Technical, Testing, Bumpy Bishopscourt

June 21, 2003 - It was a long haul to Bishopscourt, we only had a two-man pit crew and our equipment was limited due to having to squash as much as possible into a van smaller than our normal race van. In spite of all that, Coyote came 10th in class and 24th overall from a starting grid position of 31.

The circuit was a tiring one, very technical and long, a lap comprising 1.83 miles. Although much work had been done on the track, there were still different surfaces and it was bumpy. In places, the width was as wide as 16 metres, giving the riders more than a few options for lines and requiring a great deal of concentration and effort.

A glutton for punishment, Ross started the race with his second-ever Le Mans start. Having never ridden a track with so many corners before, Ross concentrated on finding good lines as well as continuing to get to grips with the R1. He rode exceptionally well in his second session in spite of another rider catching his knee with their bike. Although a painful injury, Ross finished the fourth hour with good lap times and maintained the team's position.

Shelley rode the 2nd and 5th hours, improving her laps times all the time and maintained a smooth and consistent rhythm throughout the day. Her confident riding style continued to improve her lap times and the team's position and more than one rider was treated to the best view on the track (I'm told) of Shelley's backside disappearing into the horizon!

Mike was in his element at the circuit, preferring highly technical tracks with lots of corners. He rode a smooth and fast 3rd hour, although he got his knee down a bit too far and it caught one of the corners too sharply and was nearly pulled off the bike!

With it starting to piddle, the team decided to put a wet on the front and an intermediate on the back. Although the rain had virtually stopped, Mike went out on the tyres anyway. The wet stood up pretty well but the intermediate was soon torn up and with the back sliding out constantly, he spent the rest of the race trying to keep the bike smooth and make the tyre last.

Even Moore's Racing was impressed with the lap times Mike was achieving on the tyres. Overall, his best time of the day was 1.20.

The team entered Park Firme with a final overall position of 24th and class position of 10th. It was a good race and for the first time in a long time, there were no pace cars required!

Many thanks to the pit crew, John and Darren, who did an outstanding job in spite of the limitations of the day and to Judith and Gill for the timekeeping. Special thanks to Moore's Racing for the support and extra help.

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