Sunday 7 September 2008

Race day




Hello my blessed ones,


Last time we were together it was getting close to the race weekend at Anglesey. Now this was not to be as straight forward as it should have been. I arrived on the Friday with enough time to watch the last half of the practice day that some of the riders were taking part in. It was certainly paying off as they were flying round on a circuit that is still in a new condition despite the previous season of car racing trying to destroy it.


So race day came and from the minute i woke up it was obvious that there was going to be a delay in racing or even a cancellation due to extreme weather. It had been raining since the early hours of the morning and blowing a gale as well and the whole place was just a miserable place to be. We managed to get scrutineering out of the way and then it was just a matter of waiting for the weather to cheer up.


By mid afternoon the rain had stopped and the wind had died down a bit so they let us out for an afternoon of practice and that would mean that we go straight into racing come Sunday. I started the bike and set out off onto the track. I have raced at this circuit before but not the shorter version that was to be used so i was going to have to learn this one. (there are three configurations). As i set out it became quite apparent that my engine was not quite powerful enough to match even the slowest of the others through the gears, but seemed to have a reasonable top end and corner exit power. As this track is made up of some quite long straights and fast flowing corners i was going to have to come up with some brilliant riding in order to keep up.


So race one came along and of course i am near the back of the grid. I got a very good start and managed to get towards the front of the pack by the second corner and then everyone blasted past me on the power as i got onto the back straight. I tried desperately to squeeze some more power out of it but every time i got to a straight one or two slipped by. My placing seem to settle near the back and the only way i could stay there was to work on my corner speed. The race finished with me towards the back but i did overtake a few and outbrake some.


Race two was a bit better, i did not get the same sort of start but my cornering was improving and i was starting to get a bit more familiar with the bike. As the end of the race came the engine would not shut off and as i pulled the clutch in the engine was racing away. This was tracked down to the tickover screw winding its way in due to vibration.


I pretty much finished where i thought i would at the back of the pack and had a great time doing it. The bike did not blow up and i did not crash. I do however need to trust my tyres a bit more and corner faster. On the bonus side i did beat Mr Edmonds (championship leader) in the second race as he crashed out. This is quite a rare occurence with him but i am counting it as a victory for me.


leave it out! its


TightWads Alternative Tuning


This week we are tuning the riders techniques. When running a drum front brake, make sure you tell everyone that 1. you are running a drum brake and 2. its crap. Then when you are fighting to get to a corner the opposition will bottle it and give you the place as they think you cannot stop and are bound to crash. All you have to do is keep it on the track. (this really does work)


Thats it for now so tune in next week when i will be telling other racers "i beat you for 280 quid"ha ha ha.
If you would like to fight for the underdog and sponser the Tightwad racer for next season please leave a message. I can offer a bogof deal with the Tightwad bike and a sidecar. This is a rare chance to make history. No amount too big and i accept cash.