East Fortune 19/20 July 2003

This was my 4th anniversary of racing and I was really looking forward to it. I’d just picked up a set of (for the first time) proper race discs and pads. previous to this I was using the road stuff, which seemed to become worn very quickly.

The forecast for the weekend was generally good, with some risk for showers, which normally means there will be showers.

There were over 200 entries for the meeting and it would be the first on the newly modified circuit, with new hairpin and complex of three corners close to the start/finish line.
This looked like it would slow down the lap times but make the racing much more interesting….and it did !

We had our big garage up for the last time (we sold it so we could get some money to buy an awning for the van, which would make setting up and packing easier.

I was scheduled to race both the 400 and the MZ supermoto, but due to some problems, I only went out for one practice on the supermoto (it was going well though).

Saturday

Practice went well, we had increased the compression damping and decreased the rebound at the front, to try and reduce the fork dive under braking and this seemed to work.
It didn’t take long to get into braking for the new hairpin and I had a good line for the new complex worked out, although there were a couple of times I was a bit too quick into it (my theory was slow in..fast out, which seemed to be the best plan and proved correct through the day).
The exhaust however had broken at a weld and was sounding bad. We managed to patch it with a coke can and some jubilee clips and it seemed to be OK.

There was only one race as there had been a bad accident at Railway (a hairpin at the back of the circuit).

I was very nervous (as usual) before the race….it gets me every time !

From my row 1 position I made a reasonable start and was about 6th into the first corner. I managed to carry my speed and took a couple of places between this and Railway, but I had to go very tight to outbrake a guy going into Railway (hairpin) and I saw Tom Robinson ride beautifully round the outside of us all (nice move).
I was up into second by now and had good drive through snake which put me in a position to overtake Tom on the entry to Esses 1. This put me in the lead and I got the head down and tried to put in consistent lap after lap. I began to lap people after lap 5, but thought there was someone right behind me (I’m not good at looking back).
By lap 8 (last lap) I had lapped a few people, bust still though there was someone right behind me. Coming through snake, I saw a way to get past a back marker who went very wide, so i went tight in to the tyre wall on the right….and then he closed right in (as he was only right to do as he didn’t know I was there) and we touched.
I stayed on line as it was not too hard a bump, but he unfortunately came off.
I continued round to win by about 5 seconds from the No 2 place and was really pleased that it was such a big margin. (I stopped on the cooldown lap to speak to the guy who I had bumped into; he was OK about it and he and the bike seemed undamaged)

There was a beer tent and band on the Saturday evening, where the trophies were given out. As usual there was a good crowd in and and we had a good laugh.
Mark did’t make it back to his tent until about 4:30am.

Sunday

There was only one practice so we could get three races.

Race 1
As we waited in the collection area a grey cloud passed and I could see there were a few guys with Rennsport tyres (no tread at the edge), so if it rained it would be very interesting.
I got away quite poorly from the start line and was down in 8th or 9th through the first corner.
I was also boxed in a bit at the second corner, but after things settled down I began to pull places back.
On the second lap it rained at the new part of the track, and it was very difficult to see where it was wet (with my dark visor). I had a big slide at the hairpin on the third lap but was pulling positions back and was up to second. On lap 4 I closed up on the leader and I don’t think he was happy when he looked back and I was right behind him.
I passed him just after this and tried to keep up a good steady pace.
The rain was off, but on lap 6 I came up through the complex and as I came across the start line, I hit a grid line and the bike lost grip. It caught again and launched me into the air, only for me to land on the side of the bike. As it slid along I thought ”do I stay on or do I get off in case it flips up”…..I stayed on as it was sliding so well and it felt like I was surfing….apart from the horrible grinding sound going on underneath me. The bike came to rest as the second place man passed and I got off to survey the damage.
A broken gear lever, footpeg and clutch lever….not bad really.

Race 2
The bike was ready (thanks to Neil) and re scrutineered in time for race 2.
This time my mum was down to watch, she had seen me win the Saturday race and I had something to prove after coming off in the first race as well.
I got a good start and by the end of the first lap I was in first position.
It was really great fun to put in fast lap after fast lap and I was already lapping people by lap 4 !. On lap 7 I saw a front wheel on my inside at the hairpin and knew who it was (bruce birnie). So I tried to keep it going well until next (last) time at the hairpin. I knew he would make a move there, so I went in very tight to close off any maneouvre (I didn’t realise how much tighter the new hairpin was on a tight line and lost drive out of the corner allowing the challenger to get up level and almost a half bike length in front.
I managed to outbrake him into the new complex, but as we approached we came up to lap a guy for the second time !??. I knew that if I backed off, Bruce would go for the hole and I’m sure he knew the same, so we both went either side of the back marker and both crossed the rumble strip on each side of him to get past.
I went for the outside line which became the inside over the start finish and won by about a bike length. What a race, it was a brilliant last 2 laps and one of the best I’ve had.

Race 3
The repair from Saturday on the exhaust had given way and the bike was sounding bad, but it was at a place which would not allow air to be sucked back and damage the valves.
By lap two however it had become completely disconnected and I was waiting to be black flagged by the marshalls. I continued the race, but the noise was very offputting and I could only manage 4th. Still I was very happy with the weekends trophy wins, despite the crash.

It was a very successful weekend and I’m now leading both the open and club champioships. But i’m not going to be given the championship on a plate. I will miss Saturdays round due to me going the the Ulster rand Prix to race in August.

PS: the TT report and cool pictures are now up on the website, thanks to Fatboy, so have a look.

Thanks to everyone who came down to support.

Special Thanks to the sponsors:

Drummond Finance Thanks Peter
www.saddletramps.org.uk (My bike club), thanks.
www.SABD.org Getting dissabled riders back on the road
York Barbers Russel Murray
Cheers Brian Bud For the Transponder
Andy Thompson For the sexy paintwork
www.magsport.com Part of MAG, working for riders rights
City Couriers Mark Elliot
www.readitandweep.net Edinburgh’s most approachable rockstars
Howard Selby For the engine work
Fatboy For producing my cool website www.barkingspider.info
Robert Shirley Thanks for trying to get the MZ started.