (if you can have that on a two stroke). Dave Marsh - came over later and said the bike was quick, I don't think it is any quicker than the 400's what it appears to be, is that I can get on the power harder and earlier than the 400's plus I carry heaps more corner speed, the result is that when you get to the straights (if somebody hasn't blocked you) it appears to fly. I was pleased - Rick had me low 50's for the lap times which was probably about right. But the official time sheet gave me the fastest lap at 48.0 - who am I to argue (there were a couple of anomolies on the lap times, Stuart was posted at 50.8 ahead of Steve Heneghan at 50.7 - suspect Stuart might have done a 49.8. I am not knocking the timers at Anglesey - not after giving me a 48, but occasionally they have come up with the odd time). Still I did get from 8th to run with the leaders so maybe it is correct? I actually felt good after that race - made up for what was a pretty dire weekend. If only there had been another lap then it would.... ..still. In the KR Cup
Race 4 GP250 - Rode this purely for points, Rob Mawby won, followed by John Lewis and Steve Austin all riding RS250 Hondas. I came in 4th settling for a safe ride and second in the championship. Did the required 5 laps then came in. I have tied up second in the championship Even if John lewis doesn't do Snetterton I need top 3 finishes to pass him. At any circuit except Snet I might have had a go but there is no way a road going 250 can match a GP250 at that track. Still I have 96 points which is a nice number to stop on (96 is my race number).
Amazingly all 37 or 38 races are completed which is quite an achievement. I am disappointed by the weekend but at the same time chuffed. I know my results weren't good - but on both days I set the fastest lap and I know I was faster than anybody (I know I didn't beat you Steve, but your starts were electric and 5 laps just wasn't enough to catch up). With short 5 lap races you just can not afford to give an inch to the likes of Steve, Pete and Stuart. I don't know why my starts were so poor - but in every race I made up places and caught the leaders, so I am happy. Championship and second place have gone - but there is always next year. Even before the end of the season I have started remeniscing. I reckon the season was lost at the first meeting at Cadwell. Since then I have been playing catch up. Hats off to Pete Whiteside, he hasn't dominated like last season but he has been steady and has scored in every round - and this has been rewarded with the title again *^%%£$%&* Blast Steve Heneghan - the bugger has beaten me to second when it was mine, more *&^$£""%$^. Still other than Cadwell full circuit and the first meet at Cadwell I have set fastest laps or won at every circuit. The KR has done me proud and shown that they can be competitive at club level. I know it isn't all over but... The standard of the KR's has come on no end. The Team T3 lads are putting in consistent rides with the odd flash of inspiration. Peter Lodge is lapping at a pace which worries me and if he takes it half seriously next season will be difficult to catch. Rich Davis, when he has stayed on has been near the front and the new guys have shown a remarkable turn of speed. Next season promises to be interesting. Given the number of KR's that have shown up - 16 - and the people that have said they will be joining in - we could have up to twenty KR's particpating. A fair number of these are like Peter Lodge - people that used to race them in the early 90's. They were quick then and with the new 17" rubber available now will be even quicker next year. I reckon next year the level of competition will go up another peg.
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