Silverstone & Snetterton

Hi all

Sorry I've been a bit tardy with these reports, but been hectic here, which included a trip to Scotland for a wedding. amongst other things.

Anyway with this update you two for the price of one.

So first of all it was off to Silverstone, a track I last visited 20 years ago.

Arriving fashionably late on Friday morning I found an empty parking spot next to a power supply, happy days.

It was only after I set up that I was told that the bay I was in, was reserved for technical inspection later in the day. Thought it was too good to be true.

Luckily I was pointed in the direction of an empty garage by another guy who had also tried to sneak into this gift horse.

How’s this for a pit garage? It’s bigger than my house! Felt like I should wipe my feet every time I walked in.

Practice went well and the bike felt like it was on rails, so was looking forward to racing.

Having left the bike in the garage overnight I returned Saturday morning to find tyre warmers fitted and plugged in, thanks Brad.

Racing went well throughout the day and having made the changes to the gearing I mentioned before, was staying with people a lot longer, but still didn't finish any further up the field.

So first job Sunday was to get the bike put on the club dyno, that way I would at least know if it was the bike or me that was causing the problem.

Good news and bad news. Good news, bike is making 69.2 BHP, class maximum is 72, so am close. Bad news, must be me holding the bike up.

Still first race Sunday was great and was all over one of my usual race partners, but sadly just couldn't get passed him.

I also realised that I was being super smooth with the controls, whereas you should open the throttle, rather than ease it open.

I tried this in the second race, but sadly I was arriving everywhere quicker, so had to work out my braking points again, so second race was a bit of a disaster, running off the circuit on one instance.

I was a bit disheartened on the way home as felt I should be running further up the field than I am.

But during the ride home I realised that it's going to take a while to get back into it. Just look at Guy Martin, who raced at Tandragee the previous weekend. He hadn't been to the circuit for 12 years and despite being on a factory Honda, qualified 17^th. This was backed up by his performance at Scarborough.

He's the fastest person around the circuit, but was 7 seconds behind Dean Harrison.

I know our abilities are worlds apart, but just goes to show, it doesn't take long to become rusty, so there's hope for me yet.

It was also interesting to see Michael Dunlop at Oulton BSB.

Despite being the fastest man around the TT circuit, and fast at every road circuit, he was 25^th at Oulton.

This confirmed what I said before, I'm riding it like a road circuit, not a short circuit.

So as I'd never been to Snetterton, my next race, I booked an instructor to give me some pointers.

Before Snetterton I decided that I wanted to put some better brake pads in. This was for two reasons. Firstly the ones on the bike were showing signs of wear, and secondly, I haven't got a clue what pads were in there. So decided to fit the same pads as I run in my Supertwin.

A great evening job, or so I thought. I removed the pads and thought I could clean the calipers whilst there. I started to pump the pistons out, and a seal started coming out as it was stuck to the pistons.

This was going to take more than an evening. Thanks to eBay for being open so I could order the bits I needed, and thanks to Stuart for building a tool for blowing the pistons out and also helping me bleed the system when it was all put back together.

So with the bike all back in one piece it was off to Snetterton.

Before I got there I had a text from Bemsee with the name and contact number for my instructor, who also gave me a bell to say hello and see what I wanted to achieve. If any of you race with Bemsee, I can't recommend this service enough. It doesn't cost anything and is really worth doing if you want to improve.

I met Dave, my instructor, on Friday morning at Snetterton. Sadly it wasn't raining as much as it was a monsoon.

Dave set off and lead me round showing me where the circuit went.

Upon our return he told me that I needed to relax as I was looking nervous. Too right I was. I was on a track I didn't know, in the rain trying to follow someone who knows where he's going, and is fast with it.

In the next session Dave followed me and pointed out what he saw as areas I could improve on.

The biggest area was that I was entering the corner too late and not using all the circuit on the exit.

This stems from road racing as you treat most corners as having a late apex, and you don't want to run out right to the edge of the road as that's where rubbish and gravel collect, and also the camber drops away.

So with this in mind, I set off with Dave behind me. Having taken his points on board the next session was a lot quicker.

Luckily the guy I usually race with was also there so Dave said to set off with him and see how I got on.

It worked, and I didn't see him after we set off.

So Saturday dawned and it was time to put what Dave had taught me into practice.

I saw Dave ahead of me in qualifying, but didn’t manage to stay with him for long, but being an instructor I didn’t expect to.

I improved my times in the two practice sessions I had by 7 seconds, so that was a good start to the day.

