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Test Day - yay.

Due to my accomplice in crime, Chief Wobbler, going to a wedding on Friday, we had no choice but to travel up to Snetterton at silly o'clock on Saturday morning. So hot foot it out of bed at 04:15 we went having not gone to bed before midnight.

Going through the Dartfor Tunnel before 6am only costs a quid in the van - result! Up the M11, carefully slowing down for the latest piggy bank system in the 40mph zone. Roadworks for what? Can't see anything happening there. Across the A11 and before we know it we are at the track. Next problem, I need juice, and the garage that was near the entrance of the circuit last time I was here has dissapeared! Finally found a Tescos with garage, no super unleaded so ordinary juice instead.

Off to the track and time for unload, we have to go through scruitineering at 07:30!

Managed to squeeze into a garage that already had 3 bikes, set up shop nicely. Went and purchased my race numbers (51 allocated, but that was only for the day. My season will apparently be something different). Numbers on the bike and off to scruitineering I went. Joined the queue and waited patiently. Finally got to the front, bike gone over and only a couple of things not liked. Minor probs so it was allowed through. I needed bungs to go in the handlebars and foot pegs. Well I managed to get handlebar ones from the shop onsite, but, no footpeg ones. Tough.

Off to the classroom we went for part one of the day. Had a run through of all the flags we are likely (or not) to see through the racing career. These differ somewhat to those you experience on a trackday.

Class out of the way, prepare for the track and out we go. Dave Lodge, last years club champion is instructing, so I decide to try and hook up with him for a bit of educating. Well the first few laps were dead slow but the pace increased. I managed to keep with Dave very well and eventually he waved me past and followed for a few laps. Afterwards he was quite complimentary so I though things were going quite well.

Off to the classroom again for some more instructions. Tyres were the centre of discussion as well as bike maintenance.

Off to the track again, just went out and did my thing this time. Having a right old blast but the wind was playing havoc with trying to control the bike. Down Revett straight, I reckon the bike was at a 15 degree tilt to the left to try and hold a straightish line. Well, despite the winds best efforts at shoving me off the track I was running faster and faster, lap by lap. Then it all went horribly wrong! Round Coram curve, on the brakes for Russels chicane, lovely. Round the right, turn left, on the gas and away went the front. No chance of saving it. Bike slid and slid straight into the kitty litter. I managed to seperate and landed up on the grass. Behind the tyre wall I go and the marshalls rescued the bike and got it to safety. So I was collected in the van, along with three others that fell off, and taken back to scruitineering. Bike checked over and I was told all I needed to do was clean it and it was fine. So back to the garage I went. Gear change was knackered but the scruitineer hadn't seen it. Well fortunately for me, it was only the rod that needed changing and having delved through the bits we found the ideal replacement. Fairing off and a quick clean of the bike, got some of the dirt off. Duncan changed over the rod for me and we checked to make sure all ok. I had to dash off to class so Duncan finished off putting the finishing touches to the bike for the next session. Dave Lodge had come over and asked what happened, told him and he said that it just wasn't the conditions for pushing.

Third classroom session was all about ACU rules and regs and stuff like that.

Off to the track we went again. Bike seemed ok but I decided it was time to take life a bit easy and shake down to make sure all ok. Well thanks to someone binning it at the bombhole in the previous session we had a long wait. So we sat there in the gale force wind. Freezing cold and now with blocks of ice for tyres. After about ten minutes out we went, stone cold tyres and I am sure that the wind had increased, it was definately brass monkies out there. So this time I took things nice and easy to make sure that the bike was fine. According to Duncan I was running a very nice slow time of 1:30 laps. Crap, but better to stay upright now. I had a rye smile this time out though, first lap, and at the same place I had crashed the other Mini Twin Instructor had gone down, exactly the same as I did.

Anyway, lunch was called so it was off to try and warm up in the restaurant. Had Scampi and Chips and a lovely hot cup of coffee. Good chat with Garry Morris and his lovely wife, he ran Mini Twins last year, great rider. The family were marshalling for the day. They must be mad to want to stand there waving a flag in a sub zero wind. Without people like these though, racing would not take place so to each and every one of them, a great big thanks.

