Get well soon Chris

This is a big shout out to my old trackday buddy Chris Cahoon.

Here I was, thinking that I had been really unlucky to crash out and damage my bike, but Chris managed to beat me in the bad luck stakes

On his very last race for the year, whilst running in a very strong 2nd place, he highsided his bike and caused quite a bit of damage

The bike has got bent forks and the usual broken pegs, bars, levers etc, but whereas I walked away from my accident unscathed, Chris wasn't so lucky.

Early x-rays showed a broken collar bone (every racer should have one at some time!) But the real issue is two fractures to his pelvic area (both of which were missed by the doctors)

After spending a couple of days in physiotherapy trying to walk again, the pain had him sent back to the x-ray machine, where they noticed the two fractures and immediately put him back to bed to rest.

He has a fracture around the leg socket area and another which goes up from his coccyx up towards his spinal column.

Keep in touch Chris and let me know what the latest is. I'm thinking of you buddy and can't wait to meet up with you again, buy you a few beers and swap stories. Take it easy mate.

Round 13 & 14 - Cadwell Park - 14th Oct

With the Croft round now officially cancelled, this was the final weekend showdown. With two rounds left, I still had a slim chance of finishing 1st in both the formula 600 championship and the Senior cup championship. However I could also have a really bad weekend and finish 3rd in both championships. It was all to play for.

I’d spent the last couple of nights getting the bike sorted after the two crashes at Elvington in the last round. A new handlebar went on and the bodywork was fibreglassed together again. It was ready for action.

With Nic visiting her sister and new born baby, I had a lonely trip down to Cadwell on my own. With no music in the van, it’s a long and tiring drive. I arrived at about 8pm and got a great spot close to the holding bay and with a view over the track. This is essential with Auto66 as they have a habit of calling people to the holding bay about 10 minutes too early which then means your tyres loose all the heat you’ve been trying to keep in them since your last race.

I was set up next to Rob Wilson again. This was going to make for an exciting weekend as it was him who I would have to beat to get 1st place in the 600 championship. After heating up my luxury meal for one - a bowl of soup - it was time for a beer and a chat with the other riders and then off to bed at around 11pm for a good night sleep .

I awoke at about 8am to a cold and damp morning. The bike breezed through scrutineering and I signed-on and waited for practice. As we took to the track, it started to drizzle. I always remember being told that light drizzle isn’t anything to worry about as if your tyres are nice and hot. That thought was with me last year when I high sided and broke my shoulder, so this time I was a touch more cautious. I found myself behind a gaggle of riders and then settled into their pace, knowing that it was far too slow. After 4 laps I came in and I was really frustrated with myself. “I’m riding like a bleedin’ girl”, I said to Rob. If the day continued like this, it would be a nightmare.

As it turns out, the weather got worse and the drizzle turned a bit heavier, so on went the wets, ready for race one of the weekend, the formula 600 qualifying. I was starting from the front row and wanted to try and finish in the top 4 to make sure I started on the front row for the next race. After the first corner it was clear that that wasn’t going to happen. There were some crazy fast guys out there and I was quickly kicked back into 5th place. Throughout the next 4 laps I would loose more places and eventually finish 7th. I felt like I was riding safely which was not a bad option as there was no need to really push on until the points races but I still needed to finish high enough so as not to be starting too far down the order when it mattered.

The Senior cup qualifying race was even more frustrating. Cadwell park is a track where the 1000cc bikes can really stretch their legs. Out of barn, down the straight and all the way round coppice and charlies and down Park straight, the bigger bikes can really use their grunt. Starting on the front row again, I was quickly being pushed back and even though I had upped the pace from race one, they were shooting passed me at ferocious speeds. Gary Graves came passed me with at least another 30mph down Park straight and gave me a bit of a shock as he shot passed within an inch of my elbow. I finished 10th. This wasn’t panning out the way I had hoped.

It was now drying out and with a lunch break before I was back out, I changed back to my Pirelli Diablo Supercorsas. I had the same tyres on from Elvington but they had only done about 12 laps. They’d be fine for a couple of races.

I took to the grid on the second row and got a great start and was up with the fast boys. Once again though, they soon cleared off and they left me on the back of a group of three fighting it out for 7th place. Just in front of me was Rob Wilson. A couple of laps later and we had taken the leader of our pack and started to pull way. It was just me and Rob. With 2 laps to go he took a long look round and saw me breathing down his neck…game on.

I’d been following him for 5 laps, watching where he was strong and where he was weak. He was brilliant through Barn - a park of the track that I was typically weak on but had been working on during my last few meetings here. However he was a little slow through Coppice - a balls out corner that you can carry serious speed through (maybe 130mph) - where I was pretty good. Unfortunately Coppice is the first corner after Barn, so I would have to try and match his pace through there and along the straight in order to beat him into Coppice. For 5 laps he didn’t make a single mistake. Braking points were spot on and lines were inch perfect, it would take a brave move to get passed. Sure enough, as we rounded Barn to see the final lap flag, I was right behind him. I tucked in down the straight and kept up with him all the way. As he dabbed the brake for Coppice I moved to the right of him and took off a little speed and we both dropped it into the corner. I had carried more speed than him and as we flew into the corner I swept passed him, my elbow almost kissing his fairing. I took a nice tight line into Charlies and fired off down Park straight. I expected him to try a move at Park but my defensive line didn’t allow it. Round Chris curve and through the gooseneck. Then, just as I tipped it in to Mansfields (my high-side corner from last year) he was there, taking a tighter line and pushing me wider. We both gassed it and I had just enough ground on him to stop him from closing me out totally. Full throttle down to the bus-stop chicane and I had the inside line and he had to yield. Then it was just a case of taking defensive lines for the last half of the lap and I lead him across the line. I’d finished a disappointing 7th but I had beaten my main rival - result.

My times were in the mid 1m 41’s which is 1.5seconds off my pace from last time at Cadwell. Nick colley mentioned that he expected to see me going faster and this turned out to be a pivotal comment. I figured that I could go that bit faster and felt that I had enough in hand to beat Rob again. I felt confident going into the next race.

The senior cup race wasn’t such an exciting affair. With most of the riders on thousand cc machines it was just a case of damage limitation and I was very disappointed with my 13th place, especially as Gary Graves finished 6th to put him 2 rows ahead of me for the points race. I had ridden well but didn’t feel like I had done anything special to deserve finishing higher up the pack.

Although my tyres looked ok, I wanted fresh rubber for the points races and managed to get a quick change done before taking to the grid for the 600cc points race. This was it, my first opportunity to try and get some points back on Rob. I figured if I could get away well and put some pressure on him to chase me, he might make a mistake and finish well down the order.

