Knockhill 25th September 2011 Knockhill Motor Club
It was a one day event at Knockhill at the weekend.
As I passed my driving test last Tuesday I drove my mum, dad and Andrew up to Knockhill on Saturday. We were already set up on the Friday and just had to get the bikes out of the van ready for the Saturday night practice sessions. It was dry, but really windy. My first session was really good. I felt like I had everything under control and I was practicing my lines to make sure they were all good J The next session was also good and I got lots of laps in.
Unfortunately as my session finished at 6;00 I didn’t have time to get signed on
and scrutineered on Saturday so I had to get up a bit earlier on Sunday.
I woke up
on Sunday and it was sunny. I was all signed on and scrutineered. By the time it
was riders briefing the wind had picked up and it was quite chilly.
I went out for my first practice and I got back into the groove of things and got quite a few laps in. I went out for my qualifying and I could feel the wind picking up. I took it easy and tried to stay as smooth as possible. As I drove through the corners I could feel the wind pushing against my bike. I was pleased when I ended up on the 3rd row of the grid. My times weren’t as low but I was still happy with my qualifying.
Race1. I knew all I had to do was get a decent enough start to pass at least the row in front and I’d be away J As we all took off I seen in the corner of my eye a collision between two bikes, and I seen them both travelling very fast down the track. I hoped it would get red flagged because it looked like a sore one. I continued round and it was red flagged. We were back on the grid and I got a pretty good start. I moved up one or two positions and I was around 2 seconds away from the rider in front. The race wasn’t quite long enough for me to get up to him and pass him. I was pleased as I had finished 8th overall and moved up a row for the next race. J
Race2. My start was half decent. I got away without anyone over-
A big thanks to all who helped at the weekend J
Donington, East Fortune 9th ,10th & 11th September
As I am in the top 10 for the Triumph Young Gunz my mum and me travelled to Donington on Thursday night so we could be there on Friday for the last seminar. We started off by doing our fitness retests. We started off doing the plank and then the bleep test. I was pleased as I improved both my scores from a few weeks ago at Loughbourgh University. After… we had a talk about suspension. I learned a lot and enjoyed listening to the experts explaining their views about how important your bike set up actually is. We had a small quiz at the end of the session to end the seminar.
It was East Fortune at the weekend and I was very excited J
I had to wake up extra early to go to scruitineering as I didn’t get to East Fortune till late Friday night.
It was wet and vey muggy when I woke up on Saturday morning. I decided to put my inters on just to be on the safe side for my first practice. The practice went pretty well. I was getting used to my bike again and the conditions of the track.
I qualified 14thon the grid which put me on the outside of the 4th row, so I would be able to get a good drive right round the outside of the pack. Well this was my plan.
My first race I got a pretty good start. The track was wet with a dryishh line starting to form, so I had to be careful not to stay on the dry line too long and shred my tyres. I followed a 450 until the last lap and then braked extra late into Hannah’s so I could take the flag in front of the small group I was in.
The second race was a lot more dry so I had my slicks back on. As I became more confident in my hot tyres I started braking later and later. My bike started wriggling about a lot as I was braking and felt a bit unsettled. I finished the race and was pleased with my performance. I spoke to my Dad & Graham about my setup, they made a few changes…..would need to wait till the morning so I could try and c if it improved the handling.
We stripped my bike on Saturday night all ready for Sunday. Also we altered the compression dampening to make it harder. We also swapped my seat pod back to the one I prefer which raises me up at the back more.
Race 3. It was totally dry which was good as I am not as keen on the inbetweenie wet and dry track stuff. The race started and as we were exiting railway I looked up to see a bike flipping away into the field. I thought it would be red flagged and it was no surprise that we were stopped and back on the grid the same lap. We got restarted and managed 3 laps and there was another red flag. The final chance we got was a 5 lap dash. I got away and got in front of the normal group of big bikes I was with and got up beside a new group. I had a great battle with the big bikes. The race felt so long because of all the stoppages. My forks felt a lot better and the bike was more settled.
