Noyes Camp UK

On Sunday I was down at Rye House with 19 other riders for the inaugural Noyes Camp UK. Kenny Noyes was out in sunny UK to give us a bit of training on going sideways. An ex AMA dirttrack Pro, Moto2  rider and second place finisher to Brad Baker at the Superpresigio in January - Kenny knows a thing or two about twisting the throttle. And is a heck of a good guy.

We started off with some theory - analyzing super some slo-mo videos of AMA #1 Brad Baker showing how it's done at the Superprestigio. Really insightful... and hard to get one's head around the balance of lean angle, brake and throttle. There are so many different ways of doing it... but the Baker way is the model.

We then headed out onto the dirt for some free practice and to try some different things. The track was over-watered (normal for Rye House) and slippery as hell for the first half hour. I went down once. No damage to bike or body... just a whack on my right elbow.

We then did a training exercise focused around going into turn 1 harder and deeper, turning the bike on the power, squaring off the turn and firing it out turn 2 in a straight line. This is something I learned to do at last year's pre-season training session... but tended to only use it when I went in too hot and landed up going deep. It's hard for a road-racer to the head around going into a turn hard and hot, completely missing the apex. Neeeeeed to practice that.

We did some technique filming (thanks Olly Bindle and Alan Birtwhistle), a few race drills (the art of the start) and finished with an hour of free practice. Besides the early slippyness, the track was great and hardened up nicely. Olly and Alan were also testing their new bikes in the new and totally pro-looking Kawasaki Dirttrack Team. They're gonna be at the front this year!

For the first time, I also got to ride a dirttrack bike that wasn't mine. Been wanting to do that for a few seasons now, to feel the difference. I have no idea what one should feel like. I just built mine and learned how to ride it. Vince Hurst and I swapped bikes for a session.

Wow. Wow. Wow. His DTX dirttracker felt so light, nimble and easy to ride. After a few laps of finding where everything is I started pushing on. Man!  Just so much easier and more forgiving to ride. Uncrashable! My big old KTM feels like it's on the edge of crashing most of the time and I'm working it hard to not crash. I thoroughly enjoyed it riding his rapier. A real weapon. Vince didn't enjoy my bike at all. He said after 4 or 5 laps he was exhausted and that it was just about to chuck him off the whole time.

The experience was enlightening, but disappointing too. Disappointed at how crap my bike is as a dirttracker. Kenny Noyes spent some time looking at it after riding had finished for the day and gave me some ideas on how to improve it. We'll try a few things. Would love a DTX bike to try be competitive on.

Overall, what an awesome day in the sunshine, going round in circles on motosickles with mates and learning something. Thanks Anthony Brown and all at DTRA for getting Kenny out to the UK and putting the event on.

DTRA Flattrackin Round 3 - King's Lynn - DIRTQUAKE II

Saturday morning I drove up to King's Lynn with a couple if dirttrack bikes, my gear and a whole packet of enthusiasm.

The day started off well... I finally collected my silverware from last year's Championships :-)

I unload, unpack and get setup for a day's racing and the crazy-ass DirtQuake II. Get the bike warmed up and kit on. First up, practice. At the gate onto the track, the bloody bike doesn't want to start. I wheel it back to my pit and give it a battery-boost. She starts, but the gate is closed and practice session underway. Bollocks! At least with 2 Classes I get 2 practice sessions. I get out in my second and try get up to speed quickly in the 4 laps we have on track.  Still feeling my way around a bit.

First heat and I'm drawn on the front row. With so many riders, to qualify decently for the final, one needs to get into at least the top 3 in every heat. Especially if you're starting on the front row. I get a decent start, but get passed and land up 5th or something. Crap.

Pikes Peak and desert racing legend "747" Travis Newbold came out from the US for the party... he was super-fast on loaned bike and kit... and bagged 2nd in the final. Great ride Dood!

Next heat and I start to get into things. I think I get a 2nd and a couple of 3rds in the heats after that. Sweet! I'm feeling fast and comfortable and riding steadily to make sure I qualify well. Last heat in the Pro Class. We wait to go out on track.

When waiting I leave the bike off - with a dinky wee radiator and no fan, she boils over quickly if standing. We get ushered onto track. I hit the start button. Crrrrrrrrrrr.... hit it again... Crrrrr.... again... Crrr. She normally fires up straight away. Fuck.

