I had never been to croft before and was very excited to go out and check the track out. I walked the track a couple of times so i had a rough idea on what corner went left and what corner went right.
Come friday morning there was not a cloud in the sky as I made my way out to the track for the first time. I found the track quite bumpy in places but a great track and very fast in places. I started off by just getting to know where I was going properly, a few riders came past and I tagged on to them for a few laps to see where they were making up time on me.
I was happy with my performance after the first practice session considering I had never been to this track before, the bike was also running very well even though it was no where near its optimum power as of the richness via the jetting. In free practice two everything all went genuinely ok just like the first practice session and I also improved my lap times which is my main objective- to go quicker each time I got out.
The weather on Saturday was yet again baking hot but a bit more windier this time around, but none the less brilliant, I was one of the first ones out so that I could try and tag onto a quicker rider for a few laps and see if I could learn anything from them which would improve my times. A few of the faster riders came past in a little group and I managed to hang onto them for three or four laps, this helped me as I was able to see that they were pulling gaps on me in places as they were a fraction later than me on the brakes. I knocked another second or so off and was really starting to get to grips with the circuit.
Qualifying to went just as good as earlier on, I managed to improve my lap time and gain confident’s in myself and the bike, I managed to qualify yet again in the mid to low twenties and was hoping for a better improvement. It was and always is very close time wise and even if I would have gone half a second quicker, that would have put me up four or five places higher up the grid.
Sunday was a brilliant day of sunshine again but just a bit cooler temperature wise. We all made our way out onto the grid ready for the race a few hours after our short and sweet morning warm up, Ryan (Saxelby) made sure and asked me thoroughly if the bike was all OK, I gave him the thumbs up to indicate that everything was OK! and then everyone apart from the riders was asked to leave the grid so that the race could start.
We all done our sighting lap successfully and lined up ready for the lights to go out and for the race to start… I did’nt get the best off starts and got swallowed up by a few riders, we all went hurtling into the first turn, I got cut up quite bad and my bike bogged on my, I slipped the clutch and got it up to full revs again, I was then cut up again and had to cut the chicane as I was left nowhere else to go but straight on! After this I started to relax a little bit and made a few places up. I found myself amongst a group of about 6 riders, we were all battling away for a few laps, I got passed 3 of them and was chasing the group down in front which had gaped us three a little whilst we were swapping positions, I slowly started to catch them down a bit when a rider further up the pack took a nasty tumble after hitting another rider up the rear when slip streaming down the straight, he came away unscathed but meant the safety car had to come out due to mess made on the track. This helped me a lot as it meant I did not have to chase the riders on front of me down because the safety car was out so obviously everyone has to slow down.
After 3 laps of cruising behind the safety car in formation it finally pulled into the pit lane and the race was underway again, after a lap or so I made my move on a rider in front, I slip streamed him down the back straight and just nipped up the inside of him when going into the corner, I then set my sights on the rider in front but got into a tuscle with him and we could not help but leave each other alone. He eventually got a little gap on me but then made a nasty mistake when coming around the continuing right hander which then tightened into a right left chicane, he had tried getting on the gas a bit too early when coming around the right as you have to wind the throttle on, I saw his back end come right out on him fromt he corner of my eye and then I looked up and saw he had got into quite a state and had to cut over the chicane. This gave me a good chance to get passed him as after the little right left chicane was a straight, I gained on him in seconds as the speed his had carried onto the straight was very poor as of the misatke he had made, I simply just flew passed him as we went down the straight. I thought everything was all over with me and him but soon came to realise I had a fight on my hands again!
He manged to out brake me when going into a bend called tower, unfortunatly for him he got bad drive coming out because of how fast he went into the corner to pass me, I simply sat the bike up straight and gassed it, I just got next to him and set myself up perfect for the fast left right Jim Clarke Esses. He knew I was coming through and there was nothing he could do about it. I thought to myself I must try and build a gap up on him now otherwise this is going to go on forever, and it did! We passed each other time after time for the last 3 or 4 laps. On the final lap I came out of Sunny - the bottom right hander right up his rear, I sliped streamed passed him but was just a little too early on the brakes, he squeezed underneath me and I now knew there wasnt much I could do but to pray he made another critical mistake, this didnt happen, he came accross the line swurving accross the straight in hop that he could block me off from just nipping him at the line, I was not happy but still relived that I came home in one piece.
I really enjoyed the race as I had a good battle with another rider, it also made things more interesting when everyone had to bunch up in formation when the safety car came out and I also really enjoyed the track.
I would like to thank all my sponsors with their help and support over these last few rounds, this includes:
Andrea Martin at Leyford construction, thank you so much Andrea, you have been great.
also a Big thankyou to Steve and Rebecca Holbrough at symmetry I.T North
Also thankyou to RS Racing for their expertease with the bike and thankyou to anyone else who I may have missed out.
Thanks
Jess
Tags: bmcrc, mro, circuit, racing, motorcycle
