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2006 race reports and results. 2006: 2nd Clubman Shootout (on SV650)
2005 race reports and results. 2005: 3rd Minitwin Rookie (on SV650)
Snetterton with BMCRC, 15th & 16th September 2007
Me at Russells |
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For 2007 Snetterton seems to have transformed itself from a windswept, stressful and cold circuit to a sunbaked and relaxed venue where smiley people hang out. Maybe it's just because it's end of season and racers have chilled out a bit, plus adding in a nice bit of global warming always helps.
I had high hopes for this meeting since the club's last visit to Snetterton ended in three 5th places and I was in fighting form. I was keen to get over the disappointment of not really getting to grips with one of my least favourite circuits, Mallory Park, a few weeks ago. I was also 5th in the Clubman 600 championship, though the guy in 4th was running in the MRO Supersport 600 too. Since our races were combined with the MRO for this meeting I had a good chance of moving up to 4th in the championship this meeting. A million miles from 3rd unfortunately, but better than a slap in the nether regions.
Practice day was incredibly relaxed and fun. I hadn't seen teammate Deb and mechanic/driver Buddha for weeks so we had a lot of catching up to do. I'm really bad at getting up to pace outside a race and at the moment still have no idea how to correct that. However, at least I managed to get into the 1min15s which is slightly better than usual.
Race day had us qualifying with the MRO SS600 grid. Another thing I'm rubbish at. I qualifed 9th out of 14 Clubman 600 riders - we have an usually smalll grid with up to 40 from early to mid season but interest and most likely funds have dwindled the numbers. Onto the racing. Race 1 was Clubman only and I continued my general recent tendency of starts which see me scythe my way to the back. Well, OK, not quite as bad as Mallory (I couldn't be worse) but still giving myself more work to do than really needed. Still, I love being brave at Riches and Sears (the first and second corner) so recouped some places pretty quickly. I ended up catching the next group after about 4 laps then passing 3 with little aggressive moves (getting a bit better at those) but losing the final lap fight and ending in 8th place. The sprint race in the afternoon was similar with 7th place acheived.
On Sunday we had extended races of 10 laps due to the joint MRO grid. This turned out to really work against me as my arm pump kicked in big time after 7 laps (our normal race distance). In race one I had fought my way up to 6th place and was keeping it before the arm pump meant I could not pull on the brakes late enough or feather the throttle. I tried battling but it was impossible to keep the pace up and I lost 4 places on the last lap, ending up 8th again. In fact I've worked at so many things to reduce this arm pump and having discussed braking techniques with Deb before the race I looked down when the problems started and realised for the first time that I was braking with just my second finger! No wonder I was struggling. It's like weight lifting for 20 minutes with just 1 finger instead of say 3... can't blame my arm for giving up the fight really. Unfortunately the damage was done - arm pump often takes a day to get better so massage and tiger balm application attempted, the last race of the day was still affected by it. I ended up using all fingers to brake and used my thumb to roll the throttle on - about as much finesse as a charging rhino. Another 8th and a disgruntled Feisty. Well, at least I know what I need to work on now, so I have a couple of test days coming up and correcting my braking technique will be the main focus.
Next Deb and I are competing in the Hottrax Racing 6 Hour Endurance in the Supersport 600 class at Silverstone on 6th October. We're engrossed in the planning and learning stages as this is so very different to 10ish lap club races. Can't wait.
Mallory Park, BMCRC, 26th & 27th August 2007 (a long report)
For a Feisty racing weekend this was remarkably lacking in Feistys. It's late in the season and departures, breakages and breaks meant that only Amanda and I were racing, me supported by Buddha (half-inched from Alex Bailey Racing) and Amanda supported by Rich. In addition we had the benefit of the terrible twosome of Bob and Buttons, plus Mark, a mechanic from the Phase One endurance team. In fact following the mad rush to get two bikes and myself scrutineered on Sunday morning before anyone else got up, I was hardly allowed to touch the bike. Felt like a reet proper rider.
Gabs turned up on the Sunday to show off the wires poking alarmingly out of her hand, which were removed the next day. Deb was showing off by competing in an International race at Pannonia Ring then 3 days of track day instruction with Focused Events at Brno. Damned jet setting European. Trix was on a well earned rest and Tammy decided to try out her journalistic skills at Cadwell BSB, finding out just how much swearing goes on in the press office and how to interview top racers without going bright red and stammering (takes me back to days of Ben Bostrom being in the paddock, sigh).
On to the racing in question. Mallory Park. A tight circuit with 3 tight chicanes (the new Gerrards chicane, Edwinas and the Bus Stop) and a tight hairpin (inventively named Shaw's Hairpin). And if you get the impression the circuit's a tad on the tight side... you're right.
"So, why two bikes, Susie?" I hear you ask (or is that me talking to myself again?). Well, I had an opportunity to try out the Triumph T675 press bike lent by Tony Scott who runs the Triumph Triple Challenge Series. This was in addition to my normal championship, the Clubman 600.
