Oulton Park
New ERA MCC Round 7
Finally back at Oulton Park and can’t wait to try and conquer this wonderful Cheshire track. Now last time out wasn’t so good and I ended up with a free helicopter ride out of the place. So there are a few demons for me to cast aside and start to learn the place all over again.
The track days before race meetings are a great way to learn the track but usually not the best place for ultimate race pace testing. With a very damp night it was looking like we’d be sticking on the wets all day, so it was a nice change to finally see the track and realise that with the wind blowing the way it was then the dry’s would be the way to go.
After the brief sighting laps we had a short wait before our first session. Bike and tyres all checked, noise testing done and ready to go we headed out for the first proper session. Its never very confidence inspiring to see puddles on a circuit but when your on dry tyres its even worse but hopefully get some heat into the Pirelli’s and as we just start getting into a groove the flag is out and we’re called back in. Nice easy start to the day. Now we had a longer wait until the other groups had gone out, so time for a cuppa.
The morning’s sessions came and went without any major drama from the fast group boys and although the clouds had gone a rather dark grey the rain held off and it was nice to get a reasonably quick lap in the wet before the afternoon of expected rain. Nothing too ballistic lap time wise but a good base setting for the conditions and more importantly some more confidence for me through Brittens chicane.
With a forecast of rain all afternoon, it was a quick change of wheels and back out after the short lunch break. Those who know Oulton will know that there are only a few of places to watch out for when the circuit is so wet so a steady pace was needed in the first afternoon session and not try anything too stupid seeing as we are here for another day tomorrow. Managing to get through that session unscathed the next session meant pushing harder in the next two.
The afternoon was going well when I cut the apex of turn one and hit the ever growing puddle. Now even though I had wets on there is only so much water they can get rid of and the whole bike slid sideways. Luck must have been on my side as I managed to stay on, don’t bloody cut the corner next time!! Anyway with that moment out of the way I got me head down again and managed to get in some respectable times but still not exactly what I would call fast. I came back in and decided final session left let’s just have some fun, no silly moves, nothing too fast and end the day safe and sound. Which is exactly what I did, sadly though two other racers there didn’t have the same opinion. Ben and Dan glad you got back out for the racing on Saturday!!
A per usual the night seems to go so slow and with the weather as it was, the only thing left to do was get through Scruteneering and then watch the repeat of Moto GP free practise before heading off to sleep for the night.
Race day morning always gets the better of me and I must have been the loo 5 times before getting out to qualifying. Here we are though, sat in the holding area waiting to get out on a dry track and set our times for the grid spots. I try and time my exit to coincide with some of the faster lads here and it becomes clear straightaway how much quicker they are. Normally I can tag on the back and stay there for a while but today I was well of the pace. Losing people after three or four corners did nothing for my confidence until one came past and I hung onto him for a good lap. Not sure who he was or even what bike but I was definitely being dragged around by him, at one stage I could have gone past but wanted to stay there and try and pick up on some better lines as I wasn’t 100% in a few places to say the least.
Chequered flag out and headed back to pits. Bike back on stands and warmers on tyres, I then head up to race control to find out what time I had posted and where on the grid that left me. I usually try and gauge my pace on my team mate and best friend Jody who is consistently one f the fastest lads in our group. If I can get to within 2/3s of his lap time then I know I’m on the right track. Sadly this time I had managed to qualify 13th on the grid with a, what I would class as poor, 1:55 lap. Heyho that’s it all I can do is try my best in the races.
A long wait until my race gave me a chance to watch the All comers race. Always entertaining and amazingly quick. Jody was racing this and it was awesome to see him battling with all the 1000’s at the front.
Race 1 is here and as always I’m sat on the grid with my leg shaking. Off for the warm up lap to get some much needed heat into the tyres. Back round to the grid and line up in formation again. Red lights on and bang off we go, not the best start I’ve done this season but certainly not the worst. I make up a few places taking a wide line round the first corner but don’t turn enough and get bad drive going down The Avenue and through Dentons. Trying to get the bike over to the left so I can have a nice sweeping line through Cascades I almost collide with someone but fortunately no contact. We head off up Lakeside towards Island and the power of my bike yet again shows itself as I manage to pass one almost two people before a slight dab of brake and tip into the lovely fast as you like Island bend. Braking for Shell Oils I have someone shoot up the inside of me but I hold a decent line round the tight cambered hairpin and manage to almost get it back before we brake for Brittens. I lose a bit of drive going out of this chicane and over Hill Top but easily catch up on the brakes for Hislops. I stay behind all the way through the 2nd half of the lap and almost lose touch as the train of us runs up Clay Hill and round Druids as my wild line almost take me off track. Just as I think things are claming down I get passed into Lodge corner and drop another place as we head over the start finish.
