My First Win!!!!!

I just wanted to thank everybody thats helped get this trophy.

First of all i want to thank the man that put the bike together, tuned the engine, and helped me with all to do with the bike, John Quail, he has built me a great,reliable bike and i'm extremely grateful, thanks mate.

Secondly to Ed at Complog, cheers, you've helped me with a lot a and i'm really grateful for your help, cheers.

Another big thanks to Rob Mathewson, cheers for the dyno work and for your advice with the bike and racing, again i'm extremely grateful.

Jim, Cheers, you talk the arse off a dead donkey but you do make sense

cheers mate.

And last but no means least, thanks to my gorgeous fiance and soon to be wife Adele. We've gone through so much this last month or so and you've been there for me every step of the way and i'm so glad that im with you and i love you so much.

Novice Race

This race was all novices but there was every type of bike, from 125 upto 1000cc bikes.

For this race we had to pull sticks from a hat to determine our grid positions, i pulled out number.....................6!!

I was quite chuffed but to be quite honest i was expecting to get swamped into the first corner with 1000cc bikes coming past and more than likely 600's too.

The lights had gone out and i'd made a good start, we were into Gerrard's and i was in 4th, i couldn't believe it,

I was expecting to be swamped going into the first corner but i wasn't i'd made it to 4th overall, there was an R1 leading who made a blistering start and ther was no chance of getting near him, and behind him there were 2 GSXR 1000's, and me in 4th.

I keep going on about it but i was expecting to be passed by bigger bikes and not only that the 2 thousands in front of me i was expecting to have gone off in the distance...

This was all new to me, i was sat in 4th place behind 2 1000cc bikes and i was all over them into the corners, i was not only gaining on them but i was feeling great and pushing myself to go faster and faster.

I can't remember but it was about the 4th or 5th lap and i had gained maybe 50 feet going into the hairpin and through the bus stop, i was along side 3rd then 2nd place just going over the start finish line, Oh i've never wanted a chequered flag so much before ha ha ha ha...

Hence to say as soon as we got on the straights they just pulled away, i was going as fast as i ever had in the wet and loved every minute, i was sliding the bike going in and felt really confident.

I finally crossed the line in 4th place, i was over the moon, i had beaten 3 1000cc bikes and i had won my class, i was slightly disappointed that i'd not got a top 3 place but i was only on a 400 HA HA HA...

I'd proved i could go quick in the wet and also proved i could win.

Race 2

After the sunny dry conditions of the first race the heavens had now well and truely opened, i was feeling fairly confident that i could go well in the rain and that i could even sneak a podium...

We were in the holding area and to be honest it was absolutely bouncing down. They had delayed the start by 10 mins, so a few final thoughts on how i'd approach the race and was looking forward to some good racing.

We were away and i had a half decent start and was about 8th into the first corner, we were really tentative round the lap, my tyres had been on warmers but i was still unsure on grip and especially with the standing water on track i was very cautious.

On lap 2 i was really feeling grip and i was working my way up again and amazingly yet again in the wet conditions i was enjoying myself, everytime i got on the power loads of grip and was gaining more confidence in these dodgy conditions.

I had worked my way upto 5 th and seemed to on my own, i was a way from 4th and had nobody snapping on my heels.

I tried for a few laps to see if i could get upto 4th but i wasn't so i decided that 5th it was and i was going to not do anything daft and keep it rubber side down.

I'd had a good race in the F400 class there was one more race for me and that was the novice race....

Race 1

Right where do i begin......the weather was appalling, the racing was good and i managed a few good results.

Ok the practice/qualifying was wet, i mean really wet. It had been teeming down and just before i was due to go out we were told there was oil everywhere..........excellent, the track was wet through and i wouldn't be able to see the oil....

After maybe a lap or 2 i couldn't see anything, my visor had fogged up and was struggling, i wasn't feeling too confident and was still looking for traces of oil, this wasn't going well.

I'd qualified 9th but knew i could go faster even in the wet.

We were on the grid and i wasn't feeling to great but one plus, it was dry and sunny.

I didn't get too bad a start, and i was not doing too bad, i was upto 7th, then the fireworks began.

I'd passed another Honda and an rs250 Aprilia, then proceeded to have a real battle, i was quicker than both of them into the corners on the brakes, if this bike has taught me anything its use the brakes to compensate for the lack of power. we were swapping places left right and centre, on the way upto the hairpin i was passed on the inside but tried to close the door but there was no where for me to go, and the honda was through, then the Aprilia was through aswell, i was fuming!

Next lap i outbroke the Aprilia into edwina's and then i was on the honda, round the hairpin and he'd lowsided, he was out, so it was just me and the aprilia...

The aprilia came past again, it was now the last lap so i was really determined to get past, so upto edwina's and he left me the gap, i left the brakes really late and got past, through the esses and upto the hairpin, i was taking the very defensive line and determined not to get past, i was into the bus stop and still in front, i knew i'd beat him and was really happy, we'd had a great race and i'd thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'd got 5th and was pretty pleased.........