I haven’t done any reports for a while, but after this weekend I felt I had too! So tried to keep it short…
Having only decided Thursday I would risk doing it post back injections, and try and ignore the pain, I set off Friday. Went a little like this….
5 ½ hour journey with no stops to Cadwell
Tent up and ready to go, bed broken and crisps and jammie dodgers for dinner with Craig & Manda supplying a beer and coffees to keep me going
Woken to sunshine, entered, scrut’d, signed on and raring to go
Practice – feeling good and laptimer showing a 51 already – my aim for the weekend was 52 so already pleased
Rear tyre changed (courtesy of Tom Roberts, my new tyre sponsor
) and out for qualifying – 1’50.04 yeehar POLE
R1: Good start, about 8 th into first corner, held off a few challenges, got past a few and think I led at the end of lap one, managed to bring it home in first
R2: Start much like the first, took 2 laps to get in front (I thin, maybe 3) then settled in and got a little lead…ran out of steam and led after 10 laps and was 4th by the 11th! Crashed trying top get back my lack of speed on the straight (maybe an oil cooler is needed) when front brake seized on at the end of park and took me down – ouch!
Feeling pretty peeved off and ready to go home, spirits lifted by those who came to check I was ok, although bit upset some others didn’t, then Ghost dragged me for a pint and lifted my mood
Woke up Sun, fairly sore but not too bad, ready tp go again!
Fixed bike, start same as before couple of laps to get a lead then held off til it was stopped – another first!
I couldn’t have dreamed of winning this year. My aspirations were simple; top 10 (or 50% of grid), top 5 was the moon target and beat all last years laptimes…oh and take £50 off Craig and Phil and win the Hants kitty
So, pole, fastest lap of the weekend and 2 big trophies…plus a reminder of the spirit that resides even with those who would benefit from you not getting back out there. I could nearly say I owned Cadwell Park
Had a few scares, got some big lumps and bumps, got a rollicking from Dementor as well as the missus!
But very humbling knowing I have way over-achieved what I thought I could do this year or ever, and that others are genuinely happy for me to do it.
Massive well done to Dave J –awesome ride all weekend, and Paul Pullen as he too took loads off his times from last year
Hopefully see most of you at Doom – title run-in looking very interesting!!