My first look at the bike was Sunday morning at 8.30am when I grabbed the bike and some control tyres, threw some numbers on it and rushed down to the scrutineering bay. My first ride was to be in first qualifying, but with two 15 minutes sessions that would hopefully be enough to at least get used to the bike before a race. Sadly that was not to be. 15 minutes before the race Buddha thought to ask if it was on race shift. Oops. I spent a good couple of days in Spain in February getting used to race shift after "twelvety" (ahem) years on road shift. Two days well spent as race shift really does feel so much better and you can't just chop and change. Well I can't anyway. Old dog, new tricks, etc. After a bit of rushing around trying to find Tony with an adapter and our attempt at a bodge, I decided to go out anyway to at least get used to the handling. One lap later and I came in as it was never going to work, the bodge had raised the gear change about 6ft too high so it was impossible to ride. Mind you, it did seem to turn into the chicanes very nicely indeed. And I discovered that changing up before hitting 12,000rpm was a good idea.
Out on the R6 in Clubman 600 qualifying (we were sharing the grid with the MRO boys so had to qualify with them for one session) and I found myself having to think hard about gears after only one road shift lap. Blimey, I didn't think it would be that bad. I managed what I considered to be a measley 1min05, which was my best time on the Minitwin last year. I came in and mentioned that I couldn't outbrake a toffee wrapper into Gerrards chicane and the Hairpin, so we changed my short Pazzo brake lever for a standard long lever so I didn't have to work so hard. We also put on new HEL brake lines with a single join at the top so I could move the lever further round and hopefully reduce arm pump.
Next we managed to get race shift sorted for the T675, so I got my head down in second qualifying and really tried to chuck the bike around and get a feel for it. I was hitting the rev limiter too much since I'm used to changing up at 14-15,000rpm on the R6, plus changing down was much more clunky due to the triple torque. I was struggling with up changes too, often getting stuck in 3rd or 4th on the two straights. It probably just needed more time as it felt much more like riding my old Minitwin. Unfortunately after 9 laps the exhaust decided to come apart so back to the pits again. I'd managed a 1min6 best so not too bad considering, though I had qualified last. I fully intended to make up for this in the races.
The first Clubman 600 race was without the MRO boys, and it was a lonely grid with only 12 entries, unfortunately for me most of the riders above me in the championship were competing so no chance to nab extra points easily (well, any opportunity!). I had an apalling start, which was repeated throughout the weekend for some reason. This particular one was because I was sat in 2nd gear!!! What? How could I STILL be affected by the road shift lap?? Well, after a rubbish start I backed off for Gerrards chicane in a very feeble self-protective fashion and ended up last coming out of it. This meant having to battle hard for the whole race to gain self pride again. Well, I did achieve this to a certain degree, putting some solid block passes in and battling up from 12th to 6th place, with a best time of 1min3.7. I was still mighty peeved with myself for making it such hard work though. The brake lever had worked a treat - better braking and minimal arm pump. The only problem was that I seemed to be getting brake fade so the brakes were bled a couple of times.
Out on the Triumph again and it was the first race, an 8 lap Superpole. I managed precisely 2.25 laps before the shift lever fell off. Hmm. It turned out the thread on the shift adjuster had been mostly removed. So after the opportunity for about 40 minutes on the bike I had managed about 15.
Onto the next Clubman 600 race, the Superpole with the MRO lads. I had another rubbish start and was again last out of Gerrrads chicane. I've not been this bad since... well, ever I think. I've no idea where I left my race start balls this weekend. I looked everywhere for them too. I tried fighting up the pack but let myself get caught up behind the competition and ended up 9th down into the 1min4s. I'm sure I came in with a great excuse which got the boys making adjustments to the bike. I can't recall what it was - a dog ate my homework or something equally crap. Oh yes, brake fade again. More investigations and we found that the pads were almost worn out, so we got some new ones ordered for the morning.
Monday morning was another bright, dry day and far less hectic fortunately. We messed around with the Triumph a little more to try to improve the clunky gear changes (the bodge to get race shift wasn't ideal) then I went out for the 3 warmup laps allocated. Unfortunately I was just not happy with the bike. It was giving me severe heebiejeebies going into Gerrards with loads of bouncing (rear shock too soft) and was just too different to the R6. I weighed up my options and decided that I hadn't had enough time on it to get it set up for my riding style and weight, and also that I couldn't really mix the bikes up like that. To really give it a run I'd need to test and race just the Triumph on its own. It felt a little defeatest as I don't like to give up, but in the end the bike was parked up for the day in favour of concentrating on the R6. The 3 laps on the R6 felt so much better with a planted bike that I really feel at home on.
The Clubman 600 races were both planned to be 13 laps on the Monday (again due to the mix with MRO), so a real challenge for stamina at this level. The new brake pads were in and I was told what line to take to stop mucking up the first two corners. Which I promptly ignored and messed up again - I'm pretty sure I was last out of the chicane yet again! Again I put up a fight but this time found it much more of a struggle as I was really struggling to brake hard and got bad arm pump about 6 laps in, which quickly deteriorated. I managed a 6th place again.
We investigated the brakes yet again and found that the new pads hadn't bedded in properly. Close inspection showed what seemed to be a manufacuring fault line in one pad and a slight warp in another, so I could have been 25-50% down on braking power. I suppose that would explain a lot. I whacked a load of tiger balm on my arm and spent the next 2 hours hoping it would recover for the next race. We ended up digging the old Vesrah pads out of the skip and putting them back into the bike (after washing coffee off them!).