The races continued in the same vein. The guy who I usually race with was in front of me in the first race, but as we came into the last corner I thought I could have him. Sure enough I managed to out drag him to the line and finished about a bikes length ahead of him, result.

The two following races I was with him I managed to over take him on the first lap of each race, despite finding neutral instead of second in one race off the start line, oops. Not only did I overtake him I finished 32 seconds ahead of him in one race.

I played around with gearing and think I’ve found the best set up for future races, which sadly there aren’t any this year. Still will be handy next year.

By the end of the weekend I did a lap time 12 seconds faster than my fastest lap in the first practice, which is a good confidence boost.

As well as my times coming down, at my least favourite corner on the circuit, a left handed hairpin, by the end of the weekend I was going round with my knee on the floor, so confidence in my ability is growing too. I also don’t mind mixing it up with other riders too, and am happy to be amongst 30 other riders.

I know that sounds a bit odd, but generally I’m used to setting off in groups of about 10 in Ireland. The reason for the difference in numbers is that on a road circuit you set off in smaller groups because you can’t afford to put people off line by much more than a foot in some places. On short circuits you can be 6 foot off line and still be safe.

So all in all a good confidence boosting weekend and I learnt a lot. Plus I didn’t finish last in any race all weekend. Small steps, but steps in the right direction.

I wanted to see Dave and let him know how grateful I was after his tuition, but I couldn’t find him.

Turns out he’d fallen off in the first qualifying session and busted his collar bone.

I phoned him up upon my return and his first words were, “do as I say, not as I do”.

I’m back off to Cadwell next week so hope I can continue my new run of form.

Speak soon

Cheers

Stuart

Road Racing On TV

Hi all

Just to let you know that there is a programme on BBC1 Northern Ireland, Wednesday 19th at 10:40pm.

"It’s a way of life. It’s a drug. It’s compared to a big family. There’s a sense of community and togetherness. But when there’s a fatality, the impact can last for months or years.

Every year, more than 300 motorcyclists race on Irish country roads. Most of them are amateurs. A new three-part BBC One Northern Ireland series takes viewers into the racing paddock, to the other side of the race barriers and hedges, to capture the essence and character of the sport of road racing.

Road Riders, starting on Wednesday, April 19 at 10.40pm, reveals the passion, commitment and the enthusiasm of the people behind the sport. It also shows the reality of a sport that is often dangerous, and sometimes, even fatal. The racers, and their families, talk candidly about why they take part in the sport, how they got involved and what drives them to pursue their high-octane pastime.

The series – made by DoubleBand Films, the independent production company behind the feature length film, Road - follows 10 individuals, men and women, across a range of ages, during the course of the 2016 season. Many of those filmed compare road racing to a community or a family. And it’s a sport that can involve a rider’s entire family, brought along to events to help set up, act as mechanic and to cheer on. And to worry.

Viewers hear how the riders can have such a passion for a sport, aware that it carries a risk of tragedy or serious injury. And even when they experience it first-hand themselves they still go back for more.

While the racers are blasting their bikes around country roads at speeds of up to 200mph, loved ones and families are counting the laps. The series hears how they cope with the wait and the worry for their son, daughter, husband or father to reappear again and make the chequered flag. Why do they go through the agony and allow their loved ones to take part?

I heard about this programme last year and am glad it was made and look forward to seeing it.

Cheers

Stuart

Cadwell Park Report

Hi all

Yes I know, another race report, I’m used to them being months apart, not weeks.

So last weekend it was off to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire for 3 days including a test day.

I’ve only been to Cadwell once and that was in 1994, when myself and some mates, who had also recently passed their bike tests, decided a race school would be fun.

All I remember was we did the short circuit, so not really classed as previous track experience.

My first impression was how narrow some of the circuit was,I thought I was looking at a service road rather than the track.

Once out on the track, it was a great circuit, so was looking forward to the meeting.

We had a small oil leak from a worn gasket, which meant I missed one session, but by the end of the day I had started to find a good line around the track and did a best time of 2:02.

Saturday was dry and so was looking forward to racing.

First race, and I got a reasonable start, but was reeled in before the end of the straight, so settled down to keep with them, which I managed to do.

It didn’t help that on one lap I came over the mountain section of the circuit, where the front wheel lifted as it had on previous laps, only this time it didn’t go down again quite as quick. Bit of a shock but did come down in the end.

I’ve since learnt that there are two lines over the mountain. The fast line and the good picture line. I’ll stick to the fast line in future.

