Friday:
My weekend started on Friday with the trackday. I had no intentions of doing every session, I just wanted a chance to get a bit familiar with the bike again, and also make sure the new exhaust that had gone on worked OK and I didn’t want to wear myself out for the racing, so sat out the first session and headed out in the second session. This wasn’t much fun, as I think there were about 45(?) people out in the novice group - it’s not that big a track. I didn’t mind the bigger bikes coming past me, but when they come past me and brake, making me brake where I don’t need to… well it’s a bit hard to learn what the bike and I can do which was what I was wanting to day. Anyway.
I went out in the third session and pottered around, being held up (and probably holding up plenty of others as well, though I imagine I was pretty easy to pass). I eventually got a clear run through turn 10 and DISASTER one second I’m leaning over going round the turn and the next minute I’m sliding across the track.
We came to a stop right at the edge of the track, my left foot was caught up in the handlebars somehow so a bit of jiggling and I was free, pick up the bike and just run away from the track. Luckily that is right next to pit entry so I just pushed the bike back to the carports. I met Ali on the way and we cheered for my first ever crash (two little topple overs from standstill don’t count 
) MickLC and Charlie were standing on pit wall and never noticed anything until Adam (one of the marshals) ran up to them and pointed me out as I was just getting near to them.
) MickLC and Charlie were standing on pit wall and never noticed anything until Adam (one of the marshals) ran up to them and pointed me out as I was just getting near to them.
Checked over the bike, bit of a graze to the brake lever and right foot peg, and the 4th dimension engine cover was bent, as was the bracket for the taco. Charlie straightened all this out for me and all was good… a bit later one of the guys who was next to us came over and reckoned that what had happened was the new exhaust, which sat a bit lower and out to the side than the original, had touched down, lifting the rear wheel off the ground. We found a little graze on the bottom of the exhaust so we figured this is what must have happened.
Luckily we had brought the original exhaust with us so Mick stuck that back on (with a new bolt fashioned from a part from Charlies ute!!) and it was good to go.
I had to get checked out by medical before I was allowed back out, and there had been a huge crash in the intermediate session after mine so I didn’t make it out for the fourth session but did for the fifth… there was a girl out there who was even slower than me and she had the marshal riding behind her with the hazard lights on… my nerves were shot to shit as it was, and this girl had some of the strangest lines I have ever seen – she was clearly very uncomfortable but she had a bit more power than me… I followed around for a little bit but didn’t feet comfortable with passing her anyway (after watching a few people going past after the marshal had waved them past, only to have her nearly move into them…) I ended up cracking the shits with the whole thing, stuck up my hand and pulled in (they stuck the chequered flag out as I was coming down pit entry anyway). There were supposed to be two more sessions, but they cut out the last one but I didn’t end up going out again anyway.
Saturday:
It was foggy as at the house on Saturday morning and I was feeling a little nervy for some reason… we got out the track, and my bike wasn’t ready for scrutineering before the riders briefing so I had to do it after… and I was first out for practice and I wasn’t feeling all that good about everything. I still hadn’t recovered my nerve from the crash the day before and was squealing a little bit in my helmet around the bends, especially turn 10. I came back in not feeling very comfortable about the whole thing – if it hadn’t of been for a garage full of people there cheering me on, I think I would have turned tail and ran home. Best time in practice was 1:45
In a very short period of time it was time for me to race. I gridded up and the nerves were pretty bad but I didn’t stall it on the grid and away we went. Everyone pulled away from me pretty quickly so I just rode around and was feeling a bit more comfortable on the bike which was good and then I got lapped! By three riders… oops. I really thought I’d do a bit better than that. Oh well, it was a hell of a lot of fun. I did two laps at 1:40 and two laps at 1:42.
It was foggy as at the house on Saturday morning and I was feeling a little nervy for some reason… we got out the track, and my bike wasn’t ready for scrutineering before the riders briefing so I had to do it after… and I was first out for practice and I wasn’t feeling all that good about everything. I still hadn’t recovered my nerve from the crash the day before and was squealing a little bit in my helmet around the bends, especially turn 10. I came back in not feeling very comfortable about the whole thing – if it hadn’t of been for a garage full of people there cheering me on, I think I would have turned tail and ran home. Best time in practice was 1:45
In a very short period of time it was time for me to race. I gridded up and the nerves were pretty bad but I didn’t stall it on the grid and away we went. Everyone pulled away from me pretty quickly so I just rode around and was feeling a bit more comfortable on the bike which was good and then I got lapped! By three riders… oops. I really thought I’d do a bit better than that. Oh well, it was a hell of a lot of fun. I did two laps at 1:40 and two laps at 1:42.
There was a bit of a mix-up in the program, the events said it was practice for all co-riders – after one lap everyone was brought back in and it was just practice for those participating in the one hour on Saturday. Stace had kindly agreed to be my co-rider so his first go on lil stinky was in qualifying! He showed me what lil stinky can really do, best time was 1:34.