Drogo Michie donning battle-gear for a heat

 

I grab the nearest person to me, hand them the bike and shout over the noise of dirttrack bikes heading out onto the track "Just hold this...". Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! I do the steel-shoe lope-run back to the pit, grab my battery boostpack... Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!

I plug it in and ask the guy who held my bike "Stop them closing the gate!" He can't hear me, or understand what I mean. I point at the gate and repeat. He has no clue. Shit. I try get the bike fired up... Crrrrrrrr. Crrrrrrrrr. Crrrrrrrrr. Bollocks. I check the fuel, choke off, ignition, cut-out and lanyard switch. All ok. Try again... Crrrrrr. Crrrrrrr. Brraaaaaaap! Yeah!

Foot massage, anyone?

I look up just as the heat starts. Fuuuuuuuck! They hadn't realised I wasn't on the start line and started without me. Sitting in the pits is not the way to score points to get one into the final. Poor tactics. When the bike didn't start, I should have just asked Andy at the gate to wait 1 minute. Instead, I thought I could get it all sorted in less than 1 minute. I know for next time.

The nicest battery pack I've ever seen!

As a result, I didn't get into the Grand Final. I scored enough points in my two heats to only qualify 14th. Damn! On a brighter side, I qualify 8th in the Thunderbikes. What is it with me qualifying 8th? Third race meet in a row. It's not great... you gotta be on the front row (first 4) to have a good chance of a podium.. but its ok. Frustrating because I know I have the speed to be nearer the front. I still need to sort out my slow-burning first heats.

"Sideburn" Ben Part fettling his chop for the DirtQuake II showdown. In the Chopper final he had an epic battle with "747" Travis

For the next few hours we were entertained by the antics of DirtQuake. It was brilliant. There must have been 7 or 8 photographer types buzzing around with big cameras and a 'helicopter' camera. Riders came from all over Europe and a few from the US including "747" Travis Newbold - great to see him again. There was even a celebrity - Charley Boorman was riding a Zaeta. I didn't take many pics of the event because there was so much other exposure... I'll post links to them soon.

Cool toys! An awesome hi-tech VTOL camera drone - it was buzzing around taking film all evening. Can't wait to see the footage.

Had to get kit and race face on after about 3 hours of DirtQuake shenanigans and do the business in the Thunderbike final. I started middle row, far inside. Revvs up... and we're off!

I get a decent start and am into the thick of it in turn 1. Get hooked up nicely out of turn 2 and am in 5th or so into 3. As I get into turn 4, the bike just washes out and I'm on the floor again. I didn't feel over the limit or off-line so might have been nudged from behind. With the pack so close behind it is inevitable that I'm hit by a following rider...as I hit the dirt, I brace myself for the second impact.

Checking the heat results. Guy had another great qualification... front row in Thunderbikes and second row in Pro

Clatter! Scrunch! Thud! I see a front wheel and another rider with a red helmet off their bike in the dust. The wheel slides under me and I'm sandwiched between two bikes - Gary Inman's bike under me and mine on top of me. I'm okay.. no second impact. I manage to wriggle out and push my bike off. Gary is getting to his feet and trying to get his bike up. He must be okay, so I try get mine up. But I'm snagged by his bike, by then the red flags come out.

Okay... no panic. Let's get the bike up check the damage. Mullered gear lever. Shit. It's still attached and although out of place, still does the clickety-click change. Cool. Let's get going. I hit the start button. Crrrrrrrrrrr. again. Crrrrrr... Sonnofabitch! Crr.

"Sideburn" Gary Inman raced in the Thunderbikes... got taken down by someone on the ground in the final and also managed to run the DirtQuake II event! Top man!

A photographer offers to push start me. I try... but I know with the compression it's just about impossible. I've tried many times but have never managed to bump start that flattracker. We give it a go and land up pushing the bike all the way to near the gate. Gary's bike won't start either, so is beckoning for his starter form the pits. Great idea!

I hand the bike to Andy near the gate and say "I'll be back in a minute". Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! I lope-jog to get my battery boost pack. Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! By the time I get back to the bike, there is a crowd around it checking and straightening things. Derek Brindley just finishes off sorting my gear-change. Awesome! Thanks guys! I plug in the booster and after a few tries. Braaaaaaaap!

