Round 2 - Snetterton

27/28 March

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Sunday

Thought for the Day – FINISH A BLOODY RACE

With the wiring fixed and the nightmare that was Saturday out of the way I started Sunday in a positive frame of mind. With almost no track time under my belt but with now at least partially scrubbed in tyres I was happy to finish the first race in 10^th place after having started in 14^th. Sunday’s second race was much of the same with me finishing 10^th after once again losing out a position to Andrew Scott.

Special Thanks to:

My wife for enduring what may possibly have been the worst weekend of her life.

Gabby for lending me her forks and saving my weekend.

Darren and Oliver for braving the cold and wind to offer their support.

Andy and Shirley for sharing their gazebo and general support.

Ding ding Round 2, and this was definitely not a round I won having had a hellish weekend at Snetterton. The fun started shortly after we arrived at the track and tried to erect our gazebo. It was like trying to hold on to an umbrella in a tornado and with similar results as our gazebo tore itself apart in the wind. This unfortunately swallowed a lot of time and meant that after missing the first afternoon practise session I had to rush around like an idiot in order to get on track for the 2^nd session. For the outcome of this 2^nd session simply solve the following formula:

(2 x Cold New Tyres) + (1 x Stressed Idiot) =

Put one way you could say I had a silly low-slide, put another way you could say I crashed on the very first bend of my first ever lap of Snetterton! I joined the track from pit lane and slotted in between 2 bikes already lapping and then went sliding on my arse as I tried to tip in at their speed on the absolutely brand new Michelins I had put on the bike just 5 minutes before.

As if this wasn’t a bad enough start to the weekend I then got recovered back to the paddock to find my long suffering wife struggling under a gazebo that was literally collapsing on top of her.

Saturday

Thought for the Day – DON’T CRASH........ AGAIN

Saturday morning and despite a night of no sleep I was well prepared for the day ahead having replaced the lever and foot peg I lot on Friday. Unfortunately I stumbled at the first hurdle as the marshals kindly pointed out that my right fork seal was severely leaking oil. Not to be put off and with plenty of time until the first race I formulated a cunning plan:

· Remove fork leg and dismantle to remove leaking seal

· Buy and fit a new seal

· Pass scrutineering and miraculously go onto win from the back of the grid

Unfortunately somewhere in my family history I’m related to Baldrick and therefore my cunning plan actually went like this:

· Balance bike by lifting the left fork leg on top of the genny and then strap it against the van so that I could remove the right fork leg (guess who doesn’t own a headstock paddock stand)

· Try everywhere to get a fork seal, before thankfully getting one from Steve & Sarah Jordan

· Spend hours trying to fit the fork seal before finally conceding that it won’t fit as it’s for a later model SV

· Put out a begging request at the race office that was finally answered by Gabrielle Burne who generously lent me the forks off her spare bike

· Enter Race 2 and instead of winning have to retire at the end of lap 2 due to a wire coming lose off the ignition coil.

My version of a racing crouch - there's a reason bike racers aren't normally 6ft tall.

Oliver trying out the SV for size

Answer = CRASH

Length = 1.952 miles

Best Lap = 1:24.448

RESULTS

Race 1 = not entered

Race 2 = DNF

Race 3 = 10th

Race 4 = 10th