Race 3

The bloody Caterhams had only gone and done it again, more oil on the track and it was on the run down into Edwinas, i decided to go and have a look over whilst there was a break, there was a lot of oil and even more cement dust. This race was going to be even more tricky...

Again the lights went out and we were gone, straight into the first corner and straight away 2 bikes just in front of me went down, then on the run down to Edwinas but before i got there the cloud of dust was immense, i could hardly see a thing. Another bike went down at the chicane and this was becoming more of a habit.

This race instantly felt better i was not being left miles behind and could see the leader i think i was in 10th or there abouts. Another lap had gone and i was going quicker than ever i was carrying more speed into the first corner than before, a 250 passed me on the start finish but i passed him going into Gerrards and i was carrying more speed than ever round there, i could feel the bike moving under me and i was grinning from ear to ear this race i was gonna give everything and more.

This race was carnage there seemed to be crashes at every corner and i knew i was going to be up there at the end, the only prob i seemed to have was the bike jumping out of gear but it didnt seem to be too much of a prob as i was flying, the bike was sliding into most of the corners and i was a lot faster than before i could feel it.

Before i knew it i crossed the start finish and that was it, a quick wave from my mate on pitwall and i knew this race was miles better.

I pulled upto the van and i was shattered, my legs were shaking and id given what i could. My mate then informed me i looked a lot faster and that i'd managed 1min 4 sec lap, just over 10 seconds a lap faster than my practice times.......

Well id done what id set out to do and kept it upright all day and improved every lap and i thoroughly enjoyed the day, if anything i was a bit gutted i finished where i did but amongst other 400's i know i could do a lot better even on my standard bike!!

Just one last thing, i wanna thank Howard Heyhirst,John Quail and most of all Helen my other half, Howard was their first thing and calmed me down from the word go and helped me out with tyre warmers etc, John for helping me with general advice and help with the bike, you two were both starts thank you very much, last but by no means least my other half Helen, for putting up with me and helping me on the way, thank you x.

Here's to the 2007 season and good luck to all those who are racing!!

Cheers Si

14#

Race 2

Now i had an idead on how things went i had a bit of a plan, i was gonna keep it nice and tidy on the first lap and out of trouble. Lights turned redthen off and we were away, i kept to the left hand side of the track keeping out of the way of the faster bikes on the inside line , we were round Gerrards then off down to the chicane at Edwinas, again there was a few bikes down here but i managed to stay out of their way, id been passed upto the hairpin but the two bikes that had passed hadn't pulled away.

The first few laps had been and gone and i had a bit of clear track and started to build up my pace i felt quicker in certain parts of the track but Gerrards was still not 100%, id been passed by a few more quicker bikes and going into the chicane decided to try and fight back, but only outbroke myself but managed to keep my position.

By now i just decided to oncentrate on my own race and concentrate on my lines and where i could improve, by the end of the race i felt i had gone quicker than previous and had done better in the results. The race was a full race this time and id completed the alloted 8 laps, i had felt more comfortable and knew i could improve even more........but as i received the results sheet i looked to see i was 18th place, at first i felt gutted cos i thought i had gone a lot faster which i had but as my friend pointed out so did everyone else.

I had finished and it had been incident free so i should have been happy, oh well onwards and upwards!!

Race 1

Being sat in the middle of near 30 bikes on a grid is a bit intimidating especially when its your first time there. We had gathered on the grid, i was hoping i found my spot on the grid ok which i did, then in a matter of seconds we were off on our sighting lap.

I found my spot again and this was it................the lights went to red......then off it was go go go as Murray Walker says, i nailed the bike and i thought i had a decent start then i just seemed to get swallowed up by a mass of bikes, i was flat out and seemingly going backwards, we managed the first corner incident free and it was down to the chicane.....a few bikes went off and before i knew it i was past a handfull of bikes and seemed to have a bit of space and then tried to get my lines and braking sorted, it was upto the hairpin and the noise was incredible, the different sounds of all the bikes was tremendous, anything from a screaming 2 stroke to a single 660 supermoto, then there was me on my V4.

The 2nd lap had been and gone and the adrenalin was starting to get flowing, and on the exit of Gerrards i ran wide and got on the rumble strip, the bike was all over the place but i never shut off then it was down to the chicane again.

I was running at a good pace (well i thought so anyway) and managed to claw back a supermoto and a 250 which must have been having their own battle, as hard as i tried i couldn't close enough to pass, i was now leaving my braking as late as i dare and my confidence was slowly growing, the thing i noticed most about the race was the size of the crowds, as you make your way upto the hairpin and the bus stop you can feel the size of the crowd, into the bus stop and the camera flashes of a few of the crowd were in the corner of my eye, that just gave me even more of a buzz and making me want to go that bit faster....out of the bus stop a bit of a squirm from the rear of the bike and through devils elbow and over the line back round to the chicane and there was a rider down and his bike in the track, the race was red flagged and the end to my first race, i had kept out of trouble and finished in a respectable 16th position....

I'm still ALIVE!!!!!

