www.chuffster.co.uk

[Chuffster]

Its a bit of a missive but should give peeps an insight into life as a racer and some of the stuff we go through.


Snetterton Race Report from 10th and 11th June 2006

Mmmmmmm, where to start? Best go back to last week I suppose. Issues at work with staff caused me to work double shifts Monday and Tuesday so there was no packing or bike prep for me. Wednesday I was supposed to be coming home and collecting the caravan, ready to pack for the weekend. No such luck, double shift again and because I could not get my weekend home I went off to the Cubana Bar and met the Londonbikers crew there. Safe in the knowledge that come mid day on Thursday I would be off home I was reasonably happy.

So Thursday comes round, mid day goes past. I have an incompetent of an engineer at another site who has left me with no access to a system that I desperately need to get stuff done on. I get the go ahead to go to the building just gone one. Off I zip on the Green Goddess. After 15 minutes I finally got the bike into the lift down to the underground car park. I was hot and bothered and peeeeed off to say the least.

Well I did what I needed to in this building and made a run for home at 14:30, now 2.5 hours behind schedule. Time to gun it and try and make up some time. Well I hadn’t gone far and there was this funny feeling coming from the bike, what it was I had no idea. I didn’t have time to pull over and check so I just carried on thinking that perhaps it was me. No, it was not me, there was definitely something amiss. At speed the bike was weaving of its own accord. Puncture or wheel bearing sprang to mind. Whatever it was I did not have the time to worry so carried on home. Riding at speed down an A road I could really feel this bike moving, do I pull over or do I keep going? Keep going is the option I take. So I carry on hammering along. Joined the M25 to find it rammed with four lanes of stationary traffic. No option but to filter with the weaving bike off I set. Well I made it home, rather hot and rather fraught but I had made it.

Checked the bike, one very molten back tyre, and I mean molten. The tyre was actually to hot to touch. I found a nice nail in it, fortunately this had caused a slowish puncture and had enabled me to get home. So with that drama out of the way it was time to get packed.

Oh no it wasn’t, I didn’t have any keys to get in. Things were going from bad to worse to say the least. So I made a hasty call and someone agreed to come back and let me in. An hour later they duly turned up and I was able to get cracking. First job was to remove the wheel from the ZX7, not difficult and done very easily in a couple of minutes. Clothes were hastily packed into a holdall. A spot of food was eaten, nicely prepared for me. Off to collect the caravan I went, hoping that the traffic would not be too bad, fortunately it wasn’t and in about an hour I was back to pack it. Everything was hastily shoved in and I set off for Snetterton praying that was my disasters over.

I had a great run to Snetterton, not a lot of traffic and able to hold a very impressive speed with a full load. Finally arrived at the circuit around 21:00, the paddock area was pretty busy already. I went and found Gareth, another Londonbiker, he had saved space for me in his garage. Well his garage was pretty busy really but I was offered space in another which I gladly took. Unpacked and the caravan set up I finally turned in absolutely shattered at around midnight.

Due to the heat and the impending excitement of testing I woke early, that was 05:15. Brain straight into gear so no chance of nodding off again. I pottered around and got everything just as I wanted them. I went and got the bike ready, fuelled up, oil checked, nuts and bolts gone over, etc. Signed on for my testing at 07:30 to find I was group 3 on the day out of four. I delivered the ZX7 wheel to the tyre man with a race scrub I got from one of the racer’s, £40 was fine by me to get me back on the road again.
On our test days we only get 15 minute sessions and four sessions in the morning followed by three after lunch. By 09:00 the sun was already up and burning bright, things were heating up and it was going to be a scorcher. Well a complete scorcher it turned into, wearing leathers all day in the blistering heat was no fun at all, especially when working hard. I went out for the first session, taking it easy but slowly building the pace. The first right hander, Riches, was proving difficult as it appeared very bumpy or that something was not quite right with the bike. Coram curve was the same. I was sure the bike was fine but I was not going to push it until I had checked things over. I duly looked at the bike when I came off circuit and could see nothing amiss so I went and discussed it with others. Some people were suffering the same. I was informed that it was all to do with the cars that run there and they bump up the circuit, if you change line you will be fine I am informed.

