March 3 Elvington March 17 Elvington April 7 Carnaby April 13 Croft April 21 Elvington April 27/28 East Fortune May 12 Elvington May 19 Carnaby May 24-June 9 TT Isle of Man June 16 Carnaby July 20/21 East Fortune July 28 Carnaby August 11 Elvington August 25 Carnaby September 14/15 East Fortune October 5/6 Elvington October 12 Croft October 19/20 Carnaby

The 2002 season will be very different from 2001. I will be racing the FZR 400 RR SP I had last year, but will be racing at new circuits, as well as the ones I know already. It means I will be racing twice as much as last year (virtually every second weekend). You’d normally think that things would be quiet over the closed season, with time to go and repair or prepare the bike for 2002. There are after all 4 months to get everything done. With under a week to the first race at Elvington near Hull we have just got the motor back from a total strip and rebuild. Neil has wasted no time getting it into the frame, running it in and setting it up ready for the dyno tests. At the dyno runs we will hopefully be trying out different carbs, ignitions and ram air systems. So all being well we will have 1 day to spare (not much out of 4 months). The bike is blue this year, with some seriously yellow wheels. We now have Gordon’s; Broxburn Tyres & Exhausts logo on the tank (professionally laquered over). We have had some sponsorship so far, but are still a long way from having enough. The season will be much more demanding this year as there are twice as many races and as you can see from the schedule on the left…………… YES I am going to the TT. The TT was decided on last year and depended on a few things, like me aspiring to an International Race license, having a team that could help me (Gordon & Neil), having my application accepted (I find out in April), and having the funds to take part. Alone getting my International License included a medical test and eye test. It’s the highest level of license I know for racing. Already I have been to the island to scout, two weeks ago. I was very difficult really and involves driving round and round the 37.3 mile circuit again and again trying to memorise the corners and get a feeling for the circuit. Of course I could only do this on the left side of the road, so there was no point in taking a bike, as there was nothing to be gained. I hired a car, which meant I could take pictures, stop at certain points and most of all, stay relatively warm and dry. On the Sunday, the previous clerk of the course (Jack Woods) drove me round the track and showed me points to be aware of. A lot of what he said seemed to mean “you can go flat out here”. This is apparently where the race is won or lost, as course knowledge is more important than a few extra horsepower. My goal however, is to qualify and finish the race. To qualify I have to have an average lap speed of 93.3mph. It’s said it takes 5 years just to learn the track, so I wont be hoping for any prizes. My goal for the TT is to qualify and finish the race. There is always next year. Back to the mainland racing, the Barking Spider Team has a second racer; Graeme Oliver. I raced against him last year when he had a GSXR 400. So you’ll be able to see us in our kinky matching Scott leathers and blue bikes in the paddock, preparing in our new massive garage, er well……it’s a 30 foot by 10 foot gazebo. So things should be very interesting, with us having slightly better conditions for preparation (if it rains, and I’m sure it will). My goals for this year are to be in the top 5 in the Melville championship and open championship. Really I want to finish the season in the top 3. The circuits and championships I will be racing in are: Elvington (Nr. York) Auto 66 Championship Carnaby (Nr. Hull) Auto 66 Championship Croft (Darlington) North East Championship East Fortune (Haddington) Melville Championship/North East Championship Isle of Man TT Lightweight 400 class In the Auto 66 championship I’m not sure what to expect, but top 10 is definitely on the cards if I can learn the tracks and top 5 finishes are my goal. The races at Croft are North East Championship and I think I will just try my best there and see how well I can do. As long as I’m enjoying it, its got to be worth it. Duncan