Race Reports- Cadwell Park 5 August 2001
Thought I will join the 400 lot in being vain so bought a new set of leathers today. Only problem is that has wiped me out. Not the cost of the leathers but rather the Brownie points I need at Home. For evey pound I spend racing it costs me between £1 and £2 in brownie point money - expensive game this. Seriously - the Akitos were history after the Gerrards get off. We counted 10 panels that needed replacing, i.e. beyond economic repair. Can't knock them for £150 they did 3 1/2 seasons with more get offs than I can remember including Gerrards twice and the Esses at Mallory once - all high speed get offs. Good news is that I don't think the barrel is cracked bad news is new leathers=a fall!! Roll on Anglesey - sorry Cadwell
The F400 race at Cadwell promises to be a 'cracker'. The race second race carries a £100 Prize for the winner + a trophy, £50 for 2nd and £25 for 3rd. The first Novice will also receive £25 and a trophy. So if you are a novice on a KR you stand to win £155 in prize money and four trophies. Things are hotting up - Steve Heneghan having blown up his bike has allegedy blagged a ride on Danny Imberg's ZXR400 from last year - to quote Steve '..it is a ZXR400SP and has got everything - close ratio box, titanium exhaust system, dymags etc....and 79bhp...' Me thinks this is getting a bit serious - rumour control has it that, that bike has got works everything on. The airbox is a Kawasaki carbon fibre race kit item that was meant to cost over a £1000. Reckon that it must cost over £15,000 to put together that bike. I hope Steve can cover the repair bill 'cos I would hate to drop it. Mean time us mortals have to do with 58 hp. It is a bit like David and Goliath - and we all know who won that one. I can't see that I can lose, Steve must beat me, else the humiliation will be terminal, and similarly he has to beat everybody else or more of the same (Think everybody else will be doing the same - riding to beat Steve) . Looks like he has put himself on a very high pedestal. Reckon he will crack on the day and as I said very, very expensive to fix. (30 July 2001)
Declared a truce with Steve H as it doesn't look like I can freak him out. Anyway as Steve's bike is Kaput - Mick Steele of Mick Steele Racing, from Peterborough has leant him the bike. Mick bought it off Danny Imberg's sponsors and is campaigning it in Beemsee meets this year. Danny did 1' 36.5 last season at Cadwell so the bike is capable. Steve has sent me the full spec - ZXR400SP, SP Cams, (obviously), Works Kawasaki Airbox, Full Titanium Kawasaki Racing Exhaust System, Dymag Front (no rear - unfortunately, Mick got T-Boned a few weeks back, and the rear Dymag was destroyed), Ohlins Gold rear shock, SP front Forks (Full Ohlins race kit internals) EBC Prolite front Disks SP Callipers (roughly 20% more area (through bigger pistons) than standard ZXR) 1/2 mm overbore on barrels (with kit pistons to fill the bigger holes), SP gearbox . HP is a tadge over 7? (1 August 2001)
Preparation - Take Friday off to sort everything as this is going to be one hot weekend. I have called a truce with Steve Henegan over who will win but we both know it will be me! Still spend the morning sorting the Z. I have acquired an old Kwack Z750 twin. I have had to sort the electrics, brakes and a few other bits. The swinging arm has a bit of play in, so I drop the centre stand off to stop any chance of testing that. The bike passes its MOT so I am quite chuffed. Next up it's the KR. New base gaskets are needed as the paper shims I use, have failed in the past. I am trying a new oil painting paper to see if it holds up better than standard cartridge paper. (The gaskets are needed to get the correct squish gap). The set of pistons I have in, are a tadge taller than last years. I can't afford any failures as there is £130 up for grabs plus that cup. In prep for the 125 I did nothing - not good enough
Load up and set off for Cadwell around 10 ish. Swing past Nuneaton to pick up Paul 'Portly'. Paul is helping me out this weekend along with my daughters. Half hour from home - realise that I have forgotten the screen + some 747 I promised Dave Weller + the distilled water for the Rad. Phone Dave Page to ask if I can borrow his. Dave, kindly pops over to John Badger's to retrieve the screen. Get to Cadwell about 3 ish. Weather looks ominous so we set up the tent quickly and mark out our Pitch. The Triumph owners club are having a meeting, so after the tent is up we toodle over to the grandstand at the mountain to watch. Loads of old stuff going round - lord only knows how much oil is dripping onto the circuit. Most interesting bike was a Silk ('cos it is a two stroke). Some nice Tridents a few tidy Rocket 3s + some Triumph Hurricanes. It