My second sprint race was a little bit better in that I managed to not get lapped… just! However, the leaders were not far behind me, I passed the last lap board and then the leaders, having finished their race came past me – as the red flag was out at pit entry I went in too. As they shouldn’t have done that, I got credited with a finish anyway, though my last lap is a 1:51, but I got three 1:41’s which is pretty consistent so that’s good.
Sunday:
At the briefing the steward made mention of the incident in my last race and everyone was asked not to overtake the backmarker, to let us finish our race
At the briefing the steward made mention of the incident in my last race and everyone was asked not to overtake the backmarker, to let us finish our race
It turned out that there wasn’t a separate co-rider practice for the superlites – just the practice in the morning and it was up to me whether Stace or I was to go out. I let Stace go out and he got a 1:35.
First sprint race for the day, I felt like I got a pretty good start, even though pretty much everyone had gone by me by turn 2. What I didn’t realise was that there were a stack of bikes starting from pit lane so I got quite startled when they all came past me, but they did, and then I settled in and just rode. So much fun. I managed to not get lapped again *just* and Kev tells me that they weren’t far behind me, which I was kind of aware of as I had seen them coming down the hill towards the cauldron as I was going down the back straight. As soon as they came across the finish line they all put their left hands up and slowed right down so I got to finish my race! Best time was a 1:40.04!! That was my last lap, I got three 1:40’s in that race 
Then it was time for the one hour. Stace had qualified 24th and was going out first, with the plan that he could put in some awesome times, get us up the field a bit and then I could go out and lose it for us!! LOL!! Unfortunately that didn’t go quite to plan.
The Le Mans start was pretty fun, for once lil stinky went into neutral without too much hassle, Stace is a fast runner and he was away while the riders to either side of us were still climbing aboard. An absolutely awesome start! 
About halfway into the race the safety car was out… I had been a bit nervous about joining the track with the faster moving traffic so Billy suggested that going out while the safety car was out might be a good idea so I went up to pit wall to wave down Stace but he didn’t come past…
The bike came back into the garage and it was amazing to see, I could barely see the bike for all the guys around trying to get it fixed so I could get out, everyone jumped in to lend a hand . Billy had spoken to race control and they were going to let me go out if we could get the bike fixed in time, even though it was outside the rider change window, but unfortunately the bike wasn’t ready until there was only 3 minutes of the race left. Stace’s best time had been a 1:34.1 which is most excellent! (and he wasn’t hurt in the crash either which is most excellent).
. Billy had spoken to race control and they were going to let me go out if we could get the bike fixed in time, even though it was outside the rider change window, but unfortunately the bike wasn’t ready until there was only 3 minutes of the race left. Stace’s best time had been a 1:34.1 which is most excellent! (and he wasn’t hurt in the crash either which is most excellent).
That left the final sprint race for the day. The forks were a bit bent but had been turned around so they were the same and it steered straight… I set out for the sighting lap and the handlebars were all different and it felt quite bad at first (just different I guess). The thought crossed my mind about pulling in as I came up to Pit Entry but I decided to just get out and do it. I had grid position 20 for this one (thanks to DNFers!) so was on the outside and off we went. I really enjoyed this race, there was a guy in front of me who while he was a fair way in front of me I kept him in sight for the first couple of laps and was even gaining on him a little bit coming round the top of the hill and down into the cauldron He got away from me on the back straight, there was one stage where I was tucked right down giving it all I had… unfortunately I got lapped in this race as well (only just!). Best time was a 1:41 which surprised me as I felt like I did much better.
He got away from me on the back straight, there was one stage where I was tucked right down giving it all I had… unfortunately I got lapped in this race as well (only just!). Best time was a 1:41 which surprised me as I felt like I did much better.
The bike actually felt like it handled a bit better – coming down the hill, just after the right hander kinky thing I would normally get some great wobbles going on… but this time I didn’t!
Wow that turned into quite a novel.
There are some huge thank yous – to Dave#3 for lending me the bike (regretting that now????), Gos for having it prepped on only a weeks notice(!), Mick LC for getting me out there and all the work on the bike on Friday, Stace for agreeing to be my co-rider even though I suck, Kev for being there on the pit wall for every single race start to finish, cheering me on – there were usually others there too who changed from time to time. Billy and Nobby and all the other ‘Pommy Geezers’ (:p) for all the help and support and PC and Yedi and Craig and everyone else who came out to watch.
Actually, I was just looking at the Natsoft site, and I think I actually came 7th in class, out of 9, just because I went out in every race!!!!!!!!!
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?21/11/2010.RRT.P45SUP.M
Actually, I was just looking at the Natsoft site, and I think I actually came 7th in class, out of 9, just because I went out in every race!!!!!!!!!
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?21/11/2010.RRT.P45SUP.M
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