The last race was better - a slightly better start was ruined by a pansy entrance to Gerrards chicane again (some aversion therapy needed I think - well, I did crash there during Wednesday practice). I had decent brakes and zero arm pump for the whole race and managed to last the distance without getting too tired. I executed a couple of good block passes and also managed my best time of 1min3.6; still a second off my aim but progress of a sort and not too shabby.
Next race Snetterton on 15th & 16th September.
PAINKILLERS TO PUDDLES – IT’S ANOTHER FEISTY ADVENTURE
3rd at Oschersleben (Germany), European Women's Championship,
12th August 2007
Germany was an experience. Well, I say Germany but it was really France that was the experience. Well, I say France, it was really French hospitals that was the experience. About halfway to the Channel Tunnel, I began to get stomach pains, which got progressively worse and became serious get-me-to-hospital pains. So go to hospital we did. In the middle of France. Where they don’t speak English. A few blood tests, an X-ray and an armful of pethedin later and I was starting to feel better. They wouldn’t let me out though so I gave up trying to figure out what was up, ripped the drip out and scarpered. Oschersleben here we come. The pains came back so poor Buddha had to put up with my moans and groans and multiple pit stops for the whole drawn out journey. Deb and pal Christine were waiting for us impatiently as we turned up 10 hours later than planned, I left them to the set up and collapsed in the pikey caravan. The pain made practice day was made more interesting, but fortunately I was loads better by qualifying on Friday.
I managed to qualify in 3rd place during the morning session, determined to improve on this by half a second at least to get 2nd spot on the 600 grid, however, in the afternoon the heavens opened and thwarted all of us. My best time of the weekend was 1min38 as we had no more dry sessions. I did manage to set 2nd fastest pace in the wet qualifying session but of course this didn’t improve my grid slot.
Race day greeted us bleakly in a very moist fashion – never a racer’s favourite but not too bad for me as I tend to go well in the wet. I was well up for it during practice and decided that whatever happened I was going to finish the race in one piece and with a trophy – this was my day!
Onto the race start and I had a great one; gridded 8th overall as we share the line-up with the 1000cc class. For some reason the rest of the pack seemed nervous of the first corner; I mean, what’s wrong with 14 bikes into one chicane with standing water both sides eh? I took another couple of laps to get past another 1000 and my main 600 rival Tina, then with 8 of 14 laps to go suddenly noticed I was gaining on the fantastic Dutch racer Iris Ten Katen. Another 2 laps and I was really making headway suddenly realising I actually had a chance for the top spot, so I got my head down, Iris looked round and spotted me and got her head down too. Unfortunately my determination was my downfall as I made a few mistakes past backmarkers and had a few very close calls with the front and rear tyre losing grip – I lost 2 seconds a lap for 3 laps in a row and allowed another two 600s past me!!! Time to really knuckle down to get that trophy so I started working on getting them back. Poor Italian rider Sharon lost the front going into the last corner with about 4 laps to go – I narrowly avoided her and her bike and lost valuable seconds in the chase for 2nd place. Tina kept her spot in the end and I had to be content with 3rd.
Deb was placed 4th and showed real improvement on lap times so we were both pretty chuffed. I hate her though since she came 4th in the championship and I came 5th. Cow. We’ve pushed for 5 rounds each with 2 races next year which would mean a crash wouldn’t be so devastating to a championship position; we'll see what happens.
This is my first trophy of the season and it says European all over it – how cool. And I’ve wanted it so badly that I couldn’t be too disappointed. It’s the lot of a racer that we will always berate ourselves for missed opportunities though, so I’ve replayed those last few laps many times (I always seem to get past Iris and win for some reason!). Now I want to go and get a trophy in the Bemsee Clubman 600 Series. In the words of Marylin Manson “fight fight fight fight".
Huge thanks to Tom Gander (Buddha) - driver, mechanic and entertainer. And also to team mate Kat Prosser and her boyfriend Chris Cuckoo for helping and of course making the partying loads more fun (the 6 up scooter video is online!).
Brands Hatch GP, MRO, 21st & 22nd July 2007
In the usual Feisty style for 2007 we're filling the weekends up. Brands GP saw a small Feisty contingent as the Minitwins (with Gabs) was the only one of our classes running. I entered the Supersport 600 MRO round and Amanda entered the SS400 - the GP circuit is just awesome and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to race there.
Because of lack of time after Assen and all my spares and tools being in the back of my stacked up van, I had to get set up Thursday night then fix my bike, a job I thought would take 3 or 4 hours. In fact it took longer since I kept finding another thing broken, and I finally got to bed at 2am.
Practice day was a washout. I spent most of the day changing wheels since I guessed the weather completely wrong every time; I managed to get 2 full sessions in when it dried up in the afternoon.
