Cadwell crashes in for first Nora race

March 22, 2003 - The weather couldn't have been more perfect with lots of sun and warmth and the whole atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming.

Mike had a good start with the first race and managed to push through the crowd to get to 2nd position on the hill, but he overcooked it on the brakes at the first chicane which pushed him back a few places. He rode a hooligan's race and was all over the place, slipping and sliding, nearly going over his bars when he braked too late again and ended up doing a toothpick on his front wheel. On the last lap, he braked too late on the hairpin and stalled but managed to bump start it and finish 7th.

In race 2, Mike rode a more conservative race, not doing anything stupid on the brakes. He concentrated on going smoother and faster but it felt too slow. He was losing 3 seconds on the dirt section but worked on getting through faster for the rest of the race. Although he was riding his tyres to the limit, he finished 6th.

Race 3 saw a good start and Mike was 5th for 6-7 laps. There was a big group of riders behind him and one decided to barge up the inside and take Mike out while sending a pile of tyres flying down the hill. Mike's bike stalled, but he managed to start it after 2 kicks. By then, he had lost loads of places and he spent the rest of the race overtaking riders and lapping a few in some very tight racing. In spite of all the effort, he came 20th.

In the final, Mike had a bad starting position in grid 20 but managed to get to 11th place in the start. He was overtaking riders one at a time and was really enjoying himself when a rider crashed directly in front of him. At the same time, another rider crashed into the rider that was down. Mike couldn't stop, so he ploughed into the second rider and ended up with his bike wedged between the other 2. He couldn't pick it up and get it running and that lost him all his gained places. With all that lost time, Mike tried to be constructive, braking harder and later but in control and finished 19th.

The last race of the day - the "This is what you would have won" race turned out to be a fun race. Mike worked on his braking points, tried different lines and ended up 5th!

Mike said: "Apart from the crashes, it was the best Supermoto day ever and the most enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the next one."

See all the racing Photo Galleries >>

Back to News Desk >>