The Biker Place

So after Tuesday’s bit of formal training it was over to Donny for Two days of fun (?!)

With no practice day for this meet we thought we would enter the Derby Phoenix race day on Sat in prep for Sunday’s championship race with NG.

Up nice and early (like 07:00!) and off to scrutes and signing in then back for some brekkie, Row goes out in the 3rd practice session, he circulates for 3 laps, the checker goes out - no Row…….I am thinking perhaps the first mechanical problem of the year? I wait by the scruteneering bay, Row gets brought back in the van, he climbs out and I can see that he is covered in mud! he gives me the thumbs up to show he is O.K, He shows me a trashed KBC lid (hats off to KBC though, Row had no head injuries at all) the bike is in a similar state as the now defunct lid! I get handed the petrol tank, then some fairing bits, then they roll out a sorry looking muddy twisted bike….. Row has to go off to the medical centre to get checked out although he is fine. We take a lift in the van and deposit the bike back at the awning. He’s out in race 3 so I don’t get much time to get the old girl a bit straighter, its all hands to the pump to get it sorted (thanks for your help John, Vic and Craig)

Row gets back from the medical centre with a clean bill of health and runs off to get his leather’s cleaned up, we manage to cobble the bike back together with lashings of duct tape and Zip ties, she don’t look pretty but passes scruteneering.

Row says that it was his biggest crash to date he lost the front end just as he turned into the old hairpin, He hit the gravel almost straight away which started him tumbling, then to add insult the bike landed next to him and proceeded to fall on him! Row was pinned under the bike waiting for the marshals to lift it off of him, they duly lift it and Row sprang up “I was surprised I wasn’t hurt at all” Row does not have a scratch on him!

Just as I think I’ve got all buttoned up Row says “Oh yea Dad, the clutch was slipping for the first few laps!” so I then have to drop the oil out to check that the pump seals haven’t failed and then re-adjust the clutch.

So we are ready for Race 1

They take the line …. Red light on — off - GO!
Row immediately gets the hole shot and leads the F125′S into Redgate for the first time, they disappear from view. The GP125 boys and 400’s start to stream past then Sam comes past just ahead of Row 1st and 2nd for our boys.

And that is pretty much how it stayed, Sam gradually extending his lead, the little Mk clearly lacking in grunt around here. The Derby Phoenix F125 boys were 1/4 of a lap behind Row at the end of the race.

Row comes back in into the pits “no worries Dad I was feeling the track out a bit, bike feels O.K” He was told that if the bike felt in the slightest strange to come into the pits immediately.

I have a bit more time to give the bike a thorough going through now, I manage to get a replacement screen that will fit, I also work out that the exhaust has been pushed forward by an inch and is slightly collapsed, but I decide to leave it as it shouldn’t affect power output.

Race 2

Errr well same story as race 1 really Row gets the hole shot, Sam gets by then clear’s off, with no one else in sight Row has an easy ride to second, Row’s lap times seem to have plateau’d out at 1:31 Row recons he can still pick up some more speed in a few places, Sam is down in the 1:29’s so we know what the benchmark is for tomorrow.

So a nice easy signature for Row’s national licence.

Sunday NGRRC

This is the important meet, Row will need to ride well and safe to make sure he doesn’t drop to many points at this circuit, I tell Row that 3rd or 4th places would not be a disaster, a look around the paddock shows that all of the championship contenders are here and given that they are all on Aprillia RS125’s we know we will have a struggle today. Overnight I have serviced the bike and fitted the spare exhaust

Practice

Row just goes out and circulates- no problems.

Race 1 - qualifier

Row knows that you gain nothing by getting too involved in a big scrap, so as long as he gets among the top F125’s it will be job done.

They line up - Go! - Row gets his usual blinding start and is leading the F125’s into Redgate, he then gets swamped by Two F125’s and an Rs250 Aprillia in the run down Craner, they stream past at the end of the first lap, Sam then Tom (Row’s two main challengers) then the Rs250 then Row. Next lap and its the same, Sam (Row’s cousin) Has pulled a gap to Tom and is getting away,
The race rolls on, Row is clearly getting frustrated at not being able to get past the Rs250, Both Tom and Sam are well away, by then end of the race Row is still stuck behind whilst Tom and Sam are gone.

So its a front row start for us. We have a little chat during the wait for the second race, Row knows that despite being able to carry greater corner speed, he hasn’t got the grunt of all the other bikes here, so he has to limit his losses.

Race 2 - championship race

Row gets another blinder, then the same old story ensues, he gets taken by the same three during the lap, but this time Row is determined to give them a run for their money! he latches onto the back of Tom, Sam gets away, Lap 2 and Row comes out of Goddard’s just in front of Tom then gets overtaken along the start straight, Lap 3 and this time He stays in Toms slipstream along the start straight and just pops out and nips under Tom into Redgate, when they come back round Tom has got him again! next lap Row tries a tighter line through Goddard’s, but doesn’t overtake Tom, next lap its the same they come round and take the checkered flag… Row goes past the pits making a “what could I do gesture”. So its 3rd place and Sam has gained 4 points on Row in the championship. I asked Row what the gesture was for “I didn’t see the last lap flag, I had a plan to get Tom out of Goddards, I could have got 2nd”

So that’s the day over, hats off to Sam who has had a clean sweep this weekend, 4 races 4 wins…..

Row did manage to reduce his lap times down to 1:30:4 during the championship race, within 1.5 secs of the fastest lap by Sam, so given the 12BHP (and a few ft/lb of torque) deficit we have that’s fine.

Now its off to Brands Hatch for three days with the MRO, after I have spent every evening in the garage repairing the damage from this one!

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