On Friday Morning we were all ready for our first practice session, the weather wasnt too bad but was quite windy and a bit cold, I took it really easy in this first session, as after my bad crash at thruxton, I had to run in a new piston, crank and barrell, I hadnt been to this circuit in over 7 months so it was also a case of learning the circuit again.
In the second session I obviously went a lot faster and enjoyed learning some new lines and trying a few diffrent things out around the track, the engine was also fully run in now so I could use the bikes power as well.
In qualifying one on late saturday morning, I needed to knock off a couple of seconds or so to give myself a good chance of bettering my qualifying possition, I did so and ended up 20th fastest which myself and the team was quite pleased about.
In qualifying two in the afternoon, I needed to yet again go an extra second or so faster as everyone usualy goes faster in the second session than what they had done in the first, I unfortunatly did not manage to better my time and only managed the same time as what I did in qualifying one, which didnt benifit me because a lot of other riders did go faster, so that put me down a row or two and I ended up qualifying 28th.
On sunday afternoon, we all successfully managed our warm-up lap and came around to line up on the grid. The lights went out an I got a ok start, it was mayhem in the first few turns as per usual, I made up a few places as there was a lot of cutting up goin on, I ended up in a group of four or five riders, myself and two other riders had a good scrap for the lead of our group. One lap I went into the hairpin and one came past on my left as well as one on my right at exactly the same time, it was prety close but was great fun, as we started tipping in both of them ran a little wide after trying to out break me, so I took the oppertunity and went straight up the inside again, there was a lot more passes like this and it was great fun and very tough in the last few laps because I new they were all right behind me, even on the last lap and I did not want any one passing me on the last lap, which was exactly what happend at the first round at Brands Hatch GP circuit. Infact I actualy set my fastest lap on the last lap, I thought to myself “if I can just make it to the last tip toe chicane without any one passing me then after that there is no way any one will be able to get me as we go into that last section”. I managed to hold them off untill the last tight chicane and finished a creditable 20th place after starting from 28th on the grid.
Tags: Jess+Trayler, motorcycle, circuit, 125cc, Race
