Eglington returns to racing after Brands crash

June 26, 2005 - This was the third round of the KRC Endurance Championship. The Moores Racing team was in the lead of class C and were second overall, coming into this round.

The riders for the round were to be Tony Jiminez, Vince Peccarino and possibly myself or Nick Davey. James Hurrell was racing at a BSB event at Knockhill so had to miss this round.

I had missed the previous round at Brands Hatch due to injuries I’d got in a crash in one of my Supersport 600 events. For Snetterton it was the first time I’d been on a bike for 8 weeks and did not know if my injuries would cause a problem, as I still have some healing to go.


Saturday Practice:

We only had about 45 minutes practice before qualifying which was the time to find out if I could ride at all. I was really concerned that the injuries would make me slow down too much and did not want to let the team down. I was sent out early, in the first session after Tony did a few laps just to check the bike was all working properly. In the practice I was able to run a few seconds off the pace to minimise upper body movement and to keep the bike well in shape. My main concern was the ability to concentrate but it all seemed to work out ok. As a result it was decided that I would be doing the race even though I’d be at a little slower pace than normal.

Vince also had some time on the bike as it was the first time he’d ridden the Moores race bike.

The superb pit crew had everything sorted out and we were ready for the timed practice.

Saturday Qualifying:

Vince took the first session and, considering his lack of time on the bike, he put in a good qualifying time to give us a 10th place start for the day. Tony took the second session with me out in the third session. I could not afford to take any chances so was pleased to make the whole session without any incidents.

Sunday Race:

Vince was given the job of starting the race. Luckily for me as I could not run across the track with my broken ankle still not quite healed. The bike was a little reluctant to start but Vince got away and put the team up into the top six very early on. He kept the pace up but towards the end of his session it was clear the tyres were going off. Even so he did a great job of keeping on the pace.

Tony was out for the second session and rode very well to keep the team in a good position.

I was out for the third session and spent 70 minutes on track. I managed to do reasonably consistent times and did not lose many, or any places. I was quite tired by the end of the session but was happy that I could stay out for that long.

Vince was out in the fourth session and once again kept us up in the top five.

Tony was out next but once again had to suffer with badly worn out tyres. He was having trouble with the front but still did a superb job to keep the pace up and keep the team in position.

It was me out for the next and sixth session. The team had fitted a new set of tyres and after scrubbing them in I was lapped reasonably consistently to hold our position. After about 45 minutes into my session the clutch exploded as I crossed the finish line area. It broke the casing and pumped oil out onto the exhaust and rear tyre. I was lucky enough to brake a lot before heading onto the grass. I limped back to the pits thinking it may have been a sprocket or chain problem.

Unfortunately the damage was not repairable and the team were forced to retire. A large piece of the clutch basket had gone into the engine and if a new clutch had been fitted it would only have been a matter of laps before there was terminal engine failure.

A disappointing end to the day’s racing and a drop in the championship position. Apart from that the team put together another great weekend and my thanks goes out to the whole team for their support. The team were awarded the trophy for “best pit crew”, an award that I think they must be at the top of the list at each race.

We are all looking forward to the next endurance race at Pembrey.

A special thanks goes to all those from Moores Motorcycles that came to the race to support the team. Also, a special thanks to the GB Moto physiotherapist for giving me a good going over.


My thanks also to the following sponsors of the Moores Racing Team:

Moores Motorcycles
Yamaha Motors
Bikestyle – Bickers Plc
CEM, the state-of-the-art energy management company
Devil Exhausts
NGK Sparkplugs
Hyperbolt
Dunlop
Oxtar boots
Hein Gericke Reading
Champion Stands
Ermax Screens
Harris Performance
NWS
Uvex Helmets
DID Chains
Motrex oil
R&G Crash Protectors

SUMMARY & RESULTS

Qualifying: 10th place
Class: DNF/11th place
Overall: DNF/26th place

Championship Points in Class: 5
Championship Points Overall: 0

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Moores team winning the “Best Pit Crew” award

• Racing for the first time in 8 weeks

• The team running in the top 5 for 6 hours

NEXT RACES:

Round 4 31 July Pembrey
Round 5 1 October Donnington Park

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