It took me 5 hours to get to Anglesey on Thursday afternoon due to accidents which was a pain. Trev had got us a space in the cowshed which was just as well because I planned to sleep in my car, and it needed emptying first.
I awoke to the patter of rain, which then stayed put all day. I usually like riding in the wet but I couldn’t gel with it this time and had a really bad morning’s riding. I sat out the first session after lunch and then rode a bit better for the final 2 sessions. I don’t know Anglesey very well and had hoped to get the track sorted on the trackday, which never really happened unfortunately.
Race Day arrived and practice went okay. We went out for qualifying and as I hit the start finish straight, my rear just came round on me and I was out of control. My mind had accepted that I had crashed but somehow the bike recovered and I managed to stay on. The bike felt wrong at the next couple of corners and I decided to come in to see if my tyre had gone flat – because that happened to me in Alcarras and the bike felt the same. As I came towards pit entrance I saw TooTall and Joan's bikes on the deck at the same corner – of course we soon found out about the oil spilled all around the track.
When we went back out for qualifying, I still had the wet Friday and the near bin in my head and I rode like a right pussy – putting in an awful qualifying time.
I started the race and got away okay – my first session was very pedestrian and I came in very disappointed with myself. Trev went out and did his stint and the half hour as always went quickly. Back out and I felt a bit quicker but still not great. It went very dark and a couple of rain spots hit my visor. I thought this will be fun, but the rain stayed away.
Out for the final session and a couple of laps feel a bit more like it – I see that I got to within half a second of my last year’s best – but I had hoped and expected to beat it comfortably. Trev went out and brought the team home, so at least we had finished but we were both very disappointed with our performance. We don’t expect to be challenging at the front, but we set personal challenges and this weekend we didn’t meet them.
So, back to the thinking room and work out what went wrong. I think I am riding a bit too comfortably now and need to get more aggressive and push a bit harder. Hopefully Cadders will be better for us.
On the plus side, it was good to chat with all the usual suspects and have a good craic.
I got to Anglesey on Thursday in glorious sun shine Met up with loads of Monkeys and set up in the cow shed,Friday and its Raining so on go the wets I am pleased it rained as I do like riding in the wet Just hate changing wheels.
Trackday
First session and we get a few riders between me and Martin and after the 3 laps I cant see Martin he's that far infront because the riders inbetween us cant keep up on the sighting laps
I get my head down and pass them feel slow but enjoy the session we pull in and Martin is just pulling up to the cow shed so we must have been prety equal so basicly happy
Session 2 and this time I'm sat on Martins rear tyre in pit lane and we go out together some faster riders come by me and Martin get a gap on me when they get past Martin I close the gap this happens several times in this session and each time I close the gap so am well pleased as most of the year I have not been able to stay with him
Session 3 and we are out together this time I manage to get past Martin and pull a slight gap, I seem to be getting used to the wet conditions quicker than Martin
Basicly in the afternoon I just go out and really enjoy the sessions, We miss the last one of the day and get Tech inspection out of the way and signed on to give us a more relaxed start to the race day.
