Tomorrow We Race!

I've been pretty shit with blog posts since the TT. Work, the crap commute and travel to be with my wife have sucked up all my time n energy. I have managed to do a round of Dirttrackin though... it was ok. I'll post on that soon. My next race adventure is tomorrow.

Up early and a 4 hour drive to south Wales for hopefully 2 days racing at Amman Valley. It's the biggest track we race on... I love the speed on that 1/2 mile track. I've only raced there twice. In 2010 I was still a Rookie and arrived unprepared - shit weather and things didn't go great. In 2011 I was faster, but crashed my ass off. I've never made a final at Amman... despite enjoying the track.

Here's hoping I have a good weekend on the dirt to help lift me out of this shitty depressed state I've been in for the last 2 months. 'Cmon! Bring it on!!!

Amman Valley - Hero Pics

Some hero pics from Sunday's racing at Amman Valley...

New graphics on the leathers to celebrate Ben Spies' first MotoGP win - many more to come!
(Thanks Steve Baldock for the pic)

Guy Southerland (No.87) battling it out with Boastie (No.54) aboard the pukka 70's Yamaha beast
(Thanks Tim Coles for the pic)

Flying Wayne Drake on a borrowed bike
(Thanks Tim Coles for the pic)

Me and John Lee getting the power down out of turn 4
(Thanks Steve Baldock for the pic)

Great 'postcard' shot of John Lee styling it up
(Thanks Tim Coles for the pic)

Moments after I bit the dust the first time, taking Neil Martin out. Neil was ok... just having a recouperative lie-down.
(Thanks Steve Baldock for the pic)

Stevie Coles showing how to get the power down on the back straight
(Thanks Tim Coles for the pic)

Moments before Ben Park (No.67) went down... captured brilliantly on vid from behind by  'Full Lock or Death' Jamie. Ben remounted and finished the race... Jamie goes down a lap or so later... check the vid below
(Thanks Tim Coles for the pic)

Get well soon Jamie!

Flattrackin - GNC at Amman Valley

We woke on Sunday to sunny skies for the next round of the flattrack GNC at Amman Valley. Amman Valley is on a horse trotting track (trac trotian in welsh) and one of the biggest tracks we race on. Fast as fook!

The Speedtherapy garage

The sunshine, heat and flattracker shreddin' soon dried the track... it was so dusty it had to be watered a few times...

Got out for my 6 laps of practice and all was good. Bike was working well, gearing spot on (it's geared way too tall for our normal short tracks... need to fix that...) and I was having fun holding it wide open till the valves bounced.

Always good to see new bikes - This is 'Yankee' John's 500 two-smoke flattracker built by himself from the eBay parts bin

First Shortrack class heat and I start middle row of the grid. I think I got home 6th. This is brilliant, because I'm normally pulverised by the shorttrack bikes and finish at the tail-end. The KTM has mambo and it has less  disadvantage against the DTX shortrack bikes on this long circuit.

Another new bike - novice Stuart Lovell took another win on this beauty 

First Thunderbike heat and I start on the back row... I finish 4th. Yeah! Places in the heats earn you points. In Thunderbikes, the top twelve scoring riders go through to the finals. My goal is to reach the finals and then see what happens. The Shorttrack class works on ellimination and the top 24 go through to the 2 semi-finals... because I'm not competitive in this class with my big heavy Thunderbike, I use it as practice. I've never made a Shorttrack semi-final.

It's so wet in Wales... that seaweed grows on the ground with the grass... I shit you not

Next Shorttrack heat and I finish 4th! The top-two go through to the semis - I'm gettin' closer! The bike hum-dings down those straights and is getting a nice slide on coming out of the turns... I can also get off the gas late and bury it deep into the turn before sliding the back around and getting on the gas early. I'm still losing traction mid-turn... but the drive I get on the exit makes up for it.

Wilky getting some rest in the 30 degree heat

Second Thunderbike heat and I start in the middle row. I get another good start and by lap 2 I'm up to 2nd and close the gap to 1st quickly. I'm on his six as we steam down the straight to turn 3. I look up his inside and make a move... he comes in quickly, off his normal line to shut the door... I'm comitted and am sliding quicker than him... but there's nowhere for me to go. I slide under him and collect him as we hit the apex. We go down.

It was sunscreen weather!