Despite this I got my time down to a 2:00, which was good news.

Second race was better and I managed to catch and overtake the guy who had been in front of me in the first race, which was good. But what was better I managed to finish 14 seconds in front of him.

After the race I was ushered into the ‘dyno que’.

Minitwins are limited to 72bhp and this is checked on BMCRC’s own dyno to keep things legal.

Bike passed fine, but I was disappointed to find out that they won’t tell you what power you are putting out. So all I know is that I’m below 72bhp, but how much by I don’t know.

I’ve learnt that no two dynos give the same reading, so is very hard to gauge what power a bike is truly making. So the only way would seem to be, by tune the bike a bit, wait until you fail the dyno test, and then detune it, which seems a silly, and expensive way of doing things.

Sundays first race was a good one and kept up with the two people in front of me. Once again I couldn’t stay with them on the straights, despite being level with them on the exit of the last corner. But by the first corner I was back up with them, and by the time we got to the last section I felt I was being held up by them.

John who was helping me this weekend said the same as Steve and James before him, come the straights and the others clear off. So a bit of research has been done since I got home and I’ve found I have been way off with my gearing. The bike seemed to be revving fine, but the gearing I’ve found would certainly give me more acceleration, which is what I seem to be lacking, so will be trying this for when I’m out next.

Even though I had the wrong gearing I still managed to get my time down to a 1:58 in the first race and a 1:57 in the second, so at least I’m improving.

As well as getting faster, I’m also leaning over more as this picture shows.

Yes I’ve ground a hole in the fairing, which is good as it allows the stones I collect to drop out, but sadly would also allow oil out should there be any in there. I will of course be fixing this before I go out next.

All in all Cadwell was a good weekend with some positives, and a great track, which I can’t wait to race at again.

I was so excited to see the differences in what gearing I have been running to what others are, it has given me hope that with that simple fix I would like think I will be a bit further up the field, and it is the bike not working correctly and not just me being slow, but only time will tell.

Luckily it’s not long until I’m out again, this time at Silverstone at the end of the month, and yes I have seen a gearing I will be using this time.

So until then

Cheers

Stuart

Brands Hatch Report (Another One)

Hi, me again

So here we are for another Brands report, as I was racing there again this weekend, this time with NG Racing, North Gloucester Racing for those of you of a certain age, and like when I raced with them before I was number 42.

During the week between racing I had a good look over the bike to see if I could shed any light on my handling problem which I suffered at Thruxton and again at Brands last week, despite having my forks modified after Thruxton.

The forks felt massively better after the work I had done on them, but still had a problem, as I mentioned in my last update.

I changed the wheel bearings which helped, but I also had a thought that the head races were maybe causing the problem.

I  lifted the front up, and sure enough the steering was stiff. I slackened off the head races and the steering felt light, as it should, so a nice easy fix.

Whilst checking the front end, I noticed that at some point in their life, the axle had been cross threaded into the fork leg bottom, as you maybe able to see in this picture.

When a thread is cross threaded, it means that the axle was cutting its own thread in the leg, and not using the thread that was cut in there. In short this means that the axle was not held in as securely as it should have been.

Luckily I had a spare fork bottom, but didn't have the seals and oil needed to swap it before I set off for Brands.

Being the stars they are, JHS Racing, agreed to take the bits I needed to Brands, so that I could do the job there, should I need to.

All I could do was hope that I didn't have to change the wheels at Brands.

Upon arrival at Brands on Saturday it was wet, so first job was to swap the wheels, just what I didn't want to do. But luckily the thread held and the axle tightened up with no problems.

Practice was cut short after someone dropped oil on the circuit, but as the weather was due to improve, wet practice wasn't that important.

When it came to the first race the track was still damp, and after last week I er'ed on the side of caution and stayed on wets, but just as I was on the way out the guy next to me came in from his practice and told me it was now dry all around he circuit, but sadly it was too late to change.

I got a decent start and stayed with the pack for a good while, until my tyres gave up and they started to move around under me.

James, who was my pit bitch for the weekend, said he could see the bike moving around as I accelerated, and it got worse as the race went on.

Still I had a good race and felt a lot more comfortable on the bike.

Between races we changed back to dry tyres, and luckily the thread held in the axle again.

The second race was dry and again had a good start, and held onto the pack through the race, and I managed to get back to a lap of 1:00.

As soon as I was back to the pits, James and I set about replacing the dodgy fork leg, which went with no hitches, so was pleased that we got it all sorted.

