Emra Rd 6 Final Round

Well time seems to have flown by and we have finally reached the final round of the EMRA season.

After the previous meeting i was determined to do better than 7th and 8th places. I was really annoyed and was disappointed that id let myself down, so this time id done what i could to prepare myself, id done some cycling, ate healthy and drunk plenty of water and to be honest i was feeling good

Conditions were perfect and it was time to go out and qualify, i was really looking forward to it and wanted to get out and show what i could do..

The only problem was we were out with the earlystocks......oh dear..

Well i managed to get past a few down the straight on the outlap, and a couple more into Gerrard's, to be honest i was struggling with traffic and when i came round Gerrard's on the stop in 6th and there was a link pipe on the exit i was kind of suprised and lucky not to hit it, it seemed one of the earlystocks had shed it......mmmm, anyways i had one clear lap and i felt quite good, i got off the bike and felt ready for more, it was good not to feel like id done a days work..

It showed on the time sheets too, id qualified 3rd on the grid!! it wasn't my fastest time by a second or so, i managed a 1:01.212 which wasn't too bad.. roll on race 1

Race 1

It was a weekend really that was marred by a horrendous crash in the 600 practice, Richard Saunders crashed at the hairpin at high speed and was air lifted out of the track, Richard was due to race in the f400 race and we were expecting a real battle for the title with Mike Dorey.

All my best wishes go out to Richard and his family, i hope you get well soon and hope to see you out on track in the not so distant future..

The race was underway and i got an average start, but i was still quite happy as i was tagging on to some of the quicker boys, in the previous meeting i wouldn't have been able to keep up, but now i was showing some speed and hanging in there..

It was to prove one of the best races i've probably had, i don't know why but i seem to have found myself battling with a green zxr last round and this one....

and without fail we were swapping positions again, we were battling for 5th and we were swapping positions on a regular basis, especially at the hairpin where he was running wide, and on the 8th lap he ran wide and i took advantage, and as i powered out and covered the line he smashed into the side of me and i was out of the seat and found the bars swapping ends.....mmmmm, it doesn't take a lot to get my back up and he had certainly had done that!!!

I then proceeded to chase as hard i could, and the next lap i set my fastest time ever and did a 59.743!! Id broken the jinx and gone under a minute.

Unfortunately i had to settle for 6th......but now i was really pissed off and i was determined to do better in race 2.....

Race 2

Now there was just one thing about race 2 which u should know, Leon Jeacock, last years f400 champion was doing a one off ride on Mikes 2nd bike, and it proved to be very interesting indeed..........

I got a good start now from the second row, and was determined that i was going to get past and stay past that pesky green zxr!!

In the mean time i'd had a rvf 400 in BMC colours come past me like i was stopped, Leon i think had decided he needed the toilet and set off like a scalded cat!!!

Anyway id got a decent start and i passed the pesky zxr and a vfr round Gerrard's and was now in 4th behind Mike and was holding my own not too far behind, when a familiar looking orange zxr come past!

I was now in 5th but had my head down and was putting in what felt like quick laps, i was slowly catching Mike in 4th and i was certain the green zxr wasn't too far behind but upto the hairpin and a look over my shoulder and there was no one to be seen.

Round Gerrard's again and the bike was sliding a lot more, and then again the next lap at the same place it was getting more out of shape, so upto the hairpin and another check over my shoulder and still nothing there, i would have had to push really hard to catch Mike and get 4th, and i was way in front of the green zxr so i decided to bring her home and settle for a well earned 5th place, i'd only ridden 3 times all year and i was well chuffed as i knew i had tried really hard to improve myself and it showed on the track.

As for times i had done a 59.549 and i had finished 7 seconds in front of Daniel Brown on his quick and too familiar green zxr 400 and was 6 seconds behind Mike (BMC Racing)

All in all i was really happy with my results and my times, i now know i can go faster and next year i'll be trying my hardest to get to the front!!

Oh one last thing, Leon went on to win from the back of the grid and break the lap record......

Emra RD5 16-08-09

It was nearly 6 months since i last rode my bike, without quite a few mods too. I'd come straight from the port at Birkenhead to Mallory and was feeling a little bit tired but still well up for it.

Firstly i want to say a massive thanks to Mike (BMC RACING), Rod and Leon Jeacock for taking my bike to Mallory, fuelling it up and basically setting my mind at rest, its all very much appreciated.

QUALIFYING

I was hoping that i would show well in qualifying but it was slightly more disappointing than i expected.

The weather was perfect, the bike was perfect, i wasn't.

I felt so unfit, mainly due to the tiredness from working and the travelling but i was trying and didn't think i was doing that bad.

Well i qualified 8th and felt slightly disappointed but not to worry, it was going to be different in the race.

RACE 1

I got an awful start and thought i was just going to keep going backwards but on the first lap the race was red flagged after a crash coming out of the bus stop.

So to a restart and i made a screamer of a start and upto 5th going into Gerrards, i felt quite comfortable and felt i was gaining on the bikes in front, but as it was in there yet another red flag so we were taken off the grid and told that that race would be the last one of the day.

Race 1 Re-Run

I was determined to do a lot better in this race and see what happens. Again i got a really good start and from 8th i was upto 5th going into the first turn and felt really good. After a few laps i was slowly gaining on the battling pack in front until my mate James Simpson on the orange zxr400 came past but over cooked it going into the hairpin, and not happy with doing it once he managed it another two times then even went on the grass going into Edwinas.

