| Ian's bike is a bit trashed unfortunately. It's fairly quick through there and you can't slow down too much when your front tyre is no longer in contact with the tarmac ...
This is my new favourite track even over Brands GP. Simply awesome.
I turn up to find they'd moved me and a few others into the novice group. I did the first 3 sessions in there but it just wasn't working out. I asked to be moved up to fast after lunch and my wish was granted. I had some interesting moments during the day, had a run on the grass on the outside of McLeans ... during one of the novice sessions I had a gentleman who was a little unsure of how he wanted to brake and what line he wanted to take into the chicane so I was going to go under on the brakes until he drifted across in front of me while I was already hard on the brakes ... cue the rear wheel lifting a foot off the ground Domski style only for me to put it back down and do it again ... he made the corner none the wiser and I went around the outside of him exiting the chicane ... phew!
.. had another trip on the grass on the outside of redgate ... then the tyres started sliding, had a big slide in McLeans, enough to sit me up out of the seat ... but the funniest one, another rear slide exiting the old hairpin only this time it went a bit quicker and I was well and truly off the bike (doing the pickup drill for you CSS people) and I nearly fell off the side of the bike ... and then the bike died! I was grabbing gears and trying to make it all happen but nothing - hand in the air and pulled over on the inside of Schwantz Curve and sat on the wall in a fit of depression. Then the marshall's made me push the bike up the hill and off the track to the boundary road when, lo and behold ... I noticed that the killswitch was off! In my flapping around on the bike after sliding (my left hand came off the bars during all that, and the kill switch is now on the left hand side ...) I'd inadvertently knocked the switch.
BUGGER!!
It was a much better place to be in the fast group and I'm glad I went up. Got some clear laps and some dicing with the DD boys and it went fairly well. Nice weather, good company, a fantastic track - what more do you want?
[Edited on 2-8-2005 by TP]
[Edited on 3-8-2005 by TP]  |