Sunday was still dry, but over night I decided to change the gearing as I was running out of gears at the end of the start straight, a sign that I was getting quicker as it meant I was going faster on the exit of the previous corner, so carrying more speed onto the straight.

First race Sunday and the gearing was a good idea. Not only did it help along the straight, but it also meant that between some corners I could hold the same gear rather that changing up, then down again, and all the time the clutch is pulled in, you're losing drive.

It was a good race and was less than 2 tenths of a second of a 59 lap, so fingers crossed for the last race.

The second race was good but that lap of 59 seconds, still eluded me, but at least my 1:00 laps are consistant now.

So a good weekend all round, and am now looking forward to Cadwell Park in two weeks.

I've only ridden Cadwell once before, and that wasn't a race meeting, so I've been watching lots of on board videos to give me an idea of whats in store. So hopefully they, along with a track day on the Friday, will help me for the weekend.

I've also been studying photo's of me at Brands to see where I can improve.

My problem would appear that I'm not using my body position correctly, so something to work on.

I've also changed the seat unit to the one from my Supertwin. This may seem a waste of time, but the Supertwin seat makes me sit in the bike and not on top of it, as I feel like I am on the Minitwin .I've always preferred sitting in a bike, so hope this will help me with the way I move around the bike, but only time will tell.

If you'd like to check out some pictures of me, check out EDP Photography, who is the club photographer.

Hopefully that is all the jobs done between now and Cadwell, so until the next update take it easy.

Cheers

Stuart

Brands Hatch Report

Hi all

So it was off to Brands last Friday for the first race of my season, couldn't believe it came round so quick, I'm used to starting my season at the end of April, not early March.

Still, the weather was kind to us and Friday was a test day. This was much needed as I last raced at Brands 18 years ago when I seemed to race there every weekend , so was very rusty.

It was a great day though and I got six 15 minute sessions, was great to get so much practice time in.

Even after such a long time since I was last there the circuit still went the same way, which was as about as much as I could remember, so had to re learn braking markers, turn in points and apex's, still it all started coming back to me.

The only problem I had with the bike was the wheel bearings decided to pick Friday to fail on me, which caused some handling problems.

One corner they'd be fine, the next they'd cause a vague feeling in the front end, still I battled on.

By the end of the day I felt more confident and was ready for Saturday.

The weather was again good for Saturday and it was off to qualifying.

Qualifying was a 15 minute session, after which I did a best time of 1:04, not great but I wasn't the slowest.

I was out for the first race and I had a good race long battle with another guy, who managed to stay in front throughout the race, but fun all the same.

My time improved to 1:01, so was pleased with that.

My second race I got a better start, only to lose it all as a guy on the grid in front of me stalled and was stationary on my line, so had to back off to avoid him, which cost me my tow on the back of the pack, so had a lonely race, which resulted in a lap of 1:02.

Sunday started out as another grand day weather wise, but we'd been promised heavy rain later in the day.

Luckily my first race, was second out, so weather was still good.

I managed to get another good start and had good race, and my time improved to 1:00, which is only 3 seconds off my previous best lap ever around Brands, 18 years ago, so not all bad.

Sundays second race was hit by the weather which we'd promised, but luckily it wasn't as bad as we'd expected, so the track was damp rather than wet.

As such I stuck with my intermediate tyres, but this was a mistake.

The sighting lap was ok, but as I entered the first corner after the start, the back end of the bike came around on me, so thought it was prudent to call it a day whilst still upright.

I was really surprised how slippery the circuit was and honestly thought it wasn't wet enough for full wets. I certainly wouldn't have fitted wets if I'd been racing on the roads, another lesson I've learnt about short circuits.

It was a good weekend and have realised how different racing on the roads is to circuits, but am sure I will get back into it with a bit of practice.

Talking of which, I'm off to Brands Hatch again this weekend for another two days of racing, which I'm excited about, fingers crossed all will go well.

On the subject of things being crossed, Steve found a use for my hot exhaust

Apparently they tasted lovely, and only a little metallic.

If you'd like to see some pictures of me in action then check out www.kentbadboyzphotography.co.uk who is the club photographer. I was number 24 in the Minitwins, wearing a white crash helmet, I mention that as Steve kept looking out for me wearing a black one.

Not many jobs to do between now and next weekend, luckily, being only a few days to go.

Hopefully I will have good stuff to write about next week, and will as soon as I can.

Cheers

Stuart

2017 Update

Hi all

Well despite the cold weather I’ve still been busy in the garage, apparently it was New Year a few weeks back, but I missed that.

