Oulton Park Blues - One in the Bag

I'm writing this from my phone... it's painfully slow... but I got time.

At Oulton Park. Did a race this morning. Dead slow. Very careful. Dead last. One in the bag. Waiting for the next race. One thing I hate about road-racing is the waiting... especially when alone.

Feeling lonesome, a bit depressed and demotivated. I'm supposed to be doing this because it's fun. Well, this ain't.

Packed 'n Ready

Got the hire van all packed up. Ready to shack out at 04h00 tomorrow morning. Should be at Oulton Park by 07h30 for scroots, sign-on and handing over dosh. Practice 08h30... then wait... and wait... and race... and wait... and wait... and wait... and race. Then go home.

I'll do 2 races to make sure this counts as a 'meeting'. The track time will be good too as it'll be the first time I'll ride Mike's wee Monster. Heck! I might even enjoy it!

I'll be in the Sounds Like Thunder class against sooped up Ducati 1098s' and all sorts of other glorious sounding, 140 horsepower plus beasts. I'll be a mobile chicane... but mabe I can get a scalp. Nah.

We'll see how my wrist copes. It's only been 5 1/2 weeks since the surgery and it still gets pretty darn painful at times. I'll just swallow lots of ibuprofen, take a deep breath and learn the bike. No racing... just riding around.

In the words of one V.Rossi: "We look, we see, we try..."

Battle Stations!

Had a conversation with the Chairman of the TT Mountain Course Comittee. They will meet at teh end of July to decide the fate of the remaining Manx GP competitors. He wasn't going to commit, but thinks I have a fighting chance of being accepted if I can get my application in by 17th July. But it is up to the Committee. Hmph!

(Too much yaddah-yaddah and not enough pics on my blog... so here's a pic of a nice bike...)

So... Derby Phoenix are racing at Oulton Park on Saturday. I have a place in the 'Thunderbikes' class - going to get my ass whipped by those 1000cc twins!

Thundersport GB are running at Snetterton next Saturday - got a place in the Minipowerbikes on that one.

Darley Moor are racing (at Darley Moor) next Sunday... I should be able to get into the Sounds Like Thunder class for that one.

3 'meetings' within the next 10 days. Do-able. Kinda.

I'll be riding Mike's 620cc Monster - the one I'll be riding in the Manx GP Ultra-Lightweight class. It'll be a good opportunity to give it a shake-down. I'm not going to race it... just going to test it and work on the set-up... well... we'll see if I can resist.

Oh - and the Chevy started pissin' brake fluid out of the left-rear on Sunday night... so she's off the road. This leaves me with no race transport and about 900 miles to cover accross country in the next 2 weekends. These new 'challenges' aren't bothering me anymore... I just navigate around them.

These 3 'meetings' are going to cost me a packet. Besides shaking the wee Monster down this will be an absolute waste of time, effort and money... and will be a risk to me being physically fit for the Manx - I don't want to agravate my wrist... or fall off! Oh... and 2 weekends of time taken out of all the work I still need to do to build the BAMF (engine still not finished).

Ho-hum... WTF can one do? This is going to be a rough couple of weeks till I get on that ferry to teh Isle of Man. I ain't giving up yet. This ain't over...

BATTLE STATIONS!!

Racin' Blues

A bit miffed I'm missing the ol' flat trackin'

Looks like a good time was had by all in the Co Built Team at the Flat Track Friday.

Chatted to the ACU yesterday. I asked if an extension would be considered on getting my 3 'meetings' done. I was told I need to do them first, then ask. Sounds a bit arse-about-face... "Go spend loads of time, effort, money and risk injury and then we'll think about it.". I asked if any extensions had been given before... the answer was a flat "No." Not looking good. Will get on the blower this afternoon to the Chairman of the Comittee to try get some sort of clarity.

Otherwise had my first Physio on my wrist today. Lookin' good for that point of view... not good because of the internal stitches being on the outside. See ing the surgeon on Friday about this... not happy - I think they did a crap job closing me up. Doesn't fill me with confidence when I consider the work they did on the inside of me.

Aprilia motor is still not finished! No good.

Worse News

Got a letter from the ACU today. I have to do 3 more meetings before the 30 June... that's on Tuesday!

Tried to call them. Only the receptionist is there... the whole of the ACU have gone to Donnington Park for World Superbikes. Good to see the licence money they are given by riders and clubs is being used constructively.

Running out of options here...

The Absurdity of the ACU

Licence Issues:

Yes... according to the ACU, 7 races over 2 days in 3 different classes only counts as 1 'meeting'. It depends how the club applies for the licences for the race day. 1 club licence = 1 'meeting' for the TT Mountain Course Licence. So... a bit of pot luck whether your club uses 2 licences for a weekend or 1.

How this for a bit of technical-so-far-removed-from-the-reality-of-racing-motorcycles bullshit!?

I think the ACU have lost touch with what it is really like to participate in racing motorcycles. Sad.

So... I have to do 3 more 'meetings' in the next few weeks.

More money, more time, more stress, more risk, more pain.

The 'money' factor looks to be to motivator for the ACU. Facists!