starts raining so we retire to the tent and have a few beers - well 'Portly' does I am trying to stay sober as I don't like drinking to much before a race. Rich Davis sets up along side, shortly followed by Andy Blundell and Paul Daley, Dave Marsh and Barry (the man responsible for all the photos). Pop into Horncastle to get some more beer as 'Portly' is getting through it a fair rate. Get both bikes scruintineered before setting up the barby. Have a good meal then retire to the bar. I am sharing the caravan with Portly and the girls are in the tent. About 2 am the Triump club set off a bunch of fireworks waking up half the Paddock. I get a goodnights kip even though 'Portlys' flatulence requires an open window which allows Barry's snoring in. Race Day - Up at 6 feeling half reasonable. The rain of the previous evening has gone and we have blue skies (good job too as I didn't bring any wets - feeling so up beat I didn't think I would need them). Rich has gone down to the track to try and get some piccies for his track guide, but a mist is hanging over the circuit obscuring everything. Rich comes back and we set off for a walk around the Paddock. Notice that the car window is open. Rich helpfully puts his hand in to demonstrate the window is open - thus setting off the alarm. Panic sets in as I run around trying to find the car keys. The alarm is beginning to wake up the paddock and the girls who have the keys. Turn the alarm off and make ourselves scarce as grumpy heads start appearing at caravan and doors. We head down the cafe for breakfast and Rich has another go at taking piccies. In 'Portlys' words we chill out till practice starts. 125 first where I am the slowest going round - but then its only practice. Shame those that binned it in practice didn't consider that. Being lazy and not that motivated as far as the 125 goes I have left everything as per the Mallory meeting. In the cool morning air the bike seems to rev out and feels fine (temp down at 15 degrees). About 1/2 an hour later the temp is up to 19 degrees and I am out on the KR. Again I am still running the Mallory set up. Bike feels wooley so jets will need changing The rear is to high and the suspension stiff - will need to drop the pre-load and the forks back to the settings I used last time out at Cadwell. Also running a 43 rear is too high on the gearing. After practice check the weather station. 20 degrees, 1000mB and 65% humidity. I have left my jetting chart at home so stay conservative and drop to a 138 (chart indicated 135 was ideal) Take the preload backdown to 2mm thread showing, but get lazy and leave the front end at 8mm showing above the fork legs. Drop the pre-load from 6 rings showing to eight showing. change the sprocket to a 44. For once the races are not consecutive. I am out in 6, 8 and 12 then 16,18 and 21 (125, F400 then 250 ) For the KR's we have the best turn out yet 11 of us. Apart from John Badger, who has a broken collar bone, we have all the regulars - Rich Davis (Team Smokin' Fox), John Buchan, Mark Brown and Brian 'The gun fighter' Mattock from Team T3, The worringly fast (from my point of view - and most of the 400 lads) Peter Lodge, Mark Elkington - back from the nasty tumble at Mallory, Dave Weller - fresh from wiping out a freinds (or is that ex-freinds) CB500 at a track day at Cadwell the Tuesday after Mallory. Neil Haslam on his immaculately turned out KR and two newcomers - Arthur Bell and Andy Blundell. Arthur has come back to racing after a few years off - bringing his KR out of mothballs (well strictly not true as Phil Earl campaigned it last year). Andy is in his first season having done a few trackdays and a couple of EMRA meets. Andy has fitted a RGV rear but his tyres hadn't come through and he has an old Bridgestone CYROX on the back which is knackered. After a quick trip round the paddock Andy establishes that nobody is selling new tyres. So Paul Daley offers Andy a good deal on a used set of Michelin Inters. The rear is ok but the front might be a bit oversize (120 x17) on the KR1 front rim. Out in practice Andy is not to certain as the bike feels very nervous. We decide that this is probably a combination of the different profile of the tyres, the over size front and the fact Andy has taken about 10mm out of the rear linkage to jack the back up. Dave Weller is having problems with the bike misfiring. It is a problem that plagues him all day preventing him getting out for a ride. He changes the blackbox, checks carbs, float heights etc but to no avail. Reckon it might be the same problem that I had last season? Steve Heneghan had a bit of a problem at the end of Park Straight in practice - his rear sprocket carrier bearing collapsed. Pete Whiteside helped him out with a spare. First up the 125.