Race 4. I got a really good start and managed to drive round the outside of most of the riders into the first corner. I just missed some of the bumping and bashing throughout the first lap. It was the last race of the weekend and everyone was on it. I followed the faster riders through past some of the others. The race flew by and before I knew it, it was the last lap, and I was determined to pass the two riders in front of me to take me up to the front of the small pack. I passed one into railway and then another one into the hairpin. My bike felt a lot better in the last 2 races which I was pleased with J . I had really put into practice changes to my bike set up…..with help from Graham & my Dad. Thanks to you both J
East Fortune Melville 13th/14th August 2011
It was at East Fortune at the weekend and I was very excited to get back on my bike after Brands Hatch. My dad and I had a busy week stripping my bikes and rebuilding the other one all ready for the weekend
I couldn’t wait to try and put into practice what I had learned with my friends at Triumph Young guns the week before at Brands……
We got there and got set up and surprisingly it was dry. J:)We got scrutineered and
ready for Saturday warm up.
Saturday warm up went alright. I felt I needed a little
more as it wasn’t as quick to jump out of the corners as i’d hoped. Also I felt I
needed my longer seat pod on to give me a more comfortable position.
After the warm up we changed the sprocket and also the seat pod and went out for qualifying. I noticed a difference straight away with the gearing and I managed to get into a better position after changing the seat pod.
It was dry and a bit sunny, so I was really confident in my tyres I managed to qualify 18th on the grid which put me on the 4th row. I knew I if I got off the line I could move through a row or two so I was just hoping for good starts throughout the races
My first race flew past. I felt like I was hardly on the bike at all. I managed to
get up to around 15th but got caught behind some of the bigger bikes at the corners.
I was pleased with my efforts for the day.
I didn’t get another race as there were
so many stoppages so I was preparing myself for 4 on Sunday.
Andrew got 2 strips of his legs waxed as part of a fundraising waxing…..WEll done Andy.
Sunday morning I woke up and it was dry and a bit warm outside which I was glad about.
Brenda & Rod from Motorcycle Law Scotland had came down to watch us race-
My race was out first so I had to be fully awake and try and get the best start I could. I got a really good start and I was up to about 14th already. I got pushed a bit wide coming out of snake, but I managed to pull it back and finish the race in 11th I was very pleased with my performance
The day got warmer and I was going to do another race on my 06 bike then for the others I would go on my other one to save us stripping it and to see if i felt any difference on it
My start was amasing and I got a brilliant drive out on turn 1. I was slip streaming down towards turn2 when I realised there was 3 of us turning in and only 1 apex. I was on the outside and then when another bike shot through on the inside. It was a domino effect and the bikes inbetween us got budged into me. I got sat up and ran straight on into the field. I thought I might be able to save it but unfortunately I couldn’t as there was a ditch so I had to drop it on its side. I picked my bike up and the marshals helped to get me off to the side safely. I was gutted watching the rest of my race zooming round and I had to watch
When I got back I had to go and get signed off fit to race again and my dad looked for the damages. The radiator was mangled backwards so squashed everything… This wasn’t good. I then swapped to my 09 bike for the last races. I was very wary into turn 2 , and got in the habbit of going on the inside of the big bikes rather than being on the outside of the bumps. I finished the race in 10th and had a great battle with the big bikes. 10th was my best position of the weekend and so this has given me a starter point for the next round at East Fotune. Apart from my stumble off the bike I was in one piece and had a great weekend Thanks to all who helped…
5th/ 6th/7th August BSB Brands Hatch – Triumph Young Guns Seminar
Where to start…it all started when I was told I had to be at Brands Hatch with my bike for the next Triumph meeting where I was going to meet Frankie Chilli. J After a while my mum got the idea that as the BSB were at Brands Hatch anyway I could just compete as we were already down there anyway I thought this was a great idea
So… my mum, dad and me started travelling down on the Wednesday morning quite early as we had no clue how long it would take us to get there… roughly about 11 hours ishh.
We got there and got told to park in the field opposite the gates for the night so we could get into the paddock first thing on the Thursday morning which I was very excited about
On Wednesday night we went over to the Brands Hatch hotel for our dinner which was very nice…
Thursday morning we woke up and got into the paddock to get set up. We got set up for 11o’clock, so I had the rest of the day to go round the track as I had not a clue what it was going to be like in real life It was raining heavy then lightly so when it wasn’t very bad my dad and I cycled the track. I was a bit shocked because the track looked so different to what it looks like on tv and on you tube.
I walked the track twice more on Thursday to try and get my head round the big steep slopes and late apexes which I’m not used to so much.
On Friday I was going out on the Indy track for two 20 minute free practice sessions, and then later on with the Triumph thing I was going to be doing 3 20 minutes with Frankie Chilli and Paul Young assessing us on our riding abilities.