So the next session, I changed line, that’s so much better. I pushed harder and harder and was having a great time. I was practicing overtaking and getting my confidence in braking later and later into the corners. I came back in quite happy with progress.

Out for session three, by now it was really hot but practice was required. Pushing up to race pace now, things were going extremely well. I seemed to have way more drive down the back straight than most, my braking had got so late down there by now that no one was coming past me. I was getting confident that things would go well for the weekend.

When we practice we are not just out with people from our class. Practice places are limited so you have to get in quite quick. We were out with the Thunderbike class, Buell’s, Laverda’s, 400’s and bored out SV’s etc as well as the top class of MiniTwins, the guys/girls that have been there before and proved there credentials. We have some very experienced riders within our Clubman class and we also have some riders who are still learning racecraft etc as well as all us rookies in our first season.

So session four comes out and I am having a ball again. Same remit as the previous session for me, get the confidence of late braking and actually braking hard with the bike cranked over. All was going extremely sweetly, no dramas, everything feeling smooth. My friend David ‘Smokin’ Haydock obviously had some kind of incident at Russell’s Bend, his bike was parked up at the tyre wall. For those of you that don’t know, Dave is the man who crashed in France and we have found the sequence of photos showing the accident. So the session finished, I was quite happy with the way things were going. Back to the garage I went, out of the leathers as fast as I could go. Re-fuelled the bike. More liquid on board and then off to find Dave.

Dave was at the scruitineering bay with his (ahem) bike. He was fine, a little bruised but the bike, well that was a mess. Apparently he had clipped the kerb and the bike had spat him off, the bike then righted itself and continued head first into the tyre wall. Shows that the bike was balanced but the forks were now very bent, the bodywork was smashed, left foot runner damaged, clutch lever gone for a burton as a start. He had already managed to source some spares and they were going to be delivered later that day, so I said that I would give him a hand to repair the damage.

After lunch, I completed two more practice sessions and called it a day. The heat was exhausting and my fluid intake was over four litres already. Scruitineering was open so I let the bike cool down a bit and went off to get checked. No issues, passed with flying colours. Back to the garage, wheels out so that the tyres could be swapped, today’s set were mullered. Then it was off to help Dave, he had already started and so I did what I could. We landed up putting new yokes in as well as forks. Reset the handlebar angles, changed the clutch lever, changed the footpeg etc. Went over the bike and all seemed to be fine. Dave had already mended the bellypan, couldn’t fix the top section but fortunately he had a spare. That went on with my new screen that I gave him and after a few hours the bike looked virtually as good as new. He took it for a bimble and reckoned all was ok. Scruitineering on Saturday morning for Dave as that was well closed by now.

I finally got back to base camp at 22:30 and realised that I had eaten nothing all day. Time for a fry up then, which I tucked into at just gone 23:00 before turning in for the night at around midnight yet again. I had consumed over six litres of fluid to keep myself hydrated during this test day.

I woke Saturday morning around 06:00. Off to the garage and check the bike over. Fuelled up and cleaned I went off to sign in for racing. I went off and found Dave, the bike had passed scruitineering ok. Apart from his aches he was fine. We were second warm up, a bit of a result as the sun was not producing the searing heat. Warm up went well, 10 minutes of it, lots and lots of Mini Twins out on the track which is not conjusive to putting in times but did aid my overtaking practice.

Back to the garage after, still happy that all was ok and the racing should be good. Top fifteen places for definite is how I felt. The first race of the day after all the warm up’s was Rookie 600, there appeared to be an awful accident at sears in this one, I watched a bike cartwheeling across the field and the race was immediately red flagged. Apparently one rider was knocked out but the other one involved was fine and he went on to race in the afternoon, quite successfully too.

