I was entered in Production and Superbike classes as well as a feature race (wheatcroft trophy)
Prodution is standard bikes which only allow a pipe, jetting and some suspension mods, everything else must be std, must have a working horn and a back light (disconnected). Superbike allows forks and brakes to be changed, engine tuning, big bore kits, in some cases different frames (Harris etc), I enter these for extra races but my bike is production. Wheatcroft trophy is for all bikes, there was an ex works NSR500 triple, TZ250's/350's/750's in it so full on race bikes.
1st Proddy I led for first lap then got passed by a Yamaha FJ1100, got back past him with just over a lap to go but he squeezed me out on the last lap at the chicane (we weren't using the Melbourne loop) forced me on to the rumble strip and he got the win, a bit naughty but that's racing.
1st Superbike, i'd qualified 12th (4th in class) got a good start and was holding 2nd in class (7th on track) a lap and a half before the end it started spluttering, I limped over the line 4th in class. I'd run out of fuel
I put the normal amount in but didn't think about the extra time your on full throttle at Donington. In this race my lap time was over half a second under the proddy lap record, just need to do it in the proddy race.2nd Proddy, another good start but got passed at end of lap one, tried everything but couldn't pass back, I'm faster but not in the passing places, the FJ has better brakes and a little more grunt and top end, if I'm behind on the straight with a good drive I can just get on the back of the FJ, the other way round he can slip past. I came in 2nd just 3 10ths of a second behind.
2nd Super bike, a good race and finished 4th in class.
Sunday
1st Proddy, more of the same, tried everything but came 2nd, close racing though. Although I knew I could lap faster I was being pegged back to his lap times to some extent as it was hard to pass, I needed clear track to put my best laps in. I must had a reasonable run though as I broke the lap record in this race (There you go Al
)1st Superbike, Held 2nd in class for most of the race and 7th on track, then came up on a really slow back marker at the old hair pin and lost some time, then missed a gear and got swamped, lost 3 places and came in 3rd in class.
Wheatcroft trophy.
Grid like a proper big race, had a brolly dolly and everything, from 18th on grid I got up to 7th in the first corner, I soon got passed though and settled into a battle for 12th with a TZ, then on lap 6 at max lean going through Mccleans the front went and I was on me butt, 2 bikes had already gone down and another 2 followed me in to the kitty litter, another bike had dropped oil
Bike looked a mess but had some spares so tried to fix it, new handle bar, footpeg, ignition cover then lots of tape and cable ties and we were ready to go an hour later.
Last proddy. Bike felt ok, another good start but on lap 3 going on to the back straight it just cut out.
There was no spark, I think something got damaged in the ignition pickup so that was the end of the weekend.
The bikes also smoking a lot so I need to look in to whats going on there, next round is Snetterton on september 21/22nd, I'll try and get it sorted for then but not sure if I can fix it in time.
Great weekend and a lap record for my troubles, even if I didn't get a win
What a season so far