It was really hot and dry so it was dry tyres for us, which I was happy with as I was going to be learning a new track and would rather learn it in the dry than in the wet. So…I went out and got used to the twists and turns and gradually built up my confidence on the Indy circuit. I knew I wasn’t going to have a long time learning the Gp circuit so if I got the Indy track in my head really well then it would be half the battle when qualifying on the big track comes round on the Saturday.
It was roasting and I finished my two sessions with the BSB guys. Now it was time
to go and meet Frankie & Paul and start the assessment side of Triumph Young Guns.
The first part of the session was talking about practicing and qualifying and different
set ups and lots of other useful bike tips that Chilli was telling us. This I found
really useful as I’m not so good at telling Dad what is wrong with my bike-
We then got our suits on and got our bikes ready for the first session. We were told to go out and go round at our own pace and Frankie and Paul Young would come round behind us and watch what we were doing. This was good as I got more track time on the Indy track. After the first session we all came back in to have a short briefing with Frankie and Paul to ask any relevant questions about the track lines or our own individual riding positions. This was very useful as we all had different areas on the track needing improved. This gave us the opportunity to get the advice we needed.
When we were told to get ready and go back out for session two my bike decided not to start which was disappointing My mum and dad took it back down to where all the tools were and I waited up with the Triumph people talking to them. The next session had finished and there was still no sign of my bike which made me think it was something serious … Then Darren (the man who drives the van at East Fortune) came up to tell me that I was to get my helmet back on and they were coming up with my bike I was soooo relieved that it wasn’t anything which couldn’t be fixed. My dad appeared and I jumped on my bike and waited for the temperature to come up so I could get the last 10 minutes of the last session It was the generator which had died. Thankfully we were parked next to Steve Patrickson who had a second hand generator for me to use Thanks also to Kyle Rydes mechanic for giving my Dad a hand.
I finished the last session and I didn’t realise how warm it was as my leathers were sticking to me and I struggled to pull my arms out.
After the final session we returned to the small room where we had a de-
Thankfully my bike stopped when it was only a practice and not when it was a race
Friday night we got my bike ready for qualifying on Saturday and got ready to change the tyres in the morning Thanks to Craig for helping my Dad.
Saturday I woke up and it was warm and dry which I was pleased with as I wanted my first laps on the Gp circuit to be as dry as possible I got myself ready for Q1 and headed up to the holding bay. I followed everyone out and made my way round. My first lap was rather scary but I got on with it and by laps 10 and 11, my stomach started getting used to the steepness of the drops throughout the track. By the time I was confident to start pushing the session had finished even though I knew I could have went quicker. I was quite disappointed when I didn’t qualify after Q1 but I knew I had a chance in Q2 if the rain stayed away… I also got a mega chance to put into practice advise from Paul.
In the run up to Q2 I was 2 seconds off the qualifying time and I needed a 1 minute
45 second lap to qualify. So… I made my way up again and got out first J As the faster
guys were passing me I tagged on and grabbed as much slip-
I woke up on the Sunday and it was dry again I was very pleased with the weather conditions, but I was hoping things would stay nice and dry for my race J I had an 8 minute warm up at 9:00 so I was all set to go J My bike felt good and I knew that everything was where I wanted it for my race
Ohh… I qualified 25th on the grid so I would be close to the pit wall. I left for my sighting lap and headed for the grid where my mum, dad and Garry were on my spot. After we sat for a few minutes it was time for my mum, dad & Garry to go away and I was left on the grid looking at the slight hill up to the first turn. I set off for my warm up lap and suddenly there was a green splodge twirling down the track… towards me. I couldn’t believe it. I had to swerve in an attempt not to be hit… and it was only the warm up lap. The warm up lap was red flagged and we returned to the grid for a further few minutes in order for the rider to be seen to my the paramedics. Thankfully the rider was OK.
When we set off for another warm up lap everything turned out fine Before I knew it I had landed back on the grid again. & this time my mum dad & Garry weren’t waiting for me. It was the real thing. I didn’t take my eye off the lights and I was determined to get a good start I got my clutch on the bite and revved my bike. The lights went off and I let the clutch out. I was … as my dad would say… OFFSKI I flew through the rows and got up to 18th… I was doing a good job for the first lap… then people turned aggressive. I was turning off from the Indy track and onto the Gp track when a dafty from behind screamed into me. I had to run waaayy wide off the racing line and this made me lose my drive up the hill. I was quite frustrated as I was in a good wee group to begin with. I just settled myself back and down and went corner to corner, not thinking about the positions I had lost. Then when the guys infront of me got a gap I found it hard to reduce that gap. After the first red flag in the warm up lap, the laps were reduced from 14 laps to 11. I was having a great time and I was on my last lap when it was red flagged due to an incident at the start/finish straight.
