Lydden Hill 22nd/23rd October
2006 MRO Powerbike Tour
2nd Place - Open 1300cc Championship
bike's up 4 sale you know the spec £5750 ovno tel 07939 909685 email meangreen.zx10@gmail.com
Lydden Hill 22nd/23rd October
Well it was time for the final round of the Open 1300cc Championship and I was ready to defend my Lord of Lydden title but with Steve Mercer hungry for it so I new my work would be cut out.
Qualifying
I awoke inside my chilly van to rain on the roof so Dad,Loz & I banged on the wet's and got ready for the qualifying session (Loz would now like to be known as Pit Bitch so that is he from now on)
It was raining quite hard as I started my laps but slowly I brought the pace up to finish 5th on my part worn Bridgestone Wets, I was quite satisfied with this as Reckless had only qualified in 9 th place and he and I were disputing 2nd in the Open 1300cc Championship.
Race 1
AS we lined up for this race the track was drying quickly and everyone bar the pole man was on wets. I got a fair start and held 5 th for 2 laps but after this my tyres destroyed themselves as the track dried.
The rear overheated and I was losing grip everywhere, on lap 6 Reckless came past and started to draw away only for his tyres to overheat, on lap 10 I re-passed Rob and snaked my way to safety and finished in 7 th place with Rob finishing in 10th. That meant that I took a further 3 points away from him and 2nd place in the Championship was mine by 12 points.
Race 2
This Race was dry and again I got a good start and fough hard with John Paul Scott for 4th place, on lap 4 I out-braked him into Paddock and caught up with Bob Collins who was riding fairly erratically. I tried to make a move on Bob but realistically I knew I had to beat Reckless Rob and that was all so I did not see a point in placing myself in any danger. On the last lap Bob out-braked himself and we drew level but he managed to hold me off for 2 nd place.
3rd was good enough to draw 18 points clear on Reckless so job done for Saturday.
Race 3
Very wet for this race, the weather report stated that it would rain all day and bastards were right.
My start was cautious but I followed the top 4, no one really wanted to make a mistake but Johnathtan Harle made a dash for the lead and unfortunately binned it with 3 laps to go. I was lining up a CBR6 for 3 rd place but cooled it as pit bitch gave me signals that Reckless was way behind. John Barnett tried to overtake on the last few corners but I blocked his path and came home in 3rd place.
Once the results were verified I had confirmed 2nd in the championships which I am really pleased with.
Lord of Lydden
By the time the big race came about we had rivers of water everywhere, I had qualified 2nd (on best race laps) with Mercer on pole. My start was o.k and I passed Same Bishop for 3rd place on lap 1, Mercer and John Paul Scott had about a second lead on me and on lap 8 of 12 they pushed away a bit more, I made a few mistakes trying to go after them then just settled for 3rd place after Johnathan Harle binned it behind me, the last 2 laps I cruised it home for 3 rd place as Mercer won the coveted title.
Review
This season has been a great one and I'm pleased to say that in everyone of the Open 1300cc meetings I have managed a podium. The Kawasaki has been faultless to ride and has given me so much pleasure. The Race of The South win must be the highlight of the season but I really enjoyed the atmosphere of all the meetings and the people that came along.
Regards and respect goes to;
Fellow riders Merc and Reckless, really enjoyed racing you both and we all learnt loads from each other!
My Dad for his support, Pit Bitch & Pit Bithes bird (Tori) thank-you for your support, Chris,Graham &Les, Malc,Gail,Ratty and Peter Ratcliffe for your support (RIP) , Richard (WEB LORD), Pretech Engineering (Chris&Steve), No Limits (Del Boy & Dangerous Disco Dave Lawes),Keith and Barbara (Motorcycle HQ), Graham (mjk/technic), MHP (Mark), Held Gloves, HJC Helmets, WPS, Respro, Mark @ Holbeach Tyres,Fliwick Motorcycles and the missus for letting me out of the house to race and giving me money.
Brands Hatch October 7th/8th
I entered the Champion Of Brands round which also continued my quest for the Open 1300cc Championship, I've raced so much at Brands this year that we now know gearing and suspension that i think i can be competitive from lap 1.
Saturday.
