Lateshift
14-05-2006, 08:07 PM
Fantastic time there today, early start (that reads 4am) to go and meet up with milleuks in Chelmsford and then on the road by 04.50.
Got up there and it was looking a bit overcast and threatening to rain, met up with Don from Southern Cross who was running his RSV Factory in the New Era Sound of Thunder series there,
It then transpired that Don hadnt actually been on that circuit for 6 years! :D
Even worse as it was only a one day event they use the timed practice for qualifiying for both of the days races, and worse still it was 8 minutes for the session! :eek:
A few umms and ahs about gearing and he decides to leave it as it is and see how the qualifying goes to get a feel for what changes might need doing,
Qualifying finishes and he is on the 3rd row of the grid in 12th place, and looking a bit anxious at the prospect of going back onto a track that he certainly didnt feel he knew at all,
However after a long wait until after lunch the first race arrives, and from the off he manages to get himself up into around 8th place, the 8 lap race is soon over and he managed to maintain 7th place depsite a bit of leapfrogging back and forth for postions.
Confidence still a bit lacking and after a brief discussion about some of the turns on the track with a friend of his (also in the same race) and a few coffees later it was time for race two,
A complete transformation and again starting from 12th, he manages to climb through to 5th and hold onto it and also shaved some more time of his laps (Michael Rutter did this course in a little over 47) these guys on the twins were knocking around in 57's and 58's)
Anyway the day over, a particularly good result consideration the complete lack of track time or practice on there, and i should mention that a couple of riders in that particular field were Mallory track specialists within their own right whilst not performing anywhere near the same standard at other circuits ;)
So all in a really good day, i cant recommend watching these club races enough ;)
Got up there and it was looking a bit overcast and threatening to rain, met up with Don from Southern Cross who was running his RSV Factory in the New Era Sound of Thunder series there,
It then transpired that Don hadnt actually been on that circuit for 6 years! :D
Even worse as it was only a one day event they use the timed practice for qualifiying for both of the days races, and worse still it was 8 minutes for the session! :eek:
A few umms and ahs about gearing and he decides to leave it as it is and see how the qualifying goes to get a feel for what changes might need doing,
Qualifying finishes and he is on the 3rd row of the grid in 12th place, and looking a bit anxious at the prospect of going back onto a track that he certainly didnt feel he knew at all,
However after a long wait until after lunch the first race arrives, and from the off he manages to get himself up into around 8th place, the 8 lap race is soon over and he managed to maintain 7th place depsite a bit of leapfrogging back and forth for postions.
Confidence still a bit lacking and after a brief discussion about some of the turns on the track with a friend of his (also in the same race) and a few coffees later it was time for race two,
A complete transformation and again starting from 12th, he manages to climb through to 5th and hold onto it and also shaved some more time of his laps (Michael Rutter did this course in a little over 47) these guys on the twins were knocking around in 57's and 58's)
Anyway the day over, a particularly good result consideration the complete lack of track time or practice on there, and i should mention that a couple of riders in that particular field were Mallory track specialists within their own right whilst not performing anywhere near the same standard at other circuits ;)
So all in a really good day, i cant recommend watching these club races enough ;)