The night before I had thought about how Nori Haga had approached the final World Superbike round, knowing that two wins wouldn’t be enough unless Toseland had some serious problems. Nori took the double and nearly grabbed the championship. He’d shown racing spirit, the kind which make the sport what it is. I had found the desire to go balls out in an attempt to take the title. ‘In it to win it’, and all that. I didn’t want to look back on this race and think ‘if only I tried harder’.

I took to the line on the 2nd row. Visor down. Revs up to about 11000rpm. Two fingers on the clutch lever. One foot on the ground, the other hooked under the gear lever, ready to grab second gear. Body over the tank. Eyes on the flag. No blinking…

The flag moved a millimetre and I was off like a rocket. I shot away to the front of our row and was right on the back of the leading four as we tipped it into Coppice. We were five riders together as we exited Charlies. I didn't know at the time, but Rob and Gary were behind me, right on my back wheel. A 14-wheel freight train fired down Park straight at 160mph. We all held station through Park and round Chris curve. Into the gooseneck and we all took the same line at the same pace. This felt great...

... shiiiiiiit...

This felt very bad. I was no longer part of the 14-wheeler. I was suddenly skirting across the tarmac on my ass with the bike racing away in front of me on it’s side. It had let go on the fast left and was now heading for the grass. I watched as it slid at high speed, already swearing to myself and thinking of my title chances disappearing. Then it happened. It dug-in and launched itself into the air, coming down on its nose and then flipping onto its other side. I was on my feet before it came to a halt and as I ran towards it, hoping and praying that I would be able to pick it up and rejoin the race, I knew that it wouldn’t be possible. There were bits strewn across the grass and instead of picking up the bike, I was picking up the pieces. The clocks were ripped off, the brake reservoir had be sent flying and the air scoops were lying 20 feet from the bike. I helped push the bike to the side and watched 6 laps unfold and with it my chance of the title had gone.

All thoughts now turned to my second place position in the title. I watched Gary Graves overtake Rob and shouted at Rob to get back passed him. Every point counted. Sure enough Rob did get back passed Gary which was the only redeeming part of the most devastating time during my racing career.

The van came and picked me and the bike up and delivered it back to my paddock area. I knew that my day was over. A DNF in the 600cc race and a DNS in the Senior cup. Nil point. Now to assess the damage to see if I could rebuild the bike for Sunday. It didn’t look good…

Smashed screen
Split fairing
Snapped fairing bracket
Dented fuel tank
Slightly bent subframe
Ripped off clocks
Bent handlebar
Snapped quick shifter bracket
Snapped wiring
Snapped brake reservoir
Snapped reservoir bracket
Bent and buckled exhaust and link pipe
Bent crash bobbin
Bent paddock stand bobbin

I didn’t want this to be my last biking memory but a large part of me was thinking that this was fate. Time to pack it all in and turn my back on racing. However a larger part of me wanted to overcome this and conquer this set back. If I could rebuild the bike and get out in the races tomorrow, I could still get 2nd in the championship. Time to get busy.

So as the paddock went quiet and people started to cook and open the beers, I set to stripping down the bike ready to rebuild it. It was 5pm.

After an hour, I had replaced the engine crash bungs, replaced the fairing bracket with a spare (and glued the bungs into the end) and also replaced the handlebar. Then it was time to get some help. As the clocks had been ripped off, they had also snapped some of the wiring, so I enlisted Nick Colley (an electrician) to solder the wires together and wrap them up in electricians tape. Then it was just a case of plugging in the clocks and cable-tying them to the bracket. Then we set to sawing a piece of aluminium down to make a new brake reservoir bracket and drilling the appropriate holes. Time ticked on and it was soon 8pm and time for some food, which Rob’s mates had kindly cooked for me.

30 minutes later and I was back to the bike to do a quick fibreglass repair on the battered and ripped bodywork. While that was setting I started on the brakes. I was going to araldite the brake reservoir outlet to the main body but thought it a bit risky (to say the least) so I was lucky enough to buy the last one off the mobile bike shop that was just closing up. With that in place I started to bleed the brakes. No fluid seemed to be coming through so I assumed there was air in the system and kept pumping. A minute later I realised that the brake hose was split and it had spat all the brake fluid down the forks - just great!

There then followed a 45 minute hunt around the paddock to find 4 inches of brake hose… with no luck! In the end I had to use a bit of fuel line which I managed to heat up and get into place, secured by some cable ties - nice!

Time just ticked away and by the time I had sorted trimmed the fibreglass and fitted all the body work and screen it was midnight. I was knackered.

The next morning I arose at about 8am to put the bike through scrutineering. I would now find out if I had slaved away for nothing. I’m sure it would have passed anyway, but luckily the scrutineer chose now to be very lackadaisical and just gave it a cursory once-over. I would be racing today and suddenly the chance of keeping 2nd place was alive again

I went out for practice and just took it easy. The bike felt fine

30 minutes later I was lined up for the 600cc trophy race. I was on the 5th row. Off we went and I gained a few places but straight away knew that I was riding too conservatively. I did manage to pass another couple of people during the 6 lap race but I was disappointed in myself which was confounded when I realised I had finished in 14th place with a best time of 1’47, a full six seconds down on yesterday .

As a racer, this was terrible but lets put it into perspective. You crash at about 80mph and wreck your bike. You get back on the following day but know that one more crash will finish the bike off, and end up loosing about 1 second per corner. If you count to one now, its not a lot is it. However on the race track - it’s a country mile and I was really frustrated.

For the Senior cup trophy race, I was at the very back of the grid. I told Nic that if I was last after one lap, I’d pull in. One lap later, I did just that.

My head was down and I felt totally deflated. I had gone from a front-runner to a back marker and I hated it.

My mood was only slightly improved when we worked out that due to an average result by Gary in the last 600 race, he couldn’t catch me for 2nd place in the championship. After a hard fought year, with many problems along the way, I would finish as runner up. A smile crept onto my face and quickly faded as I worked out the points for the Senior cup championship.
Gary was also in 3rd place for that and only 4 points behind me. The scoring in Auto66 goes:

1st 20
2nd 18
3rd 16
4th 14
5th 12
6th 10
7th 9
8th 8
9th 7
etc

This meant that I had to finish in front or directly behind Gary to guarantee 2nd place. Otherwise we could tie on points and he would still take the place on race wins. He was lapping at 1’42”, five seconds quicker than my morning pace - I was worried.

With no positions to gain or loose in the 600cc race and not wanting to risk a crash for no reason, I sat out the last 600 race of the year. This was a bit sad but it was the right thing to do.