I came into the parc ferme after my race very happy with myself. I finished 21st which I was also happy with I learned loads & loads over the weekend and it felt mega to put it all into practice on track.
I had an amazing weekend and the weather made it even better.:)
Also I managed to get Frankie Chilli & Paul Young to get their pictures taken with the macmillian bears which was great and really good of them. One of my other favourite moments was on Saturday night when I had just came back from the shower and my mum handed me my dinner. I sat down and at the corner of my eye I seen LEON CAMIER casually strolling past the caravan. I dropped the Pizza and ran after him, asking my mum to get the camera… We spoke to him for ages as Mark Hodgeson who built ma wee bikeys used to run Leon. We had a great wee bleather and I got my pictures taken with him, even though my hair was a disaster, I didn’t care
Overall a fantastic weekend
Young Guns Seminar 23rd July 2011 & North East@ Knockhill 24th July 2011
Saturday.
As I was selected one of the Triumph young guns my mum and I travelled to Loughborough University for the Seminar. We travelled down on the Thursday to stay with my auntie and uncle for a few days before travelling to the University on Saturday morning. When we got there we introduced ourselves and then a nutritionist started speaking to us about our food routines etc. This was quite interesting to listen to – I learned loads .. Then we made our way to the sports hall where we did our fitness tests. After this we returned to the classroom where we heard from a sports psychologist which I found really fascinating I would love his job ! !!! We travelled back up the road on Saturday night so I could be at Knockhill on Sunday to race for the North east meeting
Sunday.
I woke up on Sunday and the sun was out and the temperature was getting higher as the morning went on. As I wasn’t there on Saturday to qualify I was allocated my spot… The back of the grid. I knew I was going to have to be very aggressive … especially on the first few corners
Race 1: I was 28th on the grid… I got a pretty good start and tried to squeeze through as many big bikes as I could. I managed a fair few and tried to pick them off as I went through the first few turns. My plan was to get through as many as I could before the race settled down into some kind of rhythm or pace. I got stuck behind a guy on a blue bike who was not budging for me. I tried every possible line to get round about him but nothing seemed to work. Then there was 2 yellow flags put out.. at the hairpin and duffus so it was hard to make a pass out with the yellow flagged areas. I decided I was getting passed. So I took a wider line at macintyres and went up the inside at Butchers I was proud of myself for managing a move like that I was really disappointed when I got to Clarks the red flags went out so I going to have to do it all over again.
The race was restarted and I managed to get up to 12th in 5 laps J This was alright and in the roasting weather I think it was ok Race 2: I got a similar start which was pretty good. J One of the bikes beside me on the grid went through the bikes very quickly and so I decided to follow him through the pack. He was making the space and I was using it I managed to get up to where I finished in the first race and up another place so I finished 11th. As the day went on it was still getting hotter and hotter.
Race 3: I got a really good start which I was really pleased with. I got away and got through to about 13th. I got my head down and made some good passes to get up to the next group of riders further up the pack. I had to try and pass them at the corners and try and get a gap so they wouldn’t zoom straight passed on the straights again I managed to get up to 10th which I thought was reasonable. I had a good couple of races
I am next at Brands Hatch for the next Triumph Seminar on Friday 5th August I can’t wait to get on track with Pierfrancesco Chili . And also racing at the BSB the same weekend roll on Friday
25th June Knockhill
It was Knockhill at the weekend and it was a one day meeting which
was on Saturday. We went up on the Friday as there was a track session for us to
go out and test our bikes before race day. It was a lovely day on Friday so when
we got set up there was no need for us to change tyres which was good. I went out
for the first session and I was just making sure my bike was all fine after being
re-
I had another session which was a roughly the same… making sure everything was all
good
Friday night I got my bikes scrutineered and ready for Saturday.
