EXUP Worldwide

Wow what a weekend. After 5 nights and 6 days away, 2000 kms of driving, much beer and rum AND 3 days at the track it was a good Easter.

I learnt a few things from this weekend -

I am not as competitive as I thought I was (I don't mean compared to other peoples lap times, I already knew that. I mean in regard to how driven I am to be better than someone else)

Eastern Creek is a fabulous race track.

Slight gearing changes on a big track makes a big difference.

Rum and beer always seem like a good idea at the time (think I would have learnt that one by now )


Friday Practice
As expected at a new track the first session was spent just finding my way around and trying to remember which way the next corner went. There are few blind entries which took me a few laps to get my head around. The first lap was quite funny. They scrutineered bikes as they went out for the first session so there was a big gap between bikes as they entered the track. I came down the straight for the first time with no other bikes in sight and only vague memories of people telling me "back off here", "drop a gear and turn in here" to guide me through. Got through alright (slowly) and from that lap on through the whole weekend I enjoyed experimenting with the entry to Turn 1.

Before I ran the 1000 at our home track in February I did a 520 chain conversion and dropped the front sprocket by 1 tooth. Just before I headed off to Sydney I put a standard sized front sprocket back on to suit the bigger track. The chain was very tight but I thought I would persevere with it and as it was a fairly new chain I thought it may stretch a bit. After two sessions it hadn't stretched at all and to me the bike felt a bit 'skitterish' in the rear end. So whether it was an actual problem or not I convinced myself that it was and went back to the smaller front sprocket so I had some slack in the chain. This made a fairly big difference to how the bike went and not in a good way. I needed to grab an extra gear between 9 and 10 and then almost immediately change back down again for 11. Also it clearly affected top speed down the straight and I was revving the ring out of thing.

We only had timing for the last two sessions of the day and ended up with 1:53 which I was OK with as I had no idea where I would be and that put me about mid pack (albeit 5 seconds behind the faster guys from Queensland).

Good day followed by beer and rum.


Saturday

Qualifying
It was a busy session with nearly 40 bikes on the track and I spent most of session trying to remember things from my coaching lessons. Ended up with a 1:54 which was slower than Friday but the other guys I was with were a bit slower as well so it was stil OK. There were four classes in the group and I didn’t really know where I was in my class but it put me in 25th on the grid of 39.

Race 1
I got an average start and found out I am a real pussy in traffic. I was letting people go left right and centre through turns 1 and 2 and just trying to settle in. I ended up having a good battle with one of our pit buddies who was racing in the New Era class on a GSXR 1100. He was struggling to get it turned in the three tightest parts of the track and I could get beside him but then he would out power me to the next corner. Even being right on his tail onto the straight I couldn't get past him down the straight. I ended up doing a slightly quicker lap than him (still in the 1:54s) but he still beat me over the line. Started 25th and finished 26th.

Race 2
I got a slightly better start this time but was still getting out of people's way for the first few turns. I had no idea where my NE mate was so I just put my head down and went as best I could. I caught and passed a couple and ended up 23nd with a best time of 1:52. I was pretty happy with that as it was a step in the right direction. (sbutler was further back in the pack than usual on the first lap and I took my only opportunity to go past him. I led him for a total of 2 corners before he blasted past me again. Felt good though )

Good day followed by a couple of rums

Sunday

Race 3
An interesting start to the day with no warm up session. Straight to the grid for the second race of the day. I had put new tyres on Saturday afternoon so I was a little bit nervous about the first lap. Start was a bit better again but once again I was getting walked all over as the pack sorted itself out through the first few turns. The new tyres were soon forgotten about and I latched onto the other slow guy from Queensland . Got around him and one other and finished 22nd.

Race 4
Being the last race of the weekend I fell into my usual mistake of getting a bit too tense about it all. I really thought I could trim some more time off if I got a little more aggressive and went hard. The start was just a repeat of the others and I found myself 'stuck' behind another GSXR 1100. I basically just followed him around for most of the race. I'd run up behind him but couldn't put an effective move on him. I had one big go and was just about rubbing his rear tyre with my front coming onto the straight. He pulled a little on me down the straight but approaching the 100 metre mark I thought I could have a go under him into Turn 1. What I didn't realise was one of the other guys was slip streaming behind me and he pulled out and passed us both while I was still thinking about it My race ended there. I decided to back off and bring it home in one piece and not risk spoiling what had been a great weekend. I finished 25th with the best lap time slipping back out to 1:54.


Time to pack up and have a couple of coldies with the boys. Of the six Queenslanders who entered in Pre-Modern F1, four of them finished in the top ten which was a great effort. I finished 13th and the last Queenslander finished 14th.