This meant that I had another hour to wait for my final race of the day, my final race of the year, and probably my final race ever. I fuelled up the bike and then changed the rear tyre over again as I wanted the best grip possible for the race. Once that was done, it was just a case of waiting. An hour can seem like a long time when your mind is full of negative thoughts. I knew that my lap times were so slow I'd be lucky to get any points, I knew that I'd lost confidence in the bike and I knew that Gary was riding really well. Suddenly 2nd place in the championship was looking lost.

Gary and I watched the 'sound of thunder' race together and then turned to each other, wished each other the best of luck and headed back to our vans to get ready. I was tense.

I took to the grid and suddenly my nerves disappeared. I suddenly felt at peace with the situation. I did a fairly hot warm up lap and felt ready. I was on the 4th row. Gary was on the second row. Head down, here we go. I got the best start of the day and shot past Gary into the first corner. As I rounded Charlies and opened the gas onto Park straight, two guys came flying passed me. One was John Hildreth, who had now taken the Senior cup title and the other was Robert Atkinson who won the Open championship last year. I could afford to let them go as long as Gary was behind me. Half a lap later, he wasn't. He pulled a tidy move up the inside of me going into Mansfield and held it. Immediately I was surprised by his pace and I felt I couldn't keep up. As long as he didn't catch John or Robert and I didn't get overtaken, I would be fine.

Half a lap later I saw the shadow of a bike right behind me as I tipped it into Park. It was Daryl on his thou. Right then, time to put in some fast laps. I suddenly felt like I was riding well again and started to pull away from Daryl. Gary was now about 15 bike lengths ahead of me and he was indeed catching John and Rob. I wouldn't let it happen. For 4 more laps I rode like I had done on Saturday afternoon. Committed, brave and confident. The gap started to come down and down and with just 1 lap to go we were now altogether. I knew that Gary was going to put a move on them. If he got just one bike between him and me, he'd take my 2nd place. I used all the road coming on to the straight and tucked into his slipstream, but I was still further back than I would have liked. The bike maxed out in top gear and I pulled out to the right of Gary. "I'm not braking until you do", I remember thinking. As he sat up and grabbed his front brake, I was still about 4 bike lengths back and I had to leave my braking later than felt right. The back of my bike lifted in the air as the front tyre buried itself in the tarmac. I stamped down 3 gears and let the cutch out. The slipper clutch took up the load and settled the back of the bike with controlled engine braking. I was in front.

Half a lap to go and my race strategy changed completely. Now all I had to do was ride defensively and let the other two get away from us. By the time we exited Mansfield, I was still ahead and the others were entering the bus stop chicane. I had done enough. I took more defensive lines for the rest of the lap and gunned it out of Barn to take the chequered flag in front of Gary. My heart was racing and my head was buzzing. It had been a great race to end the season with and I had secured 2nd place overall.

With all the bad luck I've had over the last two meetings, it was nice for something to go well. I was happy that this would be my final memory of my race career. A fond memory and one I'm proud of. I had shown grit and determination to get the bike back together and I had shown a racers courage to get ahead of Gary on the last lap. I had been lapping 5 seconds faster than my morning races and felt I had given my bike a proper ride for perhaps the last time.

Back in the paddock I hugged Nic and shook hands with fellow riders. After so many weekends together, it was all ending so fast. Awnings were put away, bikes were wheeled into vans and before we knew it, the paddock was virtually empty. We finished packing our stuff and headed back home in the van.

It had been an emotional weekend with so many twists and turns. I was still disappointed with the crash but it had been balanced out by the end result. I went to Cadwell wanting to push for a championship lead. I had done that. I had also gone, wanting to ensure that I came away with at least 2nd overall and I had done that. I couldn’t have too much regret.

So thanks for taking an interest in my exploits this year and thanks for your support. There are a few people I would like to mention in person:

Nic - For being the most supportive wife I could ask for. Many people tell her she is mad to put up with it all, but she has been there for me from the beginning to the end and has never ask me to give it up. Thanks for putting up with everything

Mum and Dad - For taking a real interest this year and getting involved. It’s been great to have you at the races and I hope you’ve had a few moments that made you proud

Scott Whitfield - Without you I wouldn’t have gone racing at all. You got me into the sport and you’ve kept me on track throughout the 2 years. You’ve been an immense help and taught me a lot. I owe you.

Round 12 - Elvington - 30th Sept

I'd been up to Scott’s again and we'd taken the clutch apart and refitted it. This time we used a torque wrench to make sure it had been done up to the specified 100Nm. New oil and filter and she was ready to rock.

I'd been meaning to get my forks services for ages and decided to take a half-day off work to meet Colin from 100% bikes at Croft to get them done. I went down to the track the night before and slept in the van. Jeezus it’s turned cold! The next morning Colin serviced the forks and put in new SBK spec fork oil. I then asked how I might be able to get the bike to turn a little quicker and he suggested I Softened off the front by one ring and harden up the back by 3 turns. Now she really was ready to rock.

Nic and I went down to Elvington on Saturday night. After setting up the awning, I joined Sammy Logan for a beer and as we sat around his roaring fire, he told me that he'd heard rumours that the Croft meeting at the end of the year had been cancelled. This has really pissed me off. It was one of the reasons I signed up for Auto 66 again this year as I thought they had some decent tracks booked. It now means that during the 2 years of racing with Auto 66, I won’t have raced with them at Croft once. It also means that I now won’t have the requirement of four different tracks for my National License. Bummer.

After another freezing night in the van, I got up and put the bike through scrutineering. Again, no probs, and before I knew it, it was time for practice. I was mainly checking out the clutch and it seemed absolutely perfect. The plan was to use the Michelin Power Race tyres until lunch and then put some Pirelli Diablo SuperCorsas on. Much to my surprise, the bike didn't seem to be turning quicker after the suspension changes, in fact, it seemed to be a little worse, but good enough for the qualifying rounds.

The 600 grid was a bit fuller than it has been lately and there were plenty of fast boys there. But I was feeling confident. After the warm up lap, we lined up and waited for the flag. Well, I waited for the flag. Most of the rest of the grid seemed to belt of early and as usual, nothing was done about it. After the first corner I was in 5th but right behind them all. I held the position for most of the lap but then moved into 4th at the last corner. The front 2 were pulling out a bit but 3rd place was well within reach. I kept a nice steady pace for the next 2 laps but the bike wasn't feeling quite as well as it should on the exit of corners. I approached the chicane and braked hard as usual, I let the brakes off and tipped it in, giving just a little throttle to balance the bike. Half way through the turn and just as I was about to flick it right, I was off...