Well i managed to survive un scathed at my first race meeting. I also managed to put in some respectable times for my first trip round the track especially in the conditions.
I got to the track at 6-45 am still with my stomach turning with anxiety. We were soon setup and i could finally take a breath and just take everything in. So after a coffee and i had managed to get my leathers on it was off to scrutineering, this was my first chance to see what the competition was. After about 20 mins we managed to get through scrutineering and it was then time to sign on. This was pretty quick and i had chance to see where i would be on the grid in the programme, as i looked down the page....i was 10th on the grid which i was happy with.
So it was back to the van and got the bike started then put the tyre warmers on and had another coffee. The time seem to flash past before it was time to get out on track for practice.
Unfortunately it wasn't going to be as straight forward as i was hoping, one of the Caterhams decided to dump its oil, it started at the entrance to Gerrards and finished where the entrance to the pits is, for those who don't know at Mallory thats about 70% of the track. There was no turning back now, and before i knew it i was off, to be honest i was a bit edgy seen as i'd never ridden round the track and was in the middle of a large pack of bikes and there was bloody oil on the racing line!!
I managed approx 8-10 laps and picked up speed but just before the end of the session the bike seemed to start mis-firing....
As soon as i got back to the paddock the seat unit was off and we had the battery on charge, this was going to be the only thing that could of caused it, well i was hoping it was anyhow............


.......now it was time to have my first race....

Pea Soup

We arrived at Mallory Park at approx 11-45am to find that we couldn't see the track! The fog was horrendous, visibilty was about 50 yards if that!!! Anyway seen as i was still optimistic of getting out on track even though we couldn't see the start finish bridge!!
A few hours passed and eventually after a few coffee's and a sausage butty i called it a day, the fog wasn't shifting and it was closing in on 2 pm.
A bit of a wasted daybut lets hope Boxing Day is a lot better!!!

1st Official Test

Well im off to Mallory Park on wednesday 20th December for my first official test, not the best conditions i know but i've never been round Mallory before and need to get a feel for the place. Got some new bandit warmers i need to try out too, and hopefully i can tag on the back of someone who knows their way around Mallory, im hoping for decent weather but im not holding my breath. I just cant wait on track now and hopefully this will give me some valuable track time, as this is only the second time on the bike and the 1st at Mallory im just looking to find the right suspension settings and the right lines and a bit of pace too.

Number 14#

Spoke to New Era today and i've got my number for the Plum Pudding, i'll be wearing the number 14# and hopefully it will bring me some luck!! So everyone thats going for the day be sure to wave and laugh at me as i wobble round.
I'm unsure as to how many and what bikes i'll be racing with but im sure if the weather stays fine it'll be a decent day and decent racing .

Aims & Goals

Well I'll start with the my first aim in racing and it would be to finish my first race and get my first signature in my rider's log. I do think though that as soon as i get on that grid I'll be on it from the off and wanting to be the guy at the front, saying that I'm realistic and I'm only on a standard bike and I'm also a novice so i think if i can finish for start off then look towards improving in every race i think i will have achieved my immediate goals.

As for long term i have to aim as high as possible, I've got to look to race against the best and if that is in a national series so be it. In every sport I've been involved in I've always given everything and more, I've always played to win and i think as soon as those lights turn green I'll be giving it everything.

Where after my first season then? I would like to race a bigger bike, i loved my '04 R1 and really enjoyed the power, so I'd like to race in a 1000cc series, if i can't get that, well i really want to race on the Isle of Man circuit and take part in the Manx GP. There is something that draws me there i don't know what it is but i feel on a 400 i could enjoy myself and and go fairly quick, yet be relatively safe.

I once got told to take it everyday as it comes, you never know whats round the corner........and on that note I'll leave it there, here hopes that success and all that comes with it is round that same corner.......

RVF 400 (Nc35)

This section is basically telling you about the bike i'm racing next year and how easy it could be for anyone to buy a race bike or prepare one for racing.

The bike i managed to get hold of is an RVF 400 (Nc35), its a V4 motor and produces approx 60-65 bhp, the bike is pretty much standard, apart from the rear shock which is a White Power one taken off a race prepared Rs250 Aprilia as they fit straight onto the Honda. The engine,front forks and carbs are standard parts as you would find on a normal road bike. Now to the tricky bits, well i say tricky bits but this bike has no charging system,no starter motor, it runs whats called a total loss system, basically the spark for the plugs comes straight from the battery, so by the end of a days racing i should be looking to charge the battery up again. Luckily at Cadwell Park the battery lasted all day with no problems at all, even 3 days later when i checked the voltage it was still 12 volts. The only down side to this system is bump starting but as its only a small engine it is quite easy to start......

Hopefully i can keep the bike in its current form at least for the first half of the season then possibly look to tune the engine or carbs and take it from there.....................For more info check out. . . . . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_RVF400

Good Luck......

Just a quick note to wish Aaron Walker #33 and all TJW Racing, all the best in 2007 in the British Supersport 600 class, and congratulations for finishing runner up in the Supersport Cup 2006 on your first year on the CBR600RR.

Visit Aaron and the team at WWW.TJWRACING.COM

Plum Pudding Race...

After quite a bit of deliberation i've decided that im going to race at Mallory Park on Boxing Day this year, as far as i know it's just a bit of fun and to be honest with the weather as it as at the moment i can only imagine the main aim of the day will not to get frost bite or pneumonia!!

Hopefully this will give me a taste of things to come next year and it will set me on my way to losing my novice jacket!!

I'll be sure to keep you updated with info and pics of the day