A good weekend for me too, nice to put faces to names from the forum. Hard luck for Steves, a bugger when something goes terminally wrong at the beginning of the weekend. Simon (FastFred) I didn't see you after dinner, is that when you went grass tracking? if you go to Pembrey, I will see you there, I am leading the championship by 60 points by my reckoning and feel I should defend it.
It might be seen as pinching trophies, but it isn't my fault if people don't want to race bikes in my class and it is good to get a prize for riding my bike in circles and enjoying my self.
I am starting to enjoy the CRMC, they have moved my class into a different race so I wasn't with the big Ducatis and XR69s etc, this meant I wasn't lapped (apart from the last race) and that made it a bit safer, although I did lap a couple, but I don't mind that
I was still in with bikes up to 1300cc and there was a rather large Moto Guzzi that I couldn't catch but all in all we were more evenly matched.
First race I finished 13th up 4 places from my start position but second in class, quite eventful for some, Ant Hart went into the kitty litter at the hairpin and a lap later there was a Norton on it's side on the blind side of the hairpin.
The second race I finished 15th, probably due to Ant and the Norton guy (Graham Williams) staying on board and finishing the race, no matter, still second in class so another 20 points
The third race on the Sunday was again a 15th and second in class (sodding Guzzi) but I was getting a bit faster and the chatter from Cadwell was back in a couple of places, the middle of the first chicane and into the left hander before the hairpin, a bit dodgy there. I am starting to suspect the tires and I am thinking of going back to Continentals, as last year, I was over half a second quicker here and no chatter.
The last race, and the rain came, as I was going to the Covidfest the next day and wanted the bike in one piece, I did consider not going out, but, I had paid for it so sod it. I was waiting for the second call for the race as I don't like waiting too long with the engine running, but it didn't come and it wasn't until I realised it was a bit quiet that I went down to the start. Too late, they had gone on their warm up lap so it was a start from the back of the grid and no warm up lap, I wasn't on my own, there was a guy on a BMW with me but not a problem as I had decided to take it easy anyway. Glad I went out though, Kevin Van-de-Worp on his 1120 Guzzi retired and although I finished 13th overall, he was the guy that I couldn't get near all weekend in my class so it was first in class for me, result.
We got packed up straight after the race and drove up to Teeside Autodrome for the Covidfest and this turned out to be a good move.
I have struggled to get comfy on the bike since I built it and due to being a bit fatter than last year, I had took the airbag out of my suit and used the Dainese back protector instead. The Covidfest is a time trial and not a race and also not an ACU event and as such, no technical inspection or need for full leathers etc. I forgot to put my back protector in for the first outing and, Bingo, all of a sudden the bike was mine, after a few laps I was hanging off the bike and just felt so much better, I managed a 57 second lap of the 2.1Km go-cart track by the end of the day.
The diet has started and if not successful, new leathers will be ordered as obviously it is not acceptable to race without back protection. The results from the Covidfest were a third place plaque for consistency and one for the best sounding bike, voted for by the other riders who obviously had taste, although Mike Hardings (Moto55UK) Norton sounded just as good, but he won the bike most wanted to ride.
A good weekend.
