Well I wasn't expecting that to happen.
 

Well I thought I ought to put digit to plastic and tell of a strange happening. Funny old game this racing lark. :rolleyes:

Had a really down emotional week as I had split with my long term partner Jan, who most in the paddock know well. Very stressfull and lots of tears and I'm a big lad but still they came. :(

On the Friday when everyone was practicing, ;) I drove to Maxtons to collect my shock as Castle Combe showed me it was not doing what it should. :o I arrived at Oulton mid afternoon and fitted it. Thanks to Trudi allowing me the use of their purchased garage. :p I asked Kev Senna3 if he would take mine out to see if it was ok, (can only do that with real mates). He only did 2 laps when the rain started. But he said it was good enough for 10th on the grid. :D

Sat qually was mildly moist on track, no untimed practice allowed. I qualified 7th, putting me on the 3rd row. Not too bothered as mine is quick from the line. Some surprises up front tho'. Big up to Paul Kennedy and Jules Norman, Lee Cooper and Paul Nelson, also Phil the Drill was up there.

Race one kicked off track was mostly dry first corner mele I hate but was about 4th. Then past Paul Nelson on Cascades exit, making me in second place. Ron had done his usual Harry Houdini and was hiding between some class A's. I was having the usual Class A and B battle with Tom Roberts he was pulling me on the straights but was holding me on some corners, not all I must add. I squeezed past him once or twice only for him to nick it back again on the fast straights.

Anyway on lap 4 or 5 just approaching Island bend, Kev Senna blitzed past me. Bugger I thought, he was on row 5 he must be going well, or I'm not going as well as I thought I was. I follwed him through the banked hairpin and the first chicane then outbraked him into the last chicane. Knowing Kev was close I thought I must protect my lines.

Going up clay hill then heading for Druids I saw Ron with some class A bikes, by the time we got to Cascades I had the dribbles for the proverbial carrot as he was close to me then through the hairpin I was on his wheel stayed behind him through the first chicane and past him going into the second chicane. Wow P1. but still work to do. The next lap heading for Lodge I just caught sight of Rons wheel but I had the line.

Ron then past me out of Old Hall, bugger!!. I got on his wheel again through the hairpin and managed the same outbrake to the second chicane. Just holding Ron at bay till the chequered flag. One of the best races I've been part of. But still a long way from Sam West's laptime of 2 years ago.

Race 2. I was now second in the Championship and thought if I can keep Kev Senna at bay, thats a good result as the top 3 would still be the same as when we arrived at Oulton, just a different order. :D

Twenty minutes before our race a Bangladeshi monsoon dropped on Cheshire, it kin P**'d down. But race time it had almost stopped, but the track was very wet to flooded in parts. I'm not the most confident in the wet, I was holding second behind Ron, he was lapping some 4 to 5 seconds faster than me and just pulling away. So I had resigned myself for second place. Then on lap 4 as I rounded Island bend i saw this new shiney aluminium gouge line in the tarmac with Mr Jolley in the bunker, it was some 80 yards before the hairpin.

Now I had been having a couple of twitches from the back end, especially in the banked hairpin. So knowing I was now leading and just hoping for the double win, I elected to traverse most corners one gear higher so as not to spook myself and throw it all away. I was aware of the noise of another bike close by, but I don't look around anymore. Then on the last lap I saw the familiar number 3 bike of Kev Senna parked at Druids, I was still being almost too careful on the corners, but squirting away from them hard. Which is just as well for as I took the chequered flag, Jules Norman was 0.133 from me. I was told his front wheel was level with my leg.

If Jules had pipped me Ron would have taken the title by one point.

It has been a tremendous year for a lot of folk, we have all upped our game, Dave Jenkins, :o I need a word with his doctor to get some of those quick pills. Bradders, totally amazing corner speed. I have to thank my brother Rod and his son Dean for supporting me throughout. All the DD paddock are just genuine people from the crew to the supporters to the riders. I'm 80% sure I'll venture to the dark side, where I can keep Kev Senna company, I'll be his monkey. :D

So at 58 years and 7 months I have to say, anything is possible. But I'm also aware that it was because of Rons off that allowed it to happen.

Well done all and hope to see you all again soon. :roll:

Nice one phill good write up and a well deserved win you rode like a champ and now you are :D looking foward to doing battle with you next year started on next years bike yesterday ,6months seems ages away bored all ready

I'm looking for one at the mo not seen anything yet tho'.

Sorry to hear about you and Jan M8, i did know before Oulton but chose not to mention it, although i could not see you from where i was on the track there is nothing worse than coming over the line and not knowing who had done what, fortunatly my pit crew Chris and Cathy were on hand to fill me in on what they saw from pit wall, congratulations m8 from all accounts and your write up two great races despite the conditions of race two. Looking forward to seeing you in the paddock next year knowing that your moving up to class A along with a few others gives me hope of a better outcome for class B next year, most of this year i have been fending off Phill the Drill i will need to watch out for him next year though, still my 9th over all in class B was enough for me, at the start of the season i told myself i would be happy in the top 10.