Saturday weather looked changeable; for MRO there are 2 qualifying sessions and one short Superpole race. I managed to qualify 17th out of 34 which I was very pleased with, although the time wasn't that great. The first session was damp initially but dried out completely, however it was offputting as it's not easy to tell if the track is still damp or not, so hard to really go for it. The second session was fully wet. The Superpole race was very late in the day. I had a cracking start setling into about 13th place after the first couple of corners. Unfortunately I suffered from 2 stupid mechanical problems which affected my pace. The first was a loose right rearset - I could feel the peg was loose and upsidedown so had to keep lifting my foot to change body position. Secondly the handling seemed oddly out with the front very loose and slapping a bit coming out of corners and in a straight line. I didn't know what the problem was so kept going, but lost a few places because of it. When I got in I found that I hadn't tightened the rear axle nut after adjusting the chain - this had caused the movement and I was lucky that nothing worse happened. I ended 18th out of 34 with a best time of 1min38.1 which I was keen to improve upon.
Sunday was a bit more postive with the weather with dry tyres all day. There were quite a few morning stoppages so our first race wasn't until after lunch. I didn't have a great start or race and ended up back in 19th or 20th spot - I'm not entirely sure as I was disqualified for noise regulations. I was not best pleased as I was given no warnings and have had a problem with the baffle falling out before. Well, onto the next race and I had a fantastic first corner, ending up just behind the talented rookie Andy Yelland for a few laps. A couple of guys got past me but I was in the battle and gained on them at Paddock Hill, lining up for an overtake out of Druids on lap 2 so I could carry on persuing Andy. Disaster struck though as the 2 right in front of me had a slight coming together at Druids and slowed eachother down midcorner. I'd already committed to a fast line as I was determined to make the overtake on the exit, but unfortunately I had to either crash into one of them or dab the brake; I opted for dabbing but lost the front and hit tarmac and gravel. I was unhappy to miss out on a great battle.
The bike wasn't too bad this time, just a fairing bracket broken I think and a bit more gravel rash. The R6 is definitely starting to look distinctly second hand!
Assen (Holland), European Women's Championship,
15th July 2007
I love racing in Europe, it's warm, sunny, relaxed and friendly. Sometimes the organisation leaves a bit to be desired, for instance the own-nationality favouritism in Italy, but Assen was loads better.
The only problem we had was the lack of practice - no pratice allowed 6 days before the race - which completely favours locals and those who've raced here before so we just don't understand the reasoning of "it's fairier". With just 3 qualifying sessions on Saturday, Deb and I decided to enter the main Superstock 600 - this worked for us in Italy as we gained much needed pracitice time. However, a miscommunication with tyre rules meant we weren't allowed out in the SS600 first practice of two (and the races and sessions were back to back) so we just decided to pull out of it althogether.
The qualifying was as expected, with both of us dropping lap times each session. I managed to get down to a 1min53 which put me 4th in the 600s, but with 2nd to 4th all in 1min53 it was going to be a good battle for that second spot. Iris Ten Katen at her local track put in a 1min49 for pole. I was so excited on race day absolutely determined that this would be my first podium of the season.
We had a short practice first thing then whiled away the hours til our race. On the grid we managed to forget our Feisty brollies so didn't look as glamorous as at Vallelunga. We also had our new sponsored 666 leathers with us but didn't have time to bed them in and make minor adjustments so we couldn't wear them here.
Warmers away, boys off the grid, red lights out and we were off. I got a great start and was about 5th overall into the first corner, gaining another on the next set of bends. A couple of the 1000s managed to get back past on the straight but I was ecstatic to be 2nd in the 600s for 3 or 4 laps with Iris ahead but pulling away very slowly. I started to tire a little and let Tina past so had to give myself a severe talking to in order to battle to get MY second spot back. Bad luck hit shortly after; the drizzle started to come down and the track became a little dicey. Here a little local knowledge would have gone a long way - an off camber corner where I'd been touching the peg down a few times during qualifying proved to be a slippery customer. I didn't give it the caution it needed and lost the front into a lowside.
The race was red flagged and then restarted declared wet. The recovery truck took a while to get me and the bashed up bike back to scrutineering and I was itching to see if I could get out in a restart. In fact there wasn't time and I had to watch dejectedly from pit lane with people chatting to me whilst I was feeling very grumpy. I had to be content with knowing that I was going well, though "would have got a podium" just doesn't make up for the disappointment. Well, I mean business at the next round which is a month away in Oscherleben in Germany. Time to kick girlie butt.
Snetterton with BMCRC, 7th & 8th July 2007
This was my absolute best weekend for racing so far; although I've had the highs of race wins and cups in the past two years, I've never really been battling in what I would consider to be a highly competitive class at the front (as opposed to a race within a race or a rookie class). The Clubman 600 is a stepping stone to the MRO class and I really feel as if I'm progressing and learning after so many ups and downs. I'm a way off MRO level yet, but the perseverance and practice is starting to pay off. I hope this keeps up at the next meeting as I do tend to be more than a little inconsistent.
My results were 5th, 6th, 6th and a 7th; it doesn't sound that great but in the last race I was sniffing at 3rd for most of the race, got the 3rd fastest lap and managed to apply an aggressive overtake which I've not managed before. Before this I've really not had a clue how I could get up to the front. Now, thanks to some advice from some fantastic people (Bob, you're a star), I can see what I need to do, and that gave me the confidence not only to make a new manoevre but also to smash at last into the elusive 1min13 lap times consistently. I need to apply the aggression a lot more and plan ahead more, so getting my head into gear before a race has suddenly become a lot more important.