So the racing continued and then lunch was called. There were two qualification sessions after lunch and then it was us in the Clubman MiniTwins turn to entertain the crowds with our first race of the weekend. Off to the parade/war up lap we went, I was 12th on the grid, not great as its on the wrong side but I was determined to get a good start, just like I had in France. My practice start went well, the parade lap was good, having a look around, checking the surface for damage or fluid since this morning. We lined up, the usual routine, lights on, the bikes engines revving, the lights go out and off we shoot. With the front wheel just leaving the tarmac I got a great start, problem was, there was nowhere to go as the one directly in front of me didn’t get a good start and there was no way around, just a sea of bikes. Not a happy bunny, but happy to be upright with no incidents going round the first corner, all I could do was work hard and try and make up ground. I had a couple down the back straight and was soon getting into a flow, I picked off some, I don’t know how many, but at least I was making progress. I was catching up with Matyn Pettit on number 45. I already had it in my head that I would cruise past up the hill out of Russell’s, from Fridays practice I knew he was not good up there. He went for a pass on the one in front going into Russell’s, then, he stood the bike up as he was not going to make it, and went for the grass. I thought he was just going to cut the corner over the grass but he went down, I then had visions of either rider or bike coming onto the track right on my line. Fortunately for me this never happened and I was off and running. Up the hill and round Riches once more I went. I was hauling in the two bikes in front, about 30 yards behind and the last lap flag was out. Not thinking I would catch them I decided to make sure I rode smoothly and right on line. Round Riches I went, through Sear’s, great drive down the back straight, I was hauling them in but not fast enough. Through the Esses, closing, closing all the time. Through the bomb hole and onto Coram’s, still gaining. Russell’s Bend to go, no way was I going to get them going in, I braked a little earlier than usual, losing ground but it worked wonders, I got the drive out that I needed. I was a couple of bike lengths back but gaining by the meter. The run uphill to the finish was on, could I do it? Could I? I was flat on the tank, screaming at the bike to get its backside in gear, changing up, smashing through the gears. I was level, sure of it, the line approaching rapidly, the bike inside pulled forward a little, rowlocks! I kept it pinned and was looking left at the line, I was sure I had done them but the results would show it. Whatever, I was elated, I had tried my hardest and proved that I really could race. What an absolute blast. It was confirmed that I had done it and was fifth. Three of us went across the line together with literally a front wheel separating us, you don’t get much closer than that. It was so nice coming in on the cool down lap, fellow racers shaking hands, respect duly given for the battles that had occurred in the race. The result was that close that the bike behind me, which was Susie Grayson, I beat by 0.017 of a second and she beat Martin Bissell by 0.014 of a second.

I had plenty of other racers from other classes that I know congratulate me on the performance, 5th is where I came at Lydden and I didn’t believe that! Time for a change out of the leathers as I was dripping. More fluid to be taken on board. Bike preparation time for me and a chance to go off and see people.

Next race, I was now fifth on the grid. Could I get started again? The parade lap started, great practice start by me. We lined up, now familiar routine, the start was not bad but not exactly good. I got hit going into the first corner by someone on the outside who had made a better start from the row behind. I had gone backwards and now needed to get my head down and get on with it as I had in the first race. The head went down and I passed a couple. I was chasing down the ones in front, after a few laps I was with them coming out of Russell’s, I got the drive up the hill past the first one drawing level with the next, in my mind I had made it, the corner was going to be mine. How wrong, the guy just started turning in even though I was there and it was my line, no option but to stand the bike up and slam the brakes. The other one I passed went round, the grass was getting close, oh so close, so I tipped into the corner and prayed. Just about staying on the track I was round, but, found three others now going underneath. I was furious. This was not supposed to be happening. I got back on the case, I nailed it passed the three, but, that was as far as I could get. Home in eighth was not bad but it could have been better if I had not been chopped up, another top ten and more championship points.

So I was very happy but all the same, a tad annoyed at the end of the day. We went off to see some of our friends and all got together for some BBQ food cooked up by the usual chef Wal. Neither Wal or Dave had a good day on track Saturday, Wal in a quandary about gears and Dave was not so convinced about his new forks, that added to the fact that he was aching from his off on the Friday. Anyway, we had a bit of social along with Dave and Sandra with their daughter, they had surprised me by coming along to support me for the weekend. They had taken camp late Friday night just about right next to Wal and Dave who they didn’t know. Dave used to race and is good to get ideas and race craft discussions from.