Jason Cursley looking badd before a heat

Jason Cursley looking not so badd between heats

I hussle her back to the start line and in seconds we're off on the restart. I get an okay start and am again in the thick of it in turn 1. Turn 2 I spin her up too much and lose a place. Damn!

For the next few laps I have a close battle with Geoff Cain - he's faster into the turns. He gets alongside me on the outside going into turn 3. We're side-by-side coming out. I'm spinning up the rear too much. Too much adrenalin and haste. "Just take it easy... feeeeeel the traction. Get her hooked up and DRIVE".

Pro heat - Co-Built Geoff and I were pretty close all day/evening

We're locking elbows as we drift out of turn 4. It's close, real close. Neither of us give an inch. I get the inside through turn 1 and 2. But he's back at me into turn 3. I work on getting drive out of 4 and I get ahead of him. I'm clear.

Next lap as I get form turn 3 to 4, I feel a nudge on my outside arm. It's like someone walked up to me and gave me a tap. Weird. Surreal.

 Co-Built Geoff sporting a cool Ruby helmet

I glance over and see a flash of yellow. It's Geoff again! I dig in and push harder. I'm onto the back wheel of Guy Sutherland now. He's trying to get past Tom Clemens ahead of him. I just keep to the lines and protect my inside from Geoff... waiting for an opportunity to get by Guy. I daren't not try anything bold on Guy because Geoff will have me as soon as I'm off line. The race winds down and last lap flag is out.

Guy makes a push for the pass on Tom into turn 3. He makes it stick and is ahead of Tom as we go into turn 4. But he overcooks it and goes down in the dust cloud. I wind up taking 6th. A close, hard-fought race. AWESOME!

Disappointed to not make the Pro Grand Final... but very happy with a 6th in the Thunderbikes after coming off in the first start. Got to take the good with the bad... missing a practice, a heat and a place in the Grand Final - kinda balances out with crashing in Thunderbikes and still salvaging 6th in an great race. Think my battery is on its last legs.

A good day on the clay! Thanks "56" James Boddy for the pic

What a day! Thanks Gary Inman, Dave Arnold and all the folks involved in the DirtQuake event. It was an absolute cracker! And thanks Anthony Brown, Anna, Andy and all those making the racing happen - awesome job!

DTRA Flattrackin' - Round 1 - King's Lynn

Got home from the disappointing, but ultimately successful (got a Manx GP Qualification race finish) Desmo Due racing at Oulton Park late Saturday afternoon. Swapped the Wee Monster and road race gear in the back of the van for the Flattracker and flattrack gear.

Stars 'n Bars

Thanks Steve Mann at MTS Classics for the help with the paintwork

Thanks Tom Whiting for the awesome pic

Up early on Sunday morn and cross-country to King's Lynn for the first round of the DTRA National Flattrack Championship. Winter is finally over and the sun was shining.

Flatbed race transport

More Thunderbikes than you could shake a stick at! Lots of new bikes and new blood.

Robert Williams' uber-cool Steampunk Ducati

Got setup and skrootineered (new for this year). Out for practice. I was slooooow. I'd entered the Thunderbike and National Pro classes (because I lost my 'Restricted' status last year) so had two practice sessions. Tried to pull my finger out in the second, but was still dawg slow.

Skrootineering!? Awfully organised these DTRA fellows!

 

Heat one for Thunderbikes and I'm drawn on the front row. I make a good start and get into turn one in second or third... then I start going backwards. Eventually finishing 6th. You gotta finish in the top three when you start on the front. Bugger.

Paddock neighbour Drogo Michie between heats

 

Next two heats were pretty much the same... 6th and 6th. But from the back and middle row, so improving. Carried on improving by finishing in the top 4 in my last 3 heats. That's a bit more like it! Got some useful riding tips from the current Thunderbike Champ, Neil Martin that I was trying (when I remembered)... it was working.

Battling with Co-Built Geoff Cain

Thanks Tom Whiting for the pic

 

I'm a bit of a slow burner. The same in road racing... I get faster with every lap of every session. Doesn't really play into my normal road race approach which is not to do Friday's testing/practice, rock up on Saturday morning and go straight into qualifying and then 2 short races. Not exactly helping myself. Oh well... it's the taking part they say...

Rest between heats

Dimitri Coste drove all the way from Paris for a bit of flattrack action on his classic BSA

I qualify 8th in the Thunderbikes and an unbelievable 8th in National Pro. Up until the end of last year I had only ever made one semi-final (top 24) in the Pro class. And now 8th! Well... it was a reduced field... and I think I got lucky in two of the heats. I'll take it.

