Anglesey,,, The Awesome Report!
Well where do I start?,,,, Luckily we had a six week gap after the racing at Mallory Park, because it seems you that you can recover from a broken collar bone and rebuild a bike in that time.
I didn't know whether I would be going to Anglesey to race at all the week preceding, but I was quite determined that my bike would be ready even if I wasn't, the doctors said NO! YOU MUST NOT!, which was generally agreed with by my family and some of my friends and many of my customers, who I speak to every day. It seem that most people thought that I would obviously give up racing or riding a motorcycle now that I have 'seen the light' and realised how stupid it all is?
****ers!
So Thursday lunchtime I collected the horse box and started to load up the bike and stuff and my wife came out the house and said “you going then?” she new I would be, I had decided that I should go.
I felt that I could ride a bike but wasn't sure about race pace, but felt that it would be important (to the championship) that I get some points even if I wasn't even racing for a top 5 position which I hoped I would.
I had planned to take it very easy on Friday and maybe only do a couple of sessions so that I didn't hurt myself before the racing even started on Saturday but as you know I ended up doing the whole day. I felt pretty good about most aspects apart from right hand corners where I kept imagining a nice easy low side, which would almost certainly re-brake my collar bone and really hurt, strangely left handers didn't bother me as much
the only other thing I had tried once or twice was quite hard braking, but It really hurt, late braking overtakes were going to be out of the question tomorrow.
Saturday morning came and we all went out for free practice, without problems I think, then qualifying, it was a damp but drying track which is probably the the most dangerous condition, I left the pitlane, behind Jolley and followed him for a bit feeling quite comfortable until Ghost over took and I realised that I wasn't going to do well following 2 class B bikes (in Class A I need to be faster) and I new that overtaking them would not be easy so I rolled off a bit to build up a nice gap in front, then The Pie Man overtook so I rolled off a bit more to build up more of a gap but Neal went in leaving me a big gap but wondering how much longer I had left to get in a good lap, so I thought I need to get moving now and did 1 good lap, although I didn't think I had gone nearly fast enough I had got pole, for the first time this year, with a broken collar bone!
Race 1 came around and I was still wondering if I could go flat out for 12 laps as my collar bone was aching quite a lot after doing more than I should have on Friday, As the lights went out I dropped the clutch and the bike took off, class A bikes have soooo much more go off the line, in class B I never made the first corner above 4th or 5th place, but with the extra torque of the 620 I made turn 1 in front and went about riding as fast a I could, Before this year, I've never led a race from the front and I have to say that I'm not much good at it, I seem to need someone to catch up with before my brain switches to race mode, somewhere during the race Neal overtook and ran me a bit wide but I managed to catch up and take him back, then again, then again, then thought if he is behind on lap 11 he will overtake and win, so I decided to follow him until the last lap and then take him at the end, unfortunately I got a bit held up in traffic at the hairpin and couldn't get close enough to get him, I did try into the cork screw, but it was never going to work. - ANOTHER BLOODY 2ND!
Race 2 After pole, and actually having a decent race with Neil in race 1 my target of a top 5 had changed a bit and I was now looking for a win! At the start I got another good start and led into the first corner, but again after about lap 4 or 5 Neil did his usual sit you up into a corner overtake and passed me, and pulled about a second gap, so I thought O.K. Game on and I did start to catch up a bit but then started out-braking myself into some corners and he started to pull away. After a few more laps I decided that another 2nd place was the best I was going to get and I had a 5 second gap behind so I eased up a bit, then I noticed that the gap behind was falling Fast but I couldn't get going again. I kept out braking myself again? I've never really done this before, but thought maybe it was my shoulder. With just a couple of laps to go I could feel Angry and Steve flying in formation behind me and as I expected they both out braked me into rocket, and I was down to 4th, I tried at every corner to get back past Angry but couldn't make it stick then on the last lap I tried to out-brake him into rocket but couldn't stop (again) and ran really wide so 4th it was.
After the race we stopped in parc ferm and I practically fell off my bike exhausted, I later found that my brake master cylinder was leaking and was probably why I kept out braking myself! I guess I'd done o.k. But I still want that win!
If I remember correctly, I owned Snetterton Last year, Roll on Snett!
Matt