Highside
14-08-2006, 20:57
This was my first ever time ridding Donny, so I wasn't expecting to much. I wanted to learn the track and tootle around. New Era had changed the format for this meeting and we had a 15min qualifying session and 1 12 lap race instead of the usual 10 min qualifying and two 6 lap races.
As per usual this season we had a wet qualifying session, witch of course meant I lobbed it down the road at coppice, a blind entry doubble apex right hander. I was minding my own business going round and learning the track when I went up the inside of another rider, and as I was getting on the gas the back spun up and I was inspecting the tarmac at close quaters again! But I still managed a time good enough to put me 7th on the grid. (My apologies to John Hull, who went of in sympathy, but managed to stay up right and carry on, well done that man!)
We managed to clean the bike down and fix it up to get out for the race, witch was nice. The weather cleared up a bit and we actually managed to have a dry race.
Race
I was on the second row of the grid and got away well untill the bike jumped out of gear and I lost a little time, but I held my position into the first corner. I had a race long battle with Matt Bainbridge. I managed to get passed him in the early stages, up the inside at McCleans, but he tried to come up the inside at the next corner (coppice) as he had a better run out of McCleans, I tride to take the wide line round coppice but nearly highsided as I got on the gas as the back wheel spun up. Gamble also got passed me. I re-took Gamble into Redgate and set off after Bainbridge again. I caught him in a couple of laps and out broke him into goddars, the final chicane to take the position. The bike then jumped out of gear on the way into redgate on the following lap, causing me to run wide and onto the mud, this let Bainbridge back through. He pulled away a bit, but I was soon back on his tail. With a couple of laps to go I got a good run on him through the crainer curves, and was linning him up into the old hairpin, but thought better of it. He finished 2 10ths of a second infront of me in 5th place with me in 6th.
As per usual this season we had a wet qualifying session, witch of course meant I lobbed it down the road at coppice, a blind entry doubble apex right hander. I was minding my own business going round and learning the track when I went up the inside of another rider, and as I was getting on the gas the back spun up and I was inspecting the tarmac at close quaters again! But I still managed a time good enough to put me 7th on the grid. (My apologies to John Hull, who went of in sympathy, but managed to stay up right and carry on, well done that man!)
We managed to clean the bike down and fix it up to get out for the race, witch was nice. The weather cleared up a bit and we actually managed to have a dry race.
Race
I was on the second row of the grid and got away well untill the bike jumped out of gear and I lost a little time, but I held my position into the first corner. I had a race long battle with Matt Bainbridge. I managed to get passed him in the early stages, up the inside at McCleans, but he tried to come up the inside at the next corner (coppice) as he had a better run out of McCleans, I tride to take the wide line round coppice but nearly highsided as I got on the gas as the back wheel spun up. Gamble also got passed me. I re-took Gamble into Redgate and set off after Bainbridge again. I caught him in a couple of laps and out broke him into goddars, the final chicane to take the position. The bike then jumped out of gear on the way into redgate on the following lap, causing me to run wide and onto the mud, this let Bainbridge back through. He pulled away a bit, but I was soon back on his tail. With a couple of laps to go I got a good run on him through the crainer curves, and was linning him up into the old hairpin, but thought better of it. He finished 2 10ths of a second infront of me in 5th place with me in 6th.