Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > crasher clegg's Castle combe race report

[Dominic Clegg]

Castle combe race report

Hi everyone, once again had a fantastic weekend.

Ruth and me got to the track Thursday night to avoid the hot weather and traffic it took near 5 hours to get there from home. Got up Friday morning put the tent up and looked over the bike. I had made a few changes to the bike. Fitted a double bubble screen, which real helped, as I got no windblast at all. Fitted the bigger front tyre dropped the front forks and set the rear to as hard as it will go and max preload. Also after talking to Kevin Ellis I tried opening up the handlebars.
I wasn’t looking forward to this track as I like fast flowing tracks like assen and brands and with 3 esses I didn’t think I was going to like it.
For this weekend I had a few goals as well. 1) Stay on the bike and ride with in my limits. 2) Get faster over the weekend and aim for 1.30min lap.
Had the bike looked over on Friday and signed on.
Saturday timed practice did 10lap with the heat as well it was real hard the bike seemed to be lacking in power going down the straight but later got better when I got back to the pits I found that I could not move the front wheel found out the I had warped both my disks (trying to hard!!!!!!!!!!!!) so borrowed a front paddock stand from Ian got the wheel out and disks off and ran round until Kevin Ellis came to my rescue and let me borrow one of his. Changed the pad and I was back to a single brake set up. Had a test ride and things felt okay.
So out to the race heat was still very high the sweet was running into my eyes. We sit on the grid for a very long time any finally we are off. I got an okay start and I kept the bike to the right of the track where I stated. It payed off and passed a lot of people then it came to quarry and I was still over to the right of the track I slowed the bike as best I could and turned it as tight as it would go but it was no good im going to hit some one and I hit number 9 peter it felt real hard and felt real bad. Any way had to get on with it managed to look up and had skids just in front of me but with fitting new brakes and pads and being back to a single set up could slow the bike like I could and I ran on to the grass 3 time in the opening laps with the biggest at quarry. By the time I got the bike back on to the track and figured out my braking spots again I was behind number 14 Adam Ferguson. I saw red and was on a mission with the brakes still not full working I was carrying a lot of corner speed (not by choose) passed Adam quickly and big gap to next to riders 39 Paul and 55 David was on there back wheel with in a couple of laps tried a move in to tower but with not being 100% with the brakes I ran very wide but lap later I was on pauls back wheel though camp and was past got into slip stream of David and past him before quarry. There was another big gap to the next two of 31 lucie and 16 graeme. These to were battling hard and pushing each other wide at most corners so got on their back wheel within a lap or so. I planed a move at tower for the next lap to have them both and out of the esses pulled to quick gears and held the throttle full open through old paddock and hammerdown both of them lapped Lyn on the in side and I went the other it messed my line so feel back but the move was on next lap. Both of them got good drive though tower so couldn’t do it. I was right on lucie’s back wheel going over the start finish, lining her up for quarry. But the chequered flag came out. I was gutted could of done with five more laps.
I had ridden real well and the bike felt real good and was riding with in my limits the changes to the set up I made real worked and I under stand why they worked which is the most important thing. Did a lap time of 1.31min which 4 sec better than qualifying.

Race two. With the brakes bedded in I was real confident this time out once again a delayed start. Chin up griffiths mate you got some real talent and speed and I hope your okay. With the delayed start we all got to take the **** out of Dom being interviewed which made me laugh and on the grid. I get very nervous and I wasn’t this time thanks to that. The race was on and I got an okay start once again and this time stayed left and went round the out side of quarry and passed a lot of people getting held up on the apex, a move I did a lot when I raced motor cross coming out of the corner I went up the inside of 41 Kieran into the esses but couldn’t make it stick and I was trying every which way to get passed with no look we came up against two 620 of Jed and Duncan. Kieran got around them very fast but I got stuck behind Jed who was real fast in some places but in places where I was fast such as hammerdown and tower I just could line the move up. A few laps went past and I was real thinking where I could try a move. To my astonishment I was dragging both of them back though folly and catching them. In qualifying 36 Andy came past me before camp and I follow him around camp and knew I could carry loads of speed though the corner so next lap was all over Jed though camp and was just centimetre between us got a fantastic drag in the slip stream and got on to the left of him though Avon and late turn into quarry it was a real good move and I got past covered my line into the esses as Jed tried to come back at me but the place was mine had a few goes at Duncan it to tower but he was covering and turning in early so I lined him up for the same move into quarry as I did with Jed but once again the chequered flag come out and I was gutted where do all the laps go? I spent all my time messing with 620 for nothing as they not in my class but it was still good racing and still great fun. The bike set up is perfect but I ran a 15/41 and was pulling 10,500 rpm going into Avon so I think 15/39 or 40 would suit the bike better. The bike felt fantastic and didn’t feel like I pushed it any were near the limit like I was doing at assen. I just missed out on 1.30 lap. I love castle combe and hope we can go back as I think this is the closest racing we had so far this year. Came home very happy with 13th in race one and 6th in race two. As oulton is the closest track to me iv done several track days there so am looking forward to it and hopefully be able to break into the top five but with Chris wood back and griff want to make up for things its going to be hard.

[ali]

Well done Dom, good to see you keeping it sunny side up.

"and set the rear to as hard as it will go and max preload." - very bad idea, more bumps = soften everything!

"Also after talking to Kevin Ellis I tried opening up the handlebars" - very good idea, more leverage, bigger elbows!

Well done,

Ali

[domski]

Originally Posted by Dominic Clegg

With the delayed start we all got to cheer for my hero Domski, as he was being interviewed. He's really great and one day I hope I can go half as fast as him.

Thanks Dom

Well done though, you're going in the right direction dude

[AK]

well done dom a big improvement in race 2 for you mate
good to spend more time talking on sat night but next time dont bring so many sausages, did you eat them all?
hope you were not to late home mate?

[Dominic Clegg]

got home at 9.30 after watching the KTM racing it looks so much fun cant afford that. and yes i did eat them all keeped me going on the drive home

[Grib]

You did well over the grass at Quarry, kept up quite a pace Glad you had a good weekend.

[Dominic Clegg]

have no idea how i kept it up right it was sliding all over the place