Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Thanks to Fil2

[Jools]

I've been trying to pop up a message of thanks since lunchtime yesterday, but I believe that I've discovered another message board glitch. On my home PC I can log into the site, however, when I post a message I can type it all out and when I click 'send' it won't let me 'cos it says I'm not logged in and I lose the whole message - perhaps the webteam are trying to tell me something

:"Yes Jools, they're probably sick of A4 sized postings"

Jools: "Feck off rodent, let me get on with the story..."

Anyway, while the rest of the BHCN boys were slumming it in the DUK hospitality at Donington, I got up at stupid o'clock for a Sunday and got myself over to Jacks Cafe for a 7 am start.

Glyn, Beancounter, Phil and Kelly turned up a few minutes apart and after a few minutes of drooling over Glyn's new 749s and a bit of banter we were off on the road. And what roads they were - lovely mix of technical bits, fast open sweepers and crests that had the front wheel lofted (and the back wheel with me six inches off the seat on one mother). I followed Phil at a moderate pace* which was within my comfort zone but certainly very exciting and dropped back behind Glyn for a bit after a brief pause at a roundabout.

Glyn is certainly getting the hang of his new bike - not as confident, nor quite as fast on it, as he is on his ST yet awhile, but I've a feeling that it won't be long before I'll need a Desmosedici to stand any chance of staying with him.

After a pause half way round for a stretch and a ciggy, I popped back up to follow directly behind Phil again. The pace got a bit livlier when Phil decided we were going to go past a bike that I didn't recognise at first from behind but what I now realise was a black ZX10. Phil on his R1 just got a slingshot past him driving out of a bend and the ZX10 guy went with him. I hung onto the litre bikes with Phil pulling steadily away from the ZX through the twisties and me gradually reeling him in, but then we came to a straighter stretch. Can a 888 stay with a ZX10 in a straight line? I think we all know the answer.

Shortly after that the two litre bikes managed to fire past a couple of much slower bikes, but I had to drop in behind them because I couldn't do a safe overtake. These two were like a mobile road block - each time an overtake of cars and stuff was well on the cards they'd hang back and hang back to the point where you would think "they're not going...let's go for it" only to find that they'd change their mind and pull out on you without checking the mirrors or doing a lifesaver. Never mind, it took me about three or four minutes to pull off a nice clean overtake on these two bikes - pulling a tighter line around an open view right hander with Glyn large in my mirrors, but by then the litre bikes were little specks in the distance.

After an enthusiastic 100 miles or so of fantastic clear roads in the cool of early morning, we were back at Jacks Cafe by 9:15 tucking into a big fry up and home before the sun got really scorchio. Top morning out and thanks to Phil for setting it up.

*Moderate - as in the sense of moderate for Fil2 on an R1 - it's always gonna be lively innit?