What a great day of racing with the Cafe Racer Club event. The Japanese Motorcycles GSXR 1000 was just brilliant. I put the bike on pole position, (absolute 1st place as there were mixed classes) won the first race from pole, race 2 was a 2 times 3 lap race. I started on pole but apparently the drag on my clutch was just enough to make the bike move ever so slight whilst red light was on and bam, pinged with a jump start. That race I got stuck behind a 695 Ducatti which weaved so much you could have made a tea cosy, (Yes you Duncan Gordon LOL) so after passing him tried to catch P1 who by then had about half the straight as a lead. I pushed so hard to try to catch Mark Boxer but could not. Second part of the 2 times 3 lap race I was put back to second row P5. I WAS STEAMING UNDER MY HELMET!!!. Launched the bike like a startled gazelle and by turn one shoved it in front of a couple of bikes, got stuck behind the 695, and once again near rode on the grass between turns 2 and 3 and passed said Ducatti. Again rode like mad, but 3 laps, its pretty difficult to catch someone who has broke away from you. Last race, 8 lap heads up as per qualifying. Gridded up, made sure when I was waiting on the red light one finger on the brake and off we went, reasonable start, P4 into turn one took back p3 into turn 2, by the time I got into turn 3 I passed the 695 Ducatti in P2 and was hunting down P1. We rode for about 4 laps with me deep braking into the corners almost neck and neck then I went outside then crossed back in and took P1. Then I just gave it everything I had, shit tyres and all. Into Pacific the bike was sliding front to rear, back first then front all the way through. I just kept it there as best as I could. Kept P 2 at bay and when the last lap board came up, I wrung the bikes neck and pulled out a P.B. last lap last race. EXCELLENT!!! Few people to thank, Neville Lush Racing for tuning the engine, even when I ran through the line in race 2 on 3 cylinders the bike was still fast. Peter from Hoey Racing Suspension, his work on the rear shock paid off big time, although we still have quite a bit of work to do to this shock (rebound dynamics still wrong) Peter is hell bent on fine tuning it. This should reduce the flogging of rear tyres under hard throttle on the lean. So so happy to be back on the podium. Long battle with injuries and persistence finally paid off. I dedicate this win to my father who has shown me you never give up, even in dyer situations you can come back.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 11:21:14 +0000