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Posted by ziras on May 21, 2007, 4:16 pm
Great stuff Champ...good reading good pics. Only doing trackdays myself
now...as I'm too fat & too slow for sponsorship and too married to start
racing on my own bill again. ;)
Anyway...almost dies when I saw that pic with the Kawi on its nose. That
almost looks photoshopped its so cool.
Whoever took those pics did a great job. Loved the airborn one.
Keep it comin.
Z
> ...but I was racing this weekend. On a public roads circuit, on the
> Isle of Man. And I did fairly well, as it happens. I think I might
> be the only regular here who still races, so forgive me a bit of
> bragging :-)
>
> This may be a bit long and tedious if you're not interested in such
> things, but everyone will enjoy the following photo sequence:
>
>
http://www.racingpix.im/images/Jurby_2007/19052007/race_1/imgpages/image020.html
>
> and then click the single right arrow button to see how the action
> unfolds!!
>
> In the first shot that's me almost completey obscured by #8 (Derren
> Slous) and next to #13 (Carolyn Sells - a rather fast woman). Being
> slightly in front of me, both were held up by the drama, while I
> managed to ride straight past them. As Callum (the guy on his front
> wheel) came past me on the inside all I could think was "this is going
> to be *such* a big accident!"
>
> Here's a full race report, which I wrote up for Another Place; if
> you're interested enough, this map of the circuit may help make sense
> of things : http://www.andreas-racing.iofm.net/doc9.htm. And there's
> photos of the whole day here:
> http://www.racingpix.im/jurby_19052007.html
>
> This is how motorcycle racing started, and in Northern Ireland and the
> Isle of Man, how it continues.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> With Friday off work I collected the hire van that morning, loaded
> bike and gear and trundled to Heysham for the 14:15 ferry. Got to my
> mate's Keith & Jan's about 6:30, passed a collection of ZX10R goodies
> to Keith, went to the supermarket for beer, and then ate. Keith was
> being his usual sensible pre-race self, so I nipped to the pub for a
> quick one alone :-)
>
> Saturday morning my van, what cost me 120 quid to rent, was
> electrically dead. The battery had 3 volts, which 10 mins on the jump
> leads fixed, and then the convoy set off to Jurby, with Keith arriving
> slightly later in the amazing orange Aardvan (for which the paint job
> cost nearly as much as the van). We set up in mixed conditions, and
> high winds; with the forecast for showers I threw the inters into the
> bike on the basis that they'd probably be the tyre of choice whatever
> happened (in the end we had bright sunshine all day). Actually, I
> had to spend 30 mins going through the bike fettling it because, to my
> shame, I hadn't put a spanner on it since it won the Snetterton 6 hour
> race last month. But it was only a couple of loose bits and bobs -
> what a great bike.
>
> Practise came round soon enough. I'd ridden Jurby twice before - the
> first time on a borrowed 400 (my first ever road race), and the second
> on Keith's amazing exploding Aprilia. I didn't enjoy either
> experience particularly. But this time, on my own bike, moreover one
> that just *works* on the roads, I immediately felt better. Keith had
> suggested I follow him on Kwackzilla (superbike-spec ZX10R, making
> 190bhp) to try and get the hang of the coast road (which is silly
> fast, but always curving just out of sight, so you need to know where
> to point). Keith was only warming the 10R up, but I could live with
> him quite easily, and nipped past when he pulled over with, er, a
> smoky exhaust. The rest of the session felt good, and I had a feeling
> where the road went. The second session *really* clicked, and I felt
> as if I was going pretty well (which I was - 7th on the grid, with a
> lap just a few tenths slower than Carolyn Sells, who knows her way
> round).
>
> The first race was the open, with quick guys like Paul Hunt, Gary
> Carswell and Paul Duckett on 1000s - these guys have done 120mph laps
> of the TT course, and two of them were on full superbikes, wiv slicks
> an everyfing. I was gridded 15th, but as ever got a good start and
> was away with the front pack in a good position. The train of bikes
> down the mile straight, and through the kink was awesome, and the
> slipstream and reduced view made it even scarier (not to mention the
> stone chips - Keith sported bruises like he'd been shot with buckshot
> that evening). We all arrived at the first 'proper' corner mostly in
> control, braking from 150+ to 30~40 ish, but it was tight stuff, and
> then it was away up the pill box road, which one can hardly imagine
> driving a tractor up, let alone racing a bike
>
(http://www.racingpix.im/images/Jurby_2007/19052007/race_1/imgpages/image035.html)
>
> My bike kicks and bounces everywhere here, but just goes where I point
> it, and I realised that I was racing with everyone! All the way down
> the coast road I hung in with them, loving it. According to
> mylaps.com I was in 10th place at the end of lap one, but Carolyn
> managed to come alongside me on the brakes, as you can see in the
> first photo in the crash sequence above. But, avoiding the T bone, I
> managed to get past her, Derren Slous and at least one other bike and
> was away up the Pill Box road cackling away inside my helmet.
> Mylaps.com tells me I went past Chris Heath on that lap too, but I
> don't recall anything about it :-) After that I just kept my head
> down, and managed to run a good pace, with my fastest lap of the day
> (2:24) coming on the third lap. But then Mick Charnock, on an
> absolute missile of a CBR 600 came past - so fast that I just assumed
> he was on a 1000 Fireblade! But, he was rolling it big time thru the
> kinks, so I made up the ground, and was faster than him all down the
> coast road, nipping past on the way into Killane Bridge (the only
> smooth corner on the whole circuit). The next lap he drove past me on
> the straight again, and once again I got past him on the way into
> Killane bridge. On the fifth lap I knew this wouldn't do, and managed
> to hang into his slipstream, and when he rolled for the fast corner on
> the straight I held my breath and tucked inside him and threw it in.
> When I opened my eyes again I was still in front, and led up the Pill
> Box road and down the coast road; this gave me enough of a lead that I
> didn't see him again, and with one more lap I came home as full of
> adrenalin and grins as you can imagine. And, seventh place. Wow!
>
> My next race was the 600 race, and I was gridded 7th, on the third
> row. Another great start got me away with the leaders, and I nipped
> past Carolyn to hold 5th place. I was chasing Tony Oates for lap
> after lap, and could live with him everywhere but he was so good on
> the brakes I couldn't do anything about it, until on the 4th lap I ran
> through the scary fast right hander on the straight a bit faster which
> allowed me to come alongside into the braking zone for Ballavarren.
> But I was on the limit of my braking ability, with the back end going
> one way, then the other, and Tony, in much more control, just rode
> back past me on the inside and peeled into the corner. However,
> knowing he had a race on now, he gave it too much gas on the way out
> and was rewarded with a huge wheelie; as he struggled to control this
> I managed to accelerate past him - overtaking down the Pill Box road
> is even more outrageous than just hammering down it. Mylaps says that
> Tony didn't complete any more laps, so he must have had a problem
> chasing me, but I don't know what. So, two laps more and I was home.
> Again, I didn't really know where I'd finished - I thought maybe 5th,
> and could hardly believe it was 4th. I was made up.
>
> There was a 2nd Open race, but to be honest, I can't remember much
> about it. As I headed to the collection area I realised I was tired,
> and should have consumed another energy gel, and my lap times
> reflected it - several seconds slower, and only finished 10th.
>
> Still, it was an utterly fantastic days racing. I loved it. And then
> we went for curry and lots of beer in the evening.
>
> I hate going back to work after a race weekend :-(
>
> --
> Champ
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