As it was i was overtaken and pushed down into 6th by number 56 then after getting stuck behind a back marker James passed me at the bus stop and the following lap the race race was stopped.

So after a frantic 7 laps id finished 7th with a best time of 1:01.254 which is way off my best time but everything taken into account it wasn't a bad first run out for the new bike

Race 2

After a so so kind of 1st race i was looking to improve and hopefully get a top 5 finish, with a couple of bikes missing off the front row i was feeling hopeful but didn't realise that they had started from the back of the grid.

Anyway i got a half decent start and was top 5 or 6 then got passed and was sat in 7th.

After a few laps i was taken by a green zxr 400 and then proceeded to have a bit of a tussle for the remaining laps, but i was unable to keep him at bay and finished 8th.

i had done a best time of 1:01.358 and i was knackered.

The good points to come out of the day was i really enjoyed the bike with all the new parts and it was a pleasure to ride.

My main aims now are to get out on a test day and get to grips with the bike again and also get my fitness levels up.

So hopefully next time out we should be looking at top 3!

latest pics of my new look bike!

Here's the latest pics of my RVF and it looks absolutely stunning, roll on the 16th of August!!

Back on track

Well after a weekend of watching the racing and after a quick chat with Mike (BMC Racing) I'll be at the next round of the EMRA meeting on the 16th of August.

I'll either be on my ''new look'' bike or a BMC Racing Rvf, so either way i'll be on top machinery and looking to finish top 5.

I'm really excited and can't wait to get back out on track but to be honest i'm looking forward to seeing the new bike and seeing how she performs out on track.

Watch this space.......

Update

Just a quick update, after a few weeks at BMC and a few minor problems have come to light.

First a leak was spotted in the bottom radiator, which will be replaced by a bigger alloy rad to increase cooling. This is just a drop in the ocean of things that are being done.........

The second problem is slightly more of a problem but with Mike on the case i'm sure it will get resolved. There are some worn cogs basically in the gearbox causing it to jump out of gear which explains my dissapointing last race. Once this is fixed Mike can then get on with the other parts and then we can get the bike back on track.

As for new parts......

Here's a list of things that will be on the bike when she comes back...

- Quickshifter

-Quick action throttle

-Ram Air

-New light weight tank

-New lighter battery

-Scitsu Temperature Gauge

-New Seat unit (more room for me to get under the screen)

All these new things will help give more power, lighten the bike and all in all help me compete with the guys at the front. I'm very excited with the new stage of this bike and now i've had the bike coming up to 3 years and remember the first time out when it was a very standard bike, but over the years mainly due to funds we've managed to slowly improve everything about the bike.

I feel since the bike has been at BMC Racing the bike will get the best and will transfer onto the track. Within the next year i expect the bike to be a top spec RVF 400, having new suspension in the winter and hopefully a new exhaust system. Then once its all done we can concentrate on the racing and spreading the word of BMC RACING.

Thanks to..

MIKE -BMC RACING

FREDDY DUNN - PAINTWORK/BODYWORK

ROD JEACOCK- LIGHTWEIGHT PARTS

BMC Racing

Just a quick shout out to Mike at BMC Racing, my bike is going back for some more work doing it and i'm sure it will be a missile when it comes back.

***Be sure to click on the logo for more info on BMC RACING***

Stay tuned for further updates

Si

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Race Bike Spec for 2009

As we've already started the ''09 season i should tell you what has happened to the bike over the winter.

The biggest thing cost wise has been the Magnesium Dymag wheels, they should save approx 2 kilos in weight but they will make far more of a difference with handling.

As for cost....well lets say i paid more for the wheels than i did the bike...

Other modifications as you can see are the rear lightweight sub frame, weighing in at just 800 grams its a massive saving over standard. Also the rear disc has been ditched for a light weight replacement which is half the weight of a standard one.

The things you can't see, well the biggest mod which has been done is a programmable CDI, giving the bike a few more horses, giving it a few extra revs and giving more bottom end. The differences were obvious on the track, pulling cleaner and harder through the Esses at Mallory.

The Figures

On the dyno at BMC Racing the bike is now reading 70.12 bhp at the back wheel, and now with the lightweight parts on the bike she is weighing in at 152 kg.

After racing the bike at Mallory as well as it was the bike was down on power to the top spec bikes, and seen as i have a competitive streak, i've decided to send the bike back to BMC Racing and do some further modifications.....

All will be revealed shortly......

Thanks to....

Just a big thanks to

Mike @ BMC Racing

Leon and Rod Jeacock

EMRA RD 1 (F400 Race 2)

After the confidence boosting first race i was feeling good, and looking forward to the race, even though i'd had some pain killers in the break for my shoulder.

We gathered on the line (i was now in 4th on the grid due to the results from the first race) and the lights changed.... i was swallowed up by the pack and stuck somewhere in 10th going into the first corner.

This was the complete opposite to the first race, i'd got a worse start but i saw a small pack breaking away (2nd,3rd and 4th) and i knew i had the pace to get upto them and hopefully battle for a top 3 position.

BUT as things go it wasn't to be, i had a few small problems with the gear change and finding false neutrals but as i said in the 1st race the slower bikes caused me no end of problems and slowed me down.

I finished 6th and to be quite honest i was really gutted, i felt that i missed out on a top 3 position but in the light of day this was my first meeting back since my shoulder operation and it was the first race with the bike that had quite a lot of new parts on it so all in all i should be happy but after the great qualifying position i felt gutted.

I'll now pick myself up, try and get my shoulder right and then see what the next meeting brings.

Thanks Si

3#