13th July 2003 - Croix En Ternois

I didn't sleep too well as it turns out that I had hurt my shoulder as well as my other injuries but that was nothing compared to when I tried to walk around the paddock. It took me almost twenty minutes to get to the shower block so things weren't looking too good for racing. Fortunately I had sorted the bike the previous night so I just had to get out there and ride it. Sounds easy doesn't it!

Race 1 - Mini Twins

Yet another back row start and I was rather concerned when I realised that the only way I could get my right leg on to the footpeg was to physically lift it up using my hand. Not good! I made an okay start and made up a couple of places on the way in to the first corner. Not sure what it is about this corner but this time David Daws tried to run wide only to find Danny Sweet in his way. He then turned in a bit more and found me in his way so he ran out a bit and found Danny again. This continued for what seemed like ages but was problem only a few seconds as Danny and I slowed down as we weren't sure what David was going to do next.

Danny made it round ahead of me and I overtook him in to the next corner and managed to overtake another guy on the way in to the right hander as it goes under the bridge. This was where I crashed yesterday so was taking it especially easy so I was quite surprised to make the move stick. It took another couple of laps to catch up with Jason by which time I was so tired I could hardly hang on to the bike. I tried a couple of moves up the inside but he was always prepared to block me. In the end I chose to brake as late as I dare and go up the inside in to the first corner. The move took so much out of me that I had a hard job turning the bike to get it round the corner which Jason used to his advantage by getting back up the inside and running me to the white line and on to the grass.

That cost me quite a lot of time as I missed a gear in all the frantic braking and Jason pulled out about ten yards on me. My body was aching so much I decided to just try to hold position as there was nobody I could see behind and then last lap or so was simply a survival exercise to get round to the finish line. I eventually made it back in tenth place which I was quite happy with considering the trauma I had been through but was less than happy to find Gary Nicholas had made it back in 5th place and Gary Morris was a little higher than me in 8th.

I got back to the van and had to wait for somebody to put the bike on the paddock stand and physically lift me off out of the seat. I really couldn't move and was just thinking about going home at that point. I did eventually manage to get my leathers off and sat down with a cold drink until the next race.

Race 2 - Mini Twins

I was a bit confused for the second race as I wasn't starting from the back of the grid for a change ;-) I made quite a good start and made it round the first corner without anybody falling off or riding erratically. I went underneath Andrew Williams on the way in to the double left hander and found myself a little way behind Gary Morris. Time to try and salvage some points as I was quicker through the back half of the circuit but wasn't hanging around and I knew he could be as forceful as Jason when he wants to be!

I planned to get alongside at the end of the straight and outbreak him in to the first corner. He braked ridiculously early and I flew up the inside on the brakes but I hadn't relied on his competitive spirit nor the fact that he knew about all my injuries so there was no way he was going to take things lightly. He let off the brakes and simply turned in on me. I had to brake hard to avoid a collision and spent the rest of the lap getting back on his tail. I tried the same move for the next three laps and the result was always the same. Had I been fit I could have made it stick and pulled away from him but just riding the thing was hard enough without swapping this much paint!

On the way in to the double right hander I fell back a little intending to run through the corner a bit quicker to line up Gary for an overtake on the long left hander after the bridge. Unfortunately I hadn't realised that Andrew Williams was right behind me and he went underneath me in to the corner and I was left to take avoiding action when he slewed across the track yet again and then took some strange lines through the rest of the corner. Gary took the opportunity to pull away whilst I was held up by Andrew for a few laps. I did try to take the outside line through the first corner at one stage to get better drive up the next short straight but suddenly wondered whether he was going to change position suddenly on this corner as well.

That quick thinking probably saved myself another crash as I braked earlier than normal only for him to swing across in to the space I had been using a second earlier. I lost a bit of time on him because of this and never managed to get back with him. He pulled away and eventually got by Gary and I took the last couple of laps fairly easy just to make sure I got to the finish. I had managed to finish in 9th and had bettered my previously best lap from the first race before I beat myself up!

Quite pleased with my results given the circumstances but couldn't help being frustrated as I was quicker in practice than the guy who managed a 4th place and three fifth places! I did manage to pick up a fairly major bill for bike repairs and quite a few injuries to myself!

I finished the weekend with a damaged tendon in my right thumb, a bruised right heel and ribs, a pain in my left shoulder and a very badly bruised left hip. I managed to sprain my right wrist (the one I had broken badly last year) and had picked up a fairly big bruise on my right forearm. The guy in front of me in the championship pulled out twenty eight points putting him forty seven points ahead and the guy behind closed up by six to leave me with a cushion of only seventeen points. I was only saved by the fact that he fell off in one race also.

The bike has more fibreglass repairs than original fairing on it at the moment, the front fairing frame is fairly bent and I've had to replace assorted clip on and rear set pegs spares. My nice new paint job has a rather splendid pebble dashed effect on both sides to top it all off. In the pictures it is fairly easy to see all the duct tape holding it together. Funny really as when Tim asked me what colour the bike was going to be I said silver to match my tape - I just never expected to be using it quite so quickly!

At least I've got a month to recover and have booked several appointments with a chiropractor to get me back in shape before the next round. Having said that, I'm half tempted to enter the Super Twins round at Brands Hatch at the start of August just to get back in to the swing of things. Watch this space!