We turned in relatively early for a change, somewhere about 22:30. A couple of beers had been consumed which should help with the sleep. The heat had really died down, it was pleasantly cool. With the tiredness caused by the last couple of days, a good sleep was in order. It was all going well until midnight when the mobile rang, a friend in need required a chat. So I had a quick chat but never really slept well from that point on. I surfaced around 06:30 in the morning, off for the usual routine of checking the bike over and making sure that it was fuelled up. Quick clean to make it look ok, you know the stuff. So I went and signed on, got my practice permit and mooched around saying morning to a few people.

MiniTwins were third warm up group, so I got ready and waited. Sunday warm up is basically three laps just so that you can check the bikes are working and have a look at the track. Completed fine, it was back to the garage and make sure that I was ready for my first race of the day, just before lunch.

Well my race came, another pretty good practice start for the parade lap. Starting from eigth on the grid this time, on the inside. A pretty good start and settled down into a rhythm quite quickly. Had a battle with the guy behind who had this nasty habit of getting infront and then slowing me up so I was losing the pack infront. I kept going back past and we just kept swapping places for a few laps. Eventually I decided that I was going to be more assertive as I was losing ground now with those infront. I had the guy up the start finish, this time half a bike length out and I made sure he stayed out, tipped it in when I wanted to and set off in hot pursuit of the two battling infront of me. I slowly but surely hauled them in, right on them in the last lap. Susie was two ahead and I had already noticed that she really wasn’t that good from the Esses to the bomb hole, I presumed the guy behind was going to go for the pass so I lined up ready to get her going into Coram Curve as there would be no time for me to get her into the bomb hole. I got the drive ok but he didn’t go, he hesitated and I had to back off. The only chance I had now was the drive out of Russell’s again, just like the first race of Saturday. I just couldn’t quite make it this time. I drove hard out of Russell’s up the hill to the start finish but couldn’t outrun them this time. I crossed the line inches behind. My best laptime was faster than both but that counts for nothing when you are behind at the line. Well seventh place was not bad, again it could have been better, I reckon if I hadn’t been playing tag with the other guy for five laps I may well have been infront of these two and had another fifth. Well it was more points and I had battled quite hard to get it. I was definitely on the pace with the others and I had one more race to go, this was my best weekends racing so far really, another top ten in the last race really would do it. Susie was fifth, 0.122 of a second infront of 6th who was 0.210 of a second infront of me.

So I chilled out before I went out again, Dave had cooked some BBQ food for lunch and I had a small amount, just enough to keep me going. Back to base camp after to make sure the bike was ready for the last race of my weekend. The heat by now was stifling, 28 degrees centigrade in the garages. Not sure what it was outside in the direct sunshine, but, I felt really sorry for the racers out there. We had a result, racing near the end the temperature hopefully should have dropped. We landed up slightly better than that, we got some cloud cover by the time we went out.

So it was last parade lap, another great practice start. On the grid in seventh, definitely better positioned than eigth. Off to a flyer, round the first corner and I was fifth. All five of us went hammering into sears, not sure what was going on behind but not so worried about that. One of the front runners went wide on the corner, through I went, right behind Susie again. I was determined to get passed this time. Down to the Esses, following her nicely, preparing to make the move when we came out of Russell,s up to Riches. Well the front runner came hurtling into the corner like a man possessed, this spooked Susie who almost crashed, I was right with her so it nearly did me as well. How the guy made the corner is beyond me but he did. Well we went through the bomb hole, through Coram curve, I was on her wheel at Russell’s. There were now two on the grass but still upright at Russell’s, two places gained then as I went through. Well Susie decided to stay on the wall up the start finish. I was right alongside on the left. I stayed well over to keep her next to the wall to see what she did. Fair play to her, she just drove on up the hill, we were neck and neck. I pulled to the left to get ready to brake for Riche’s. Again, fair dues to Susie, she wasn’t going to give in and did a demon late brake just like me. She ran slightly wide but not enough room to allow me to get through, into Sear’s, she was again slightly wide and I got the drive coming out. Just about made it past her but she was suicidal on the brakes at the Esses, I went straight through behind her and got along side into the bomb hole. I kept her out and out and wouldn’t let her turn in, I turned into the bomb hole and scampered off into Coram’s, through Coram’s to Russell’s, on the brakes and no sign of a wheel out of the corners of my eye. Made a good run through and drove up the hill, tipped into Riche’s and still no sign of Susie. We had lost ground on those in front, no chance of catching anyone now but there was no way I was going backwards. So I raced hard for the next couple of laps and crossed the line with no dramas. This time placed sixth.