Bollocks! He's unhurt, I apologise and haul the bike up. Footpeg doesn't look good... neither does the gear-lever. The race is red-flagged and I dig the mashed in dirt out from around the footpeg and lever. The footpeg is ok... lever is at a funny angle. The other guy is up and his bike is ok... the grid is waiting for me to join the restart. My gear lever is mullered and I can't change gear at all... I manage to get it into first and ride back to the paddock for repairs as they restart the heat. Bollocks!

'Sideburn' Ben getting a sprinkling of Co-Built 'holy-water'

The gear lever got stripped in the spline. Footpeg just needed de-dirting and handlebars straightening. With my spare lever on I'm all ready for the next Shorttrack heat. This is the last heat and the top 6 go through to the semi-finals.

Newbie Drogo get's his first taste of flattrackin on 'Redmax' Steve's Vertimati...

I make an okay start, but quickly start getting through the pack. I work my way up to 3rd place... then I cock it up again... too much gas mid corner on the now polished turn 2 and the rear comes around on me and I land up under the bike facing the pack bearing down on me. They all see me in time and dodge the muppet. The marshal is right there and helps the bike off me... as he lifts it I hear a tinkle sound and my new gear lever-end falls on the track. Bollocks! Bollocks! Double Bollocks!

Good to be in the shade!

I was comfortably in third with a gap to fourth. I would have easily got into the semi. I feel like such a twit. I get the bike back to the pits for more emergency repairs. But there is just no time and I don't carry 2 spare levers (I will in future!).

Whooo-hooo... this is fun!

Out for the final Thunderbike heat. Because of my DNF, I have to get at least in the top 5 to make the final. I'm on the front row so as long as I can get her off the line and into 3rd (normally start in 2nd and then hook 3rd before turn 1 for the rest of the race) this won't be a problem...

Between the heats fettling

So... do I start in 2nd and then try get her to third with the stump of a gear lever? Or do I try start in 3rd. As we filter out to the track I try the gear-change with the stump. In 3 attempts I only get it once. Not good. I roll up to my start place in 3rd.

More battle scars...

I rev the nuts off her and ride the clutch on the start... but she just bogs down in the smell of burned clutch and the packs dust. Shit! I hammer the stump down into 2nd... but somehow I get neutral and she just revvswith disdain as the rest fight it out through turn 1 and 2. By the time I get 2nd and pull away, the next guy on track is a full half lap ahead of me. Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks!

Gear lever end just sheared right off

I manage to catch and pass 2 riders by the time the chequered flag is out. :-( I didn't get enough points to make the final. Mission failed!

Start of the Thunderbike final... shouldda, couldda, wouldda...

Disappointed with myself. I was faster than the guy in front out of the turns and on the straights and when he moved to close the door I should have backed off and and made the pass safely down the straight. I didn't even need to pass him to make the final... just hold station. Silly. The second off... I was comfortably in 3rd and would have made the semi no sweat. I was pushing when I didn't need to. What a dumb-ass!

Thunderbike winner Guto Llewelyn (No 79) makes a pass on John Lee (No 76) for the lead. 'Co-Built' Anthony (No 47) pipped John on the final turn for second

Besides my self-inflicted disappointment the bike got away with a few more scrapes and broken levers... I didn't even get a bruise... and my new number and graphics on my leathers were completely untouched! (the theory is being proven!). The semis and finals made great racing in those rarely hot and sunny Welsh hills. A mixed day on the clay.

Shorttrack Final - A good surface meant many lines around the turns and some great racing

ShorttrackUK Club Championship - Amman Valley

The trip down

Up at 5a.m. for a 4 hour drive...

I cocked up my alarm setting and woke an hour later than intended on Saturday morning. Rush, rush, rush... in the van and on my way to Amman Valley in Wales for the next round of the SHorttrackUK Club Chapionship.

Stevie left for Wales on Friday... the forecast was sunny and hot... so he brought his beachwear...

It was raining when I woke and raining all the way there. It was supposed to clear mid-morning... but it didn't. At 14h00 it was still drizzling - racing on the track would have just chewed it up. A decision was made to cancel the meeting. :-(

Waterlogged

Factory Team Suzuki

But, we were lucky... and the World Cup Speedway Grand Prix was on at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff... just an hour's drive away. Guy, Karina, myself and a few other competitors headed to Cardiff for some speedway action.

