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[Chuffster]

Well, time is flying along, and I still have not got out on a race track yet this season. Its still not looking good due to the hectic work schedule. My first race was to be at Brands on the 3rd June, but I have now pulled the plug on that. I still have not tested the bike, and I won't be able to get out on it before the third anyway, thats if I can even make the date in the first place.

On the Bandit front, things trudge along as ever. I no have new chain and sprockets on it, the old rear sprocket had lovely hooked teeth, the chain was on full adjustment and was half way to scraping the floor. The right peg now has even less on it and when it touches down now, the back tyre is in slide mode due to having the sidewall on the ground. I really must start behaving!

A couple of weeks ago I got pulled up! No great surprise really, its happened many times before. The interesting thing this time, was it was British Transport Police! Having done some serious miss behaving past some of these before, I thought they had no jurisdiction on the public highway, seems I have been wrong all these years. To cut a long story short, I was not doing anything particularly wrong, just for once. The guys speedo was blatantly inacurate, unless he couldn't read. Thje Bandit speedo said 55, he reckoned he was doing 70 when I went past him (50 limit). I was also undertaking! Travelling in a filter lane constitutes undertaking? I got an official warning.

So I have now been doing my research as I feel completely agrieved about the whole situation. I now have a reasonable amount of information from a member of the ordinary constabulary and shall be testing the waters of British Transport Police to get the officially recorded warning removed from the system. Fingers crossed.


In the time that I last wrote, I did manage to get down to watch the boys racing in the club round at Brands. I could only manage the Saturday, I had other commitments for the Sunday unfortunately. The weather was ok, the track dry, but I can not fathom out why many people decided to lob their bikes down the road! I believe there were 50 plus accidents on the Saturday. There were 5 stopped races at least. I don't believe anyone was seriously hurt, which is good news. I was busy taking pictures for the day, as well as trying to watch the racing. Watching Ian and Dave going at it in Thunderbikes was great in the second race, Dave hunting Ian down, almost making the pass on the last lap, but missing out by quarter of a second!

It was a big weekend for the Feisty team (Girls racing team), with most of their racers out and about. The hospitality after the days racing was great. Good to catch up with them all and have a chat about how things are progressing.

On the Sunday, I was at a wheel womens day. Unfortunately, the weather was dire, just as it was at Brands. Fortunately for me, I was inside helping with the Girls Bike 2 fashion show which I was there to film and take pictures of. Not a bad day out all things considered.

No news from Sundays racing at Brands, so I looked up the results and read the racing forums. It seems like carnage continued at Brands on the Sunday, with plenty more spills (it was wet). Rumours of a river running from Druids down to the dip after paddock hill bend and also to Graham Hill bend, a lake in the dip at the bottom of Paddock? All sounds rather unpleasant.

I know Barry Dunstan came a cropper, quite a nasty spill rumour has it, the bike is supposedly in bad shape? I also think Tony Rand (Looney)came off again? Plenty of others as well. I know Dave circulated, far from on his previous form of the year. He was on his recently reconstructed bike after his demolition of it at Cadwell, plenty of changes made which include a Gixxer front end. So Dave will have to bed back in to the bike, hopefully back on form soon.

Moto GP from Le Mans this weekend was a great race to start with, then the rain came down and there were spills and thrills all over the place. Huge well done for Chris Vermuellen from bring the Suzuki home in first place. Bradley Smith got 3rd in the 125's and was looking pretty comfortable up the sharp end, lets hope there are more podiums to come for the 16 year old British talent.

We also had BSB this weekend, some great racing there. Poor old Grogorio though, Ducatti power letting him down, is this going to be a rerun of last season? Looking comfortable in the championship so far this season, its all turned sour on him now as Kiyo goes into the lead thanks to two wins. Kiyo had a great fight for it though with his team mate. The support races were good as well, some notable performances from ex Bemsee riders. My mate, Kelvin Riley, took the win in the first race of the Supuer Duke challenge, lets hope he can get a few more in during the season.