Practice day saw Deb and I being helped with our suspension set up by Dave Hickman (dad to BSB rising star, Peter). We had problems with the Bitubo shocks, with someone breaking the compression adjuster on mine and Deb's spring being too hard. Also, we had been struggling with knowledge so team mechanic, Conrad Lewis, also benefited from additional tuition so he can support us even more effectively. Dave worked with us all day to get some good base settings which we were both happy with, as well as ideas for improvements. We even got the chance to try new Dunlops; both of us loved the way they allow you to turn the bike on a sixpence, but both found the straight line handling to be unmanageable. We need at least a day's testing to get the bike and our handling tweaked to make the most of these tyres. The testing was made harder by the extremely strong winds which made the front end light half the time, and pushed us into corners too fast the rest of the time.
For the 2 race days we were also running full hospitality for sponsors, friends and family, and were lucky to have Hawk Kawasaki's hospitality truck for that purpose. We also had beautiful weather for both days; a real bonus in this poor weather we've had so far.
I went to the meeting 6th place in the championship but the guy in 5th wasn't there so I was gridded 5th for the first race. I had a reasonable start but had a few good overtakes made on me which I couldn't quite answer and ended in 7th. The next race was loads better - started 7th and ended 5th with some really good battles. Sunday's first race I had another good bunch of battle and ended 6th but came out wondering what on earth I had to do to get that elusive podium. I had a good chat about my riding style and got a good tip; put this to good effect (though just the once) and although I only got an other 6th I really feel I can see what to do. Enough of this running in 5th to 10th position, I need to get higher and I'm damn well going to. We compete in the European Women's Championship at Assen next weekend and I mean business. It's a tall order as bizarrely we're not allowed to practice so we're straight into qualifying! I can't wait.
Lydden Hill with
BMCRC, 16th & 17th June 2007
This Kent circuit is a very tight twisty thing for a 600 - no idea how 1000s and sidecars manage! Not sure where to start with gearing after a few sessions on test day, I conferred with Phil Seton and got advice which worked well for me, thanks Phil. However, I was doing my usual pootle around and found myself struggling to get the bike turned into corners. I conferred with more advisors and ended up dropping the forks through 5mm to improve the turning. Unfortunatelty I didn't get a chance to try it out as the heavens opened for the last session.
Race morning practicse found me cruising again, but I do have a tendency to find race pace so I really should stop feeling frutstrated about it! I was amazed to to 5th in the championship coming to Lydden so was 5th on the grid. Race 1 was a mix of fantastic and grrr frustration. I got a great start and kept 5th for about 3 laps, then found myself very obviously held up round most of the circuit but unable to push aggressively enough for the overtake. This meant I could feel the breath of riders bunching up behind me, so I was desperate to get past. In the end my lack of agression lost me 3 places as another 2 riders got past both of us, and I ended 8th. Still, I could smell the front.
The second race was almost a repeat of the first with the exception that the 2 riders who past us started in front. I ended up 9th after appearing to the rest of the team to have given up the fight about half way through. O n the track I felt as if I was battling well, so I need to figure out why I'm slowing.
Sunday I had a 10th and a 9th with two really great battles with Alex Bailey who had been getting to pace the day before. He beat me both times but it was very close for the whole second race. I achieved a personal best in the last race of 44.2.
Pembrey, South Wales with
BMCRC, 26th & 27th May 2007
We suffered a little for the extremely hectic last few weekends; Deb and I both FORGOT to book onto the practice day until it was too late - it was fully booked. This was a really bad thing, espeically as we were bunched in with the Supersport 600s and straight into qualifying on Saturday morning. I'm rubbish as qualifying even with a practice day under my belt! It didn't do much good to the mental attitude which is a shame since I was on a high from Italy.
The all rain forecast managed to be wrong for Saturday, and it was dry all day, with my lap times getting down to 1.03s in the second race. This was my best time from last year, and I was hoping to crack 1.02s reasonably easily so was disappointed and put it down to the time it takes me to "dial into" a circuit. I was gridded way back in 9th and my best place was 5th; a good result on the surface but not so great when you look at how small the field was - less than 12 from a usual 40ish. My target was the delightful arse of Mr Alex Bailey (boyfriend to chief Feisty Pit Bitch, Trix). My plan of slapping it on the way past wasn't to be as he was on trophy winning form in the first race, though he T-boned Pat Sheridan in race 2 on the first corner.
Sunday brewed up a cold wet day for us, and the rain hardly let up all day - at least we didn't have the usual problem with drying conditions and which tyres to use - it was VERY wet. For some reason I can't fathom I was a complete pansy in the first race, pottering round in 1.12s and totally missing the opportunity for a trophy. Alex was the performer, coming in 2nd in race one. For race two I got my head down and started a chase, getting past a couple of riders and into the low 1.08s, chaing Alex down much more successfully this time; another lap and I'd have done it, but came in 5th with a bit more self pride.