After lunch, back to the classroom. This time, all about filling in the paperwork required for the race weekend. Plenty of info to take on board here. This needs to be learnt and become routine (hopefully).

Back out on track we went. Again taking things easyish. No idea of times. The wind was still playing havoc. Hit a real strong gust between Ritches and Sear that actually lifted the front of the bike off the ground! Things were going fairly well despite the winds efforts and I was slowly picking up the pace, still not pushing in corners particularly. No ide of times but they were irrelevant. Just wanted to survive the day really.

Off to class again, all about race starts and grid formation - GULP. Next session we were to have a practice race start. Oh heck. Well things got delayed. One of the sidecars decided to blow its engine on Senna Straight, right on the racing line, all through riches, still on the racing line and round to Sear where it must have pulled off. All this way right on the race line. Half hour delay called because of the cleaning up operation. So we did the 19 question ACU multiple choice paper. 19 questions that I am reasonably convinced were answered 100% correct.

The rookies with me were either 400's or Mini Twins. The Mini Twins section were asked who wanted to go poll position, no pressure. So we all looked at one another. No one could decide so I said what the heck, I will go for it. It may be the only pole I get to do so I may as well have a go. So that was it, grid was decided and we were all given our pisitions on paper, just like we will on the real race day.

Off to the track, we had a practice grid formation in the collecting area. Off we went, round the track to form up on the grid proper. So I go to pole position, cacking myself somewhat. I have no experience of getting this thing off the line at all. Having discussed this issue with some mini twins racers before, I had a plan, time to see if it works. We were doing the typical race day one sighting lap from the grid but I decided as did everyone else it seems, to go for the start and give it a go. So the marshall waves off the front row, four of us go for it and hammer up to the first corner, cracked it, perfect start I think. Got to the corner first, nice. Now time to take it in and think about it before we reform on the grid. So there we are, marshall with the red flag in front of us. Well it was so windy he couldn't hold the flag above his head. Anyway, off he goes. Lights on, a couple of secs later and off they go. I got this one right as well, the front started to rise in second gear, but only by about an inch so no worries. Off round the first lap, despite still taking the corners easy I went across the line first, second lap the same, cool. You could feel the bike moving a little on the corners now, time to back off so I did. A few went past but by now I wasn't trying. Surviving the day was far more important.

There was one more session to go. I decided to call it quits now while I was ahead. So we stripped the wheels out of the bike and went and got them shod up with nice new Pirellis. Wheels back in the bike and then pack the van. Great big thanks to Duncan for helping me out in this operation, two pairs of hands are always useful at times like this.

Off the pub we went for a pint and a chill.

So to sum up. I learnt loads in the classroom. I discovered that I can get the SV off the line, and pretty sharpish. I don't like riding in the wind. The bike runs well.

The most important thing I learnt. Don't push the bike hard on shagged out tyres! The front tyre is the same one from when i bought the bike back last March, it was already second hand then. Since then its done two days and two evenings round the indy at Brands. A day on the GP circuit at Brands. A full day in excessive temperatures round Silverstone GP. Now a full day round Snetterton. The back had faired slightly better as i had it changed when i did Silverstone. I had oredered new rubber but due to not going up on Friday as originally planned I decided to get the rubber changed after the day. Turned out to be a bad mistake, but, fortunately I have lived and learnt.

During the day I bumped in to many people that I met whilst spannering last year, including that reprobate Oli Twisted from London Bikers! Was good to see him out there and in fairly buoyant mood for the season ahead in the headbanger 600 class. Good luck to him. It was great to catch up and have a gossip with many people, these race boys are actually quite friendly really.

At the end of the day thanks to Chief Wobbler for turning up and every now and again making herself useful. It was great to have a tea lady and a paddock stand monkey! Well she also learnt to get a tyre warmer on by the end of the day as well. Huge thanks to Duncan, made my day so much easier and less stressful, dont think I would have got so much track time without you buddy.

Cant offer up any happy snaps as Chief Wobbler decided to go on strike for the day. Apparently the van with the engine running and heater going was preferable to standing out in the cold taking happy snaps of yours truly. Not quite as dedicated as some so I shall have to get her trained for the future.

Roll on my next time out, 18th March at Lydden Hill.