First out was qualifying which was strange in a way as all the other rounds have been on Championship positions, i was 3rd in the standings but still had to fight for my position on the grid!
After a fraught session i managed to post a 49.5 second lap qualifying me in 3rd place, there was loads of traffic and getting a clear lap was nigh on impossible.
Race 1.
Onto the front row of the grid i felt pretty good but needed a race to sharpen me up, i got a great start and was second going into Paddock corner, on the way out Neil 'bully boy' Faulkner tried to ride round the outside but i held him off and we rubbed a bit which i o.k by me as Neil seems to like riding this way and I'm fed up of taking his shit (by the way he's a real nice bloke outside of racing)
For the rest of race i tried to dual with Mercer closing on him but unable to make a move so 2nd was the result.
Race 2
Again i was 2nd into the first corner but led into Druids after out braking Steve Mercer, we dualled for 2 laps then Steve led the rest but i tried to make it as difficult as possible, on the last lap Mercer closed the doors in the correct places and again 2nd was the best i could do. This did help me as i overtook Reckless Rob in the Championship standings for 2nd so job done in that respect.
Sunday
Race 3
After a 5 minute warm up we were ready to roll, all the top boys were on new tyres but sadly we've no budget for that so it was racing on the scrubbed one's from the day before.
Got an o.k start but was only 4th into Paddock corner but soon into 3rd place and chasing Mercer and Neil, on lap 4 Mercer got pushed wide onto the grass through the start and finish and i backed off as it looked as though Merc was gonna have a massive off, he saved it (thru the grace of god) then 3 corners later Neil lobbed it at Graham Hill, by this time James Webb had snuck pass and was battling for the lead with Mercer and i but in reality 3rd was the best i could do as the Kawasaki and my tyres could not get any real side grip out of Clearways so i was losing a bit of time.
Race 4
Got a great start in this race a led for 2 laps but a missed gear out of Paddock it cost me and i was demoted to 4th place in a real ding dong of a battle for the lead, again my bug bear was Clearways corner and what ever i tried the bike would not hook up as well as the competition. The 2 left handers at Brands i can pull back the time i lose but we really need to get it sorted for next year so i can win.
Anyway i finished 4th this time as Reckless had a inspired ride but I'm still 9 points to the good and 2nd place in the Championship with 1 round to go.
Champion Of Brands
For this race i had only qualified in 6th place for so a 2nd row start it was to be.
I got another good start and was 2nd into Paddock Corner with Mercer leading, Neil came past on the 2nd lap out dragging me out of Clearways (suppose that's the difference a 8k bike to a 23k bike) and i managed to hold 3rd place till lap 5 . On lap 5 Webb squeezed past and started trading paint with Mercer who unfortunately crashed up Paddock Hill causing the race to be red flagged.
On the restart again i led but was soon overtook as i slithered out of Clearways, Reckless rode well and took it to Neil but his package was too strong and he won the race with Webb 2nd Reckless 3rd and me 4th.
My fastest lap was in the last race at 48.7 secs which equals my best of this year, i really felt any quicker and we would have crashed as well
Review.
I am really pleased with my results and my riding, people are commenting on my safe but fast riding over the last few races, I'm really looking forward to Lydden Hill and i would like to thank my Supporters for coming this weekend.
Roll Call
Loz and Tori (signboard gods), Dad,Uncle Brian, Chris, Malc and Gail,Bazza Booth (where's the 2smoke?), Mark Neate (no limits)
and Ratty.
Brands Hatch 16/17th Sept
After a month and a bit off i thought it was time to get my act together and get racing. Bemsee was holding there annual GP circuit race at Brands Hatch which would be interesting as i've not raced at the GP Circuit for 2/3 years
Practice
Everything went o.k and i ended up around 8th quickest, a lot of the boys practiced the day before but as this is team no budget i saved the dough. Gearing was about right and bike felt o.k
Qualifying Practice 2
Went out with the front runners to get a good time in, Rob and Damien Haywood were in front and i was circulating with them posting o.k times, my board with 3 laps to go told me i was in 6th position but then i started having brake trouble with the lever coming back to the bar. I came into the pits to find that my fluid had boiled so that was the end of that. I ended up 9th!!!