The bike lowsided and slid straight into the straw bales and I followed. I wasn't hurt but the bike was. I couldn't work it out. I had done nothing wrong, nothing different. I wouldn't have changed a single thing about the way I took that turn and yet it had spat me off. That worried me more than the crash itself.

Snapped handlebar, snapped footpeg, shattered screen, snapped and bashed fairing, bent paddock bobbin, ripped leathers.

Quite a bit of damage for a lowside and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get it fixed. Luckily, Rob Wilson (who at the time was leading the championship from me by just 7 points) helped me out and loaned me a clip-on handlebar. It's times like this that you realise just how friendly the paddock is. When rivals will help each other out so that they can still compete against each other, that’s the purest form of sportsmenship. Then Nick Colley helped me out with the fairing and we used one of my spare footpegs and my spare screen to get it back together. I'd also changed the tyres for my sticky Supercorsas just in case that was the reason for my 'off'.

The scrutineer okayed our workmanship and even passed my leathers which had been professionally patched - with gaffa tape. I'd missed the qualifying race for the Senior cup but I was ready for the 600 trophy race.

Everyone had told me to take it easy and I didn't intend to go gung-ho, but a race is a race. Again, several people jumped the flag and again I was in 5th place after the first corner. Once again I moved up to 4th quickly and half way round the lap I was right on the tail of 3rd. As I rounded the left hander towards the end of the lap, the bike let go... I was sliding on my ass for the second time in 2 laps. Again, I had no idea why.

The damage wasn't as bad this time. Another broken footpeg (good job I had 2 spare at the start of the day) and a scrape to the handlebar bung (sorry Rob), and another couple of millimetres off the NGR engine casing. The leathers however were a write-off. The gaffa tape fix had been enough to ensure my skin hadn't been exposed, but it hadn’t been enough to stop a large rip now extending down the thigh and a few other rips appearing around the back of the suit. I couldn't race in it.

Time for another racer to come to the rescue. This time it was Matty Handley, who had narrowly missed running over me. He sped off to his house, which is approximately 400m up the road from the track, and returned with his spare set of leathers. For the rest of the day, I would be sporting "Handley" on my back.

After discussing what the hell was going wrong, we decided that the increased preload at the rear of the bike meant it wasn’t absorbing enough movement and it was asking too much of the rear tyre. I softened it off 3 turns to put it back to its previous setting. Luckily the tyres had felt better (during the 5 corners where they actually gripped) so I wasn't completely disillusioned.

I just needed to get some good points in the 600 points race. I knew that my confidence was down but if I let myself get beaten into a really bad position and Garry did well, my 2nd place in the championship would be under threat. I didn't feel that I could get anywhere near Rob to close the gap on 1st place.

As it turns out, Garry made my 2nd place even safer with a crash on the warm up lap. It turns out that he couldn't work out what he'd done wrong either, but it meant that I could ride slightly more within myself. I was starting from the 3rd row (due to my 2 DNF's) and again, they jumped the flag but this time I was pretty much with them and made up a place or two on the first lap. After then I was struggling to keep in touch with the front guys. I could feel myself over-compensating for the bike and was taking all my body weight on my legs to do some of the suspension that the rear shock should be doing. As I rounded the corner onto the straight, I got too close to the apex.

On a normal circuit this would just mean going onto the white line or maybe clipping the curb. At Elvington it meant I clipped the grass and the front lost grip. "This is it", I thought, 3 crashes from 3. But a split second later it had gripped and I was head-down with the throttle wide open, chasing the pack. As it turns out, I was putting in low 58's, which isn't too far off my fastest time, but I couldn't catch the main pack. I finished 5th. My lowest finish in the 600 class for ages. Rob had stretched his championship lead and I had stretched my 2nd place lead

As we waited in the holding area for the Senior race, Garry's bad luck struck again. There was coolant dripping out from his catch-pan. He took to the grid and did the warm up lap but as we lined up, there was still coolant dripping out and for fear of a seized engine he pulled out. This meant that my 2nd place in the Senior Championship was safer. Now I just needed to make sure that I wasn't too far behind John Hildreth. so that the 5pt gap didn’t get too big. I still have hopes that he might not go so well at Cadwell so I was on damage limitation.

I fired off the line and got swallowed up by the 1000's of John and Daryl and a couple of other new guys on 600's. I was confident I could get passed Daryl if I could stay with him... I just needed to get up to him. I was right on the tail of one of the 600's (a rookie) for most of the first lap and made my move down the straight. I passed him and left my braking really late so that he couldn't get back passed. As I went to tip it in to the fast right-hander - he was there!

I couldn't turn at all. I waited for him to make the turn so that I could let off the brakes and make the turn but it was clear he had carried far too much speed and was now running me off the track. I braked hard but I was soon on the grass and running over rabbit holes and molehills. The suspension was bottoming out and making a nasty noise over the field-like terrain. How I didn’t come off I don’t know but as I came to a stop and turned the bike, I saw the guy rejoining in front of me. I was absolutely furious - could this meeting get any worse? The rest of the guys were long gone now. I'd lost 11 seconds (it was a miracle it wasn't more) but I was desperate to catch the little rookie bastard. I fired off down the back straight and immediately out broke myself going into the chicane and had to go straight on and rejoin. Another lap of catching him and I came to the chicane again, with the same result - straight on! I was riding like a man possessed. Not fast, just mad!

Another half a lap and I caught and passed the little git. In the distance I could see another rider, I wanted him! 3 more laps of concentration and grit and I was right on him. In the exact place where I had crashed earlier on, I made my move round the outside of him and block passed him into the last corner, firing it up the straight and away from him. 1 lap later, it was all over. I had come 3rd. Not a bad result, but had I not gone off-roading, I should have got Daryl and thus 2nd place. Ho hum, I was just happy to have scored points in both of the races that mattered.

So now it’s just Cadwell Park left. A two round weekender to decide the championships. I am still a little nervous about my bikes handling but I am fired up for a good showdown.

I've ordered more spare handlebars, footpegs, paddock bobbins and screen (and then the Royal Mail went on bleedin strike!). Plus I’ve got a complete set of bodywork coming to Cadwell and I’ve sent my leathers off to be repaired. Not what I wanted at the end of the season but if I can have a good weekends racing at the end of the season it will all have been worth it.

Check back in two weeks to see how the season finished - wish me luck.

The clutch

Well, it seems that the problem with the clutch having terminal slippage was due to the spring stopper hub coming undone. It's really frustrating that something so simple has had such an impact on this years racing.