I now need to figure out why on earth I'm so inconsistant. It's time to call in someone to sort out my head. So I' trying to set up a mentoring session to see if it helps. I know I can be fast; I know I can perform. Sometimes it just doesn't happen and I've no clue why. Two weeks to try and do this before Lydden, but unfortunately I can't get onto the practice day for that - so best my head gets really sorted then!
Vallelunga (Italy), European Women's Championship,
20th May 2007
It is possible to turn things around after a run of being rubbish, and I'm pretty sure that I managed to do that in the baking sun of Southern Europe. Stressful plans came to a tee after Brands when I had to change my plans and drive down to Italy with Buddha after being at work on the Monday.
We had thought we were practicing at the circuit onThursday but it turned out not to be, so after a long drive down Buddha and I had a nice relaxation time which we filled with a visit to Rome on my new paddock scooter. What a mad bunch of scooter fiends the Romans are... and what a hoot it is to join the mad fray, it's a while since I've giggled so much. We parked the scoot on a pavement next to the Colleseum and took in the sights. I'd now make hiring a scooter a pre-requisite to visiting any European city - it's the only way to travel and you can really go anywhere and stop wherever you like! That is if you don't mind the risk to your bones from the mad over/undertaking locals.
At the Colleseum in Rome |
Pizza in the local town
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The "garage" |
Deb drove down from Vienna on Wednesday night arriving shortly after midnight, and on Thursday we suffered the nightmare of Italian's favouritism of the locals being made to wait outside the track until about 3pm (having turned up on Tuesday!) and then being directed into an almost empty paddock we could easily have been let into days before... We then had a ridiculous jobsworth trying to move our van back 3 foot for safety purposes. After initially asking Deb not to be argumentative in case we got chucked out, I gave up and joined the arm waving shouting match too and we ended up ignoring the guy. There was a very safe 50 foot in gap in front of us all weekend - bloody beaurocrats!
Con arrived on Thursday night so the team was all present and correct (missing Tammy who couldn't locate her passport, unfortunately).
Back to the track...
Vallelunga is an AWESOME circuit. From the layout and the first few laps you'd think it would be as physically hard as Cadwell but it's not that bad. There is a mahoooosive "straight" from the start finish which goes on for miles into the wind, with a couple of kinks which are really hard work but you can't roll off - fantastico.
We both decided to enter the "boys" European Superstock 600 race as we needed the track time - this turned out to be a really good idea since we both consistantly dropped seconds each time we went out. On Saturday we did 4 sets of qualifying, 2 per race class. In the EWC there were 17 girls in the 600 class, and 8 girls in the 1000s, so more than last year. The front runners are very fast - they would be able to get podiums easily in the main classes, they're that good, so stiff competition.
My best time was 1min52.052 (qualified 6th), and Deb's was 1min55 (qualified 9th). To get a chance of a podium we need to be in the 1.49s, so still some work to do! I was really pleased that I managed to qualify in the main Superstock 600 race too, albeit 36th (4 people didn't qualify and I was 36th out of 37), though 19 laps was a big ask only 2 hours before the EWC, so I only completed about 5 laps before deciding to preserve tyres ans strength.
The EWC wasn't until 17.00, and we were really tired after so much time on track, but this was the main event so time to dig deep. The grid was fun, with Con and Buddha finding out just how hard it is to support 2 riders with pit board, tyre warmers and bike stands. I was lucky enough to have a cute local lad, Michele, as my brolly boy, much to the amusement of the rest of the team. Chatting him up kept away my pre-race nerves entirely so I was very happy.
Photos done, warmers off, boys away and we were ready to go. The usual warm up lap then lights out and we were off. Deb got a great start and was just behind my for the first corner (after the long wavy straight) where one girl outbraked herself and took another out; this slowed down a few of us but affected Deb more than me. I got past a couple more riders and settled down into regular lap times mostly in the 1min52s; I'm no good at glancing behind me, so I was always conscious that there could have been someone breathing down my neck, so that spurred me on to good consistant lap times even after being really tired at the 7 lap half way point. I could see one rider not too far behind when in the hairpins, but I knew I was losing time on the next group in front so had no chance of catching them. It turned out they were all lapping at 1min50s and 51s, so maybe another couple of days at the track I could have been there too. My race was pretty uneventful after that first lap really. I was pleased to come fifth when 3 of the girls in front were local and knew the track really well (we need to host this at Brands Hatch!), and the other had raced here 2 or 3 times before too. there were 17 starters in our class and 14 finishers. Deb ended up 9th after a couple of good battles.
4 up scooter antics |
Race preparation |
Deb on the grid, Con is the brolly boy |
Susie on the grid |
Straight after the race we had to rush to pack up so that Con and I could catch flights back, Deb could drive back to Vienna and Buddha could hit the road with the van and caravan (what a star for driving on his own all the way back!).
Thanks so much to Buddha and Con, we couldn't have done it without you. I can't wait for Assen now, and have decided to take a bit more time off to enjoy the whole thing a bit more; after all, you only live once!