Race Day
Our mechanic Dangerous Dave is a no show again he's attended 3 rounds out of 10 basicly thats his last chance. Emma and Mum stand in for Dave and do a Bloody fantastic job
Thank you very much Girls you have the Mechanics job for the rest of the season if you want it
Its dry so dry wheels go in We go out in first practice and try to get our heads around a dry Anglesey and seem to be doing OK
Quallifying 1
Martin has the transponder on his bike we plan to do half then we pit to give me a go with it but after a couple of laps I tip into Peel and as I get on the Gas lose the rear I stay on but only with a bit of luck down through the corkscrew ok onto start finnish and bang I lose the rear again with even more luck I stay on but by noiw my head is Fooked so decide I'm coming in as I get to Peel I see a rider slide off then at the Corkscrew see TT and GG are off I pull in and the session is red flaged
Quallifying 2
we only get 10 mins so Martin keeps the transponder as he normally quallifies better than me ( Our first mistake) As I go out and get my head around the oil problem quicker than Martin and manage to gap him
Martin starts us and he gets a good start as loads mess up their start, He does a good solid first stint and the half hour soon passes then its time for me to go out I get up to what I think is a good pace and start gettin my knee down all over the place which is normally a good sign for me as to the pace I'm running Each session I manage to tag onto the faster riders for a bit and really enjoy myself, One session GG gets by me and I tag on to her then at the top of Rocket I'm on the same line as GG and I lose the front But manage to stay on but lose the tow from GG as I hold back on the aggression for a couple of laps
The good bits
We finnish the race in 13th so score points which we have done at all the rounds this year, I get my 10th sig so lose my Novice bib
Bad bits
We finnshed last in class and overall I was something like 4 secs slower tham my PB from last year
and feel I have let Martin and the team down
What I dont get is I am a lot more relaxed than the start of the year and I'm really enjoying my riding but WHY are my lap times so Bloody slow ?
So I need to get out and do a Trackday before my next race and practice-practice -practice
Hopefully get TP to see if she can see where I'm going wrong and point me in the right direction.
Me and Gems roll up at around 1.30 Friday dinner time. I had decided to do half the Moto Grande instead of the Friday trackday. Meet up with Brian and Martin in Garage 15/16 have a natter then pop into cafe for a bite to eat, Then grab Gems camera out of the van and head out to the track to get some pics of the guys/gals in action and will post up some pics when I have more time, Friday night we get the bike Tech inspected but then run out of time so have to get kit done in the morning, I do a BBQ for me,Gems,Brian and Martin which was good but real slow The disposable bbq I got from the local COOP was crap Martin supplied the beer and we toasted my 44 Birthday 
We woke at 7am to find martin had got his Kit through Tech inspection already so I got mine done (my new Arlen Ness leathers) which I tried to wear at Mallory but they were just too tight so I have lost a bit of weight
I go out for Moto Grande practices and the bike feels alien and unstable into most of the corners
I go out in 3hour practice and still have no confidence in the tyres or the bike and am feeling very tense
Moto Grande Qualifying and I am not last but still slow
3 hour Qualifying and I get faster but not by enough I am about 9 secs slower than last year so not a happy chappy I decide a new set of tyres and after a chat to Jim at Biketek I go for the new Michelin power 1s
As Martin got the quickest time in so He starts for us and after his bike wont start he gets going and puts in a fantastic first stint for us (Cheers Buddy )
I go out for my stint on brand new rubber I have a slight slide on the first corner but soon get them scrubbed in and am felling allot happier with the new rubber and my times start to drop
In my second stint things start to fall into place and when I get lapped by TP about 3/4 into the stint I manage to stay with her and get towed to my quickest time of the weekend during this time I get passed by FriedRy and he is using all of the track and some kicking up dust as the back end drops of the rumble strip onto the dirt great to see from so close I feel I am going well now and am much more relaxed and loving it so much I don¡¦t want the stint to end but the pit board comes out and I pull in ( With a smile on my face )
Third and final stint I get in a battle with Roundall racing I am in front of him for most of the stint but he comes past around 3/4 of the way through it and he brakes me and gets about a 20sec gap at the flag He's a great sports man and we shake hands and have a good natter in Parc Ferme
We finished 21st overall and 15th in class If I could have started better the result could have been soo much better but I will have to learn from my mistakes ( First mistake not doing the Friday )