Race 1
After changing fluid, burning our hands and cleaning and checking the calipers (thanx for the silkolene Rob) we were ready for race 1
I lined up on the 3rd row but was on the high point of the grid, my start was o.k but Dave Hewson and Pat McDoughall managed to get into the first bend in front of me and the quick fella's, after 2 laps i disposed of them and set about catching Pete Baker, Rob and MRO Champ Paul Barron, i got Rob after he made a mistake and set about Baker but could not quite do him and Barron at the end and missed 3rd place by 2/10ths of a sec coming home in 5th. The race was only a 4 lapper due to a massive start line incident so hope all is o.k with everyone who was involved.
Race 2
I was promoted to 7th on the grid and got away well in this race, again i had to overtake Dave Hewson and then set up catching Baker for 5th place. On lap 6 i could see the distance shortening from me in 6th to 2nd place and i got back on touch with Baker and Barron. on lap 8 i managed to squeeze passed Baker and set about Barron but got alongside but could not make the move stick so was quite pleased with 5th again. My lap times dropped significantly into 1min 32.7 a whopping 1.9 seconds better than qualifying!!!!!!
Race 3 . Again not a bad start and i was cooking for this one, i passed Baker on lap 4 for 4th position and set about Paul Barron for 3rd. After passing Paul for 3rd i set about making the break but unfortunately the brake lever went back to bar again and i had to pull in. The calipers had started leaking fluid and it seams a seal has gone in the right side caliper.
Review
Again a good display and if i ignore Mercers winning streak i am the only standard engined /wheeled bike out there in contention. My fastest lap was only 3/10ths off the best lap time of the weekend so again we can stand proud!
thanks goes to;
Richard (web-site lord), Tristan, Jamie C, Dad (no sleep eh), Uncle Brian & Eileen and (2smoke) Ratty p.s keep it a secret!!!!!
bike's up 4 sale you know the spec £5750 ovno tel 07939 909685 email meangreen.zx10@gmail.com
Brands Hatch 29th & 30th July 2006
At last i was back on track and ready for action. I had decided to enter the National MRO Championship rounds as the Open 1300cc Championship does not re-start till October.
My next round at Brands in September will also be the MRO as well.
I arrived late on Friday night as i had a bit of a nightmare with bleeding my brakes but everything was sorted out with my Dad and i got a nice space iin the paddock.
Sat
I had 2 qualifying slots for Saturday and 1 qualifying 6 lap race, in first practice i dialled myself in and was 2nd for a long time until i got caught in traffic which placed me 6th. I was not happy with grip levels of the circuit but was about 1 second away from pole position.
In 2nd qualifying i again tried to get grip but out of Clearways and Paddock Hill the bike was slewing sideways on the first application of throttle and i was having to be gentle with the throttle to try and keep me going forward, in the end i qualified 7th and only marginally improveed my time out there.
Race 1(Qualify) We went back to the gearing i had in May to try and improve traction as i would be geared a bit taller, i got a fair start and was 6th into the first corner, Mercer, Barron and Faulkner cleared off at the front which was expected but i managed to hang onto McFeeley and Peter Baker. On the last lap i outbraked McFeeley ino Druids and reeled in Baker but was not close enough to challange so ended up 5th which was not too bad. Times improved by 3/10ths as well.
Sunday
After a good night in the bar and walking the track with Jay, Loz and Tori and some bloke deciding to take off all his clothes and dance around naked in the bar at the end (much to Peter Lawrences disgust as he wishes it would be a bird not a chap taking his pants offf) i got a good nights sleep and was really ready for Sunday which would be the major day in MRO.
Warm up. I led warm up from the start and Faulkner just nipped past at the end on his trick R1, grip level was good but it was quite cool at the time.
Race 1 . We decided to start keeping an eye on Tyre pressures so the tyre would work at it's best (new rear slick for Sunday as 14 lap races) I got a fair start and was 6th into Paddock Hill, the first 4 laps i admit i was hanging on a bit and again chasing rear grip, on lap 5 Elsemere came by and went straight past McFeeley and started challanging Baker for 4th, i passed McFeeley into Druids and set about catching Rob and Pete. On lap 10 i reduced the gap and Pete was now attacking Rob who seemed to have lost his flow a bit. On lap 12 Rob Elesmere made a mistake out of Clearway and Pete and I went passed him on the start and finish straight, i closed onto Baker on Lap 13 then flew into Paddock up his inside on the last lap blocking him out then defensively held 4th to the finish line, it was a close thing though as my rear tyre let go around Clearways on the last lap bouncing me out of the seat a bit. Elsemere got 5th with poor old Pete 6th. Great Flipping result though really enjoyed it and so did all the team and supporters but the rear was still tying itself in knots out of Paddock, Druids and Clearways.