I love the closeness, banter and bustle of the flattrack paddock... always someone to help, someone going out to do battle and someone coming back with war stories

 

Thunderbike Final - I got a new starting technique (top secret) that I'd been using effectively all day. I start from middle row, far inside. Revvs up, tape shoots up and we're off. I make a good getaway and make it up to the back of the front row by the time we get into turn 1. Nice.

Working on the new 'Neil Martin' technique

Thanks Tom Whiting for the pic

 

By the afternoon, it's a groove track. It's fast. But off the line it's very marbly... get onto the marbles and you're in trouble. Makes it really difficult to pass. Starts are key. I slot into 5th behind Geoff Cain and Guy Sutherland. They don't make any mistakes... I try and put pressure on Guy, but he keeps it on the groove. We do the whole race and finish in a three bike train. 5th in Thunderbikes... happy with that!

Great to see the old faces back for more dirt slidin'

 

National Pro final up next... the last race of the day... the blue ribband event. I line up in the same place as the Thunderbike final. Another good start and I'm in the thick of it in turn 1. By lap 2 things have settled into the 'groove train'. Two places ahead, George Pickering makes a mistake, goes wide and I follow Pete Boast through to 6th place. Sweet!

Keepin' it fast and efficient

 

I'm working hard and pushing to the edge to keep up with Pete. George comes back at me and shows me a wheel on turn 3 entry. We battle hard. My corner exit is strong... but I'm struggling to get into the corners fast... the big old Thunderbike just wants to head for the barrier. I hang onto 6th for another few laps, Pete only making 4 or 5 bike-lengths on me... George pressuring me on the entries... me driving hard out the turns.

On lap 5 or so, George shows me his wheel again... I hang on. As I hit the apex and start the drive out, I get a nudge from behind... just enough to push me onto the marbles. I'm down and sliding on my arse. "Fuck!"

Pushed onto the marbles... man down...

 ... sliding swish into a grating grind...

... I can still save it!

Thanks Tom Whiting for the brilliant crash sequence... first time one of my offs has ever been caught on camera!

 

Gear-lever knackerd again. "Shit! Bollocks!" I wheel the bike to the centre of the track. Pretty disappointed to be knocked out of the final. But happy that I got up to 6th.. and happy that was giving it everything :-) That race was the fastest and hardest I've ever ridden a flattracker. I learned a lot in those few laps (and thanks for the tips Neil!). Now... if only I can ride like that in every heat and every race...

Mixed results, but had a smile all the way home... bring on round 2!!

Rye House Practice

After wallowing in the usual post Manx depression of normal life for two weeks, I got out to Rye House today for some flattrackin' practice.

 A beautiful, sunny day on the clay

All felt good... then I high-sided coming out of turn 2. Bike landed upside-down, I sprained both my thumbs. Not too much damage to the bike... decompression lever, gear lever, bent foot-peg and foot-peg bracket and a rear subframe that's now and inch and a half skew. Still rideable.

I got back out after they had watered the track. It was slippy as fook. I took it easy and got some more practice in - you never know when you might race on a track like this.

A newbie rider enjoying teh experience of sliiiiiiide

Between turn 3 and 4 I slid a bit too much... "I can save it..."... "I can save it..."... I can save it..."..."No I can't." I go down in a low-motion low-side. I guess I should have given up when my shoulder was grinding into the muddy dirt. I'm waiting to slop sliding... "Wham!"

That familiar feeling of being hit from behind. "Crunch!" The impact folds me over like an envelope and I grind to a stop with my face in the dirt and a front wheel pinning my head to the clay.

"Ooooofffff!" I'm winded. I scrabble out form under the other rider's bike... watch for other traffic and then bend over and breathe deep to get my breath back. Ronald Shamier had nowhere to go on that slithery surface and hit me square in the back. This is gonna hurt in the morning!

I did one more session but am starting to feel really beat-up. I pack up and leave early to give myself time to fix the bike. I got the bike all fixed, but not feeling to clever at the moment... not looking forward to getting up tomorrow... but looking forward to the last flattrack racin' of the year. :-)

Mobile workshop - I made it to my local bikestore before they closed to refit my rear tyre... the bead wasn't seated proper