It was good to catch up with sbutler, ZoltanP and Jaffa. I think I spent more time in sbutler's shed than mine. (Might have had something to do with his sponsor ). Nice talking to you ZoltanP and look forward to seeing you out on the track again soon. It was good to see Jaffa keeping the rest of the Queenslanders honest on his YZF750. There were a few comments about that "old orange thing" in the bar on Saturday night. I made sure they knew what the "old orange thing" was.

If all is right we will definitely be back next year.

Cheers

Mike, great report I've been hanging out for it! Glad the weekend went off safely and successfully. I see a Victorian on an FZR1000 took out New Era F1, that's got me revved up! I was watching the times and results over the weekend, I'd say you acquitted yourself very well to a new track and the mad Pre modern pack, it's always a bit hairy on the first lap or two. Glad you liked turn 1, I hope I can make the meeting next year. The GSXR 1100 you were running with, was that Mark Brown, the big guy?

A great weekend of racing, some of those QLDers are real fast and nice blokes as well.
Graeme on his Ducati 916 in race 3 running wide off the track between turn 1 and 2 at 200k's but not slowing down and making it back onto the track was impressive. Then in race 4 I was right on his tail through turn 1 trying to get a slipstream into turn 2 when he nearly ran off again only this time I nearly did the same as him as I was following so closely, scary.
Duelling with 2 CBR 900's, 1 ducati 916 and 1 GSXR 750 was some of the best, closest racing I have had. All of us very close in top speed so it came down to rider skill and guts. Close but fair racing and nothing too nasty when trying to pass each other.
Hopefully next year we all get to do it again.
Stuart

The GSXR 1100 you were running with, was that Mark Brown, the big guy?

Yeah Brownie was with us in the pits.

nice blokes as well

We're all nice blokes up here

Glad you liked turn 1

I think getting on the gas out of Turn 1 for the run down to 2 may just have been the most fun I have had with my pants on

I'm glad I wasn't in amongst all that Stuart!

PICS:

Keith Muir
http://www.bike-photos.com/step5.asp?S1 ... ec&S4=npf1

JPM
http://www.jpmphoto.com.au/post_classic.htm

Yep a great weekend of racing was had by all. I didnt seem to settle as much as I would have liked. But I have nothing to complain about. All went well. MikeSS made it over the hump, & had a very good weekend. A 1.52 at a track you've never seen before is nothing to be sneezed at. Well done!
Just hope he makes his other QLD mates stay home next year. Some of them are very fast..
After a lot of sole searching, I sort of got my balls in a knot about the lap times, & not the postions I acheved..
Ok I didnt get into the 1.48s so big deal.
I think I had a meeting like Jason last year. Full of big expectations, but didnt perform to what I thought I would or could.
Well theres always next year.

Great report, sounds like a great weekend! You got faster, did what
seems to be very respectable times (I would have no idea) and didn't
bend or break anything

Yeah it was a lot of fun cam.

Times were OK. Would have liked more improvement over the weekend but very happy to bring it home in one piece. The 12 hour drive home was on my mind in the last couple of laps of the last race.

I've just got home... I've been working... which is strange... Anyway, nice to slip into the read about the weekend, great report Mike.

Good to hear all the crew survived and what sounds by all accounts had a great time. Think I might head up that way next year

Do it Spook!! Couple of pics of my weekend>>

sbutler wrote:Do it Spook!! Couple of pics of my weekend>>

That's so funny Steve... No wonder your struggling to find pace. No doubt your energy levels are waning when you hit the track... You know the abstinence tradition is particularly strong in power sports, such as ours.

So are you still enjoying a lucky strike after your Quiver???

I think he might have lit up behind the bike shed (no smoking in the garages)

Spook, I'm keen to go next year, could we get team sponsorship, maybe a brothel?

JasonL wrote:Spook, I'm keen to go next year, could we get team sponsorship, maybe a brothel?

Alright! Let's make it happen... I've always wanted to go to the creek:) We will have to get Stan to come down from QLD... Perhaps Kiwi and Duke will come over and play as well

I'll start doing sponsor research immediately...

Listen you out of staters. Play in your own backyard. Im in enough trouble chasing MikeSS & those QLD's let alone you other interstaters..

Listen you out of staters. Play in your own backyead. Im in enough trouble chasing MikeSS & those QLD's let alone you other interstaters.

If PI will let the pre'89's in next year (or what ever year they do let them in), Duke22 and I will bring the FZR's over, race PI and will leave the bikes in aussie, then come back and do the Barry Sheene as well - the FZR's will take over the track (or the first aid station...):banana

how good would that be!

May have to look at a New Era bike for next year

I have a VFR750 for sale......

I'm not sure if you could mod the FZR1000 to fit New Era....the frame as a major component is different to the 89 EXUP, however your model frame first came out in '90 and as long as it can be proved that the model was available to the public in late 89 (anywhere, doesn't have to be Oz) then it would be eligible for PCRA anyway. Or even if it was used b a Yamaha race team somewhere. However upside downers aren't eligible so you'd need to change the front end.....

I know of an OW01 coming up