We've been chatting about it since and 5 weeks ago Mike and I finally decided to go flat-track racing (also called short-track or dirt-track).
We needed bikes. Mike wanted a converted Honda CRF (like his much-loved dirt-bike). I wanted something for the Thunderbike class and had been mulling over the idea of a Ducati Monster... because I love 'em and they look so cool.
We found a CRF ready to race in the classifieds of the Shorttrack UK website. Turns out it belonged to a mate (brother-in-law?) of Glyn Pocklington and was at Glyn's shop in Scunthorpe - Glyn was our instructor for the Flat Track Experience day. Mike haggled then bought it.
Earlier in the year, Mike had aquired another Ducati Monster race bike for the Desmo Due series - a 620 Class A bike that was ready to race. Mike had sponsored a rider to ride his Class A bike from last year (on which he won many races and finished second in the championship), and this second race bike he was going to hire out to folks like me. But the muppet that he sponsored was taking teh piss and at the last minute the deal fell through. Mike was sitting with 2 Desmo Due bikes that he didn't intend racing. Nay worries... I took one off his hands for that same price taht he paid for it (a steal at £1500). It's a good, clean bike that Mike knows well (it belonged to a customer of his and was raced a few times last year). It's got Leo Vince cans, a power commander and Ohlins rear shock (those 3 bits are worth a grand!). But it had a stoopid nose fairing and was painted a horrid blue - she wasn't easy on the eye.
I took her into my loving garage and ordered some tyres, bars, risers, number boards and a lanyard switch (mandatory for the shorttrack series). Total bill about 305 quid. With only 3 weeks before the first round of the Short Track UK series and no weekends available ( I travelled to Croatia twice during that time)... it was going to be tight.
Fitted the Star-Bars I got from ASR Leisure during the week... man they look sick! Managed to get the tyres fitted on the Thursday night before race weekend and the lanyard switch on the Friday night. Only to discover that the switch I had got was the wrong type. For a road-bike you need a 'positive' switch that breaks the circuit - most lanyards are for dirt-dikes and make a circuit. They earth a component to cut the bike out. On road bike this just blows fuses!
No comments:
Post a Comment