I got up on Saturday
morning and it was wet outside. I got myself ready for a wet practice and went out
on track. It felt good being back out in the wet again and I felt I had some confidence
My
practice was quite good, but when I went out for my qualifying I realised the track
had dried quite fast compared to usually and there was a dry line. I had my good
wets on so I decided as it was too late to change my tyres, I was only going to do
4/5 laps and try and stay on the wet patches as much as I could. I ended up qualifying
8th which I thought was reasonable for the conditions I was out in.
It dried up really
fast and I had my dry tyres on all ready for my first race. I got quite a good start
and managed to get up to 7th before the first corner. Riders were flying about all
over track in an attempt to squeeze to the front. I managed to tag onto one of the
400’s for 4/5 laps, which allowed me to get a gap from the riders behind me. I managed
to out brake one bike into the hairpin so I finished the race 6th.
As I finished 6th
in the first race this meant that I was 6th on the grid for the second race. I had
moved up a row which was an improvement I was hoping for another good start to
get me up there I got myself positioned on my spot and watched the lights. I had
a rough idea as to when they were going off, so I got the clutch on the bite and
ready to go. I got a reasonable start and was off. I tagged onto the same 400… and
attempted to stay there for most of the race. He pulled me along in 5th and I was
lucky enough to get a gap and get a bit of space behind me. After the race I got
a sheet and I was in the 57’s which I was quite shocked with… I realised that it
was because I had mastered my braking into the hairpin a lot better
Although it
was a one-
Big thanks to everyone for their help
BSB KNOCKHILL 17th/ 18th/ 19th June.
It was Knockhill BSB at the weekend and it was a very exciting weekend for me. I went up to Knockhill on the Thursday night with Andrew after school. My mum and dad were already up there as it was really busy. Thursday night I had to put my leathers and stuff on as I was getting my pictures taken with Jenny Tinmouth for a newspaper, which I was looking forward to as I had never met Jenny. She was really nice and the photographer got some good pictures of us.
Friday morning I woke up and it was wet. I wasn’t too fussy about practicing in the wet, but I really didn’t want to have a wet race, as I wanted to beat my personal lap record. I put my intermediate/wet tyres on for the first practice, and I was doing 1.07 second laps, which I was not so happy with, even although I was still qualifying. In the first practice session I had to go out and do 11 laps without stopping so we could get an idea of how much fuel to put in for the race. It was fun chasing the other 125’s and trying to follow them. The second practice was roughly about the same as the first one as I was still getting into a nice smooth rhythm. I came in after 5 laps and changed my gearing to try and get more power out of the corners quicker, but ended up reverting back to what I had originally anyway. I still wasn’t too pleased with my times so I was hoping for a less wet track on Saturday for qualifying.
Turned out that wasn’t going to happen. I woke up on Saturday morning at 7 o’clock and it was very wet and rainy. I got ready for my qualifying1 and tried to think about what my plan was. I was going to go out and try my best to tag onto someone as soon as we got onto the track so that when I was following someone… when they started getting quicker I would hopefully get dragged along too. Well… that was what I was going to ‘attempt’ and do. My main aim was to qualify… but I wanted to get a top 20 finish. To do this I knew I had to get a decent qualifying position. I went away out and I felt really good on the bike, and I knew I got some good lap times in. I was surprised at myself as I was following someone then passing them, and then making my way up J This gave me some confidence. J The only thing I wasn’t too sure on was when I was going into the hairpin and the bike was sliding out towards the sides, which didn’t feel comfortable. I managed a 1.04 which I was very pleased with. The weather was worse on Saturday than it was on the Friday and I dropped 3 seconds off my time J. I had qualified 22nd in Qualifying1.
For Qualifying2 my dad changed the suspension in the front forks… This helped a lot as I felt more controlled when I was braking. As soon as I had done a couple of laps I realised I could brake even deeper into the corner than I did in Q1. I tagged onto a few slightly faster bikes and I managed to get a 1.02, which I was very surprised with… pleased with: D This put me 20th on the grid which was where I wanted to be by the end of the race, so I was hoping to move upwards in the race J
I was approached my James Hayden and crew and put into a wee clip with him… which was going to be used to introduce the Gp125 race which was really exciting J
Sunday morning I woke up and it was raining slightly. The weather was supposed to brighten up by 12ish… and my race was around 1, so I had my fingers crossed for a dry race J my warm up was at 9 so I still had wet tyres on. I felt in the mood and was 15th in the warm up which gave me lots of confidence for the race J
In between my practice and race I had a few hours to go and collect signatures from the big BSB boys for Breast Way Round… who raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, and also get their pictures taken with Barbra and Ewan who are the Breast Way Round bears. I was extra excited to meet Josh Brookes and get my picture taken with him.