GP125 - It is the usual mixed bag. I am on row 1 and the main opposition Dave Page is back on row 10. Dave is good at Mallory but I know I can beat him at Cadwell - especially with the starting positions for the first race. Second race should be more even as I expect Dave to make it up to the 3rd row. I get a really bad start as the bike bogs, I catch it rev and it bogs again. Drop back to about 12th. I don't ride particularly well but make up a few places, I am the leading single up until the last lap when a 500 based MX comes past on Park straight (I should have re-jetted the 125 as it feels sluggish). I follow him round to the hairpin lining him up for a pass on the drive out of Barn towards the finish line. By the hairpin I am a metre of his back wheel. On the exit of the hairpin he loses the rear, the bike goes down and the rider is right in front of me. I am too close to him to swerve round so it is hard on the brakes. One monster stoppie and as I pass the vertical the bike stops inchs from the fallen rider. I go over the handle bars and the bike falls on its side. I don't believe it another crash in the 125 - I am fated never to finish a race. Still it has christened the leathers and I have got the first crash out of the way with no more than a scratch to the RS125 and a scuff to the slider on the leathers. Wave to Dave as he passes, then leg it back to the paddock as I am out in a tick. The marshalls will load the bike up and send it back to scruitineering. I am beginning to fall out with the 125.
F400 - Row 3 start with Paul Mumby-Croft, Mark Brown and Steve Heneghan. Stuart Bedford and Pete Whiteside are on two and Dave Marsh and Paul Daley are on row 1. Steve takes an inside line behind a VFR400, I go behind Pete knowing that he will take off reasonably quickly. I expect Steve to struggle of the line and that turns out to be the case as I didn't see him again till after the race. Get a blinder of a start I think I manage to get up to 3rd by the time we came out of Charlies in, going underneath Paul and Dave Marsh (Steve reckons I cut him up - sorry - I did move around abit trying to find a line through the traffic). Again everything is a bit blurred but I think on Charlies out I was behind Pete Whiteside and Stuart Bedford who was leading. Get past Pete on straight line speed down Park straight. The KR real starts flying once you hit 5th - reckon at that speed the air box starts working (still running semi-pressurised). Almost run into the back of Stuart going into the Gooseneck, reckon this is because there is no engine braking on the KR compared with the 400's so when they close off they slow down. Follow Stuart round until we get to Park again where the KR again has the legs to go past - didn't even have to slip stream. Now leading the race - fly round Chris going into the Gooseneck a bit hot only just make it round. Into the mountain section where I knock off the pace a little - don't want to fall off and as long as you maintain a reasonable pace you can't really overtake. Now I can't remember if I made it round for another lap or not, but on the way out of the hairpin on either the second or third lap the front tucked. I remember thinking bugger as I went down. There is no run off at the hairpin and the KR went straigh into the tyres I followed it face down (visor was badly scratched). Hit the KR with my side and was badly winded. Stayed next to the tyres kneeling face down trying to get my breath back for the best part of a minute whilst the marshall tried getting me up, whilst keeping everybody off me. Eventually I moved but it hurt. Race over - so I reckon it must have been the 3rd lap when I binned it (Sure somebody will correct me if I am wrong). Steve Heneghan (somebody told me it was your birthday so Happy Birthday) won by several seconds from Peter Whiteside then Stuart Bedford. I don't know why the front tucked so have a look at the circuit, there are loads of patches of oil - guess from the previous day. Apart from my 125 crash the marshalls at the hairpin say they have been particulary busy - so I reckon it must be slippery and I just hit the wrong bit of tarmac. Anyway it is a disaster - a certain win gone (I know Steve H will think otherwise and apperently he was just behind me, but that's just it he was behind me - Dave Page who was watching said that the KR had the legs on Steve and even Steve said that he could only just live with the KR on the straights - the bit I was weak on was the Woodland section - but as I said it is difficult to pass there) no points, and back row start for the second race. Bang goes any chance of winning, the KR is damaged and I have taken quite a bash. Worse still Pete Whiteside now has an 11 point lead rather than us being even if I had won and to make it even worse from the back row I stand little chance of getting up into the points whilst Pete will get another bagfull. Get shipped down to the medical centre for a check up - before walking back to the pits. I didn't feel to bad until I got back to the paddock - guess it must be the adrenelin wearing off. As for the other KRs - Dave Weller is having a torrid meeting his bike is not running properly and apart from parctice he hasn't managed to get out. Brian Mattock lobbed it at the end of Park Straight (obviously looking for another shoot out with marshall). The rest of the KRs made it home. Peter Lodge was first home coming in 6th overall 0.1 seconds behind Paul Mumby-Croft and 0.8 seconds ahead of Tom warner (Peter started from the 7 th row) Then we had, Mark Brown (Mr consistent banging in the points), Arthur Bell, John Buchan, Richard Davis, Mark Elkington, Andy Blundell and Neil Haslam.
Thanks to everybody for mucking in and helping get the KR running again. Dave Weller lent me an exhaust Arthur Bell a cut down silencer. Whilst Rich fitted the exhaust, Paul Porter replaced the footpeg using bits donated by Team T3. Just in time for Race 12 the bike, with a fair bit of gaffa tape, was up and running again (which is more than could be said for the rider - the ribs were really hurting and I was struggling to breath). Temperature had risen to 24 degrees with the humidty staying around 65% pressure was still 1000mB (should have gone down a jet but didn't).