We go for a pint with our Marshall then its off to bed at 10 as I am knackered as I doze off I start to dream about racing around Snett I dive through the esses following a guy into the bomb hole he goes down in front of me engine breaks and I hit his oil and lose the front I instantly try to correct the bars and wake myself up 
Sunday Moto Grande
I over sleep and get up at 8.30 and am on tack at 9 so get kitted up tyres warmed and fuel in the tank and get out on time ( Just ) and find I am still up to speed and get a fairly good time for this time of day and have 3 guys behind me on the timing screen
Go and get Breakfast find out we are on track at 10.40 so get back to the van and get kitted up and straight back out there after 1 warm up lap I put myself in the middle of the back row and off we go My clutch grabs and the front wheel comes up I manage to hold the beast and get her under control and head for the outside of the track I get past 3 on the run to the first corner then another 2 or three as they seem to line up to stay on the racing line sod that I just nail it around the outside into Sear's and I am right up behind the pack, Down the famous Revett straight and what a buzz with so many bikes in close company and my thou is a rocket ship so I am still there with them
Then its through the Esses,Bomb Hole and Corum most of the pack is way faster than I so pull a gap on me I see a guy on a R6 who I normally race against in the junior tag we can have some good ding dong battles he gets by a ZX10 and it takes me about 3 laps to get by him and my mate on the R6 is gone so all I can do is get my head down and race the track a couple or all of the faster guys I got on the start and first corner get by me and disappear, Robin Hooker laps me a few times on one occasion he gets by at Sear's but I stay with him all the way down Revett straight I am so exited I miss my braking point and shit myself but I get it through the esses at this point Robin just disappears into the distance I finish the race and manage 13th in class and 21st overall with 3 finishers behind me, I also finished so get another sig on my licence that¡¦s 9 so far so 1 more and I lose my crappy novice bib 
So all in all a good weekend what makes this so addictive is the friends we have in the paddock you guys and gals make the whole weekend for me and Gems with out being to soppy you all are the best 
Also a BIG thanks to Martin for putting up with me even when I ride like I have never seen a bike let alone a track
Well first off, I was pleased just to have got to Snetterton with a working bike. I had put my bike in for a gearbox repair (and engine refresh) after it went pop at Mallory. I checked progress on Tuesday (4 days before race day) and the parts hadn¡¦t arrived yet. So, it was time to start panicking. I nearly bought a replacement bike and also talked to Ladysnoots about hiring one.
On Wednesday I got a call saying the parts were in. I picked the bike up at 6pm on Thursday and it was half run-in as they had run out of time.
I set off early Friday morning and arrived in good time. Brian joined our garage so he had a home for the MotoGrande the following day and Trev wasn¡¦t doing the track day. I spent the morning running the bike in and it seemed fine. In the afternoon I started winding it up a bit more and Gems timed me in the 1.22¡¦s which I was reasonable pleased with.
I had a good short tussle with Brian, with a bit of toing and froing until my extra power took over ¡V he has a great style on that hairnet of his.
The day passed without incident for me although Brian had an off and damaged his thumb, preventing him doing his first ever race which was a shame.
We had planned to put my new plastics on which Trev had sprayed for me but decided that was tempting fate and left that for later ļ
We shared a few beers and a barby and I retired to sleep in my car, having decided I should tough it out rather than b&b which I normally do. It was bloody cold and I slept in my jeans, fleece and beanie ¡V but slept reasonably well.
Up bright and early to finish scrutineering and then get out for practice and qualifying. I managed a 1.23.041 which was our best time and meant that I was starting, unfortunately at the back of the grid. My start was poor as the bike wouldn¡¦t fire ¡V it¡¦s done that before so I need to check if the ignition times itself out which is what seems to happen. So I¡¦m 10 seconds behind everyone and set off chasing. After 3-4 laps I catch the back markers and pass 4 or five people in that session.
We have a good handover although we had no assistance as our mechanic couldn¡¦t make it ¡V and Trev sets off. He¡¦s taken a while to get going but gets in a steady pace and his times start to come down. We are battling with the usual suspects and we look at the bottom of the timing screens rather than the other end!
The half hour flies by and I am back out again. I¡¦m feeling fairly good and enjoying it. Someone sits me up going into Sears so I chase and pass them on the Revett straight and don¡¦t see them for the rest of the session.