By the time 12o’clock came it was dry and I had my new tyres on so I was ready to go: D I made my way onto the grid, and done my sighting laps and stuff. After my Dad, Andrew, and Graham left the grid I was left on my own. I set off for my warm up lap and I felt like my tyres were magnets to the ground… they were very sticky. J I made my way up to my starting position and got myself all ready J the lights went on… then I was offski… I didn’t get an amazing start but I didn’t lose too many places which was good J I squeezed my way through turn 1 and 2, narrowly missing kerbs and bikes in the charge forward J 3 or 4 laps passed and I was in amongst a good group of riders, all in a line. Unfortunately on lap 4 going into turn 3 the rider in front of me crashed and then another one crashed too, so the race had to be stopped so the riders could be seen to. Thankfully they were O.K.
It was going to be a quick restart which meant I was only on the grid for about a minute. I didn’t have much time to get back in the zone to try and get a good start, so I just went with everyone else… We done our warm up lap and I was back on the grid … oh but I was boosted up to 17th position on the grid because that’s where I was on the lap that the red flag was announced.
I concentrated really hard and before I knew it my front wheel was up and I was flying down into everyone for turn 1… I knew I had made up a few positions so I knew that they would all charge at me to get passed. I tried my best to slip stream everywhere I could. I made up a few more places at the hairpin, as I was braking a lot harder than some of the other riders.
After everyone settled down a bit I was in a group of 3. I was the last of the wee group, but when I seen the rider in front of me was having difficulty getting passed the leader of our pack I decided to have a shot at getting to the front. I had about 5 laps to go and I was in the middle of the wee group. I decided to have a lunge into the hairpin, but that didn’t work, so I attempted to settle in and get good lap times J only one lap to go and the rider behind me passed me going through the chicane. I was going to try my best and out drag him up to the line as I had to avoid the back markers and still try my best to stay with them. On the run up to the line I wasn’t sure who got who because it was so close, but it was still a really enjoyable race. It was even better when the sun made an appearance for us which was lovely J
I ended up 13th overall, which was in the points J I was MEGA pleased with my wee self, and very pleased with my bike also J
As my race was first out I then got to relax and watch all the other races for the rest of the afternoon which I enjoyed. J
Overall I had a fantastic weekend on my bike. And I enjoyed racing with the BSB boys. Although I was disappointed to have not beaten my personal lap record (the weather wasn’t right for it) I was still very pleased to have been in the top 20, which was more than what I expected of myself J
A big thanks to everyone who helped me at the weekend. My mum, dad, and brother Andrew… also Graham for coming to help. & everyone else for the great support J
28th May East Fortune @ North East
As I had my higher PE exam on the Monday, I only did one day at East Fortune … which was better than nothing at all
We got there on the Friday and it was dry but very windy. We knew that the weather was meant to be bad so we made sure the gazeebo was tied down properly.
I woke up on the Saturday morning and it was wet and windy. By the time I went out for my practice the wind had dried the track so i had dries on. The bike felt good although the wind was making me very wary turning into the esses.
I went out for my qualifying and got two laps and the rain came thumping down so I had no choice but to come in. This meant I was on the 4th row of the grid, which was better than I expected so I couldn’t complain after only doing a couple of laps.
Race 1. I got a pretty good start, which was good as I didn’t want to be swallowed up by the big bikes. I got away well and tagged onto a slightly faster bike in front of me. The wind was still extremely strong and I struggled to make the apexes to the corners every lap. It was still an enjoyable race for me.
Race 2. Thankfully, it dried up again for my race, although there were black clouds forming above us. We started the race and a couple of spots of rain landed on my visor but it didn’t turn into much which was good J I had another good race, and I was just glad to bring the bike home safely
I am now an expert at changing tyres on my bike, as I had to change them loads as the weather was not consistent throughout the day.
The next time I am out is the BSB at Knockhill
The Motor Fair. Knockhill
It was Knockhill Motor fair last weekend, and we were going up to display our bikes, and to promote our sponsers. (Motor Cycle Law Scotland & Allan McDougall Properties)
I arrived on the Saturday morning and I was going to be going out throughout the day to do demos for spectators.
It was wet and windy, so my first demo I treated like a practice. So I done my 15 minutes demo, and came in. As I was in the middle of my exams, I came back to the caravan to study with Stacey.
