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| #1  23-Aug-2009, 14:15 | ||||
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| Castle combe report... I've not done a report since Donington Park when I was so excited and high I could not stop talking about it, this time it's because I am so low and misserable I cannot stop talking about it. I'll start at the begining (but you could skip to the end) After a series of bike issues and not doing as well as I thought I could at the last couple of rounds I decided to take it to Bob Farnham tuning (who is a really good bloke) for a dyno, he said it was completely knackered and I needed a new one... I thought that I would copy Sam who seems to be doing ok and bought one from ebay.... the add read "Very Very Clean and tidy engine, just look at the picture, it really is that clean and only done 10,000 miles a very good runner" It cost £420 + 1 bottle of oil +2 spark plugs + oil Filter + 2 cam Belts + clutch fluid! I spent all day Sunday fitting it (at work, cos i work weekends so I didn't get much done) and when I started it it knocked and banged worse than the old one, I was really ****ed off! I took the clutch cover off and found that the clutch nut had come off completely and ruined the bearings on the gearbox input shaft. I spoke to the guy I bought it from who is a high scoring bike breaker seller on ebay who want's me to send it back at my cost! (I have done a deal to keep it for a small charge in the end) I then bought another engine from a local breakers that looks like it spent the last 5 years at the bottom of a lake but it at least sounds good now it's fitted. any how... I booked a track day for the Wednesday before the race to get a sneek preview of the track, unfortunatley because of the lieing Bsted who sold me a knackered engine I didn't have a bike so I decided to ride up on my Mint, Beautiful, lovely, lovely 916 that lives at the back of my heated and alarmed garage under the ducati tailor made cover and only comes out now and then on nice days and always cleaned and polished before it is put away again, I've always kind of wanted to do a track day on it, you know, what it was built for and all that, then I promptly locked the front wheel and skidded through the air cusions on my arse! spent the next three days fitting the engine and trying to sort out all the other issues I had, Friday night still at it. totaly fed up and nearly didn't bother coming, in the van ready to go about 9pm The Race Day Up at 4am out the door and on the way feeling good and hoping to beat Angry Challis and steel his 4th place in championship, bike went well in that allcomers although a bit different on the start line, It seems to bog down abit and not get going as well as the other one did RACE 1 Warm up lap... Start rubbish start people coming past all the way to the first corner I saw Sams chain come off (I thought that's ashame, but, quite selfishly thought could be a few more points for me, sorry sam) then... what was that a misfire! tried to overtake senna 3 .. missing again then dead.. oh bollox! not again! problem sorted RACE 2 same start as race one, I just don't seem to have the power of the other bikes out there, and people going past all the way to the first corner again, but I could see Harriot only about 10 bike lengths ahead and I thought If I can just get past some other bikes I can run with the front, but I needed to get past quickly so they didn't get too far ahead, a few overtakes quite quickly then going around the outside of ...... sorry can't rember, he moved over much further than I expected and left me nowhere to go but the grass at great speed, which put me about half a lap behind. I then went o.k. for the rest of the race and made up some places but in the end not enough and finnished 8th in class, maybe I should be pleased with 8 points but it is the worst finnish I have ever made and coupled with a dnf it wasn't a great weekend again. each race I seem to get worse! then. when I got home, I've got a court summons sitting on the door mat. it makes me sound like a mad hooligan and i think i'm probabaly going to get a ban! If i do... I can't come come racing  If just one more thing happens this week I'm going to jump off the QE2 bridge! Matt 72  |
| #8 23-Aug-2009, 23:28 | ||||
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