I was pretty pleased with myself for taking the clutch apart and diagnosing it but now I haven't got a clue how to put it together. It's times like this when I realise just how much I have relied on Scott and how I wouldn't be racing at all if it wasn't for his help. He's working totally flat out at the moment so he has no time to help me. I just hope I can get it sorted before my next race in 2 weeks time!

Round 11 - Elvington - August 26th

I can't decide whether this was a day to remember or a day to forget. It was a real roller coaster of emotions and a day that would justifiably go into my autobiography.

It started sedately enough. Nic and I chose to go to the track the night before and sleep over in the paddock, rather than sleep at my Mums and travel there in the morning. I now much prefer this and I felt more refreshed throughout the whole day because of it. Ok, the back of the van aint luxury but its surprisingly comfy.

The bike sailed through scrutineering and we seemed to have a rather relaxed morning, with a bowl of cereal and a coffee pot steaming away on the stove - very civilised. My mate, big Scott (as opposed to my mate Scott who helps me with the bike) turned up to watch so we had a nice natter before practice and then out I went.

The bike was great. The new Michelin Pilot Race tyres were excellent. They have a steeper profile than the pirelli's which helps turn-in. Most importantly though, the clutch was working a treat and the radiator was keeping the temp down - result.

We roll up to the holding area. There is an embarrassingly small grid. I think there were 6 of us. The trouble is, its the guys that are trying for top championship positions, so it doesn't matter if its 3 or 33, its still going to be hard getting a win.

I told Nic that I would settle for 4th for the qualifiers (at Elvington the grid lines up in a straight line rather than staggered so 4th would put me in the same position as 1st). I got a great start and was 2nd behind Robert Wilson (again). Well at least I thought I was 2nd. Just as I tipped it in an headed for the apex, Gary Graves suddenly appeared and made me pick it up and run wide - grrr, firm but fair. I set off after the two of them and found that we seemed to be well matched for pace. Robert had pulled out a bit of a lead and as we came towards the end of the 4th (and final) lap of this qualifier, I found myself closer to Gary. Round the hairpin and I was right on him. I knew I would try my usual block pass and sure enough, a bit more speed through the final left allowed me to put my nose in front of his and he had to stand his bike up and allow me through. 2nd place was mine and I had a rye smile inside my helmet. Later, Gary came over and said, "was that for the move I put on you in the first corner" - too bloody right it was mate ;-)

I got a crap start in the Senior qualifier and was 5th out of 6 going into the first corner. Gary, Daryl and John normally clear off on their thou's into the first corner but this time a newby had also shot passed. As usual I spent a couple of laps trying to get passed Daryl who still can't go round corners even though he's wearing slicks (sorry Daryl). I got a good run on him and the new chap going into the hairpin but I just couldn't stop in time and ran way off line. I turned it tight and gunned it towards the left hander and managed to take both of them round the outside. 3rd place was mine.

On to the trophy race. Just before the race I had made two crucial comments. Firstly, that there would be no trophy for 3rd place as the grid was so small and also that I was getting sick of paying to race just to get the same result each time, behind the same guy. The other crucial factor was that a sidecar had just emptied its guts out at the chicane in the previous race and it only left about 1m of clean track on the entry into it. We would have to be very precise tipping it in. Another good start and I'm right behind Robert. Exiting the second right, I even feel I might get alongside him but the oil patch means I have to slot back in line so that I can take the new racing

line. I stay with him until the straight and it feels like he's pulling away a touch but I manage to real him in a bit on the brakes and by the time we're back at the chicane I'm right with him again. I thought it was just myself and Robert out in front, but as it turns out, there was a new kid on the block (17yrs old) who was right on my tail. I was right with Robert until lap 5 when I decided I was close enough to make a move.

Again, I was fast going into the left hander and managed to nip passed around
the outside of him and keep my line going into the final right-hander. Then it was head down for the final lap and a 1st pace trophy. I was really exhilarated. It's my first win since Teesside near the beginning of the season and it felt like I'd ridden well to get it.

The trophy race for the Senior cup was pretty exciting (well, the first 3 laps were). I managed to get a really good start and it was only Daryl who headed me into the first corner. I was still 2nd for the next half a lap but then Gary and John drafted passed me on the straight. At the end of the straight I managed to outbrake John and get ahead of him again and then hold that for another half a lap, but eventually his bigger machine told the tale and he passed me and gapped me. We had all managed to get passed Daryl and for 3 laps I was still in the hunt with Gary and John. However after lap 4 I realised that I was just destroying my tyres for no reason so I settled down and relaxed into 3rd. I felt like I was out for a sunday drive. There must have been about 15 seconds behind me. As I expected, there was no trophy for 3rd. That must have saved them about 30 quid for the day - what a joke of a club.

The points race for the 600's was one of the best I have been in (others include my first ever win, my win at Cadwell park and my near victory at Teesside which ended in tears!). I've not done it for a while but after getting the best possible start and leading as we headed for the first corner, I knocked it down 3 gears (as I do on a flying lap) rather than 2 (from a standing start) and the back locked up and sent me heading off the track. I grabbed as much brake as I could and then turned it and rejoined the track.

There were only 5 of us in this race and the other 4 were now well ahead (well actually James was only a few seconds ahead). I put my head down and gunned it. A fast sweep through the chicane and a great drive down towards the hairpin saw me claw back loads of time on James and I threw in a desperate block move on him which nearly backfired. As I ran a little bit wide, he ran me out to the edge of the track and got back in front. I got the power down and made my extra grunt (James rides and old CBR600) count and I outbraked him going into the top corner. The next 3 laps were all about precision and measured risk taking. One mistake and I would have lost touch with the front 3, however I didnt make any mistakes and with two and a half laps to go I was bearing down on them.

Luckily for me, they seemed to trip each other up a bit going through the chicane as the oil still meant that you had to tip-toe through. I went in fairly fast but came out even faster and my drive down to the hairpin saw me right with them. I went out wide and cut it back and as I did I took Gary on the inside. Then, in the same move, I went round the outside of the new kid. I was now right on Roberts tail. A lap later and in the same place, I went round the outside of Robert and into the lead. Once more round and back to the hairpin and he tried to outbrake me.

I saw that he couldnt quite get it stopped and I pulled it nice and tight round the hairpin. Two more corners, ridden fast but defensive and I crossed the line victorious. Last to First - Brilliant.

As I came into the paddock area, everybody was clapping me. People told me it was one of the best clubman races they'd seen. I was well chuffed. Life was good.

During the race, I thought I had felt the clutch slip a little. I couldn't be quite sure as it wasn't very pronounced and I was concentrating so hard that I think I put any problems with the bike out of my head and just rode the thing.