Race 2
After a long wait it was ready for the final race of the day for Powerbike. I again good a good start but was cautious out of Paddock as Mercer and Faukner were banging fairings in front of me up the hill, somehow that Irish fella McFeelley got by and it took me 3 laps to put him to bed again, i was then in no man's land as Baker had pulled out a 2 second gap on me i tried to close but it remained pretty consistant. On lap 8 Reckless Rob Elsemere came past and tried to pull away but on the penultimate lap i passed him again out of Graham Hill bend and got 5th. The rear tyre was again useless and i had a near crash in the middle of Druids when she started to come round whilst i was fully banked over.
Overall a good weekend though consistant results and a happy team, i'l be looking forward to Brands GP in Sept now. I spoke to Bridgestone the day after and it seems that a soft rear tyre will not work in this heat so i will go back to using a medium as we do not want to get caught out again.
Thanks to;
Malcolm,Ratty,Loz,Tori,The Cooper family&the old man for the support
Snetterton 10th & 11th June
Well it was time to break out of Kent and race round the flat and fast circuit of Snetterton, the weather report was for warm weather and they did not get it wrong!
Practice.
After fitting new boots it was off to scrub in the slicks , Saturday was warm but blustery, i had great fun dialling in swapping track position with Reckless Rob Elsemere and we spent the whole session flipping the bird to each other down the straights.
Race 1
I was 3rd on the grid for this one (ala champ position) got a good start and was 2nd into the first corner, Mad Mercer pushed me wide at Sears and then led from Rob, i trailed Rob until lap 3 where i forced it up the inside for 2nd. The rest of the race was chasing Mercer who kept 10 bike lengths in front and i crossed the line in 2nd place, pretty good so far. Loz my new mechanic tried his hand at pit boarding and gave me good signals from start to finish.
Race 2
Some chap on a ZX10R (Dienza) had finished 3rd in that race so joined us on the grid, at the start i tried to go to early braked then the first 2 rows came by, so i screamed bollox into my lid and started charging. I was 6th on lap 1 5th on lap 2 4th on lap 3 after passing Michael Obrien. Mercer who was leading decided to throw himself onto the floor at Sears elevating me to 3rd and then i charged after Harrison and Elsemere racing over the line for 3rd place. Another good finish so i was well pleased.
Sunday
Race 1
Felt up for it on this race , changed the gearing slightly and soften the front end a bit searching for feel.
Got a o.k start and was 5th into the 1st corner but it took me 3 laps to get passed Michael Obrien again, i started to catch Reckless and Harrison at the mid piont of the race then made a few silly mistakes which devalued all my hard work. On the last lap i had settled for 4th place but Harrison had a major crash highsiding out of Richies puttting the red flags out and leaving me in 3rd, another trophy and good points.
Race 2
The weather was now stiffling hot, 29degrees with a track temp of about 35 degrees. Mercer told me in the warm up area that this was gonna be slower than race 1 Sunday and he said it right. Got away in 4th place but Michael Obrien again wanted to duke it out with me which he got. On lap 4 after some near contact moves i got the break and raced thru to 3rd place which i held on til the end. Rob won it with Mercer second and little green me in 3rd position.
Got to admit it was a cracking weekend weather brill social side great and my newbe good friend Jamie C had his first Bemsee meeting on his 350lc
Many thanks to Loz, Tori and Graham at GLF for the support.
Back to Kent next for me end of July see you there!
Brands Hatch 13th & 14th May
After a bit of a gap i decided to take the Kwaka out to one of my favourite tracks Brands Hatch.
After winning the Race of the South trophy it was time to try and gain the Sir Ben Ball Trophy in the open 1300cc race.
