First MRO Race at Pembrey

June 26, 2004 - I was really looking forward to this race, especially after missing the two previous meetings at Lydden due to being sick, and the Brands GP round. I had my first set of new dry tyres at the ready and hoped to do well. I could not do the track day / practice on the Friday but know the track quite well from all the endurance races there.

Packing the van on Friday was quite an art to get everything in. As the caravan had not been repaired yet we were limited on available space, and had even more to take with all the Adopt a Racer kit. We travelled down and for a change had a fairly easy 5-hour trip, but still arrived quite late with some work to do on the bike.

It was good to see all the Bemsee and Adopt a Racer crew who helped us put up the new and extra large party tent. I still had to change wheels, fit tyres and a new chain and rear sprocket, all before the midnight generator curfew. In the process I managed to break Allan Russell’s chain riveter that he so kindly lent me, just to add to the mounting unexpected expenses.

Richard Norris was good enough to offer Kailah and me a place to sleep in his race transporter so it was off to a late night and an early start. Saturday started with the wet weather predicted. I fitted a set of wets, but had to spend more again to buy a new front. My special thanks go to John Sanders for helping out with a donation for this. We were near the back of the Scrutineering queue and only just got finished in time for signing on and practice.

Saturday practice:

My goal for the practice was to just get the feel of the bike, as this was the first time I’d ridden it at Pembrey. A slow and uneventful 10-minute practice showed the bike and gearing to be ok.

Saturday Race 1: Grid 21 – Finished 16th

The race was fully wet with spray causing visibility problems. Due to missing the previous rounds I was quite far back on the grid. A mediocre start and a very busy first corner left me somewhere around 25 to 30th, near the back. I settled into the race and started making up places as my confidence in the wet slowly got better, I still don’t feel confident in the wet, but at least was starting to get leaned over a bit more by the end of the race. My best lap times were a disappointing 4 seconds off the winners pace. Even though I have a fair bit of experience at Pembrey the grip in the wet surprised me. By the end of the race I had no idea what position I was in, 16th place and only 0.3 sec behind 15th place and a possible championship point. If I’d known I would have pushed a lot harder to get past.

Saturday Race 2: Grid 16 – Finished 13th

Another wet race, but a little better grid position. A fair start kept me in about 16 to 18th on the first lap. My confidence in the wet was a little better and I was happy to knock of 15 seconds on my race time. My best lap time was still slow at around 3.5 seconds off the winner, but I got up to speed quicker than the first race. Finishing 13th and getting points was ok but I should have done a lot better.

At the end of the day Kailah and I decided it would be a good idea to try the Sunday’s MRO round. My late entry was accepted and sorted out on Saturday evening. Just a quick check of the bike, oil, water and fuel and I was ready for the next day. A special thanks to Cherrie and Greville for helping me out with race and generator fuel that was needed but not planned for. Also to Michael for providing the Adopt a Racer BBQ and food. We all had a relaxing but late night.

Sunday MRO Qualifying: Grid 20

MRO is the next level of racing, between the most competitive club racing and the British Championships. It’s more formal with a morning warm up then a 15 minute timed qualifying session. To qualify you need to be within 107% of the fastest lap time. With the fastest set at 1:00.71 the cut off was at 1:04.96. With no lap timer or pit board I just had to do my best and built up slowly to end the 15-minute session with a lap time of 1:03.22. I was pleased to have qualified for my first ever MRO race.

Sunday MRO Race: Grid 20 – Finished 12th

The first corner was very close with lots of bumping. I was quite far back after a deliberate slow start and got through unscathed. In the first laps I made up a number of places and then settled down to have a good race with another similar bike in front of me. He was riding really hard with a lot of sliding but I was still faster. The main problem I had is that I knew that when I passed him he would fight back and was worried he would take me out in a desperate move. So I just checked him out for a few laps, made my move then put in a couple of faster laps to build a safety gap. The next place in front was about 10 seconds ahead of me. I was a little quicker but not enough to catch up by the end of the race. I was pleased with my 12th place finish. Although I did not know where I was in the race I did suspect I was in the top 15 by seeing other racers pit boards. My riding was a little conservative and well within my limits with no mistakes or moments throughout the race. My lap times were under 2 seconds off the winner giving me my best race performance so far.

This was another good weekend. I feel that my wet riding needs a lot more work than the dry, although there is still a large improvement needed. I’m just starting to feel comfortable and confident on the bike.

The next race is at Brands Hatch in two weeks time, with and endurance round back at Pembrey on the weekend between. It’s a busy month. My goal for Brands, even with limited track experience, is to make the top 15 in the A final. I may also do the MRO round on the Sunday if I can get my lap times into the low 51 second range to be confident of qualifying.
 

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