The Biker Place

I can honestly say that I have never been as wound up as the week previous to the last round of the NG championships! Row has seen his championship lead gradually whittled away and has been under increasing pressure just to make sure he gets good finishes, I have been under similar pressure to ensure the bike would stay reliable.

So the final round is here with Row going into it with a scant 9 point lead this means that he must finish in the top 6 to win the championship, sounds easy but with the venue being Thruxton the U.k’s fastest race track and running the smallest bike there it was still a bit of an ask.

We arrived Friday afternoon and quickly got set up and signed in, checked the entry list to see 12 F125’s entered.

Saturday

Practice

I’ve deliberately set the gearing up very long and have the radiator well taped up as the weather station says its only 5 deg!

Row gets out on track for his session and goes past twice, then doesn’t re-appear, I make my way back to the van with thoughts of blown up engines or he’s fallen off, is our championship over? when I get back to the van Row is waiting for me “engines getting too hot dad it got above 65deg, the gearing is too long as well I am only seeing 12000rpm up woodham hill” I breathe a sigh of relief, no major worries then.

The extra duct tape is removed from the rad and the gearing is changed.

Race 1 qualifier

Row gets his usual great start, and leads the F125’s out of sight, we then have to wait for them to come through, 2nd lap and Row comes through in 3rd with a little gap to 4th and 5th, next lap and the gap has reduced with 4th place man hounding Row, 3rd lap and Tom has got Row for 4th, Jed in 5th is now catching Row, last lap and Jed gets his nose in front of Row but Row manages to get the place back and finishes the race in 4th place - that’ll do

“they just come streaming past once we are through the complex Dad, the bikes running a little cool its at 47degrees, and I am getting 12500 RPM up woodham hill so we could shorten it a little more”

We knew we would have this problem here, the little Metrakit is struggling against the wind and up the gradual climb to the chicane, I add another tooth to the rear sprocket and place another bit of tape on the rad.

Time marches on and the place is getting windier and we can feel spots of rain starting to come down, 10 mins before the championship round it really starts to rain, so its out with the dry tyres and on with the wets, as the race approaches its really starting to rain and get colder, I put another strip of tape on the rad.

Championship race

So this is the important one, Row knows he just needs 6th we get the bike started Row gets his kit on, I pat him on the arm, no point in saying anything.

They complete their warm-up lap and take their places on the grid, GO- I am straining to see, Row comes past leading the F125’s again, I am so keyed up I can hardly watch. All of the family are feeling sick with the tension!! Lap 2 and Row comes past still leading but the other boys are very close, lap 3 and Row has been passed by Sam (his closest rival) Lap 4 and Tom has got Row who is now in a battle with both Tom, and Jed for 2nd place, lap 5 Tom has a gap to Row who is defending his 3rd place (I am thinking let them go you don’t need to battle!) they come around the next lap and the chequred flag is shown….. Row held 3rd (we think),

He’s done it the commentator says Rowan Miller in 3rd place and the 2008 F125 Champion! we all run back to the paddock to wait for Row to come in then its all hugs and smiles.

“Jed got past me up Woodham hill but I just managed to stay in his slipstream, I thought about passing him into the chicane but thought it would be a bit tight so I held my corner speed and rode around him on the way out, I know I didn’t have to but it was a safe maneuver”

So that’s it Rowan is the 2008 champion the youngest to win this series and the first time a Metrakit has won a championship in the U.K.

But we cant quite relax yet, we have The Race of the Year at Mallory park in two weeks time then its off to Estoril on Nov 5th to see if he can get through to the Red Bull rookies next year

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