We decided to have a break and go for a drive in the teen drive cars. We had great fun driving the new corsas
My dad had taken his scooter up so we could have a look about and drive it about. So Stacey and I thought it would be fun to go for a look round the back of the track. This was a big mistake … as we were driving along ON GRAVEL … I didn’t see the big bollards and so the front of the scooter slid away from us.
Long story short… We got rescued from a kind man, taken to the medical centre, where I got diagnosed with concussion and Stacey got the skin scraped off her knee … I was not impressed.
We then got taken to hospital in Dunfermline as Stacey’s hand was in a right mess. She ended up needing an operation on her finger, as she had tendon damage which needed repaired.
The operation was very successful thankfully, and we are now left with bruises from head to toe… hopefully this should teach us to only use the PADDOCK scooter in the PADDOCK. And wear proper gear at all times !!!!!!!
24th May 2011 Knockhill – Knockhill Motorsports Club
I went up to Knockhill on the Saturday, & the weather was a disaster, it was really windy and chucking it down. I only went out once on the Saturday night & then got scruitineered, as the weather was too bad.
I woke up on the Sunday and it was very windy but damp. I put my intermediate tyres on for my qualifying and I was on the 4th row of the grid. It was really windy at the top of Duffus so it was hard to get the drive I wanted over there.
Race 1. It was damp and dodgy conditions. I got a better start than I had hoped for. Unfortunately the other gp bike that I was racing with slid off in front of me, so I tagged onto another big bike and tried to hide from the wind, which was very difficult. I finished in a safe 7th overall.
Race 2. I got a really good start and got away well with the other gp bike. Unfortunately I got caught up in a big bike running off the track a bit, so I lost quite a lot of my corner speed. The other rider had a bit of a gap on me but I tried to get my head down, and do my best to pull in the gap. A couple of laps passed and I started closing in the gap a bit at a time. I got close to the back off the rider in front, but the slippy conditions made it hard to make a pass and make it stick.
Over all it was a good days racing apart from the terrible weather, which I didn’t enjoy so much
8th May 2011 Knockhill Motor Sports Club
Knockhill was another roasting hot weekend. I was extra excited for this weekend as the meeting was being televised J so I would be able to watch myself racing, which I was looking forward to.
It was a 25 minute practice and qualifying conjoined session. So it was my first lap and I got to the chicane and I started getting wet splodges all over me. As you can imagine this caused me some confusion for several seconds, as it was a sunny day, then I looked down to see that it was brake fluid that was spraying all over me. My brake reservoir cap wasn’t on right. So I came into the pits to sort out the wee problem. By the time I got myself dried off & away back out again, I had lost quite a bit of time.. then I had to come up and get my sprocket changed as I was looking for another gear under the top of the start and finish straight. So when I finally got back out on track I didn’t get a lot of time to set a fast lap that I was happy with so I ended up on the 4th row of the grid, in amongst the big bikes…
Race1. I got an awesome start and was in 7th for the majority of the race with big bikes chasing me closely behind. I managed to pass one of the two bikes in front of me into the hairpin, but the other one was more tricky. I eventually got passed just before the end of the race. I really enjoyed it, and was pleased with my 5th.
Race2. I got another surprisingly good start and managed to get to where I was at the end of the first race.. 5th.. I was going to try really hard and get further up.. but the best I could do was 4th, which I was still really pleased with.
Also I got interviewed by Motors TV, which was fun.
East Fortune 16th & 17th April Melville
It was East Fortune last weekend and I was really looking forward to getting back out on my bike after Croft. We went down on the Friday morning to get set up and get scrutineered.
The weather was lovely when I woke up on Saturday which I was pleased with. I had my slicks on, and I was all set for my practice. I went out and my bike felt really good again. It felt like I had never been off my bike for a week, which was great. J
I went out for my qualifying and it was getting warmer as the laps went on. I didn’t qualify as well as I had hoped as I ended up on the outside of the 4th row. I knew if I got a good start I could get up to the front and attempt to tag onto the faster big bikes J
I was trying to concentrate really hard on getting a good start, so when I was sitting on the grid, I didn’t take my eyes off the lights. Before I knew it I was screaming my way into turn 1 surrounded by big bikes. I decided to go round the outside of the bigger bikes as I knew I had the greater corner speed. As the laps passed I was caught behind a bigger bike which slowed my lap times a little. I finished the race safely & had plenty to look forward to in the next races J
My second race of the day and it was even hotter than in my first race so I knew my tyres would be nice and sticky. I got another surprisingly good start and I was off. I was determined to get passed the big bike who help me up in the first race before the second turn, so I braked extra late into railway & tucked under the big bike. I knew I had to get a move on and keep up with the big fast ones so that I could be dragged away from the other bikes J I was 1st in my class overall for the day, and had two brilliant races, so I was really excited for my days racing on the Sunday.
