Friday – Sunday, 27th – 29th April 2007
Round 2 &ndash Triumph Cup, Cadwell Park
Bad start, but improvements made....
Dad flew over to London on Wednesday afternoon as the Wainwrights brought our truck back home with them to do a bit of work on it after the opening round at Snetterton.
Dave and I flew into East Midlands airport where Sheila and Malc met us and we went to the local services to wait for my dad to arrive. A couple of coffees later and we were on the road for Cadwell Park. We arrived at 2.30am so we just set up the beds and went straight to sleep.
Friday morning we unloaded the bike from the truck and I went to sign on. Got the bike noise tested and waited to be called for the first session, but that didn’t happen until near 11.30am as the start of the day was delayed due to bad mist on the track. Marshals’ huts weren’t visible from the track, so for safety reasons we waited and hoped the weather would pick up a bit.
First thing I noticed about the track was it was a lot narrower than Snetterton, and also a lot more technical. If you messed up one corner, the following three or four corners were going to be affected as well. First time over the mountain and I nearly flipped it! Couldn’t believe how steep it was and once you hit the crest, the front wheel went skyward. The sessions only lasted for 3 laps because the organisers were trying to get everyone as much track time as possible due to the late start. In the third session, I made a mistake, which cost me the rest of the days testing. I came around turn one but waited too long to turn in to Charlie’s 1. As soon as I did turn in, the front washed out and down I went.
I was unharmed apart from the usual bumps and bruises but the bike took a battering. The right clip and rear set snapped in two, foot peg, both brake levers and screen needed to be replaced, and the crash bobbin was ripped clean out of the frame because of the impact when hitting the ground. A huge thanks has to go to Dave, as he helped me replace the parts needed to get me back out on track. Made it out for the last session of the day but on the second lap, the session was red flagged due to someone going off in CharlieÕs 2. We were waiting on the start finish for the session to restart, and when it did, two bikes collided coming over the mountain. I very nearly ran over one of them as I came over but luckily swerved just in time.
Saturday morning and I went into first qualifying not feeling very confident. I had the guts of 12 laps and it was soon obvious this wasn’t enough time to put in any solid lap times. I qualified the session in 15th position with a lap time of 1.44. In the second qualifying session, I took another 2 seconds off my time but was disappointed to see I was still only 15th fastest overall.
As we took our place on the grid for Superpole, I was silently aiming for a top 10 finish. But it wasn’t going to be in this race. On the first lap, Richie Welsh and Rob Guinan had a coming together and crashed out on the second lap bringing the red flags back out! We had another warm up lap after a long wait, and the race was reduced to 4 laps. Lights went out and we were off again. The four laps flew by and when we crossed the line for the last time, I was in 11th position and I had taken another 1 second off my best time.
A restless nights sleep and we were soon back on track for 3 laps warm up. Conditions weren’t much better than yesterday, and most of the rider’s felt we shouldn’t of been sent out in the mist. Luckily there weren’t any accidents, only a few close calls.
Our first Supersport race on Sunday was again in dull, misty conditions, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the warm up session. Got a decent start away from the line and as everyone settled into the race, I found myself behind Josh Caygill, Greville Ball and Tony Hart. I found I was carrying a bit more corner speed than them and was also gaining time on the brakes, so I put my head down and overtook them. Within half a lap, I’d broken away from the three guys. I soon found that the reason why I was quicker than them was because I was using their turn in points for Charlie’s 2 and the Gooseneck (my two weakest points on the track due to a blind apex). I started making mistakes, missing apexes and they quickly caught up again. I tried my best to break away again but I had tensed up too much on the bike and tired myself out. Tony and Josh quickly got by and I finished the race in 10th place. I was pleased to have finished in the top ten but more importantly, took another second off my best lap time.
Before we went out for our last Supersport race, I decided to be a bit more tactical and think ahead. I didn’t believe I knew the track well enough to have kept with the leaders, as the pace they were setting was unreal. Instead, I decided to stay behind Josh until near the end of the race and go for it.
Got away from at the start quite well and soon found myself behind Josh again. The leading group disappeared off into the distance, which left Josh and I to have a great little battle. We passed each other a couple of times and I soon realised that one of his strongest points was on the brakes at the end of the back straight. I was catching him going into the chicane before the mountain and I also closed right in on him going down the two straights. When I thought we were near the end of the race, I got as close as I could to the back of him coming out of the Hairpin. Came around the last corner to see the last lap flag, just as I rode past. I was expecting Josh to come back past me on the brakes at the end of the back straight so left my braking till as late as I could. Josh went up my inside, but had overcooked it a bit, letting me nip back up his inside exiting. I defended my lines for the remainder of the lap and crossed the line in 9th position.
Considering what happened on Friday in practice, and how technical the track is, I am pleased to have finished where I did. Cadwell Park is a lovely track and I’m looking forward to going back there again! Hopefully I’ll finish the practice day next time so I can familiarise myself with the track a bit more. :)
Big thank you has to go out to the Wainwrights yet again. For the use of their awning and the craic we have between races is brilliant. Thanks to Dave for coming over for the weekend. Originally to have a weekend away, but ended up working on my bike and getting me back out! Thanks to my dad as always, for his great photographs, and getting more onboard footage. Looking forward to seeing it on TV for the MotorsTV review!
Cheers to Sheila, Malc, Nikki and Daz for coming down and supporting me. I might not show it very well on the day, but I am very grateful to have all your support.
I’m looking forward to Pembrey in four weeks time, as it’s the one and only track I’ve raced that’s on the calendar for this year! Between now and then, I’ll be going down to Mondello Park on Sunday 6th May for a bike trackday where I’ll be instructing. Drop down and say hello, or if you’ll be out on track and want any help, feel free to come over and ask.
Cheers,
AJ