At this point, I was 17 points in the lead of the Senior Cup championship. As I lined up, I knew that I couldn't compete with John, I thought there may be a chance I could stay with Gary and I knew that I could beat Daryl. As such, My championship lead would only be reduced a little bit and the chance of staying number one at the end of the season was still a possibility. We set off on our warm up lap but half way round the bike lost drive. I knew it was the clutch and I started to furiously play around with the gears and clutch lever to get some sort of drive. I lined up at the start and as we set off, I managed to crawl forward at about 10mph at full revs. By the time I was half way up the straight I was just freewheeling and the bike would drive at all. I was out. DNF. Nil points.

The championship lead was gone and I was now 3 points behind John with Gary just another 10 or so behind me. In one race, I had gone from championship leader to staring at a 3rd place. In one day, I had gone from hero to zero. I felt empty.

As it was the last race of the day, most of the paddock had already packed up. By the time I had wheeled my bike from the furthest point of the circuit back to the paddock area, the place was nearly empty. We packed up our stuff and headed home. Few words were said.

A day later and I felt okay. Really pissed off, but ok. Racing is one of the most demanding sports, its also probably the cruelest. But it also rewards in a way that other sports simply cant match. So I accept the disappointment and take it on the chin. Before I sign off yet another sad turn in an otherwise great season, I wanted to revisit some of the things I said in my last blog entry. It may have sounded like I dont get any support from my family and that isnt true. Ok, so my brother is pretty shit at showing an interest but my mum and dad are now really supportive. They come along to as many Elvington events as they can and always ask me how things have gone. I should also mention that Nic (my lovely wife) is the most supportive person in the entire
paddock. She puts up with all my crap sorting the bike out for every race. She comes along to every race. Helps me out and then has to put up with all my crap when things go wrong. She's a star.

So, unlucky in racing - lucky in life. It's not a bad compromise is it!

Round 10 - Elvington - August 5th

I was fairly confident that my recent radiator repair (bodge) would do the job but just to be on the safe side, i bid for a radiator on ebay. I won the bid and then spent half of Saturday evening driving into Bradford and getting lost. Eventually I found the place I was picking it up from and I headed back to Harrogate for some much needed kip.

Although sleeping in a proper bed always sounds like the best thing, I think I now prefer to sleep in the van and wake up at the circuit. It gives you at least another 1.5hours in bed and seems to take some of the stress out of the morning. As it was, I was up at 7am and arrived at the circuit in plenty of time to get the bike through scrutineering and get signed-on.

There were loads of old faces at the track and I knew that I was going to have to be on top form to get some good results. I used the practice session to scrub my new front tyre in, but couldn't help putting a cheeky last corner move on Matty Handley (just for old times sake).

As for the front tyre, it is a Dunlop Racer, whilst the back is a Metz Racetec. There is loads of talk about incorrect matching of tyres but in my opinion, if you are using the sticky race tyres from each manufacturer, a bit of swapping around doesnt hurt too much. Ideally I'd have matching tyres but at this point of the season I'm having to juggle to make my tyre supply last. The next round will be even worse. The front Dunlop will stay on. The back Racetec will do half the meeting, then I'll swap it for an old Supercorsa that should last a couple of races. Then after that meeting, I'm swapping to try some Michelin Power race tyres I got from Ben Handley. Hey - it's all money!

The 600 qualifying was a straight forward point to point and my 2nd place was never challenged and neither did I challenge for the lead. I think the old faces were just remembering their lines.

The Senior cup qualifying was also turning out to be a bit straightforward until with a lap and a half to go, I realised I was catching 3rd place. I put in a really good lap which brought me right behind him going into the hairpin and I used the momentum out of the turn to drive passed him on the last corner. It was a complete block pass and unfortunately he didn't allow enough space for my late braking. As I was trying to scrub off speed to make the apex, he was cutting back to the inside to try and get extra drive. His front tyre hit my rear tyre and although we both stayed on, it nearly had him off and he wobbled outside of the marked track and I think he lost 4th place.

I went over to apologise to him afterwards, even though it was a fair move. He seemed okay about it. His name was mitch - who I'd later learn was a bit of a nutter and a liability on track.

The 600 trophy race seemed to be over very quickly. I can't even remember much about it, but I do know that I finished 3rd. You'd think that coming 3rd in a trophy race would merit you a 3rd place trophy... but since Auto66 are such a money grabbing club, they decided that the grid size wasn't big enough to warrant giving out 3rd trophies so I was denied the silverware. Its a complete shambles and makes a joke out of the club.

I do remember the Senior cup, or at least the second half of it. I'd been putting in good fast laps, hitting my markers and suddenly I was aware of another rider right on me. He kept showing me his wheel but I'd just roll off the brakes a little and keep him out. It totally changes the way you ride when you know somebody is "on you". You take different lines, you brake later and harder (which kills your mid-corner speed) but then get on the power earlier to get the drive down the straight. I do it to try and break their momentum but ultimately it results in a slower lap and I think you can only do it for a lap or so before they figure out how to change their riding style in order to get passed you. It was a furious last lap and I could hear the bikes engine right behind me, but that's where it stayed and I managed to take 2nd place. As it turns out, it was Nick. He won every single 400cc race last year and has since been riding a CBR600RR with Derby Phoenix. He's a fast lad.

This time I got my mitts on the silverware and another 2nd place trophy for the mantle-piece. When I came into the paddock area, I noticed that there was water dripping out of my lower fairing. The bike was overheating again. Damn. I topped it up and just prayed that it would be ok. I made a conscious effort to keep the bike temp lower before the start of the race (around 60 degrees rather than 70)

The 600 points race was the best one of the day. Not for results but for excitement. Once again, I was in 2nd place and I could hear a bike behind me. A lap later and I was braking hard into the hairpin and a bike wheel appeared on the inside of me. I tried to carry as much speed through the tight 180 right-hander as I could and lean over as much as possible. As I did, my right elbow banged into his left foot, I looked over and we were about 10cms apart, both cranked over to the limit, yet it felt strangely safe and composed. We both accelerated out of the corner, trying to gain that little bit of ground to make the other back off. I'd been as brave as I could, but it was Nick who edged in front into the next corner and then started to creep out a lead from me. He then proceeded to chase down the leader and for the first time in a long time, Rob Wilson didn't win the race. Meanwhile, at the hairpin again, I was just at the end of my braking when Matty came shooting passed me and only just managed to stop from running off the track. I'd later learn that he nearly opted to go on the inside of me rather than the outside - thank god he didn't or it would have been zero points for both of us. In the end I finished 3rd place and lost a little more ground on Rob Wilson in the championship - but got closer to securing 2nd place for the season.