On the 3rd lap my closest rival passes me like I’m going backwards into the first turn, Old Hall Corner. This time I stay with him all the way and manage to follow quite easily. We circulate a good few laps before I see where I can make my move. Out braking him into Island I keep it tight so he can’t come past but it leaves the door wide open for him to repass going into Shell Oils. Silly mistake and so this time I follow him some more and think the next riders past him are too far to catch up so I concentrate on winning this little battle. I stick with him until what I thought was the last lap. Going through Dentons I know he will go wide for Cascades so I leave my braking that little bit later and fly up the inside and manage to pull a bit as we head back up to Island bend. I’m as fast as I can through there and as I tip into the Hairpin I can hear him right behind me. We enter Brittens faster than I’d usually dare and manage to keep the flow through here and up over Hilltop. Knowing I’m better on the brakes into Hislops means I can have a short breather and recompose myself as I know he’ll try again up at Druids and down to Lodge. As we enter what I thought was the final corner and then down and up through Dears leap I notice the last lap flag is now out. Oh Jesus another lap before this ends!! I see his front wheel at Old Hall again and know that he is going to try one last move on the final lap but where? Thankfully I held him off for the last lap but unsure of where I finished.
Same routine back in the pits and the timesheets confirm I finished in 13th place (3rd Superstock). Not overly pleased but happy with the way I maintained things in the latter stages and with a best lap time of 1:51.2 I could see I had drastically improved over qualifying, result!!! Now let’s aim for better in race 2.
The afternoon had warmed up a bit and it was turning out to be a cracking day for racing. Managed to watch a few more races before getting prepared for my 2nd race of the day. Knowing that I had improved my times so much gave me much more confidence in race two and was hoping to get back into the top 10.
Immediately I started worse and lost quite a few places off the start and through Old Hall for the first time. Heading down The Avenue and Dentons I make up one place only to be passed into Cascades by not one but two riders. So with even more passed me I knew I had to get my head down and ride hard for the results. By the third lap there were five or six of us all in a line and scrapping like good uns. In the next 3 or 4 laps there wasn’t a corner where someone in our pack didn’t have a dive up the inside. This was great racing but ultimately holding everyone up. As I get further forward I get stuck behind a David Mateer on the Gearlink Kawasaki. Trying a few different ways to get passed I finally make my move round the outside at Island bend. Meaning I’ve also got the inside line for Shell Oils hairpin, I keep this briefly as I get mullered out of Brittens and lose two places going over Hilltop. Back passed one on the brakes into Hislops and get awesome drive up Clay Hill and round druids I take an even wider line than usual to try and get the most out of the Midland VW R6 down towards Lodge. I manage to complete this move and am now leading the pack over the line but lose out going into Old Hall.
The speed some people carry through there is amazing but I try my hardest to stay with them running slightly wide and over the very pronounce kerbing again losing me another position. I catch back up with the two in front easily through Cascades and have good speed going down Lakeside but not enough to dive underneath at Island. I stay there and try to outbrake into the hairpin. I slip past one of the guys but do go quite wide showing the open door but no one took it. This was until I realised I had dropped it down one too many gears and was in first exiting here and by the time the bike had hit the limiter and I had changed gears two people had shot by up to Brittens. No bother I’ll take em back braking into Hislops, well that’s what I thought but I didn’t get very good drive out of Brittens and lose even more time over Hilltop. Another rider comes past and I notice again it’s my closet rival. I can’t have this and really start trying harder than ever to get passed.
Its starts paying off as I claw my way back up to the front of our six rider pack. It was ‘almost’ too easy to get by them but that’s when I think my concentration wained slightly and I outbrake myself for Cascades ending up going very wide and almost grass tracking at the bottom of the hill, staying on but allowing multiple riders through we all dash down towards Island where I retake one rider and then out brake myself again going into the hairpin. Thankfully no one comes past this time and so we head round the back half of the circuit staying pretty much as we were. As we head into the last lap everyone is pushing hard and as one goes wide down through Dentons I shoot up the inside and make it stick. We carry on down Lakeside and round Island I have it nailed. Change of direction for Shell Oils and one flies up the inside of me putting me right off for the corner and I fluff up the exit as another sails past me up towards Brittens. I bide my time knowing I can brake really well into Hislops but don’t manage to get quite far enough past before giving up the manoeuvre. Right on his tail through the right hander at Hislops I gun it gong up the Clay Hill knowing I can get by, but the rider in front has other ideas and pushes me out towards the grass forcing me to shut right off, I know its racing but that was harsh!! This again loses me time and another rider shoots past. With my drive lost I try as hard as I can braking for the sharp Lodge corner but cant manage to pass and stay there until the line.
Feeling very sorry for myself and angry with one rider I head back to the pits. I know it wasn’t as good as the first race but nothing prepared me for the timesheets. Finished 15th out of 18 riders (4th Superstock) and overall race time was 13s slower than the first. Not the way I wanted to leave Oulton Park but that’s just the way it goes sometimes. I’m gonna have to make sure the next round at Cadwell I try even harder and don’t let silly mistakes get the better of me.