No rest for the wicked now though, it was time to pack. Here we get to the next technical hitch, I had left the fridge on in the van and the battery was completely flat. Justine was hoping to get her bike in the van but I couldn’t pack until I knew we could get it started. So a nice friendly chap game me a jump. Well it took ages but eventually the van fired and packing commenced. In went Justine’s bike, in went the SV, in went lots of things to the van, as much as I could get in. The rest of the stuff, and there is lots of it, all needed to go in the caravan. I did as much as I could before taking a very needed shower. I then proceeded to get the rest of the kit aboard and we said our farewell to Snetterton for racing this season.

The roads were reasonably quiet on the way back, nice and pleasant. Then we met a proper pikey lorry with a doghnut stand on the back, it just pulled out of a side turning right infront of a car a few ahead of us. On hard go the brakes, praying that we stopped as I have a lot of weight aboard. I couldn’t believe that the lorry driver had just pulled out, they nearly caused a pile up. Turns out this pikey lorry was being driven by a female, should have known. So we settled back in to our stride and hammered off down the A11. Briefly joining the A14 before turning back onto the A11, cruising along nicely. As we came off the A14, in our filter lane we were catching a lorry up who was staying on the A14 and in the next lane. No issues there then. Some little green polo cruised past us up to the lorry, a bit strange that it didn’t overtake but you never know. Just alongside this polo on the inside, it decides its coming our way, no room for both of us, I jammed on the horn and swerved, not a manoeuvre you want to do with a caravan on the back and very laden at that. Fortunately he swerved back out and somehow we didn’t collide. We were still alive and accident free but that was a right close one.

When he finally overtook me he got a good few salutes out of the window as he went past, I can tell you.

Heart now having stopped racing we continued our journey, making good progress. Now comes the next problem, BANG, more strange noises and things are not feeling good, the foot was off the throttle and mirror checks made. The left side wheel of the caravan had disintegrated, I watched as bits flew off as I slowed down. Pulled over on a slip road that was ahead to inspect the damage, ouch. Steel tyre threads and bits of rubber all over the place. Not to worry, I have a spare wheel and a jack. So out came the wheel brace and trolley jack. Wheel nuts undone and I jacked a very heavy caravan up. Off came the wheel, too hot to actually hold. Then I really started to get worried, every time something went past the caravan was moving on the jack with the air pressure. I had to move quickly and get the spare on. I managed this with the caravan not quite coming off the jack, phew. The tyre was at 15 psi and needed to be 65. Time for a lot of pumping but drama out of the way we got going again. We have lost the wheel arch from the caravan and the wheel trim but that’s better than having had the thing turn turtle on us.

No more dramas ensued on the way home and we finally arrived at the local pub for a beer and some food, well deserved and definitely required. Not sure what the pub thought of us taking up six spaces of their car park with the van and caravan but it had to be done. So we had a pleasant beer and some food before finishing our journey home where it was time to unpack. Finally we were sorted, a shower definitely required and sleep.

So that was the weekends racing, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th positions. I really, really enjoyed it. I was not the easy pushover that I have been, I was out there fighting hard and fair like I should have been from the start. I got some good results, it’s been my best weekends racing so far. I have learnt a few things, I need to get a laptimer for practice so I can see how I progress or don’t as the case may be. I have learnt that the SV can be chucked into corners hard on the brakes and is stable, just like my ZX7. I have learnt not to drive at excessive speed when towing and laden.