I come in and see my best time was 1.22.66. I did a 1.22.3 last year and had hoped to beat that time, so just one session to do so.
I watch Trev via the timing screen and see him times are dropping. He does a best of 1.23 something and is circulating well. The pitboard goes out and Trev does one extra lap. As I go out, the bloody pace car comes out and I am held at pitlane which costs us at least a lap and therefore a place or so. I get out and again feel fairly good. I know where I am slow but not how to get faster.
This session goes quickly and I come in to see I¡¦ve done a 1.22.046 so at least I have beaten last year¡¦s best even if only by a fraction.
I watch Trev on the screen again and he is battling with Roundall Racing. It is pretty close for a while and then Roundall pull away and beat us by 20 seconds. We finish without incident and come 15th in class and 21 of 26 overall. Another point and no incidents so all in all a good day.
I¡¦m really pleased for Dave and Karen that the series seems to be going very well and as usual, great to see everyone and have a good craic ¡V it really is a friendly grid, and some great racing ¡V and what weather ¡V brilliant.
Next stop Anglesey 
(Written on Wednesday 15th). It has been a rather stressful week or two since the last race at Mallory. As I reported then, my gearbox decided to pack up there and not go higher than 4th. I got Mike from Robsom Racing to pick the bike up the following Monday to fix the gearbox and I decided to get the engine refreshed (by Jeb who has his workshop next to Mike) at the same time whilst it was out of the bike anyway. The radiator had been leaking a bit so I asked Mike to get it reconditioned as well.
Mike reassured me that there was time to get this done before the race weekend at Snetterton. Jeb was to run the refreshed engine in on the dyno so the bike should be good to go by the trackday on Friday.
I checked for progress at the end of last week and found that they were still waiting for the gearbox parts. There was still plenty of time so no need to panic, yet. So, of course, I started to panic. I scanned eBay and Trev found a K3 Gsxr 1000 for sale. We had been thinking about getting me onto the same platform as Trev and if I was going to get another bike, this was probably the choice to make. We could then have a spare bike for the team to cater for any future mechanical issues. The downside was that I was splashing out about a grand on the 750 and this would set me back the best part of another £3k, which I really don't have spare.
The bike looked pretty good and had apparently been raced from new so had no V5 and no Frame numbers. I contacted the lead HMRC Scrutineer, Lindsay, and asked his advice. He suggested the letter / invoice from the original purchase. I checked but unfortunately the seller didn't have any evidence, but said that there was no damage where the frame number should have been. It was a risk and I was realy undecided what to do.
The eBay sale finished on Bank Holiday Monday and the bike hadn't sold. I knew what the guy would accept though and had his contact numbers and email, so I could carry on the sale if needed.
On Tuesday, Mike was back at work and I rang to see what progress there was. "um, the gearbox parts still aren't here" he said. Bugger, bugger, bugger. Panic has now gone up a gear (no bloody pun intended). I suppose I'd better do the deal on the K3. So I ring Paul (the seller, who seemed like a good guy). "That's typical" he said, "I've just had a call from a guy in Somerset and he's on the way to buy the bike. As I didn't have any paperwork, I didn't think you wanted it."
Ok, stay calm. So I rang Big Nige (Slater) who suggested Ladysnoots who hire bikes, and he texts me their number. Before I ring them I get another Text from Mike. "Your parts will be with us tomorrow. They were waiting for one of the gears which has now arrived and it will be sent next day delivery". Hopefully that will happen, but I've been here before. So I ring Martin at Ladysnoots and tell him my problem. "We should be able to sort you out" he says "Lee, one of the Instructors lives near him and could bring a bike down". I don't even ask the price as I am just relieved that I now have options.
At 10am today I got a text from Mike saying that the parts had arrived. So hopefully, if he has no problems I should be okay, but I'll call him later to check as I don't want to leave it too late to arrange a hire bike if I need one.
Hopefully, my next report will be of a successful weekend!
