Ulster Grand Prix and Dunrod 150 18-21 August 2004

This is the second biggest road race of the year for me and this year the Dundrod motorcycle club had put the Dundrod 150 races and the Ulster GP in the same week, which made it possible for us to compete both events.

Neil and Jenny took the ferry across and me and Brian (who was helping to pit crew) flew across from Edinburgh.

I was to ride the R6 and Billy McKinstry (who we met last year at the UGP), got me a ride on a Kawasaki ZXR 400 owned by John McLaughlin of JML Transport in Donegal.

We arrived on the Tuesday evening and got set up, but during the night it started to rain and didn’t stop until the Friday morning. Basically this meant that Wednesdays practice for the Dundrod 150 was cancelled, leading to the complete cancellation of the Dundrod 150 on the Thursday.
In order for us to be able to run the UGP on the Saturday, we were allowed out behind a marshall on Thursday afternoon, to complete the 5 laps necessary to qualify. Although it was more like a splash round, it was so wet.

The 400 didn’t have wet tyres so I went out with the dry tyres on and it was aquaplaning everywhere. There were small rivers running across the circuit at every small junction.

The 600 “practice” went ok as I had wet tyres on, but it was still very dirty and wet, both bikes needed to be stripped and completey cleaned before the UGP races scheduled for the Saturday.

We met up with Liam who showed me round the circuit in 2003 and had a beer with him later on Thursday evening.

Friday was a day off, which was ironic, because it was sunny and dry all day. We went down to Lisburn to the swimming pool to get a shower ( the facilities at the circuit are basic to say the least). I spent my time racing the kids down the big waterslide…he…he!

Saturday turned out to be a good day. It was dry, the sun shone for most of the day and we were raring to go.

The first race for me was the Production 600 and I was in the second wave of bikes on row 2 (there were over sixty bikes entered). I got away quite well, improved my start position and held this all the way down to Leathamstown, as I was coming out of the corner I missed a gear and three bikes passed me further up the straight, as they had got more drive out of the corner.

I managed to hold my position for the rest of the race and focussed on getting my cornering right. I had a good race and my finishing position was 30th , which I was very pleased with.

Next race was the 400 and I was looking forward to this after my non finish last year.
I was on the front row of the grid, but I couldn’t get drive off the line at the start and was second last into the first corner. I had to work really hard and started passing guys on braking and into corners. There were a few very fast bikes out there and the Kawasaki I had was almost standard, so I was being passed on the straights by riders I had just passed on the corners.
On lap I had got up to third and was battling for 2nd, when there was a crash in front of me and the race was red flagged.

On the second start, I thought “OK I’ll get this one better off the line, but as was proved later, the clutch was “fried” and I just could not get the drive again. This time I was last into the first corner….Arrrgggh !

But again I got the head down and fought back. Already by Leathamstown I had passed 3 or 4 and kept moving up the field by the second last lap I was dicing for third and had a really good fight which I won, getting into third. Of course I didn’t know this, until one of the officials asked me to come up to the podium……?!!….

So I got a medal for third, a bottle of Champagne and I got to ride round the paddock in the winners parade.
I could never have hoped to get such a result…I had only ever had five laps of practice in the pouring rain on it and we made huge changes to the suspension and couldn’t try them before the race. I even got prize money !

I didn’t get such a flyer in the Supersport 600 race, although I got away quite well. It went very well and I put in my fastest lap of 110.8mph, (which was my goal).
But it was another reminder of how much I have got to learn on the 600 before I can get to the level I was at on my own 400 and the JML bike. Its going to be good fun learning though !!!

After the race. John McLaughlin came over and asked me if I wanted to ride both his 400 and GSXR 600 at the Dundalk Road Races the next weekend, so I said YES PLEASE.

Thanks to all the sponsors and everyone who supports the team.