Once again, the coolant was bubbling over and I had to top up the radiator again. I really should have a larger radiator on the bike but I'm hoping I can do without until the end of the season - Hopefully the new one I've just bought should be better than the one on now, with all its hole repairs.

The last race was another standard fair with no great shakes. I rode well and finished a respectable 4th place, behind Nick and the two big thousand cc machines that battle it out every time. The most noticeable thing about the last race was that the strange rise in revs as I accelerated hard onto the straights had become much more pronounced. At first I thought that my tyre had gone off and I was simply spinning up the rear as I got the power down, however I know that my bike doesn't have enough power to spin up in 4th and 5th so it pointed towards a problem with the bike rather than my God-like bike prowess! All fingers pointed at the clutch. Slipper clutches wear the plates quicker than a standard clutch and I had had these plates in for two years so that was the main culprit.

So back onto ebay and I bought a new (used) clutch for a K4/K5 for £45 - bargain

Last night I was up at Scott's. I fitted the new radiator and then we set to work on the clutch. I run a STM slipper clutch which I can't recommend enough. Its a piece of bike porn. The only thing was, this Italian made exotica needs a sodding great 30mm hex nut to get it off. Without such a tool, Scott was able to fashion one together by welding a 22mm steel nut to a 30mm nut and then we used a 22mm socket with our new bespoke double-ended nut to undo the clutch - pure mechanical genius!

So now the bike has a new radiator which should help but might not fix the heating issue and new clutch plates which should do the trick.

I guess the big news is that I have decided that this will be my last season of racing. Its unbelievably time consuming and obviously remains very expensive. It's also strangely lonely at times and it's this more than anything else that is making me move away from it. Without other race mates, its not a sport which I can enjoy to the fullest. I can't talk about racing to anybody (take an avid football fan and put him into a situation where suddenly nobody has an interest in football - it would take a lot of the fun out of the game for him), and I can't share the fun with anybody as even Scott no longer races.

I've been writing this blog for around a year now and only about 3 people read it (thanks you guys). My Folks don't read it (this is a test, as my Dad says he does!), my Brother has absolutely no interest in it and has never wished me good luck or asked me how a race went (although my Nephew thinks I'm a biking God - bless him) and all my "friends" ask me how the biking is going in the same way as they would ask a work colleague how they were - they don't actually want to know, its simply a rhetorical question to appease me.

I also realise that to progress to the next level, I would need to invest probably double the time and money, which I am not prepared to do. I know I'm a good rider, but I'm also a pretty lazy one. Give me a fully prepped bike and tell me to turn up at race time and I'll do the business - But all the stuff that's involved before you even get on the bike is something I could now do without (buying this, fixing that, cleaning this, changing that, driving here, there and everywhere just to get the bike ready). I know I'm going to miss it more than anything else in the world, but I have plans to do lots of other biking adventures to make up for it. Supermoto experiences are knocking heavily on my door and I'd like to do a few off-road breaks.

Anyway, for now I remain committed to the rest of the season and just hope I can get through it without any major incidents to either me or the bike. Later doods...

Round 9 - Elvington - 22nd July

After a long wait, Scott found some time to help me out with my Swingarm and we spent a long evening taking the old one out (with the snapped lugs and old chain) and replaced it with one with shiny blocks of aluminium welded to the underneath for the paddock bobbins. Scott had to drill them out and put a thread into each block, so it wasn't as straight forward as we originally thought. They look ace. Kinda like something you might see on a works race bike with bespoke machined parts. Along with a new chain, I also treated the bike to 3l of syntec 4+ fully synthetic putoline oil. It's kept the engine in fine fettle so far so I didn't want to risk using anything else. So Scott has come up trumps for me again and I'm massively grateful. I really couldn't have done this year without him.

The day before my Elvington race, the Auto66 quarterly newsletter dropped through the door. It was full of rubbish as usual but it did have the points for the championship so far. As it turns out, I did score points for the race at Cadwell when my battery failed. I had forgotten that the race had been merged with another race so I actually came 9th and got 7 points. That was enough to push me into the lead of the Senior cup by 5 points. I was surprised to say the least. It made me think that I should have done the teesside race as I'd have picked up easy points there (given that nobody bothers to race there) and I could have been over 20 points clear!

Nic and I set off later than anticipated for Elvington and we arrived in York around 10:15pm. We hadn't had anything to eat so we dashed towards the centre of York looking for a takeaway. 15 minutes later and we were heading towards the track, being the proud owners of a Large Pizza Hut deep Pan Meat Feast. The gates to the circuit hadn't been chained up yet so we let ourselves in, grabbed a good spot for the next day and devoured our new acquisition. Bloody gorgeous.

The following morning we took everything at a relaxed pace. I got out of bed at about 9am, got the bike through scrutineering, signed on and then went back to bed to lie down for a bit. It's much better than having to rush around and I'm sure it allows you to concentrate on the racer more.

I had a new rear tyre so I was anxious to scrum it in. I had also decided to go up one tooth on the rear sprocket so I wanted to see how that felt. I had a couple of little slides but the tyre seemed to bed in nicely and the new gearing was definitely a good move as it seemed to have more grunt out of the corners and would top out nicely along the long straight. I was ready for the first race

As I lined up with the rest of the 600's for the first race, I noticed that Steve Degnan (the bloke who fractured his back at Teesside) was the flag man for the day. It was great to see him again and he was beaming with joy as he dropped the flag..and away we went. I got a good start and was 3rd going into the first corner. As we rounded the double-right-hander I got great drive onto the back straight and managed to drag passed into 2nd place. From there it was a case of trying to catch Richard Wilson (The leader in the 600 class). After 2 laps he had stretched a little bit more of a lead on me but the following lap I managed to close it all back up. Into the hairpin for the final time and I was late and hard on the brakes which brought me right up to his back wheel. I got a good drive out and set myself up for a last ditch block move at the final corner. Unfortunately I didnt quite have the pace to get ahead and as he closed the door on me, I needed to get hard on the brakes and sit the bike up in order to miss his rear wheel. I finished 2nd but I was happy that I had challenged him all the way to the flag.

For the Senior Cup qualification race, I had decided that I needed to try to get ahead of the big 1000's and stay there as long as possible. From the line I thought I might get into the lead but the thousands soon got into their stride and I was back in 3rd place. Through the chicane and I was hard on the gas to try and close in on the leaders. I left my braking late and then trailed it to the apex of the corner. Just as I was about to let the brake off, down I went!

