13th May 2001 - Brands Hatch GP

After the luxury of a hotel bed and a bit of a lie in due to not needing to get the bike scrutineered again I head off for the circuit. Obviously the exertion yesterday has taken it's toll and I'm feeling rather fragile this morning. The weather is almost as hot as yesterday so I hope things will be okay.

Race 1 - Rookie 600

Manage to get out in the Rookie race again despite being a reserve. I make an awful start but am quite glad when I see the anarchy unfold in front of me. It seems someone had their chain snap as the lights changed. Someone else side swiped him knocking him off whilst Paul Anderson then blasted through the grid to find there was nowhere for him to go but over the top of the poor rider. Paul then did a nice dive over the bars of his bike whilst another rider does a second pass over the guy who was already on the deck.

Paul's bike continues across the rest of the grid collecting a couple of other bikes in the process. These riders then fall off and one of them is then hit by Mandy coming up through the middle. By the time I arrived on the scene it looked like a battle field and despite braking as hard as possible I am rapidly approaching a couple of riders. A desperate avoidance tactic results in a hard collision with the barrier as the bike gets wedged underneath it and I come off.

I can see Paul moving and Mandy seems okay but there are still a few too many people not moving for my liking. Fortunately a large number of paramedics, marshals and ambulances are coming up the track towards us so I point them in the direction of the people I think are in a bad way, pull my bike out from under the barrier and go back to the pits. The race gets postponed whilst the guys on the track are treated and then all three ambulances head off to the hospital with 8 riders on board.

We have a long wait as the racing can't continue without the ambulances there so I take the opportunity to sort out the bike. Other than a scuffed fairing, another dent in the engine casing and a twisted clip on I have got away lightly. I later notice the bruised hand and upper arm, the twisted ankle and the strained tendon in my knee but am just grateful nothing got broken. Paul eventually appears form the medical centre and hobbles off home only to go to hospital later in the day to find he has a broken rib.

Race 2 - Clubman 600

Don't really feel like racing after all that but go out anyway. Can't really get my head around riding quickly this morning so it takes a while to catch the next guy along and even longer to catch the bike in front of him. The next guy turns out to be Mr. R6 from yesterday but now the races are down to 5 laps and I simply run out of time.

I finished in 32nd place out of 33 finishers with a best time of 1:55.19 - Yesterday morning I would have been delighted with that but end up feeling a bit disappointed by it all.

Race 3 - Rookie 600

I really must work at getting my race head on earlier as yet again I make an okay start only to see everyone behind me come past within the first couple of corners. Yet again Glenn and a guy on a Kawasaki come round me at Druids putting me dead last again. I can't remember where I got past them but it I can remember having all sorts of problems getting past them - Not so much a speed issue but just a confidence thing about out braking people. I know I can do it but am just not comfortable getting in people's way.

Gradually reeled in the next two places taking one on the way in to Dingle Dell on the penultimate lap and the other around the same place on the lap after. Almost caught the next guy as well but simply ran out of laps as I finished 1 second behind him when the chequered flag came out. A good race towards the end but I am losing so much time at the beginning of the race I spend the rest playing catch up with slower riders.

Finished in 26th place out of the 30 riders who survived the first race incident this morning. A best time of 1:52.75 cheers me up as I spent a lot of time working on improving my line through Surtees.

Race 4 - Clubman 600

All my plans go out of the window when I make the worst start of the day and completely bog down off the line. Catch another CBR fairly quickly but the next guys are a good 10 seconds ahead and it takes a few uneventful laps to get up with them. Start hitting problems as instead of getting past the next guy we simply catch up with another rider so everyone starts taking interesting lines as I try to overtake the guy in front whilst he tries to overtake the next person.

Soon enough we catch up with a fourth guy and the problem gets even worse. Instead of engaging my brain and working out where I can take them I try and get involved in the bundle which only slows me down as I have to take some drastic avoiding action around the back of the circuit. We eventually get to the chequered flag with me gaining rapidly after the problems at Dingle Dell with just a second and a half separating the four bikes.

A disappointing 32nd place our of 33 finishers that could so easily have been a 29th place. A best lap of 1:52.43 shows I am getting more consistent but I am still losing so much time at Surtees that the guys in front are almost at the bridge by the time I'm exiting the corner. I still catch them up and have to slow down to avoid them by the time Dingle Dell arrives again which is doubly frustrating.

Race 1 - Rookie 600 (continued)

The last race of the day after a very busy meeting sees the grid depleted to 25 riders after some of those who survived the carnage of the morning decide to go home early. Another poor first couple of laps sees Glenn come past quite quickly at Druids along with another guy who both then do their best to slow me down for the next couple of laps. I manage to get back up with Glenn but don't want to be overly pushy with a mate just to make up a position - Guess I'll never make a racer with that attitude!

I almost collect Glenn trying to go round the outside going in to Dingle Dell so let him go and set about getting past at Paddock Hill. Having spent a lap and a half I get my head down and set about a few of the guys in front. The next guy on a Suzuki isn't too much of a problem as I go underneath him at Hawthorn after he brakes way too early. The very last lap sees me take another guy on the same corner and then find the next one on the way in to Dingle Dell. I'm not sure who was more surprised, me for finding that I was able to get past an extra guy who I wasn't expecting to catch or him getting overtaken by someone going in to the corner a good 20 mph faster than he was.

Either way, another positive end to a race weekend. I finished 20th out of 24 finishers and put in a storming best lap of 1:51.16! A considerable improvement over the weekend having only managed 2:01.77 at the end of Thursday afternoon. I made some good improvements at Surtees but still find it is my weakest corner, closely followed by Graham Hill - What is it about left hand corners? I used to be better at them than I was on the right handers.

My confidence is gradually improving and I've certainly been rolling on the throttle more than I used to. Just a shame that I can't capitalise on the first few laps better. My best lap times are certainly good enough to make up a few more places so I just need to be more decisive in the first few corners. All in all another positive exercise which can only improve at the next round as my confidence in some of the more slower corners improves.

It looks doubtful Paul will be back for Snetterton as his broken rib will take a while to heal. Hopefully Mandy will be over her concussion and will have her bike repaired in time. I hope everyone who took a tumble gets well soon.