VICTORIAN ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE REPORT
ROUND 1
I set out for the State Motorcycle Sports Complex which is about 5 hours from home and based at Broadford about 1 and a half hours north of Melbourne on the Hume highway. I arrived about 3 o’clock and was told that if I hurried the scrutineers were walking around the sheds and would scrutineer my bike on the Friday afternoon, Which I prefer to do as I don’t have to rush around on Saturday morning.so I unloaded all my gear and bike and got set up.
During the night it started to rain and continued to drizzle til the morning. The track was pretty wet for the first couple of qualifying groups. When it came to my turn to go out for the first qualifying run a dry line had developed and I could get a decent run but I was still a bit wary because of the cold track. I qualified in first place after this run as not all went out. The second qualifying run was on an all dry track and all the bikes that didn’t go out in the first run had to go in this run, if they didn’t they wouldn’t get a qualifying time and start at the rear of the grid. I had a decent run and tried to follow some newer faster bikes to get a faster qualifying time. This tactic didn’t really work as I would have liked a 1.04. I ended up getting 1 minute and 5 second to qualify on the front row in 4th position, which is on the far right of the grid. We only had one race on Saturday as we had 2 qualifying sessions before it. I had put a new braided clutch line on the hydraulic clutch and I found it was a bit different than the old rubber one. I had a terrible start as I let the clutch lever out it didn’t take off where it usually does and I had to try again and therefore I was about 4th into turn 1.i wasn’t too far of the third place bike which was a pre modern bike (1991-2000 model bikes)I gained a little in the second lap because I learned later that I had done my pb of a 1.03.89 ,on the 3rd of 7 laps i lost ground , I came to the fastest corner on the track and went to change down three gears but the bike had other ideas and went to a false neutral so I had to quickly click it up a gear and hang on through the corner. After I had calmed down a bit i put my head down and chased the aprillia sv1000 again, I was gaining a little each lap and watching to find out where I could pass him. On the second last lap I was right on his tail and coming into turn 1, a big right hander that went up hill about 10-15 meters high, he went in to the corner a little too fast and began to run wide, so I went wider and cut back in under him and passed him going over the rise in the middle of the back straight. I held on to take a third place in the group and a 2nd in period 6.
I woke to a bright sunny morning and no rain clouds….yay. The racing got underway soon and I was set to tackle the aprillia and a new Pb. I was aiming to get a 1.02 before I went home that night.as we rolled out to do the warm up I pulled up and tried a practice start to work this clutch out. This start was a bit better, as the warm up only lasted 5 minutes we were back into the pits very quickly. The bike felt ok and the practice start went well. It was my groups turn to race, as I went out onto the track again for the race I pulled up and practiced the start again, it wasn’t too bad. as we rolled up to grid the officials they were doing something to the track, as I got closer they stopped us from entering our proper positions, Someone from another class had dropped a heap of oil on the start line so we were sent around for another warm-up lap while they cleaned it up. The test starts were getting better but this didn’t help as the pressure of a good start and the start lights built up, I got another shocker of a start and was running 6th into turn 1. I quickly picked of the 5th placed bike and set to work running the aprillia down again. It felt like I was pushing harder and as the race laps went by the rear tyre began to go off (get too hot), I started to loose grip again and was trying too hard and was becoming very untidy, so I settled for a 4th in the group and another 2nd in period 6 before I put the bike and myself into a fence. I think the extra warm-up lap may have made the tyres get too hot and so I only did a 1.03.98, it still wasn’t a .02
The last race came around and the aprillia rider was telling me that he hadn’t had this closer racing for years.so the score was one race a piece between us.it was time to get the head down and elbows out. I went out on the warm-up lap and did another practice start. I rolled around to the starting grid. We were set, the lights went on and my start was awesome, we were three wide into turn one and by the time I left turn 1 I was in 3rd spot right behind a big 2000 model Ducati. I pushed as hard as I could and the two faster front runner’s weren’t getting too far away. I held that pace for about 5 laps before the old no grip rear tyre started to show, as I drifted wide on turn 1 the aprillia did the same move on me a I had done to him in the first race, he rode inside me and powered down the straight. I finished 4th in the group and 2nd again in period 6. I finished the weekend with three 2nd places in my nominated period 6 class (1984-1990) to take 2nd overall and a new pb of 1.03.75 ,I would have got 3rd if I was in the pre modern class out of 14 bikes. This was a mix of 600,750 and 1000cc bikes up year 2000.
The next race meet is at Mac Park on the Easter weekend and it will be the 50th anniversary of the track. They have about 140 bikes entered and it will be a big weekend, so if anyone would like to come for a look, you would be welcome. There will be more than just racing as I think there will be displays of bikes and cars as well. It’s going to be a huge weekend.
Steven #36