Saturday night we stripped and rebuilt my bike ready for Sunday’s races J
Sunday.
It was another sunny morning and it looked like another fun day of racing ahead J I was soon back on my bike and on the grid ready to go again. All of my races were very similar with me battling with the big bikes. I also had the camera on my bike which was good as I could check my gearing was right for me J I was glad that I got away with the faster ones in the last couple of races instead of being stuck further back.
Overall it was a very successful and enjoyable weekends racing. J
Croft 8th/9th/10th April 2011
It was Croft at the weekend. We travelled down on the Thursday for the practice session on the Friday. It was going to be our first race meeting of 2011.
Friday we woke up and it was roasting which was what everyone was hoping for. My first couple of sessions I was just getting used to my bike and the track again. We had to change my gearing because I was looking for another gear that wasn’t there. After we did this it made a big difference which was good
As I had done two sessions on each of my bikes we stripped and re-
On Saturday I went straight into qualifying and unfortunately didn’t have anybody to tag onto so qualified way down in 26th, which I was not pleased about, but I knew if I a good start then I would be able to make my way up.
Race 1. It was roasting and I had two 8 lap races ahead of me My first race of 2011 and I got a great start, which I was very proud of. I pushed my way through the big bikes that were also on the grid to latch onto the back of another gp bike. The bike that I was chasing was had the speed up the straights but I had the better corner speed which made it hard for me to get in front and stay in front. We battled for the whole race but the other rider got the better of me in the end. It was a great race and I had something to aim for in the next race. I also dropped two seconds off my qualifying time which I was pleased with.
Race 2. Unfortunately we forgot how abrasive the circuit was and could only change my back tyre for the Sunday races. Although it was sliding a little I was still looking forward to a good race. I got another great start and got a little further up the pack where the pace was a lot harder to keep up with. I had the same gp bike to try and stay in front of. I managed for a few laps but I was soon behind and chasing my position back. It was then a similar race to the first one, with me struggling to pass the rider. I was happy with my performance & hoped that I could step up my efforts for Sunday.
Saturday night we stripped & rebuilt my bike for Sunday, and also got my back tyre
changed to a less-
Sunday we woke up and it was another sunny hot day. We didn’t start racing till 12 so we got a nice long lie.
I went round part of the track on my unicycle to help raise funds for Portland School. The North East Motorcycle Race Club organised this – we raised £80.00
Race 3. I got another blinding start which boosted me further up. There was a few wobbles at the first few turns because there was 40 bikes trying to get round safely, but nothing major. I tagged onto another gp bike and tried to get good lap times in and settle down into a rhythm. After I pulled a big enough gap to relax the race was over and I was pleased with my efforts
Race 4. I got another great start and flew down to turn 1, not knowing that I was going to be faced with a few moving obstacles on the way round. One of the big bikes ran off the track and decided to run straight back on the track whilst the rest of us were piling through at the back. A few bikes had nowhere else to go and unfortunately hit the bike and into the gravel track. I managed to escape round the side, but I knew that because all the gravel had been pulled onto the track it was going to be a red flag. It was a red flag & we returned to the grid. Everybody was ok We got ready to restart the race and we took off again. Thankfully we all made it round this time. I tagged onto a faster gp bike and got a tow round for a bit. I soon lost my tow and it was quite a lonely race afterwards except battling with the big bikes. I was chuffed that over the whole weekend I dropped 4 seconds from my original time
East Fortune. 26th &27th March 2011 first practice session & Knockhill. 1stApril 2011
We’ve had two practice sessions in 2011 so far. One at East Fortune and one at Knockhill. East Fortune was dry and sunny which I was really pleased about for my first time back out. I got back into the feeling of my bike really quickly and felt everything was normal again. Also I got my first shot on a side car which I thought was very strange but fun
Knockhill was very wet and windy but I put my wet tyres on and went out anyway. It
was a great wee run-
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