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The 2009 team consists of the following for this season:
- The owners: CK & AK
- The racers: Sam (see the Racers section) and Clint, who left the team at the Brands Hatch meeting, 2.5 meetings before the end of the season
- Nick Boustead
- For a one off ride in the Minitwin class at Brands Hatch in August, Matt Traynar
- and: Scot Adam for the final round at Rockingham in October, riding Big Bike in the GP1/Supertwin class
AK – also known as Alan Knight, passed his half century in 2006, though shows no sign of relaxing & taking things easy.
AK didn't have anything to do with Ducati's until early 2002, when CK got her first one – and thus his interest had started to point in the Ducati direction. Previously AK had (in a very early life) been a workshop foreman for a large Kawasaki dealership, which was attached to a Datsun dealership. In those days, AK spent much of his free time spannering for the Datsun garage rally team – travelling all over the UK. Any time left over was devoted to his main love - American cars, mostly those of the 1960's era.
In his mid 30s AK then set up his own business solely working on American cars, which went hand-in-hand with his hobby of drag racing his much modified Plymouth Duster. Some weekends were also spent with his mate Dave, taking large amounts of spares to the drag race meetings to sell to other racers and American car owners. This 'del boy' stage wound down during 2006, though AK & Dave still have a large amount of '60's parts!
During all of this Alan also had two children – Vicki & Dean. Vicki lives with Paul (Bones) who joined us to race in 2006 and hasn't left!
In recent years AK has spent time spannering for Mark of MHP at club race meetings, and also for a season when Mark did endurance racing. AK's main interest is creating or rebuilding things, so with this in mind it's not really surprising that he was keen to have a go with the race bikes. His current road bike is a Monster 900 special, which was completed as a project in early 2004 and although it did some shows as an exhibit, the tri-colour has been AK's main commuter and fun bike for the last four years. As well as this, AK had built a 'mini ducati' from a VFR 400 – which caught out a few riders at a track day at Rockingham in 2004. Alan still misses the RD 125's and 400 that he used to own only four years ago, and also the Kawasaki/Harris 750 turbo. The dearly beloved totally rebuilt non-standard Kawasaki 1100R is still with us, and AK has sworn to make the time to ride her more, even if just for commuting on occasions.
AK has done a few track days on the current race bikes, as well as others prior to the Desmo Due racing starting up. This means he does have a good interest in the handling and suspension set up, as well as how the engines should be operating. Sometimes, this has come in handy for other riders in the previous series we did (Desmo Due), with 'DR AK' being able to help get them back on the track again after a spill or a mechanical problem.
At race meetings AK can usually be found either checking over our own bikes, or possibly helping out an unfortunate rider who has had a mishap on track.
Late 2007 and AK has taken his ACU licence – this is ostensibly for doing trackdays in 2008, though you never know what else might happen.....
How CK ended up as team manager was an own goal really – the only one who could type more than five words a minute, and who could also make a cup of coffee whilst cooking dinner & surfing the internet at the same time!!
CK, whilst not admitting to being close to AK in age, is also not as young as she once was. Horses as well as bikes were her main love in her teens and after a long day at the stables, she was then usually tearing around on two wheels with a group of mates. Charlotte ran her own equestrian business for many years supporting herself and daughter Becca, from her first marriage, however, the bikes had to take a back seat until Becca left school.
In the mid 1980's right through to meeting AK in 1999, CK had competed regularly with the horses and ponies on the national circuit with a modicum of success, winning championships and producing ponies to the highest level for herself and her daughter. This often meant a long time was spent on the road travelling to competitions all over the country and also into Europe on occasions. To assist with the expenses Charlotte also did some long distance trips for equestrian transport companies, running other peoples stable yards as holiday cover, teaching riders at Pony Club and also privately too.
CK also instructed local equestrians at weekends and evenings as well as breaking and schooling many horses and ponies – again to top level.
With AK's arrival on the scene in mid 1999, CK's long held interest in bikes was again ignited by 'borrowing' his 600 sportsbike, closely followed by the subsequent purchase of a Kawasaki for scratching about on. 2001 will be remembered fondly as a real family year when AK & CK went to the Gert Gallybagger rally on the Isle of Wight accompanied by a son, daughter and also daughter's boyfriend, all on bikes.
The following year was even more riotous as the 'kids' had all moved up to 400 sportsbikes which made for some interesting rides! A big birthday loomed in 2002 and the first Ducati joined the garage for CK, alongside AK's three or four bikes, and Becca's bike too (whole family biking). Moving on a couple of years when AK got his 900 monster special on the road, CK then upgraded her 750 to the 1000sie Monster – just so she could keep ahead if necessary!
CK is the person to ensure the van is laden with vast amounts of food, drink (including the non-alcoholic variety) and bedding - also making sure the team leave on time. All bookings for travel are made by CK, as is the co-ordination of booking track days with the riders, as well as many other items such as ensuring the route is planned (no Sat Nav yet!). CK is also the team financial controller.
CK is occasionally called upon to help with the bikes and enjoys taking them to bits. You will usually find CK at a race meeting with a cup of coffee or glass of something in hand and stop watches in the other, usually whilst chattering away like a pneumatic drill!
Likes:
Bike racing
Playing with tools
Happy people
Dislikes:
Miserable people
Women with big hands
Cheese!
"First rode a motorbike when I was 5, got hooked, been riding ever since. Started doing trackdays which of course led onto racing, which I’ve been trying to get good at for four years... no wins yet but a pole position and two podiums has kept me happy enough. I’ve done aerobatics, parachuting and black-run skiing, but there’s nothing in the world as thrilling as bike racing so long may I live to enjoy it!
Have met all aspects of what is now Knight Road Racing over the last five years, and with Bones being the funniest bloke in the world and SuperClint is the one I want to be as good as, it was cool to be asked to stand in as the spare spanner for Thundersport meetings. It’s harder working support than it is racing, but the effort the boys give back makes it well worth it."
Name: Sam Coventry
Race number: #9
DOB: 14/06/93
Hometown: Waterlooville
Licence held: ACU National
Racing Pedigree
Sam received his first motorcycle at 5 yrs a PW50 type machine and then a Kawasaki KX65cc which he practiced riding at local tracks, before announcing in 2004 he wanted to go racing.
2004 - 2006 Motocross with Portsmouth MX and Hants & Dorset MX clubs. Competing on a Kawasaki KX 85cc small wheel bike and subsequently Honda 150 four stroke machine in the Inter85 Championship.
2007 – Started to Road-race and practice on a 125cc motorcycle.
2008 – Formula 125cc championships
East Midlands Racing Association (EMRA) – F125 Championship = 2nd overall
North Gloucester Road Racing Club (NGRRC) – F125 Championship = 2nd overall
NGRRC - Lougi Moto open 400cc Newcomers = 5th /30 (against adults on machines up to 400cc)
2008 J&S Aprilia Superteen Series - Thundersport GB
10th (out of 45) in the Nitro Newcomers Championship.
Sam has a total of 9 wins, 8 seconds, and 2 third place trophies and was also awarded the Newcomer of the Meeting award at the NGRRC Thruxton meeting. His best result in the J&S Aprillia Superteens was a 2nd place at Cadwell Park.
He has achieved more wins than the championship winners in both the EMRA and NGRRC championships, but unfortunately didn't score in one round of the NGRRC due to being crashed into by a back marker, otherwise he should have won that championship, and he has not entered every round of the EMRA series and, due to his good results, still achieved 2nd in the championship!
Sam has shown real talent for this sport in his first season and has the potential to make a career from the sport. They say it takes 1 year to learn the tracks and the next to gain your first win and then the following to challenge for the championship - Sam has achieved this in his first year. He has progressed from an ACU Novice licence to an ACU National licence.
2009 sees Sam moving onto the Junior Powerbike class, where he will be competing nationally with the highly competitive Thundersport GB, with TV coverage on Motors TV.
"I am really greatful to Alan and Charlotte Knight for giving me this opportunity to ride Tango in the Junior Powerbike class this season. I am really excited and I am looking forward to being a part of the Knight Road Race Team for 2009."
Name: Clinton de Tarnowsky
Race number: #36
DOB: 11/06/74
Occupation: Motorcycle Technician.
Marital Status: Married.
Hobbies: Bikes, Running, Cycling & learning to play the Guitar.
Ambition: To win.
Racing started for me on a Ducati Panther, where I had to borrow a set of leathers which were far too big for me and held together with gaffer tape. The boots were three sizes bigger than my feet. The only thing I owned was my helmet and underwear. The day was insane the Panther was louder and older than any bike I had ever ridden although I did manage to finish second on the day in that class and was hooked from then on.
Racing conditions improved, leathers were sponsored, new boots bought and I found myself riding a Buell and being sponsored by Harley Davidson Johannesburg. It was a good year and I learnt a lot. The following year I moved up a class and rode a Ducati 748 … What a year, this was later referred to as my CRASH YEAR. Trying too keep up with the big boys on the 996’s taught me a lot. There were quite a few podiums but unfortunately a lot more crashes. This is where I learnt the most in terms of hard racing. The following year got better I found myself having a fully sponsored ride on a 996 with Gilberts Mining and a great team mate Peter Swanepoel. Together we worked hard and managed to win the Championship and Team Trophy in the Battle of the Twins class. All this of course happened back in South Africa. I then decided to leave it all behind and start a new life with my family here in the UK.
Thinking that racing was over, in 2005 I was offered the chance to enter the Desmo Due class on a M620 with DLS and had a fantastic year alongside team mate and fellow colleague Mike Dawson. Although never having raced prior to this in the UK I was fortunate to have a few victories and ended second in the championship.
Since being forced to take a couple of seasons off, Alan and Charlotte Knight offered me the chance to join their Knight Road Race Team in early 2008 which was really exciting for me, as they have had a good record in getting Ducati's competitive on track. I completed the 2008 season with many highs as well as a few lows, culminating in coming 2nd over all in the Junior Powerbike class.
For 2009, I will be riding the teams' new aquisition - a 2009 1098s - in the Supertwin class. I am really looking forward to the season ahead.
The team have 2 Ducati's out on the grid for 2009. Both are in the team colours of orange and purple, which have been a familiar sight in previous seasons in the Thundersport and New Era paddocks.
Ducati 1098S
This 2008 model will be the new ride for Clinton De Tarnowsky for the 2009 season. Over the next couple of months this bike will have several changes made so it is able to go on track to the best of the team's ability, to enable Clint to compete at the sharp end of the Thundersport premier GP1 class.
'Tango'
Tango Monster 800 will once again be out in the Junior Powerbike Class, but for 2009 she is to be ridden by Sam Coventry.
This is a Ducati Monster 800ie, an aircooled twin. The standard bike has been modified for racing by adding:
- Clip-ons,
- Up-rated forks,
- Up-rated brakes
- Rear Ohlins
- 9** fairings,
- Rearsets
- Power commander
- Lightened fly wheel
- Open airbox
- Full exhaust system by MHP
- Sigma full slipper clutch
Tango makes 78 bhp at the rear wheel on a Dyna Pro dyno
The Knight Road Race team would like to thank the following people and companies for giving their financial support for the 2009 season to run the 1098s with Clint on board until he retired on the 1st day of the Brands Hatch meeting, retiring though his own choice from racing after having had several crashes:
David Pratt of Phat Prophets for tyres
Henry Bryan for sponsorship from www.intrallconsultancy.com
Paul 'Ozz' Helliker of Accountax Solutions & the ISC for the bike race fuel
David and Brenda Lane of Business Collaboration Services Ltd for tyres
Chris Webb for tyres
David Phillips for tyre warmers
Mad Maz for mechanical support
Roy 'Dementor' & Sandra Andrews for a pair of tyres
Rob 'Kato' Webb for all paintwork for both bikes at the start of the season
The Wheel Wizard for painting and polishing the 1098s wheels and re-painting the 1098s bodywork on several occasions.
Harley Richards & Jo O'Brien for van fuel sponsorship for the Welsh rounds
and Tonio of Lilypad IT Solutions Ltd for maintaining this website
Thanks also to Antony Espindola of Avanti Race Parts
Also, a big thanks for input/parts from W.M.Snell, Neil at Cornerspeed and John Hackett at JHP Ducati Coventry
Clinton de Tarnowsky was sponsored by Paul, owner of P&H Motorcycles, for all his entries and test days for the full season.
Sam Coventry is going to be sponsored by:
If YOU would like to support the Knight Road Race Team for the 2009 season, please drop us an email as we'd love to hear from you. We are able to display your company logo's on our bike, the whole series is to be televised (as per 2008) on Motors TV and we can arrange for you to have tickets to events.
20th October 2009: Sam is 2nd in the Junior Powerbike Championship
Full results & qualifying positions:
Mallory Park (March 14th & 15th)
Clint: GP1 Qualified 22nd, finished 19th in Superpole, then DNF & 20th.
Sam: fell in qualifying & broke collarbone. No race started.
Cadwell Park (April 12th & 13th)
Clint: Qualified 4th in Supertwins: Fell on Sunday, no races completed. Monday: 2 x 4th places in Super twins
Sam: Qualified 11th overall & 4th in class: 4th, 3rd & 2 x 2nds in Junior Powerbikes
Pembrey (May 9th & 10th)Clint: Qualified on Pole: 1st & 3 x 2nds in Supertwins
Sam: Qualified 3rd in class & overall on grid: 4th & 3 x 3rds in Junior Powerbikes
Oulton Park (June 6th)
Clint: Qualified 3rd on the grid: 2 x 3rds in Super Twins
Sam: Qualified 5th on the grid (2nd in class): 2 x 1sts in Class
Snetterton (11th & 12th July)
Clint: Qualified (on full mixed grid with GP1) overall 20th (5th in class). 1 x DNF & 2 x 3rds
Sam: Qualified 2nd on grid & also in class, 4th, DNF & 2 x 3rds
Donington (23rd - 26th July at Moto GP meeting)
Clint: Qualified 1st in class (5th on full mixed grid with GP1) finished overall 5th & 1st in class.
Sam qualified: 4th in class & finished 6th overall in class
This meeting was a 'gold' meeting = double points in the 1 race each
Brands Hatch (30th & 31st August)
Sam: qualified pole and then got 2 x 1sts & 1 x 2nd overall
Clint: finished 5th in class on Saturday on what turned out to be his final ride for the team.
Anglesey (12th & 13th September)
Sam: Qualified pole and then got 4th, 2 x 3rds and a 2nd.
Rockingham (17th & 18th October)
Sam: Qualified 3rd and then got 2 x 3rds, a DNF and then a 4th - thus clinching the 2nd place in the championship
Scott: Qualified 4th in class, then got a DNF due to exhaust manifold splitting in the Superpole race, then 2 x 3rds
SAM
Friday: Test Day
I hadn’t ridden this track since last year so I took the first session easy just to remember the track. It was very slippery on-track and a few people skittled off during the session. Then the next session I thought about suspension and gearing and both seemed to be working well I got faster and they were still working well. After lunch we went onto slicks and first of all I went a second slower but in the next one I went faster so we stuck with slicks. For the final session we tried a different gearing and that seemed to give me a bit more drive out of the corner but I was slower along the straight. We stuck with the setting from the final session and were ready to race.
Saturday: Qualifying
I followed Alex Hutchinson for a bit then let him go and I qualified 3rd overall in class which I was happy with.
Saturday: Race 1
I got a good start and was 4th out of the first corner right behind Elsmere but I got him straight away and could see Hutchinson so I pushed to catch him and I did with 2 laps to go but I couldn’t get past him so finished 3rd
Saturday: Race 2
I didn’t get the best start in the world and was about 6th in the first corner behind Hutchinson and me and him moved into 2nd and 3rd but he got away as I was battling Alex Heaton we had a good race then I passed him and pulled a gap but it was too late to catch Hutchinson so I finish 3rd again.
Sunday: Race 1
I got a bad start again and was 6th in the first corner got in to 5th and then 4th but I lost the front at corner 6 just before the left hander’s. I was fine and the bike was ok just a broken clip on, rear set and brake lever which Alan and Nick repaired for race 4. Thanks guys.
Sunday: Race 2
I got another bad start and was 7th into the first corner and was fighting with Heaton and Hodgson but got passed into 4th with 3 laps to go I could see Elsmere in 3rd so pushed and caught him on the last lap but didn't want to make a risky move to pass him so finished 4th but that was enough to secure 2nd in the championship!
Conclusion:
It was a good and bad weekend because of the crash but I still got 2nd in the championship. Thank you Alan and Charlotte for a great year riding their bike and some great results. Thanks to Mum and Dad for supporting me and looking after me and helping. Thanks to Nick for being a great mate and mechanic. And thanks to the sponsors Unipart, Motodirect, RST leathers and AGV helmets, Purbrook Garage Services. Overall I am pleased with we have achieved this year, especially after my no-score in the first round at Mallory Park. I've had some great battles on track and learnt loads on and off track this year, being surrounded by professional, experienced people. Signing off now -
SAMMYBOY #9
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SCOT:
Friday – Practice day
I arrived bright and early Friday morning, said hi to all the team and got set up for the weekend feeling very excited about riding “Bigbike” but also incredibly nervous. I have been racing my own Factory Mille for the last 2 seasons with some success but have never had the pleasure of having a team behind me and was looking forward to getting underway. I have a quick rundown with Dr AKon the bike and what to expect and all of a sudden it’s time to go out for our 1st 20 minutes practice. I am on a damp track on a new bike to me and new tyres to me (never used Dunlop’s before), in for a penny as they say. Obviously I take it very easy getting used to the bike and bedding the new pads in. I know the track which is a bonus and the session goes by without incident. The only thing I struggle with is keeping both wheels on the ground at the same time, the bike has awesome stopping power and also likes to rear its head.........a lot. We spend the day adjusting the suspension and settings and the times gradually fall in the right direction until we are finally somewhere near where we want to be. All I need to do now is adjust my riding to the bike as smoothness seems to be rewarded which is something I didn’t really have to worry about on the Aprilia. We all have a giggle Friday night and half a shandy and I go to bed a happy man.
Saturday – Qualifying
The nerves are really kicking in now as I know the 1098s is up for sale and I desperately want to keep her in one piece for the weekend, but I also only have a 4 point cushion in the Championship and the battle is on the 3rd overall so I need to push on and have some good results. The session goes well and I call it a day after about 15 minutes as my knees are getting sore while I adjust to riding the bike in anger and feel I won’t improve my times. Up until the last minute I am 2nd in class and get pipped by my rival and 1 other rider but there are 4 of us all within quarter of a second so it promises to be a good race.
Saturday Race 1 – Superpole
We have changed the gearing to lengthen the wheelbase and try to keep the front wheel on the floor better and also added Stompgrips to help my knees. One other thing to throw into the mix now is I have never tried getting the 1098 off the line and they are notoriously hard to get a good start on so its fingers crossed and wait for the lights to go out. I get a surprisingly good start and heading for the first bend there is an almighty pile up which slows down 2 of the Supertwins and I manage to completely avoid the drama and get my head down. After about half race distance I have settled into a nice rhythm and am running consistent lap times. I am also aware that my closest rival is just behind me and am waiting for his wheel to appear at any moment. This does not worry me as I feel I am riding well within my limits and know I am strong into the final hairpin. On lap 15 out of 18 disaster strikes and BB sounds like she has transformed in a Moto GP contender. I know the manifold has blown and coast back to the pits praying AK can work his magic and get her ready for Sunday. We also find out a fork seal has gone so he is extra busy and works late into the evening ensuring we are tip top for the next day. Unfortunately this has handed 20 points to Stuart Poyser so I am now 16 points adrift from 3rd with it all to do on Sunday.
Sunday Race 1
There had been an illegal rave outside the circuit all night so the whole paddock looked like zombies, not a good start to a very important day for me and the KRR Team as Sam had to keep his cool as well. Practice went well and the front forks felt fine after an oil change and I am ready for whatever the day brings. We have two 10 lap races today and I have no time to relax and know fast consistent laptimes are called for if I have any chance of 3rd in the Championships.
I get a fair start but after a few laps am third in class which is not good enough, I need 2nd to stand a chance so push on a bit more and concentrate on being smooth. This starts to pay off as I catch Brian Greenfield slowly but surely. With about 3 laps to go BB develops a fuelling problem through Deene, the fast bumpy double apex right hander at the back of the circuit. This is manageable so I press on and adjust my lines trying to help the bike, and me with limited success. I still manage to catch Brian and on the last lap I run in really hot on the brakes running up to Yentwood and overtake the GP1 bike between Brian and myself. As we exit Yentwood its uphill and I try to feed the power in and cough/splutter, there is no power available. BB was certainly not behaving and I open the throttle a little more when the fuelling kicks in and violently tries to highside me. I manage to hold on to her and carry on but this has given Brian the breathing space he needed. Then another Twin gets underneath me through Gracelands and its game on into the hairpin (Tarzan). He hold a tight entry line so I out brake him on the outside and chop his nose off bringing me home in 3rd by a whisker.
Sunday Race 2
Unfortunately it would need a miracle now for me to get 3rd overall so the last race is all about pride and proving what me and BB can do. AK found a problem with the fuel lines (they had been part crushed, as the seat mounts had sheared,having been cracked in the crash at Brands & this allowed the seat to move forwards thus pressing the tank down) and we think it’s solved so it’s all out for race 2 and I want a bigger pot this time. We had already managed a second off qualifying time in race 1 so really the weekend had been a success anyway. I got a good start but Brian managed his usual flyer and was in front again. The gap stayed static for 4 laps when I found my mojo and started to reel him in. I put my best lap of 1.14.6 in on lap 6 and passed Brian on School straight putting me 2nd in class and my pit board told me I had gapped the nearest twin so I was in a happy place when..............BB started cutting out again half a lap after passing Brian. I couldn’t believe it and tried to nurse her home and make myself as wide as possible. Unfortunately she was cutting out in more places this time, Deene, Yentwood and exiting Tarzan. On the last lap Brian was just in front of me so I tried the same move as in race 1 and out braked him on the outside into Tarzan. It was a blast to the line but she bogged down on the exit again and Brian nicked 3rd by .06 of a second.
