posted on May 08, 2010 22:31
Another weekend another win
Over the bank holiday weekend 1st /2nd/3rd May our team were racing at the Snetterton circuit with the highly competitive Thundersport GB series.
The three day meeting started with practice sessions on the Saturday morning, a combination of weather causing a damp track and engine trouble leading to running in a difference cylinder resulted in a lack of flying laps before the afternoons qualifying session.
The Saturdays 15mins qualifying was the first of two sessions which would be combined to create the grid for the Sunday afternoons race. After hearing that rain was forecast for the weekend I knew I needed to make this dry session count, I felt good on the bike and confident we had put in a good time, on returning to the van and seeing everybody excited I was told we had third, I was happy, a front row start.
Waking up to rain on Sunday morning I found confidence in the fact that we had a good qualifying session the day before, I relaxed and watched the weather run its course, as it turned out the second of the two qualifying sessions was wet. We fitted new wet tyres to the bike and went out to scrub them in and simply get a feel for the conditions ready for a wet race. Unfortunately only a couple of laps in I slid off at the bomb hole, I wasn't pushing and the crash came as surprise we simply put it down to new tyres.
By late afternoon the track had dried and slicks were back in the bike ready to take up our position on the front row for the start of the 14 lap race. As the race got underway I didn't get the best of starts but made up for it with a good run at the first corner putting us in 5th position onto the back straight. In the first stages of the race a couple of riders had gone off the front and I found myself battling for third position, I knew it was a long race and had to get my head down and catch the front runners. I believed this was possible and did so about half distance. I had brought another rider with me making it a four way fight at the front, which would prove to be an exciting later part of the race, swapping places every lap. Coming through to start the last lap I was in 2nd position, I worked on getting good drive onto the back straight and use the slipstream of the bike in front to put me in a position to outbreak him at the end, which worked exactly to plan, I lead round the next series of corners but expected a challenge on braking into the final chicane and tuck a defensive line, but still 2nd place went for an outbraking pass, when I saw him there I sat my bike up and let him through realising that he was running in far too hot and would run wide on the exit. I got good drive and the drag to the line taking my first ever win with Thundersport GB.
Success at this level felt great and the congratulation and atmosphere around the paddock led me to believe we were popular winners. At that evening's presentation the commentator presented us with the performance of the day award, and I looked forward to the next day's racing.
Winning the Sunday race means we were on pole for both of the two races on Monday, and instead of the traditional Grid girl, the club organised my friend Sam Cox to be my grid guy.
Luck wasn't on the team's side and we finished Monday with two DNF's. In the early stages of the first race I was simply pushing too hard and I lost the front at the esses after the back straight, I admit the problem was a poor start putting myself into a position where I was pushing too hard to get to the front. I was disappointed but knew I had another chance and was as up for it as ever.
There wasn't too much damage done and thanks to the team's hard work we were back on the grid. In the final race I felt like my start was slightly improved and were battling for third, when another rider clipped my back wheel at the same corner at the end of the back straight, our bikes got tangled and we both crashed out. I was gutted but sometimes it happens, part of close racing.
So I was disappointed that the results from Monday did not reflect all the hard work we had all put in over the weekend. But we had won! And my confidence is still high.
Dave Stewart, the race director described the race we won as "absolutely excellent and one of the best races of the weekend."
The next Thundersport GB meeting is at Cadwell over the next May bank holiday weekend.
Thanks to everybody for making my racing possible and thanks to all at the meeting for their support.
samburman.co.uk