Next year i am aiming for top 5 :)

Paul

Nice write up Phil, class "A" for you next season then;)


Chris:burn:

hey old fella - you had me, badger, Dean's missus (sorry forgot your name [embarrassed] ) and badgers mate Chris jumping up and down and whooping for the last couple of laps!!

amazing----totally amazing----what do you mean you're only 58 ;) :lol:

can't wait for next year; see if you can do the double!!









although 1 or 2 may be trying to stop you :p

[quote=bradders]hey old fella - you had me, badger, Dean's missus (sorry forgot your name [embarrassed] ) and badgers mate Chris jumping up and down and whooping for the last couple of laps!!

amazing----totally amazing----what do you mean you're only 58 ;) :lol:

can't wait for next year; see if you can do the double!!

Lol Paul. It would be a step too far, Angry and Awsome and Dallas have incredible pace and have a season or more under their belts. As long as I have as much fun as I've had and don't get beat by a class B :o I'll be happy. Its a whole new learning curve. Just got to find the right bits and pieces now to make it happen.

I've just looked at the final standings, Alan Parkes has been Mr consistent with having to drop only a 6th place. Seems a long time to those beers in January. :D

get em framed and on the wall, even if its only in the garage :D

and don't do your chances down; you've done something 99.99% of people worldwide will never achieve and just like winning races, the second is easier than the first I'm sure :burn:


now sell your engine to the Dentist so he can have every advantage to win next year :D

Hey I'm on the Home page, but they got the wrong circuit listed. :lol:

*ahem* :rolleyes:

Champion.
Sounds good doesn't it. :D

Well done grandad.

congratulations,
you won both races which is all that you could do to get the championship. Been a lot of DNFs at the top this year.

Going to be a bit of a void after everyone moves up a step.

Mark

Well done Phil. You did everything you had to. I took a chance and enjoyed myself, but even with my mistake I thought KevP and Paul K were going to run you to the line (and it really didn't even enter my head that I might fall off!). You were where you needed to be when it all fell into place. Good one Champ.

Haven't you heard? A is the new B!!

Phil,

Good write up and well done for this year, maybe you should take up classic racing, Denis Gallagher is still doing it at 73!!!!!

Another to dice with in Class A next year.

Steve

Superb summary, nice video and a just championship victory.

Kept it all together when it mattered and just aggressive enough to win the day. Bloody well done fella!

Ah thanks guys I feel really humbled.

Excellent work Phil, and the bike was looking ace as usual. A graph of your results would surely have predicted a series win; it would plot a straight line, 2008 19th...2009 12th...2010 6th to 2011 1st.

I've never started anywhere except the back row of the grid, so was pleased to see I'd qualified to the next row up, then shocked to see it was actually 2nd row from the front, not the back... definitely the highlight of my 3 races meets to date. Roll on 2012

I was watching a few of your laps on Friday practice. You went well in damp qually so just a case of working on you and the bike next season. Keeping it on the blackstuff is a pre-requisite tho'. :eek:

For those who want a ride around Oulton, this was race 1. Kev Palmer passes me about 8 mins in. At about 10 mins I pass Ron Jolley, only for him to get me back. Then manage the same place pass on him again & held it to the flag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajpiwNt0IMc

Top job Phil, might see you in A next year!

Thanks Hugh, Ive just bought a 620 road bike to start the next iteration. You could stay in B and be a defo contender for next years title.

I'm looking forward now to the new challenge a bit too learn but Awesome and Dallas went straight into it ok.

Just don't want my arse slapped by a class B bike. :o :D

I'd be surprised ;)

Pretty certain that I will move up to A but not bought a new engine/bike so who knows. I hope that by next year I will have learnt from my mistakes and will be more consistent finishing. Oulton was all a bit of a mess for me which left me with a chipped bone in my finger and a back that feels 40 years older than it is!

Was a big mistake of mine to put the new tyres on Saturday, it meant that I qualified 9th and that I couldnt scrub the edge in. In race 1 I made up quite a few spots on the first couple of bends but midway round the hairpin the bike dropped like it was raining. Then in race 2 KevP and I did some very poor maths and thought I only needed to finish 10th and beat NeilC to get 5th in the championship, but we had completely forgotten about Bradders rounds in hand.:lol: So I cruised round going slower and slower after seeing the carnage! When Ron comes off in the rain you know its slippery!

Anyway all in all I enjoyed the season and was very chuffed that I ran towards the front most of the season getting a few podiums and fastest laps in the process. Also thanks to you and various others in the paddock I can now do a bit of (very) basic spannering on the bike!

You did a top job this season with a cool head under pressure the championship title came to you. Congratulations to you Ron and KevP!

Class A 620 :cool: