First Race Day
Mallory Park - EMRA Round 1
Excited, nervous, anxious. Just a small selection of feelings I had on the Saturday before race day. Fortunately I got great nights sleep and I woke up as fresh as you can at 5:30am. Now I was fine up until I got into the van and things really started to dawn on me, this is it, this is race day! Today is the day that all the practise and setup comes to fruition.
I’ll apologise now for this saga but first ever race for me, so I was a tad excited
Once at Mallory we set up the vans and awning, bikes out and then head over to scrutineering for the bikes to get checked. Doh first mistake I forget my technical card. Thanks to Jody for holding the bike whilst I ran back for it. What seemed like an age I finally had my technical pass sticker and signature. All I had to do now was wait for first practise/qualifying session at 9:54am. This was over hour away so quick bacon butty needed. With the bike sat there, tyre warmers on and fuelled up I have a quick walk round to say hello to some mates who were racing made the time pass even quicker.
Before I know it, the warmers are coming off and its time for the madness to begin. Now I had been warned it would be chaos on qualifying with as many as 45 on circuit at once. Fortunately we had about 25 in our Superstock group so that relieved me slightly but the nerves were still going mad and my leg was shaking whilst waiting for the mob to get out. We are signalled out and my god, it’s a mad scramble while everyone gets out and round the first bend. I knew we had 12 minutes of qualifying so decided to make sure my tyres were properly warm first, so after a couple of laps I started to put my head down.
This wasn’t as bad as I thought. Yes lots of people and no one gives you an inch (unlike on trackdays) but as I ride more, I get more confident and begin passing quite a few. Must be the cold making people slow down I thought. I started to get a feel for the bike again and started really pushing hard. Laps went by with me never managing to put in what I would class as a decent lap, too much braking for Gerards and Edwina's being my main points to work on but also bad lines and late gear changes not helping my cause. I did feel like I got the Bus Stop sorted though with a nice sweeping line through it and really getting on the gas early for Devils Elbow meaning I could pass a few with pure speed down the start finish straight.
I must admit, I missed the chequered flag and passed two on the outside of Gerards before noticing the waved yellows. I immediately slowed it down but half expected a call to the Race Control. Slowly back into paddock I was grinning from ear to ear from getting through that session unscathed and without any ‘moments’. Got the tyres back onto warmers and re-hydrate myself before heading up to Race Control to see what my times were.
Shocked is an understatement....somehow the gods had smiled upon me and I had managed to qualify 8th (actually reclassified to 9th when another riders times got added that were previously omitted). My first ever race and top ten start position!! I was overwhelmed with myself but also slightly disappointed at the fact a 59s lap had eluded me. 1:00.424. Close but still no cigar, surely come race time I’ll crack that. My first race was the 7th of the day so I headed over to Edwina's to watch the F600 qualifying to see how Jody gets on, hoping to pick up a few lines and braking points from the more established racers out there.
As the qualifying finished and races started I watched a couple before I made some final checks on the bike and tyres ready for race one of the day.
We headed out on the warm up lap and my god it’s like the first lap of the race not a warm up lap. I was not expecting this, especially being sat up going into Edwna's by someone but here we go this is racing. Expect the unexpected and give no one and inch!!!!
I must be mad....no seriously mad. Here I am shaking on the outside of row 3 waiting for the flag man to walk off the grid. Now I have never practised launching the bike let alone a full on race start. Throttle twitching nervously in my hand I can’t keep the revs steady around 9k, instead fluctuating between 5-10k. Finally the flag man walks off and here I am feeding the clutch to biting point when the lights go off and noise erupts around me. Somehow, I don’t know how, I manage to get away without too much drama. A bit slow at first but my bike pulls really well managing to make up the few places I lost before the melee into Gerards for the first time. I drift mega wide but fortunately no one nips up the inside and I manage to square off the corner giving me great drive down towards Edwina's for the first time. I start braking and immediately I am passed by one person almost followed by another. I tip in and have the inside line for the exit allowing me to drive hard down through the Esses and up to the Hairpin. Yet another passes me as I brake this time, proving that I need to work hard on my braking, we go round ok but through the bus stop I lose time and even more time through Devils with me not feeding the power on quick enough. Red flag brings the race to a stop from a crash at the Hairpin. We are held for ages and before we know it they indicate we must return to the pits as we have now overshot the dinner break due all the stoppages.
After a quick break we are lining back up. Yet another mental warm up lap we are set on the grid for another start. This time my nerves get the better of me as we start again and I almost take out the bloke to the right of me with a wheelie that sends me off to the side. Not good but again we shoot off and I manage to claw back some places back around Gerards and exit superbly down to Edwinas. I miss out on keeping my place as someone shoots past but manage to keep close as we flick from left to right and drive hard. We hold this until I lose even more time on the entry to Gerards and again drift wide and square the corner off but manage to gain a little from this and catch up the rider in front before losing more time whilst braking into Edwinas. We stay like this until the red flag comes out on the next lap when we all get stopped at Devils Elbow. A few of the lads had spotted someone had crashed on Gerards so when my mate Lee hadn’t come round I feared the worst for him. (I learnt later that he was ok, a few bruises and aching but ok, his bike’s not so good but he’ll be out for next round, top man)
Right so another race start lets hope this ones better........it wasn’t!! Clutch out way to quick and I popped the front up like a demon, I'm not a man who's confident when it’s on one wheel but snicked into 2nd and it stayed in the air. It must have been my longest wheelie ever and by the time I had managed to control it I must have lost a fair few places but head down and go hard before yet again being passed on my braking. The 4 laps we did went in an instant with me managing a couple of passes but I was passed on the last lap and with that the race was over. Head back to pits anxious to find out how I did.
Quickly up to Race Control to find out the news. I must be reading this wrong but somehow I managed 11th. I can’t believe it, my first ever race and I’m 11th!! With a best time of 1:00.548 I was overjoyed, the sub 60 not cracked but two more races for that so no rush.
Second race I’m a bit more relaxed as we head out on the warm up lap. Again mental quick but I know better this time. With EMRA you line up on the grid for the 2nd race how you finished in the first so this time one from the right on but the 3rd row again. Head down and lights go off. Much better start this time, I slip the clutch much more and whilst it’s not as quick as some I manage to pass a few before the first corner. I manage to keep it tighter this time but feel much slower through the corner with a much slower exit speed. Losing out again on brakes I work on staying with the guy in front. I manage to stay with him for over a lap but then get passed at the hairpin again on the next lap. I slowly lost time over a few laps with more missed apexes and bad braking. Yet another rider manages to pass me at the Hairpin and I try even harder to stay with him as I see the last lap flag. Not able to make up the difference I finish disappointed I couldn’t catch him back up.
Back up to Race Control and I find out that I have another 11th. Two amazing results for my first day I’ve already beat the target I set for myself. Yet again my lap time is not under 60’s but with a 1:00.295 it’s a very small step closer to my next goal.
The last race of the day the Novice 600 was delayed for quite a while as we had to wait for a bad crash between two riders on the warm up lap of the other Novice Race. We weren’t sure of the race would go ahead due to the ever decreasing light and temperature drop but we were told yes get to the holding area. We all rushed up there only to be met with quite a wait while they finished off the non 600 class Novice race.
Off we went round the much needed warm up lap but I must have lost a bit from my helmet earlier and combined which cased my dark visor to mist up way too easily I wasn’t sure how I’d get on. Starting from 12th place I got an ok start no major drama but tipping into Gerards I was pretty much blind so decided with Lee crashing and also Jody high siding earlier in the day this was not going to be a race I would finish. I went straight on at Edwinas to pull off the track and pull back in.
Great to see Jody to go on and win the Novice 600 race, gutted I couldn’t be out on track at the same time but heyho we’ve got plenty more time for that. If only I could match his scorching pace. Trouble is now I’ve had two 11ths that the only way is up so now its top ten and no less! Roll on 12th April and round 2.