Brands Hatch Indy Circuit,
12th & 13th May 2007
This feels like the most rubbish race weekend I've ever had, though I'm sure that's not really true. I'm pretty sure I'm just burnt out with all the stuff going on. Note to self; take a break at some point. It didn't help getting a nasty hacking cough and feeling all achey and flu-ridden. Well, I didn't get a higher place than 15th, tried new wet tyres which I hated in drying conditions, and since I've been top 10 so far til now I don't really want to expand on that, OK? This won't be repeated.
However, the Feisty Hospitality was a resounding success. We had loads of visitors on a sunny Saturday, and a nice big party in the evening. Sunday was a bit of a washout but we still had folks in all day. It was great to see so many people coming to support the team and I hope they all had as much fun as I think they did. Well done to the whole team for pulling this off, it looked great!
Snetterton with New Era,
6th & 7th May 2007
Having crashed at Cadwell I decided that I needed a shake down and to check the bike out, so I got myself to Snetterton with a late entry into the New Era Superclub Formula 600. I turned up Saturday late afternoon and got myself unpacked and down to the office to join the club and pay for race entries. Luckily they managed to fit me in as they had decided to split an initially shared 250 and F600 grid.
Onto the qualifying session; having looked at the competition I found that the F600 Superclub is very much akin to the MRO level, i.e. a step up from my usual Clubman level so plenty of fast boys to make me work hard. I really am so bad at qualifying; I can't seem to get my head into gear for it, and ended up touring round at a measly high 1.16 earning me a 20th place on the grid. Low and embarrassing, oh well, I decided to self-berate mercilessly. No need to worry; I acheived my Best Lap Time around this circuit of 1.14.03 in race 1, which was great, but not quite the 1.13 I was aiming for... always driving for more. Oddly all the races were 10 laps, not the 8 on the program; which I didn't realise until I started to wonder where on earth the last lap flag was. In the second race I had some odd problems with gear selection - I couldn't change into 6th for the last 3 laps and 5th for the last lap. This is quite vital at Snetterton with its fast straights, so I came in (16th place) wondering about the clutch. In fact after getting advice that it's unlikely to be the clutch and having a good think about it, I realised it was probably the height of the gear change lever - it looks as if I may have been pressing down on it slightly which means it couldn't respond to my gear change properly. I adjusted it and it seemed to be OK on Monday.
I was looking forward to the Monday to get that elusive time, but the morning was grey and miserable with pouring rain for 1st practice. I managed to get 14th on the grid in wet conditions, but the first race was heaving down with lots of standing water on turning in points, and after 2 laps of aqua planing I decided that self-preservation was more important than a place or 2 and just stayed on and prayed for the race to end. I came 12th out of 13 riders, with times that showed how unhappy I was. Race 2 was better, though the drying conditions in the afternoon meant a lottery on tyres. I kept full wets on and would have been better with a dry rear; my rear tyre is now mullered. I did manage 8th place though, with 1.19s in the damp, so not a bad end to the day with a good feeling from battling past a couple of guys in the last 2 laps.
The social side was great; after a very quiet Saturday night when I wondered if I'd made the right choice, a mad supermono bunch in the same garage showed their true party colours on Sunday and took me under their wing, for which I was very grateful. They provided laughs, sausage butties, a boy band, underpant posing and a re-enaction of the Generation Game. I'll go to another New Era meeting if that's all on the cards again!
Next round - Bemsee at Brands (12th & 13th May) then straight on to Vallelunga for the EWC.
Cadwell Park with Bemsee,
28th & 29th April 2007
I competed in the MRO Supersport 600 round at Cadwell, as my normal Clubman Championship wasn't running this weekend. MRO means qualifying and extra long races; a real challenge as I'm not too good at getting to pace unless I'm racing, plus I do suffer from arm pump so the longer races will be hard.
The running started pretty badly as the fog delayed practice day start until 11am. I was very frustrated as I know how difficult this track is, and moving from an SV650 to an R6 basically means relearning it. I pansied round in the first session (I always do) then got my head into gear for the second session as I was keen to be competetive in MRO. My plans were dashed when I came off at Charlies on lap one and really mullered the bike - it was cold front tyre syndrome. I was fine but spent the rest of the day rebuilding the bike and only managed to get out again in the last session of the day - then ended up doing about 3 laps because I found the throttle cable had stretched and needed replacing. Rob Hoyles kindly sorted me out with his old throttle assembly so I fitted that (thanks for your help, Bully) on Saturday morning and had a shake down in the warm up session.
Two qualifying sessions saw me improve from 1.46s to 1.43s, so getting there, but still away from my weekend target of 1.40s. I qualifed 22nd out of 25. The sprint race in the afternoon should have been 6 laps, but was cut down to 4 due to stoppages - quite a relief really. I ended up in the 1.44s and 19th, in front of 3 others. So that at least got my target of not being last!
Sunday consisted of two 10 lap races and one intrepid Feisty racer. I've never been so pleased to see a finish flag; unless you've done this yourself you wouldn't quite get just how physically gruelling this racing lark is - 10 laps really doesn't sound too bad does it? Well, arm pump set in on about lap 4. I managed a good few low 1.42s before slowing to 1.44s and crossing fingers that I wouldn't get lapped. This felt so demoralising; I was completely gutted when I found out I was last, although 3 slower riders did pull out of the race. I must admit to having negative feelings about Cadwell now since I always crash here and can't really see what I need to do to bein the scrum I want to be in.
