We arrived at the circuit on Friday afternoon to glorious weather. Having got the caravan and awning set up. I got the bike out of the van and gave it a brief run round the pits to run in the new pistons a little more. That done it was time for dinner.
After dinner the first snag reared its head. We ran out of gas for the caravan. I then realised that I had left the battery for the caravan behind. Oh err. Monique was not amused. I set off to see if I could get a cylinder of gas in North Berwick. I was not too hopeful as our cylinder is a Calor one and most petrol stations seem to sell other brands. To my amazement the first petrol station I went to sold Calor. Result!
The battery problem was solved by extending the leads and connected it to the van battery. I was not too worried about the van battery going flat as the generator kindly loaned to me by CAS-Hire has a battery charging facility on it. Problem no. 2 solved. Monique was now happy.
I woke on Saturday morning after a good sleep to find it pouring with rain. Having signed on I decided to fit my rain tyres before going up to scrutineering as there was already a big queue. This worked out well as by the time I got there most people had been done and I didn't have long to wait and get wet.
There were no delays in getting thing started and thus I didn't have long to wait till first practice came round. I was disappointed to find the track drying rapidly as we went out and I kept having to find puddles to conserve the tyres. Although, as I was still running in the new pistons, I just took it easy through the corners to save the tyres too. By half way through the session there was a dry line most of the way round and I found myself off line everywhere to keep the tyres cool. I was relieved when the session was over. Fortunately my careful dry line avoidance had worked and the tyres showed no signs of damage.
As soon as I returned in I changed back to slicks. There was still a spot of light rain now and again, but the track was quite warm and thus the water was evaporating very quickly. There was another moderate shower not long before second race, however by the time it came around there was a dry line and a fair proportion of the rest of the track was dry too.
I was pleased to find the track even drier than I had thought on the warm up lap, so from the start I was able to really go for it.
Our race is run along with the 250 Aprillia’s and the big classics and normally we are started separately with the Aprillia’s being first away followed by the Classics, then us last. This time though they set us and the Classics off together. This caught some people out and as a result I had a fairly easy time shouldering my way to the front going into the first corner (pate's). From then on there were no challenges and I had to content myself with chasing the Aprillia’s.
Things were going swimmingly till the last lap, when bike problems raised their ugly head. Three quarters of the way down the back straight I was alarmed to hear a loud chink chink chink noise coming from the back of the bike. As it did not lessen when I disengaged the clutch, I came to the conclusion it was coming from the final drive. Before the meeting I had calibrated the wheel alignment and discovered the wheels to be well out of line. The bike had come with a wider rear wheel from a later bike which I had fitted, however with it properly lined up, the tyre was fouling chain. I had got round this by spacing the sprockets out. I had been able to make a proper one for the front, but on the rear I had had to use washers as Andy was away on holiday. I had noticed that the rear sprocket bolts were loose after first practice but I had assumed that I had not tightened them properly when I had fitted them. Could this be the problem now?
Not wanting to stop with only half a lap to go, I slowed down and nursed the bike over the line and then pulled in immediately after. The rear sprocket was the first thing I checked and sure enough the bolts had come loose. One had come out far enough to start hitting the swing arm, and it was this that had been making the noise.
Back at the van I removed the bolts and reaffixed them with plenty of loctite, which kept them in place for the remainder of the weekend.
Come race two and the weather was arm and dry along with the track, however, no sooner had I arrived it the holding area, one of the sidecars lost its passenger just on the start finish line. She was complaining of a sore neck, so things ground to a halt. Eventually it was decided that another ambulance was required, and they were uncertain as to how long this was going to take. We were told we may as well go back and wait for another call. I decided I may as well wait at the holding area a bit longer just in case. Just then though it started raining again. By the time I had made it back to the van this had become a torrential downpour! This lasted about 10 mins by which time the place was swimming. In the somewhat optimistic hope that we might still get a race, I started fitting the wets. I had only time to get the rear on though when there was an announcement to say the racing was to be abandoned for the day. Bugger.
A pleasant evening was had in the beer tent later. Things were livened up there by some female who decided to do a bit of pole dancing!
Sunday morning dawned bright and clear thankfully, so the prospects looked a bit better for a dry days racing.
An uneventful practice came and went and soon it was time for the first race. Once again we were set off with the classics, however this time everyone was expecting it and I had to fight a bit harder to gain the lead at Pate's. In actual fact I had to do some really demon late braking up the inside which forced me to take the corner quite slowly. I suspect this probably caused a few people a hairy moment or two.
Once again I was left to go after the Aprillia's. Thing soon livened up however as a couple of laps into the race I came across a waved yellow flag on the entry to railways. I had just caught two of the Aprillia’s and had already passed one of them. I immediately saw the cause of the flag. One of the faster Aprillia’s had gone straight on at Railways, he was now bouncing through the field in a bid to rejoin the race. To my alarm, instead of waiting until we were safely past, he came careering straight back on to the track and then three quarters of the way across too. The bike that I had already passed had evidently not seen the yellow flag as he had come howling past me mid corner and was now on a collision course the one who had been on the grass. Luckily they missed each other, however it was a close run thing!
I passed them all before long and once again resumed chasing the remaining Aprillia’s. Two laps from the end, mechanical gremlins once again made their presence felt. When I down change gears I use the clutch, and on one down change going into the first Esses the clutch stopped disengaging as if the clutch cable had snapped. This made down changes difficult as the TZ has no cush drive. I was annoyed when the Aprillia that had gone on the grass came by me half a lap from the end and I was unable t respond due to the clutch. It would have been nice to have a dice with him to liven things up a bit. I had had a bit of a dice with him for half a lap in second practice but he had pulled in just as I was starting to enjoy myself.
I'm afraid that races two and three were a bit dull, although I decided to go a bit easier into the first corner this time before it all went pear shaped. I was able to get by every sharpish though and clear off both times with only the fastest of the Aprillia’s ahead at the finish.