Down the field

Found this pic from last winter when the fourfiddy hub got smashed and wasn't going anywhere. It was a long way back so tried getting a push from Ant and Mike on either side. It ended in tears... of laughter!

6 Days

I've had the trailer on the back of the chevy for 6 days now...

Tuesday - dropped the flattracker and Candy off at TSS for a toon-up for the new exhausts

Wednesday - picked up the flattracker and Candy form TSS. Candy's power curve is nicely smoothed out with a 4bhp gain at the top. The flattracker has gained 2-3bhp across the rev range :-)



Thursday - Got down to the field and had a blast just ripping up the dirt with Ant. Our track is so overgrown... many places is just a foot-wide groove of grip... get off this is and you're sliding across the grass. Very dry and dusty too... hooning around the fields was fast as you like! Awesome fun!

Friday - Down to Brands Hatch for a test day. Took Candy out for a couple of runs. All's good. She's running well and the bodywork makes her slippery! Took the Suzy V out as well to get her better setup for short-circuit racing. I left the suspension as it is from the Manx last year and just changed the wheelbase, gearing and front ride height. I didn't want to change too much.

 Early morning start on Friday...

 Pitting under an awning with Team Respro - oh... the luxury!

 Schnuggled up for a night in the paddock

Saturday - Still at Brands Hatch for the fifth of my six qualification races for the Manx GP. I'd entered Suzy V in the Thunderbikes class because with the winter engine work she is now illegal for the Minitwins class. She was a bit outgunned against most of the field and with mostly Manx set-up wasn't the nimblest... but she did well. Qualified 17th and in Race 1 managed to bring her home safely in 14th. It wasn't a fun race - a sidecar in the race before blew up and dropped oil on the racing line on 6 of the 9 corners. Spent the race dodging oil. Lap times were about a second and a half down on qualifying times. I normally do a second or two faster in a race.

 Paddock ingenuity for a lost exhaust plug

Team Respro: Mr Harry Cole 

We waited the whole day for Race 2 - this was cancelled after another sidecar incident before us. I hate racing with sidecars... it's always the same... they screw it up for the rest of us. They're not even motorbikes... they should go race with the cars. The only peeps that like sidecars in the paddock are sidecar crews. They're like quadbikes at enduros... just a pain in everyone else's ass. Hmph!

View from my paddock waiting chair... 

This is road racing... hurry up and wait... and wait... and wait... and pack up and go home. One reason why flattrackin' is more fun... less waiting and more racing!

We were racing on the Brands Hatch GP circuit... which is rare thing because of the wankers that move to a village next to one of the oldest race tracks in the world and then complain to the council that it's noisy on weekends. Tossers! The last time I raced this circuit was 2004 when I did about 10 laps before I had bike trouble. Yesterday I only got 14 laps in on the 'best circuit in Britain' - disappointing.

Harry likes to rock n roll! 

BUT - I got to test both bikes... got qualification race 5 under the belt... and pitted with my friend Harry Cole who I haven't raced with for a few years. And... the weather was good... so it was great!

Sunday - Got the fourfiddy back down the field where Ant, Mike and I did some shredding! Ultra dry, dusty and super-fast. Nothing like holding onto the big ol fourfiddy at full pelt down a single track... speeeeeeed-therapy!

We were just about to finish off... and were doing wheelies up 'wheelie' hill. I went off the back of the bike and cought my leg sideways. "Clack!" Jeeeeeeeesus! My knee! The pain! Despite wearing quality knee braces... I've now done my knee in. My flattracking knee (left). It hurts like fuck if I twist it slightly. Shit! Bollocks! and Fuck!

Crossin Down the Field

On Sunday I went crossin' down the field with Ant and Mike. It was raining when I woke, but soon stopped and dried out to a beautiful, sunny afternoon. We hardly rode the track and stuck to the edges of the fields and wooded sections between. Loads of new routes through the wooded sections - planning to keep them clear of the summer growth.

It wasn't muddy at all and we were bustin' about like a bunch of mello-yello sipping kids. We were having a ball chasing each other up hill and down dale!

We burst out of a wooded section make a ninety degree turn and twist the throttle as wide as she'll go down the edge of a field. "Kaaaazing! Phut." the fourfiddy stalls. Huh? I hit the starter "Bwaaaaap!" and dump the clutch, Ant and mike were getting away! "Phut." What the.... ?