The 400 engine was in need of lots of attention, and thanks to the great people at OCS Automotive Services in Winchester, the cylinder head is ready for fitting to the rest of the engine.

The Minitiwn has come along in leaps and bounds too and one of the jobs I thought would be a pain turned out quite easy.

The fairing I bought for it came off an undisclosed GSXR and I was in need for a new screen for it. Naturally it wasn’t the same as the one on the Supertwin, so my hunt commenced.

I took the screen to a bike show at Stoneleigh and asked Suzuki if they knew which model it came off, but they couldn’t identify it, so I contacted Skidmarx in Weymouth. I spoke with Ian who asked for a photo of the screen and he identified it straight away, which was a great surprise.

I’ve also picked up a Power Commander off a bike forum for a good price, so the Minitwin is well on the way to being finished, fingers crossed.

Not only have I been busy in the garage, but also in front of the lap top, trying to figure out what racing I hope to do this year.

I realised last year that I wasn’t getting a great deal of track time, just 5 meetings last season, so decided I would look to do some circuit racing to give me more time on the bike, which in turn should make me faster on the roads.

Most race dates came out in December so it was time to plan my season.

The biggest cost for racing in Ireland is the ferry, which costs the same as a race weekend over here, and in that weekend you get a full practice day followed by two race days, which comprise of two races each day.

As some of you will recall, last year I entered Killalane, which was then cancelled causing me to lose £250 in ferry fees, quite a chunk of cash to lose, which also made me quite wary about booking others.

The calendar for this years roads is very sparse, with only 7 national meetings, Tandragee, Cookstown, Skerries, Faugheen, Armoy,Walderstown and Dundrod. Killalane was originally on the calendar but this has already been dropped, which is a real blow, as despite my last visit I really like this meeting. Kells has also been dropped since the MCUI released the schedule, due to increased insurance costs, which is basically killing the sport.

It really doesn’t give me much confidence in planning to do any of the above for fear of them being cancelled as well, which I hope doesn’t happen.This is a real shame as I love racing over in Ireland and am going to miss loads of great people over there, but hopefully I will get over at some stage.

As such I decided that this year I would mainly race circuits and if I can I will pop over for some roads, if funds allow.

This means that I will be returning to some circuits which I haven’t raced for a good few years Brands, Silverstone, and also go to some I’ve not been to before Snetterton, Cadwell and Donington.

Even though I love road racing it really isn’t practical this year but I’m still excited at the prospect of a busy schedule, as you can see from my race dates above.

I will also be at Southern 100, all being well, and depending on how I get on, maybe a trip to Ireland as well. There’s no rush so will just take things as they come.

I will be racing the Minitwin on the circuits, and using the Supertwin and 400 on the roads.

It’s quite strange as I’ve now joined NG Racing and BMCRC clubs, both of which I raced with when I first started racing. I’ve also been given number 42 as my race number, so have almost gone full circle as that was my given number last time I raced with them.

My season is quite busy, with my first meeting with BMCRC at Brands Hatch on 11^th March, so not much time to get those last minute jobs done.

Talking of which, I hear the garage calling.

So until next time

Cheers

Stuart

A Short Tale

So, one sunny July evening Mr. Piston was enjoying a nice trip along the wonderful roads of The Isle Of Man, just outside Castletown to be precise.

He was feeling rather good, going up and down, and all was good with his world.

He could hear his next door neighbour doing the same, and it was a nice feeling that he was flying along one of his favourite roads, doing what he was designed to do.

There he was lost in his own little world when he got an unexpected surprise.

It was Mr. Valve.

'Hi,remember me, Mr. Valve, you said if I was ever passing to drop in.'

And drop in he most certainly did, at about 14,000 rpm.

I finally got to strip the head and piston out of my 400 engine that went pop at this years Southern 100, and this is what I found.

A bit of a mess, to say the least.

So now starts the rebuild, and as it's apart I will try and squeeze some more power from her, seems rude not to.

Luckily I have quite a few spare engine bits as they are starting to become harder to find, but have enough for a couple more rebuilds.

It's a shame as there was talk of running a 400 class at The Classic TT next year, but that isn't going to happen, but am sure there will be a 400 class on the roads.

Luckily I enjoy rebuilding engines so it will be no hardship.

Some bits are already being prepared so I will update as we move along.

So with Christmas over, it's back to the garage for me.

Have a great New Year and am already looking forward to the new season, just hope I will be ready for it.

Cheers

Stuart