It was a pitifully slow crash and I held on to the bike for the whole time and pulled the clutch in. I stood up and yanked the bike upright. As I did, I pulled on the throttle and with the clutch pulled in, it revved to the max and screamed for mercy as it bounced off the rev limiter. I jumped back on and off I went. I'd been down for about 20 seconds. The race was 4 laps and each lap takes 1 minute - it didn't look good.

I contemplated pulling in but I could see one rider was only about 10 seconds ahead of me so I decided to go for it. I picked him off with ease and went after another back marker. It took me 3 laps to catch him and a couple of corners to set him up. This time, my last corner block move worked a treat and I beat him by 0.3 seconds over the line. I had come 5th out of 7. With such small grid sizes, It hardly seems worth qualifying but racing is racing and I was having fun. Unfortunately, the bike wasn't! It was overheating. It had reached 100 on the starting line and didnt cool down at all during my unusually slow warm up lap. Riding through the paddock back to my pit area, the bike continued to get hotter and on checking, I realised it had overflowed all of its coolant into the belly pan. Worrying! I topped her back up with a litre and a half of Buxton and preyed that she would be okay.

The damage from the crash was minimal. Having gone down on the right hand, I was sure my new titanium exhaust sleeve would be damaged but hey presto, the frame sliders and paddock bobbins had done their job. The fairing was scratched quite badly but I can live with that. Luckily the bike was still working perfectly.

We broke for lunch just at the wrong time. It was sunny but there were clouds looming in the distance. Personally I'd have kept going for an hour to see if we could miss the worst of the weather but we didnt. Then it happened. In the middle of the wettest summer on record, somewhere along the line I had to race in the wet. As the black clouds dumped their cargo of droplets on the race track, the paddock lept into a fury of activity and put their wets on. Unfortunately my fury of activity lasts twice as long as everybody elses as I'm pretty slow at changing the wheels, but I reckon I managed both in around 15 minutes, which is pretty good for me - practice makes perfect.

The trophy race for the 600's is in torrid conditions but the wets do themselves proud. I'm not too shabby in the wet, manly due to my style. I don't push it too much going into corners (which is where the real wet experts make ground on me) but I do sit the bike up early and get the power down. Thats the style I use on my road bike and it seems to work. After 6 wet laps I come 3rd. However, its only when I go to pick up my trophy that I'm told I came 2nd. One of the guys was in a different class! So that makes me well chuffed. Another piece of "silverware" for the mantle piece.

The belly pan was full of water again but this time I put it down to the fact that I had forgotten to take the rubber bungs out and it had filled with water from the track. Looking back, it was a poor assumption.

The long gap between races means the track has had chance to dry out. The sun is now beaming and steam is coming off the tarmac. However it still looks a bit damp and I know that if I start changing my tyres now, I risk missing the race. As I line up for the Senior trophy race, others are on wets too so I dont feel too bad, however its the guy on dry tyres that takes the early lead and pulls away. I'm in 4th place and after 2 laps I realise I'm making no ground on the others in front. With the grid sizes so low and my tyres starting to rip themselves up on the drying tarmac, I decide to pull into the pits. It may seem a strange thing to do but it was the sensible option and it gave me extra time to change my tyres over for the 600 points race.

With the track now 99% dry and the bike being back on the right tyres, I was fired up for the 600 race. I got another good start but once again Richard Wilson pulled ahead. Again I tried to close the gap but he was just too quick for me. Looking at the timing sheets, he's lapping at around 0.4 seconds per lap faster. If you time that on a watch it seems like nothing, but if you see how much distance you cover when your doing 150mph and then times it by 8 laps (for the points race), it actually seems like rather a lot. I was still happy with my riding though. I was breaking differently for the hairpin. leaving it 5-10m later and braking at 98% in a straight line and letting it off at the turning-in point, rather than braking at 90% and then trailing it to the apex. It felt faster and safer. I guess the fastest way is to brake another 5m later and then brakes at 99% and still trail it to the apex (but I dont want to crash again). Eight laps in second place seemed a long time and didnt make for a very interesting race but it was valuable points and pushes me slightly clearer in 2nd place in the championship, but further away from Mr Wilson in 1st.

As I brought the bike back to the pit area, it was steaming. The temperature was in the low 100's and I needed to put another 1.5litres of water in to top her up. It was going to be a risk taking it out for the final race but I really needed the points. On a road bike, you'd simply put it in the garage or limp it round to the nearest workshop. On a race bike you try and balance the act of revving a poorly bike at 13000rpm for 10 minutes, risking hundreds and hundreds of pounds damage, to get a couple of championship points - strange how priorities can change.
With the bike topped up, I left it as late as possible to start her up and go to the holding bay. The temp stayed below 100 and I set off for a slow warm up lap. The temp was still below 100 - time to race.

The flag dropped and I pulled the perfect startline wheelie - about 8inches of air under the front tyre all the way through first gear and into second. The tyre dropped to the ground, I tucked in as much as possible and aimed my 599cc missile towards the first corner. As with all missile wars, bigger is generally better and the opposition made their extra 400cc known by creeping ahead. I held on to 4th out of turn one and was immediately stuck behind a turn and squirt rider. He simply couldnt go round corners, but once out of the corner, he grabbed a handful of throttle and shot off into the distance on his thou, leaving me to play catch-up on the brakes, only to see him squirt it off into the distance after the next corner. It took me 3 laps to get passed him and I was furious that the leaders had pulled about a 20second lead. I tried hard for the next three laps to catch them but they were running a faster pace than I thought. The timesheets show that they were actually running at 1.2 seconds per lap faster so my chase was futile. I took 3rd over the line and took my bike back to the pits. Again, steam started to rise from its guts - it had survived, but only just

So a pretty good day for results but not such a great day for the bike.

The following day I took the bike up to Scotts and we stripped it down to have a look to see if the thermostat had broken. I now know that the bike doesnt run a thermostat!

We then removed the water pump to see if that was okay and Scott said it was fine - not sure how you can tell just by touching it with the hand but hey, he's an expert at this kinda thing. So then we decided to fill the water system with radflush and clean the system. We idled the bike for 5 minutes and as it started to get hot and the water started to expand, I noticed that it was leaking from the radiator. The crappy track surface of Elvington had fired another stone into my rad and holed the radiator core. The bike went back into the van and back home to have some chemical metal applied to the hole.

After leaving it overnight for the chemical metal solution to harden, I tried again. Once again, the radiator started to leak and I spotted yet another hole (I hate Elvington). So now I have attempted to repair that hole and I'll find out tonight if I've fixed it.

Lets hope I can fix it before the race next weekend. The thought of paying to enter and driving down there, only to find its not 100% makes me shudder. Fingers crossed.