I have a look at what's what with the beast. Shit. The chains off and all snaked up against the gearbox. Rammed in there good and solid. Bollocks! Turns out a few bolts must have come out of the rear sprocket. With a few remaining bolts into the hub, under the power of the fourfiddy the hub just snapped. Because of the loose rear sprocket, the chain jumped off and mullered itself.

The bike could't be pushed. Ant and Mike chased each other back to the farmhouse and got some tools. We made field repairs so that the bike could be pushed. I landed up pushing the bike most of the few miles back to the farmhouse (at least half of it was downhill). Darn-good exercise.

I bit pissed off because I was having such a blast... and now I've got another bike to work on. :-( But we haven't blasted around the fields for about nine months... so it was great to be out there with my mates again!
 :-)

Crossin' Down the Field

After working on the flattracker and SV all day Saturday. I needed a break. I packed my shit, loaded the KTM and headed down to see Ant at the farm.

It was a glorious evening on the Planet of the Apes

We raced around the overgrown track in the warm evening light. I got knackered quick... the first time I've been on a bike since Erzberg - almost 2 months. "Man. I'm just about done...", "Nah... we just started" with which Ant fires up his CRF and hoons down the lane for some off-piste cross-country. I wasn't going to just sit on the log panting... I chase.

The fastest lines around Ant's 'home' track explained...

What awesome fun! All the paths are overgrown and we were riding blind most of the time. It was so dry and dusty too - brilliant!

By the time it was getting dark, I was truly cream-crackered!
A great few hours down the field getting fit for the Manx - thanks Ant!

Crossin' Down the Field

After all the shitty weather we've been having for the past few months, the last week has mostly been dry with blue skies. Still a bit cold with frost and frozen puddles but that didn't stop us getting down the field today...

While I hacked around the field with Jay on the four-fiddy, Ant, Mike and Andy got into the woods for a bit of trials

Ant landed up having a lie-down in a ditch with the Montessa on top of him. Not much sympathy from Mike and Andy who just canned themselves with laugher as Ant took this shot on his phone...

Meanwhile down the field... after a slippy start, the track cut in beautifully in the sunshine. Spring is on it's way!

The good 'ol four-fiddy... I love the beast!

Fourteen year-old Jay rides a 85cc KTM in Enduros... he was getting to grips and ripping it up with Ant's more than three times bigger CRF 250. He did brilliantly... only biting the dirt once... far less than me!

I managed 2 x 45 minute sessions non-stop. Making rythm and going fast. I was cream-crackered by the time the others finished trials and the 'Superpole' competition began...

 Mr. Rossi going through the pre-Superpole rituals...

 ... and then ripping it up on the sticky track!

Mike sporting his new lid (ACU approved too!). When he put it on he exclaimed "Jeez! I can hardly feel it!". Ant's reply "Welcome to the 21st century."

Heather and Saff came down to provide some much needed glamour to the event...

Max came down on his bike too.

"I was nibbling into your lead and then you went wide on turn 5...

 ... I almost t-boned you!"

Ant styling it up - eye of the tiger!

It was a brilliant day in the clay! I'm getting fitter, but I'm gonna feel this for the next few days. If I can do this every weekend till Erzberg (only 12 to go!), I'll be fit. But if we get weather like this every weekend, I must be the Pope!

Last Day in the Clay

Managed to get down the field last Sunday for a play in the clay... we got our dates wrong and our fun down there only ends in November for two months for huntin season.

It was wet 'n mushy...

We were a slippin' and a slidin' everywhere! Eventually we just plotted out a really snug oval in the grass (the wet grass gave far more traction!) and raced... flat-track style!

It was a hoot!

The 2 hours cleaning the shit off the bikes wasn't so much fun though.

Down the field wit mah Brutha

Been a bit quiet on the old blog since returning from the Isle of Man. Got to get back into the habit...

(Down the field - Nic ginving the four-fiddy some welly)

Took a break for a week after the Manx GP then started a new contract ooop north in Chesterfield. It's only till mid-November, but I don't like being away from my garage for 5 days a week and makes travel difficult.

(Nic on the four-fiddy)

Went down the field with brother Nic a few weeks ago. Cracking weather - the field was as dry as I've ever seen it. Got to ride the little Beta trials bike for a few minutes.

(Nic trying out the Beta)

Also sold the Beemdawg (1989 BMW 325i Sport). Sad to see her go, never managed to learn to drift proper in her, take her on a track or to the 'Ring' as I had planned. But feels like a weight has been lifted... need to get rid of more stuff... it's cluttering up my life!