PROJECT BIKE ME! RACE BIKE PART XII

by Dino

Dino chases Gary Peake's Triumph...

Round three race report:

Better late than never.

...changes to racing tape and black numbers...

...rounds up Peake on the outside...

It was bloody cold and windy for the race practice on the Saturday and it took a while to get enthused.

In fact it took a whole session to get bothered enough to slip into my cold stiff leathers, but this was a good thing as it gave the track a little more time to warm up and the first few groups out would sweep the track.

If I've learned one thing from going to race practice it is that all you learn on the first session of the day is how slippy and slow it is, so why waste tyres, waste fuel, waste energy and risk crashing to find how slow you can go?

I had been doing some research into gearing for the Creek with the help of a fellow BEARS racer Phil Grey and this really paid off.

In the first couple of sessions I was lapping in the low 1.43s but got this down to high 1.40s later in the day when it got a little warmer and the head wind dropped off a little.

Very pleased with this, I got my bike scrutineered and put it to bed in the pits whilst I pissed off home for a few cocktails, a feed and an early night.

F@#$!

It was the middle of the night when my alarm went off and I chirpily leaped out of my lovely warm bed -- NOT!

I dragged my red eyed sleepy carcass to the shower while questioning why I was doing this at my age. Not being a morning person, this is always a time to reflect negatively for me and I should know better.

Showered and fed with a steaming hot travel mug of tea in my mitts I jumped in the car and pointed it at Eastern Creek hoping to get there in time to attend the rider's briefing (for once).

Arriving at the track with a little time up my sleeve I set about my race preparation. I turned on my tyre warmers and tried to relax before I got called for first practice and qualifying. It was colder than yesterday and the head wind down the strait was twice as strong.

I managed to qualify 11th. Not my best, but times were slow for all of us and I was the first 675 out of 17 on the grid. With the combined field of F1 and F2 there were just under 50 bikes, so I didn't feel too bad.

The first race started with my typical bad start and I had to tussle for two laps with Gary Peake, a young A Grade 400 star who was on a very very fast 675 which just shot away down the strait leaving me with all my work in the corners. He was holding me up and I could see my main rival Chris Panayi inching away so I had to get past Gary.

I chose to take a wide line out of turn three and strait line it to four getting half a bike length in front of Gary to claim the corner, but it would seem Gary didn't want me to have it and smashed into me hard but I was on the inside and held my line and I never saw him again, I did however test my GB Racing Products case guard as it took a real smack from Gary's front fork leg which could have cracked the case without a guard on it.

I think I came third in F2 in that one.

The results for the weekend were pretty good with such a large field and I was on the second row of the grid for the next three starts in alternate 7th and 8th place, beating Chris in two and losing to him in two. I reckon it would have gone my way more if it wasn't for Darren Lewis on his super quick Ducati 848 mixing it with us.

Every lap he would pass me by the start/finish line and hold me up in turn one so I would have to do a banzai braking manoeuvre into turn two to get back in front only to have him pass me again down the straight.

It did get a bit frustrating but I came away with a trophy for third place and I am still in second position with two rounds to go.

I just console myself with the thought that my Triumph 675 only cost to date less than $6k so I can't really complain if someone's $25k bike is a bit faster...

...and dices with what looks like a Ducati 848

Next meeting is Mount Gambier SA in September.

This is a very twisty little track with lots of rewards for local knowledge. I have raced there three times on three different bikes and I love the place so I am really looking forward to it and hoping to capitalize on a track I know and like where horsepower isn't that important.

As always, a big "thank you" from Dino to:

Steve Eric Arthur & Roger at Motorcycle Weaponry
Mat Mladin, Geoff Bonfield & all at Mat Mladin Imports
Carl Barnard from GB Racing Products, Australia
Uncle Kim in the spirit of Juche
Ray at Easyrider Imports
OLEON Specialty oils & lubricants
Wayne McDonald Tune Boy