Mike said I can use his wee Monster - it's the only choice here. It'll be a farce running it against the likes of 160 horsepower Ducatis... with one hand! But you see, this is in the interest a 'safety' according to the ACU. Absolutely absurd!

Now I am angry.

Now I am even more determined.

Licence Issues

Oh - I called the ACU today to find out how my TT Moutain Course licence is getting on as I sent it in 3 weeks ago and haven't heard anything.

The lady says it's been rejected because I haven't done 6 'meetings'. So apparently, to progress from Novice to Clubman and then Clubman to National licence, a 'meeting' is a day's racing. My last two Mountain Course Licences followed this principle and I got my licence no problemo. Now, all of a sudden, for the TT Course Licence, a 'meeting' is an entire weekend's racing!

I nearly fell on the floor when I heard this. So... depite me doing 7 races at Anglesey in May, this only counts as 1 'meeting'. I can go wobble around Mallory on Boxing Day in the rain... and this also counts as 1 'meeting'. Absolutely absurd! The ACU have done this for 'safety'... because apparently, wobbling around on Boxing Day in the rain is preparing the rider for teh rigours of racing on the TT Mountain Course! I think they are a bunch of ignoramuses... or perhaps they have other motives?

So... according to the ACU I need to do 3 more 'meetings' because the 17 races (over 6 separate days) in the last 12 months just isn't enough! What an absolute load of tripe!

I will speak to the person who rejected my application directly tomorrow to get to the bottom of this... I hope the ACU are not trying to kill off road racing in the UK.

Monkeys!

Here we have a Titanium 'hotshoe' (that didn't really work - needs re-engineering) with matching Titanium plate (hidden under scarred flesh - that I hope will work)

The BAMF assembly begins!

Right! So my plans for the Manx GP are roughly:

1) Rebuild my old race bike (Aprilia RSV SP) that I did the Manx on in 2006 into a Badd-Ass-Mutha-Fucka of a bike (Codename: BAMF). More horsepower, less weight.

2) Go fast

I tore the old beast apart in November 2008. Packed her inboxes and went about getting the frame repaired and the motor overhauled (the gerabox was worn... 8500 miles having the crap ridden into it does that...).

The frame was ripped open at the headstock after a big off at Cadwell in October 2007. Being an SP, only 150 frames were ever made. This I thought would be a problem, but alas... Goeff the welding/fabrication god came to the rescue and did a brillaint job of repairing the headstock. It is now stronger, lighter and still retains the trick adjustability (yes, the SP is a trick machine!).

The motor is another story. Eventhough some parts are the same as an RSV (like the gearbox), lots of parts aren't. Aprilia are the most unhelpful of manufacturers and are only interested in selling scooters. The parts are frikkin' expensive... if I could get them. So, after being stripped down in December, I am hoping to have the assemblyfinally complete and to pick it up this week. It has been an absolute nightmare and have no idea if it'll run until I've built the rest of the bike.

I got the wire pulled out of my wrist on Friday and this weekend was the first time since breaking my wrist and surgery that I've been able to use my hand. So... I've got to work preparing as much as I can without the motor.

Things still to do:

- Fit motor

- Fit other bits

- Build custom wiring loom

- Build custom front and rear subframes

- Get the beast started

- Fit 57mm throttle bodies

- Get custom exhaust link pipe built

- Get PCIII fitted and dyno tuned

- Fit custom body-work

- Get it painted

- Test

There are probably otehr things I've forgotten, but it needs to all be done in 8 weeks!

Do-able? We'll see.

Breaking my wrist hasn't helped, but there isn't much I can do without the motor anyway (the frame was finished nearly 3 months ago). Really frustrated at how long it has taken and that I have to call every second day to get any work done on it. This is why I don't like relying on other people - too many of them let you down and drop you in the shit.

Classic World Superbikes - Nurburgring 1999 Oil!

1999 World Super bike Nurburgring - the Oil Spill

This is a classic clip. Kawa blows up at the end of the main straight... oil. The riders start going down... some big names in there. Edwards is pissed off!

Foggy also pulls a nasty one on a slower rider. Great stuff!

Metalwork

An x-ray of my new metalwork. Strange that they put the screws right through the bone to the other side.

Still got this frikkin wire sticking out my wrist... and it's still bloody painful. Hopefully they'll yank it out on Friday... if they don't, I'll do it at home in the garage!

Slidey, slidey supermoto

This is how to back it in... supermoto stylie!

Check out the movie

Probably not the fastest way around a hairpin... but looks cool as heck!

More King's Lynn Pics

I found some pics from King's Lynn on my camera - forgot that I had taken them!

Accomodation was comfy as ever in Hotel Chevy

Steve with his big Harley (37r - one of the few roadie-bikes there) and Mike looking pensive (63r)

Rider's briefing in the centre of the track for the 'Dash-for-Cash'

Mike on his 'Hot-lap'... dashin for the cash!

The paddock looks like this for most of the day. Busy, busy... and man! What a racket! Glorious...

One sweet lookin' flat-tracking machine.

Babes on El Monstero.

The Grand Final. Check out the style! One day... one day...

The 'Blue Groove' - miss this and you're in shite.

Picking up Mike from A&E... motorbikes are dangerous!