GP250 - Row 2 start and I really don't feel up for it. Still got to ride to salvage some points. Unfortunately (only from a points, point of view - John Lewis has managed to get an entry). Notice that I haven't cleaned the muck of the front tyre. Take it very slowly in the warm up lap. Get a reasonable launch than go back. John Lewis, all the TZ's and RS250's come past, followed by Peter Lodge, Mark Brown, Rich Davis and John Buchan. Just as I am contemplating pulling off the race is red flagged. I am in agony hustling the bike over the mountain and most of the bendy bits. Whilst we wait for the accident to be cleared up, an R1 went down heavily at the Gooseneck, I take the opportunity to clear off the rest of the mud of the front tyre. The re-start is over 3 laps which is good as it gives the others less time to come past. I manage to hang on to get a couple of points and am suprised that John Lewis doesn't come past. Find out later that his clutch has expired. Still a disaster as I am almost last so a row 7 start for the second race. The only consolation being a couple of points.
GP125 - I am feeling so bad I decide to skip this.
F400 - Brilliant I am 38th out of 38. I am in a bad mood, I feel rotten, I don't want to be here.... I go round on the warm up lap very slowly in a strop, hopefully all the others will overheat on the grid whilst they wait for me (boy was I having a bad day). Anyway when the flag drops I go, but not before the two rows infront of me have already gone - most of them started moving when the starter lifted the flag let alone dropped it. I can't complain as it is what I used to do from backrow starts - only this time I have been a bit slow. The KR really launches well and I fly past about 15 bikes on the run into Coppice weaving in and out of the traffic - it is nice having a bike that is faster than others (sorry if I cut anybody up). I slowly made my way up through the traffic, passing Rich Davis on Park straight, then Mark Brown I had already passed Mark Elkington, Andy Blundell and Neil Haslam at the start. I now started catching up with the mid-pack runners who are a bit quicker and passing was more difficult. Got involved in a tussle with Chris Pullen CBR400 and John Buchan. All three of us pass traffic whilst I try and pull a pass on them. I cut under Arthur Bell at the sharp bit at the start of Chris curve (it was a bit tight so sorry to Arthur if I made you lift). I was slow out of Barn and John Buchan would pull away a bit, but my KR definitely had the top speed gaining ground towards the end of the straight. I brake a lot earlier than John losing all the ground I made up. Eventually got past John and then took Chris going into the Mountain section. Next set after Dave Marsh. Scared myself watching Dave. Instead of concentrating on passing him, I sat behind and watched him ride. I tell you it is frightening - not Dave's riding - but the angles he goes over at and the speed you go into corners. Started thinking this could hurt - and then the race finished. After all that only got up to 16th. Sue, Dave's wife managed to time me, would have done better with an egg timer. Started at 1' 48", and came down 1 second per lap. That is the result of working your way through traffic, going from the slower bikes to the quicker bikes. Still finished 2nd KR. Steve Heneghan apparently had a right old Ding Dong with Bruce Wilson on an Aprilia 250. Steve eventually overshot at Mansfield dropping back to 7th. Another Aprilia, Alan Armour was 2nd followed by Stuart Bedford (Congrats to the first three). Pete Whiteside was 4th, followed by Dave Irons then Peter Lodge. Gutted is how I felt. I am now 17 points behind Pete and hopes of winning the F400 are now very slim. Steve Heneghan has closed up to within 3 pts of me. Still that might be good - I now can just ride to win and forget the championship. Steve has an incentive to beat me - which means he will beat Pete, so all is not lost as there are still 60 points to be had. Pete Lodge was first KR, than me followed by a very happy John Buchan. Then we had Arthur Bell, Mark Brown, Richard Davis, Andy Blundell, Mark Elkington and Neil Haslam. Brian Mattock and Dave Weller were non-starters.
GP250 - Row 7 start. Toodle round on the warm up lap and decide that I am wasting my time. I don't feel up to it, I have been freaked by watching Dave Marsh - and I am not going to enjoy this. So I pull off and call it a day. Sit in the grandstand at the mountain and watch the race. John Lewis is in 3rd but rather unsportingly I am cheering along a black RS250 (don't know who) who was gaining rapidly. Unfortunately the RS disappears on lap 4 leaving John to take 3rd, which gives him 7 points. Which I think puts him 4 ahead of me. Am well impressed with Peter Lodge's riding very smooth over the mountain. I think Pete is going to be the one to beat in next years KR Cup.
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