I had a quick run round at Mallory Park to get myself back on the pace but had changed nothing on the bike since Brands, and to all those people who think my bike is heavily tuned etc, the only thing different than standard is different bellmouths.
Race 1.
I was 2nd on the grid for this one as this is my Championship position.
I got a good start and was 2nd into Paddock with Steve Mercer leading, we followed each other for 2 laps and then Reckless Rob Elsemere come past into Surtees,i tagged on the back of these two who where dueling for the lead and gained some riding experience behind them, on the last 2 laps i made an attack but could not find a way past and finished in 3rd place but recorded quicker lap times than the two in front.
Race2
I Fluffed the start on this one and was 6th into the first corner, after duffing up an R1 and R6 on the opening laps i got my head down to try and catch the trio in front, the gap reduced down to under 2 secs but I could not get thru so finished in 4th place. Much respect went to Richard Wren for getting an R6 up there. I recorded the 2nd quickest lap time which was a 49.0 which pleased me and showed some good form.
Sunday Race 3
I again fluffed the start and was 9th into the first corner, so i went on a headbanging mission to recapture places and got back to 5 th after riding as ragged as I ever want to, Michael O'Brien managed to nearly wipe me out into Druids but thank god he managed to avoid me, I know he feels I was somewhat to blame for this but I can clearly say that I never saw him out of my peripheral vision. I nearly got Kenny Everest at the death but just missed out.
Race 4
After messing around with the gear leaver we replaced the worn rubber hoping this would benefit us. I got a good start (for me) and managed 5th into the first corner and on lap 4 passed Kenny Everest into 4 th and started chasing the leaders, i got up with Steve Mercer but could not find a way pass as Steve 's riding style is the opposite of mine so I finished in 4th place. After the race i found out that i had recorded a 48.7 sec lap which is my fastest race lap round brands.
I enjoyed the meeting but have got to stop letting myself down at the start, Snetterton should be more of a challenge for everyone and I'm looking forward to it so roll on June.
Brands Hatch 11th & 12th March
Well it's been a long lay off over winter and it seemed only correct that we got out on the ZX10R as early as possible.
Over the winter i have treated the bike to new suspension (WPS) new exhaust and bellmouths (MHP) and new bodywork.
I tested at Donnington in the snow the Monday before which other than my resilience to the cold showed not much else
Brands Hatch was the first on the calander at a Bemsee meeting called "Race of the South"
I arrived on Friday night in my van and stopped over, many thanks to Peter Lawrence for sharing his Chili with me and making the coffee.
Race1.
In freezing temperatures we soldiered out to the 4th row to see how we could do, the final race would be for the coveted Race of the South trophy so i was taking things in my stride.
I got a good start slotting into 9th on the first lap, i quickly joined the bunch fighting for 4th place but was slowed by a misty visor and finished 7th
Race 2
Second row this time.
Much better start about 6th into Paddock Hill Bend, after 2 laps i started moving forward and by lap 6 i was in 3rd place, the bike was driving really well out of Clearways and i was catching the leader. I was still a bit careful into the two left handers as track temperature was hovering around 2-3 degrees. On the last lap Steve Mercer did a do or die into druids for the lead and i levelled with Adam Lovett for 2nd place into bottom bend but he had the line so i finished 3rd about 1second away from the lead
Race 3. I holeshoted into the lead into Paddock corner but was overtaken onto the start and finish after a slide out of Clearways, i held 2nd place until Steve Mercer dived up the inside to demote me on lap 5. After this it was very nip and tuck to who would get the win , we all tried different moves but due to lots of yellow flags Pat Sheriden took the win from Steve then i, only 1/2 second covering us all.
Race 4. It was restarted after 3 laps, Webbo went down but glad to say after a sore head everything is o.k
Got the holeshot into Paddock corner and won the race and "The Race of the South Trophy". First 2 laps were dodgy though could have fallen off about 3 times but managed to get heat in the tyres and on my last lap posted the fastest lap time of the Open 1300cc class for the weekend.
Review
A good weekends racing except for the cold weather that made it painful for the guys that came and helped, it was worth it though.
Quick thanks to
Dad, Chris, Brian, Martin, Graham(mjk), Held Gloves, Oxford Products, No Limits, Holbeach Tyres,Pretech Engineering, Motorcycle Hq and web lord Richard.