Race Report - Oulton Park 7th June 2008 (New Era Club)
I hadn't been to Oulton since last October and with the BSB round coming up there in July, I thought this would be a good 'filler' to familiarise myself again and spend a bit more time on the bike. Looking back now I should have done the Friday practice day, but with the engine troubles the previous weekend, it would have been too much of a rush anyway.
With the Anglesey trackday having chewed up the pair that was on it, ahead of this weekend I made sure the bike had a new front and rear tyre. The front was apparently a development tyre sent to me by Competition Logistics by mistake, but they told me it was a very good tyre and to give it a try. Out in qualifying, I couldn't work out whether it was me not being used to the track or something else not right, but I could tell I was off pace and I wasn't very comfortable. Unsurprisingly, I could only manage to qualify 6th.
Formula 600 Race 1
I got a bit of a rubbish start and what was even worse, I got boxed in at the first corner and ended up something like 12th for most of the first lap. I managed to pull myself together and made some places up, but I just didn't seem to be able to get up to pace and the front end just felt vague. I was running 6th for most of the race, but could see from my pitboard that somebody as closing me and on the last lap I lost a place to finish 7th.
I got back to the garage and immediately looked at the front tyre, which had pretty much disintegrated and looked like it had done 150 laps rather than the 15 it had actually done. Obviously this was a development tyre that needed a bit more development by the look of it, but one thing was for certain....it was going in the bin! £110 later and there was a new Diablo SC1 waiting to be scrubbed for the next race
Formula 600 Race 2
The next race was much better. I got a fairly good start and held my place into the first turn and then set about trying to make some progress to the front. The two guys leading were disappearing fast and I knew I hadn't got the pace to get up with them, but I got up to 3rd by lap three and settled back to try and get some pace and consistency. The front end felt much better and I was starting to feel a lot more comfortable pushing it, so I was a lot happier.
In fact, it was all looking good until I crossed the line to start lap 8 (of 10) when suddenly the bike started to cough and splutter. I fuelled it with 5 litres on top of what I thought was already a couple of litres in the tank, but obviously it wasn't enough. To be fair, the fuel light came on after the first lap and I thought that it was going to be tight, but I didn't even make 8 laps! What a bloody nightmare and I felt sooo stupid!!
Open Race
I was gridded 22nd for this race (although I have no idea how they decide!) and got away really well to get up inside the top 10 for the first corner. I then chased hard on a few riders and got myself up to 6th and was the first 600cc bike, but then it got red flagged on lap 5 (of 8) and thinking that was the end of it (being over half distance), I came back into the garage to call it a day. They did actually line everybody up again for a full distance race re-run, but I'd had enough by then and couldn't be arsed to rush around re-fuelling so that was that. I also needed to get back to pick up my daughter, so I didn't really need any other excuse to pack up and go home!
Thanks to Frankie for all her help in the garage and for doing my pitboard and generally looking after me, even if she was ashamed of me for running out of fuel! She's still calling me a numpty a month later!