The second race was red flagged... because of me. I crashed in the warm-up lap when a guy ahead slowed down unexpectedly at the bottom of the Mountain - I suppose I was too keen to have a go at a new line through Hall Bends. I ended up being stretchered off to the med centre for a lie down for the rest of the day having landed on my head and left shoulder.
As ever thanks to the whole team - we really do stick together. Tammy got to boss me around at the med centre and the whole team helped me pack. Radka and Bully drove me home as doctors orders said I shouldn't.
The best buzzes from the weekend were Radka coming to find me waving her cup for 3rd place, yipee, then dashing down to watch Sarah Jordan WIN the Thunderbikes with a stunning performance - I got goose bumps thinking of how she must be feeling.
My next aim is to get back on and make sure the crashes have not slowed me down, so, shoulder allowing, I'll enter the New Era rounds at Snetterton next weekend.
Snetterton with Bemsee,
14th & 15th April 2007
This was a fantastic weekend for the team; but I'll leave that for the team write-up. It was a brilliant race meeting for me personally; yet again a personal best lap time of 1min14.2, cracking last year's best by over 2 seconds a lap; plus I had my best ever finish in the dry, coming in 6th place in the second race.
My love affair with the R6 is still in full swing with no sign of let up, although I did experience problems with the clutch on Sunday. In the first race it caused a loss of place when the gear kicked in 1/3 way into a corner instead of before it (on the last lap), then the last race I had a distinct lack of confidence with the clutch and only came in 12th. I've just spent a small fortune on a new slipper clutch so that will be fitted before Cadwell Park in 2 weeks. The other 2 races I ended up 7th and 8th, so a really great weekend albeit with a slightly disappointing finale.
A first for me - my mum and (step-dad) Harry came to watch and I managed NOT TO CRASH!! So they can rest easy that they weren't jinxing me; well, I'm not superstitious anyway, but mum is. I didn't mention the practice day crash to them, but I'm pretty sure they won't read this :-) My knee is still pretty sore as I hit the ground at a good pace running on the grass out of the very fast right hander, Corhams. It was an interesting crash; I had committed to my speed and line but found I was about 5,000mph faster than a Minitwin. Because of the speed and lean angle I couldn't go anywhere but into his rear wheel, so instead I grabbed a handful of front brake and did 3 massive stoppies before running out of tarmac. If only there were cameras out on practice day; it would have looked very cool. The guys behind me were impressed.
Brands Hatch Indy with Bemsee,
10th & 11th March 2007
The first race meeting of the year was a gloriously sunny occasion with just me and Deb Cartwright competing in the Clubman 600 (the rest of the team debut at Lydden Hill a couple of weeks later).
The weekend was a thorough success for me, gaining four top 10 places including two 7ths against a full grid. I have not felt this at home on a bike for many years, and managed a best lap time of 51.3.
The R6 is such a different beast to the SV; it's a thorougbred stallion versus an old cranky mule. I did love the SV and racing in the Minitwins but with constant suspension problems and a tatty crashed bike for a couple of years I suddenly feel as if I've emerged into a new world. There is so much more to consider when setting up a 600. Whereas on the SV I could go with a gearing ratio after one attempt and generally it would be OK, with the R6 it's a real battle on practice day to get the right set up. I've finally settled on a 190 rear tyre for the season so at least that's one less decision to make.
Practice day was a little odd. The morning was sunny and Deb and I agreed to spend the first few sessions getting back into the swing of things before swapping wheels (trying 180 and 190 tyres) and chasing eachother to improve lines - this latter element helped us so much when we were testing in Spain. Unfortunately the weather turned wet for the afternoon which scuppered our plans somewhat, but never mind, that's British racing for you.
Saturday Race One found me gridded on the 9th spot since I had been in the championship last year. Poor Deb was back in 28th spot getting her binos out to catch a glimpse of me. I had a reasonable start; not the best so I really need to improve these. I must have been running in about 12th place by Druids, the 2nd corner. Suddenly I found my mojo and started picking off my competitors, with strong moves on all possible corners. I finished the race very pleased with myself and was stunned when I got back to the garage and the girls told me I'd come 7th! This was on a grid of 38 and was a massive achievement for me.
In Race Two I managed an appalling start which really set me back to about 20th on Paddock Hill. I had to pick my way past the crowds and ended up too tired to make the moves I should have made, coming in 9th.
Sunday Race One I was gridded 9th again - a great place because it's on the outside for a strong move round Paddock. I had the best start I've ever managed and whooped round Paddock in 5th, gaining another at Druids straight away, and lapped 3 times in 4th place. Unfortunately really bad arm pump set in on my throttle arm which made Graham Hill a very weak corner, and I kept losing places. I ended up 7th place, though euphoric about the battle.
Race Two was hard with my arm still hurting and my head was telling me negative things like "I never do as well in the last race" and "I'm too tired to do well". I really need to stop those thoughts. I ended up in 10th place but with every intention of battling hard for a podium at the next round - which is Snetterton on 14th & 15th April.
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