It was all wetsuits on Saturday...

Action at SpeedwayGP - Millenium Stadium, Cardiff

The atmosphere in the stadium was awesome and the racing a spectacle. 41 year-old Greg Hancock (USA) showed the young one's how to do it by winning the Grand Final in convincing style. A great end to a washed-out day.

Here are the highlights (thanks Tom Neave for the link...):

Flattrack Numberboards

Some number boards from Amman Valley

I was No.45 last year... took No.40 this year... my first race No. This board's been through the mill.

Geoff Cain on No.45 

 Ben Park's creative No.57 made from his photographic flash reflector and duct-tape - lovin' it!

Anthony Brown's No.47

My favourite - Jacopo Monti's pimped-out holed-snake-skin look

ShorttrackUK - Round 3 - Amman Valley

Had a nice lay-in on Sunday morning in the van and was greeted by sunshine. :-)

The Duke was filthy... but spirits were up!  

Base camp at Amman Valley

A lazy morning with only the fuel to top-up and handlebars to change. I chatted to Pete Boast at the BMF show and he commented that he cannot use big-ass bars and that he gets far better leverage with flat MX bars. I tried to go back to MX bars at Amman because I'd bent my big-ass bars. But on Sunday evening, in the first turn I knew I din't like them and I wanted my big-ass bars back... bent or not!

Steve with one of his streettrackers on show

 The Skooterfarm garage

Practice got underway at 11h00 sharp and I immediately felt better on a drier track and the big-ass bars! Entered into both the Shorttrack and Thunderbike classes on the big 1/2 mile circuit was going to be a test of my fitness.

 The Co-Built garage with Ben's CCM... still with the road registration plate and brake-light!

 Ben's CCM - ready to do battle!

I am still waaay too slow but thoroughly enjoyed the track. It's so big you got time to think... time to get it wrong and fix it. But... you go so much faster. It was forking bumpy too as it broke up a bit. Sometimes you'd get bounced out of the seat with feet off teh pegs in a classic 'flying Vee' formation... while sliding sideways! Huuuuge fun! I learned a lot.

I was making good starts in most heats on my little 17" wheels

Half-way through teh day my zipper gave out... all the grit. Lockwire to the rescue! Experienced in this technique as I used it at 2006 Manx GP with great results. 

Geoff had a great day on his new machine... getting into the Thunderbike final!

After 3 rounds of heats I found myself in the Shorttrack 'D' final (the slowest slow-pokes entered into teh Shorttrack class) with Guto, Sideburn Gary, Skooterfarms's Pete Wilky and Anthony Brown. It was a laugh and a half!

I got a great start and into turn 1 first. On turn 3 Guto came flying past and I tried to tag onto his back wheel. Half way through the second lap he shed his chain and I was leading again with the others queueing behind. The track conditions were good... loads of grip everywhere. Good for overtaking and great racing. We battled for another 2 laps before I made a mistake and ran wide. By this time Gary was coasting and out of the race. The last 2 laps was a 3 bike train. Awesome fun! I finished 3rd so didn't progress to the next final... but had a blast!

 My technique is improving...

 Guto on Anthony's Co-Built - he was flying all day, made the final before bike troubles forced him to ride Anthony's bike in the final. On a bike he had never ridden before, he finished 4th - Local Hero!

Some of the Skooterfarm lads enjoying the sunshine and racin' 

'CowTech' Jason was thrilled to win a trophy for his immaculate Triumph streettracker 

Despite not making the Thunderbike final, I still got out again in the 'B' final. I was up the pointy-end before another mistake at turn 3 saw me go right off the course onto the outer track! By the time I was back in the race I was last so fought out the last few places... it was awesome fun!

Steve went down hard right in fornt of me in turn 1, lap 1 of a heat. He was out for a few seconds and hurt his shoulder. He enjoyed the rest of the races from his van - get well soon dood! 

A great day on the clay !

One of the beautiful streettrackers on show

Disappointed with my average performance I still had a great laugh. This track showed up a few big faults with my current bike... faults that I plan to fix by the time we get out for the next round on 10 July.

It was a great day on the clay... exhausted, I drove 3.5 hours home. Unpacked. Had a beer. Repacked and got 4 hours sleep before heading to Dover to catch the ferry... next stop Austria... for Erzberg!