Race Report - Thruxton 1st October 2005 (NGRRC)
What was I saying after Mallory about not wanting to damage the bike in any way? Read on.........
I was really looking forward to this weekend, with the chance to race again with the NG crowd and the Thruxton circuit being one of the most enjoyable and certainly the fastest on the calendar. Also, the club had arranged with the circuit owners for a party after the racing and it certainly promised to be a big celebration night!
We couldn't get away on the Friday until quite late after work, so didn't get to the circuit until around 9.30pm. However, we'd arranged to share some awning space with Glen Watterson so at least we didn't have to put our awning up in the dark. We settled back for the evening, but most people were turning in for bed before 11pm so it was a bit spooky quiet as we went back to the caravan. The NG lads are obviously taking things a bit more seriously these days and keen on getting their sleep!
Saturday morning and the weather was dry, but the ground still damp from some light rain overnight. I got a new pair of tyres sorted and went out for my practice session with the track a little damp in places, but virtually dry. I had quite a good time out there, having a little battle with Pete Thompson and Charlie Bishop, with us all trying to get used to the track. Thruxton is one of those circuits where there are virtually no opportunities to practice because the locals object to noise.........if these people buy a house next to a race circuit, what do they expect?
The first race of the day (and very nearly my only race!) was the Formula 400 qualifier and I was allocated 15th grid spot, so on the fourth row with plenty to do. I got away quite well and made my way up to around 6th or 7th by the end of the first lap, but then picked a few more off to go 3rd and all going very well at this stage. The front pair got away from me quite a bit and I was now coming under pressure from behind, with the next three laps producing some great battles with Charlie Bishop, Rich Bearcroft and Bob Beach. It was really close racing and I touched fairings/elbows with Bob at least a couple of times and got very close with Rich too. I eventually lost out on third place to Bob on the last lap and he just put that half a second or so between us so that I couldn't get back, but it was still close between me and Rich as we ran up the hill to the final chicane for the last time........and that's where it all went wrong! Basically, I needed to brake very late into the chicane to keep my 4th place and in the heat of the moment, I went down too many gears to go into first and the result was that the engine massively over revved and dropped a valve......boo hoo! I did manage to hold the 4th place on three cylinders though!
Back at the awning I took the airbox off to reveal oil sprayed up inside it, plus bits of piston everywhere. So it was game over what has been a fantastically reliable bike and me then contemplating packing up for the day to go and stand and watch. James Parry offered me his spare bike (thanks, James), but it needed a bit of work to get it going. So I went over to see Tony Meredith, who I know always keeps his second bike (an NC30) in top working order, to beg a ride on that. Tony very kindly said that I could use it if the weather held out (it's his wet bike), so a bit closer to the 2nd F400 race we got it back to the awning to put my Dymags on (especially as I'd fitted brand new tyres that morning!), fiddle with the suspension a little bit and adjust a few levers, throttle, etc to suit me.
Come the 2nd race, I took the warm up lap fairly quickly to try and get used to it and then lined up on my 4th spot on the grid from the race one result. First lap and I was in 4th place as we came round, with the bike feeling very good, albeit lacking quite a bit of oomph compared with what I'm used to with my bike, but I wasn't complaining! A couple of laps later and I was inevitably passed to go down to 5th and then on the penultimate lap I got passed again to leave me to finish in 6th. This is a fantastic result on what is virtually standard engined bike I'd never ridden before and it was a real hoot feeling the bike around the circuit and doing much better than I expected. As for Tony, he finished 9th so I don't think was very happy that I beat him on his second bike!
I'd also entered the two Open 400 races, but had missed the 1st race when I was picking bits of piston out of my carbs. I went over to see Tony to ask if I could use the bike for the 2nd race, but he said that he would rather I didn't. I had to respect his wishes, so I put the bike back as he gave it to me and returned it with enormous thanks for his generosity. I wasn't exactly having a brilliant day, but having such a great ride in the 2nd F400 race put a smile back on my face......thanks again, Tony!
Thanks as usual to Lesley for all her support and for doing her best to keep me happy despite the untimely demise of my engine! Thanks also to Glen for sharing his awning with us and for providing the Saturday night karaoke 'entertainment'! I'm only glad I didn't get so drunk that I had a go myself!
Finally, well done to Pete Thompson, who sealed the NG Formula 400 championship with a win taken on the last corner of the last lap, but commiserations to Simon Gates who lost out to Pete with bike problems late in the race. The two of them were separated by just one point as they came to this meeting, so it was a proper show down!