All in all it was a damn fine weekend plagued by tiny problems which the team worked very hard to correct and I would like to thank Alan, Charlotte and Nick for all their efforts, the use of Bigbike and the warm reception into the team that was present the entire time I was there!!!!!!!!!
Scot , Chief bike breaker
Note from KRR: After stripping the bike when we got home, we found that the fuel pump had pulled out of its housing, so wasnt picking up correctly as it was too high! Alan is suprised it ran as well as it did in the last race!! The fuelling issues all arose from a crash the last time it raced, way back at Brands Hatch.
Friday: Test Day
I hadn't raced Anglesey since last year so I took the first session easy to get to know the track again. Session 2, I picked the pace up a little bit but still had quite a way to go I was doing 1.19's which was well off a winning time but I felt hadn't pushed 100% yet. Also I noticed a clunking noise coming from the engine as I opened the throttle. I told Alan about this and he done some adjustments and said try it again in the next session. After the second lap of session 3 tango went pop but I still brought it back to the pits safely. Alan and Nick check her out and Alan found Tango had dropped a valve and damaged the piston quite badly. So for the next 4 sessions I rode the number 2 bike and my fastest time was a 1.15 which was still 2 seconds off the pace.
Saturday: Qualifying
We had made a decision and took a head from number 2 bike and put it on to Tango and she seem to be running fine, although possibly slightly down on power. I got pole in qualifying and was very happy my fastest time was a low 1.14.
Saturday: Race 1
I got an awful start as the bike bogged in revs off the line and was 12th on lap two but soon got up to 4th and was chasing down 3rd but just ran out of laps. I was disappointed with myself and felt I could do better, so focused on race 2 and getting a stonking start.
Saturday: Race 2
I got a much better start and was 2nd into the first corner behind Will Hodgson. I was behind him for about 3 laps then Elsmere got into 2nd and I finished 3rd which I was fairly happy with.
Sunday: Race 1
We made a small change to the suspension because in warm up Tango didn't seem to want to hold her line very well but that change stopped that and I was straight on the pace. I got a fairly good start again and was 3rd into the first corner. On lap 1 Hodgson collided with another rider so I moved into the lead and lead for about 2 laps then got passed by Elsmere and finished in 2nd which I was happy with.
Sunday: Race 2
I got a poor start again and was 6th into the first corner I quickly moved to 4th but was struggling down the straights with a miss fire on full throttle, so I had to make all the time up in the corners and push tango's front hard. I made a move on the last corner of the last lap on 4th place and pulled it off to get 3rd. Which I was pleased with. Big Thanks to Alan and Nick for repairing Tango and making sure I was out there racing for the weekend, without Alan's expertise we would have been going home on Friday! Thanks to Charlotte for supporting me and her pep- talks when things were not going right. Thanks to Bev and Murray for their support and great photos. Well done to Dad on 4 second places in the Moto 450 class. And thanks to Mum and Arran for there help and support. All in all a good weekend apart from a few bloopers and I consolidated points in the Junior Powerbike championship so currently 2nd place in the overall standings. Looking forward to Rockingham bring it on!
SAMMYBOY#9
Brands Hatch August 29th - 31st, Sam's report:
Saturday: Test Day
I hadn’t been to Brands Hatch since last year, but I love the track and its special to me as I got my first ever race win there. Alan had been working hard making some changes to Tango and this was my first time testing them out. The whole bike felt a lot more responsive and a bit quicker. We changed the gearing twice and found the setting I was happy with and by the end of the test day I was putting in some good laptimes so the test was a success.Sunday: Qualifying
I was straight on the pace and was hovering around 2nd and 3rd which I wasn’t happy with I wanted pole! So when I saw the 5mins board come out I went all out for pole and got it by 0.134 secs from Hutchinson I was very pleased with that, as were the KRR team. Tango was on the limit that lap the back end was out everywhere I’m not sure she could of gone any faster around clearways. But she stayed together and we got pole! Good times.
Sunday: Race 1I left the garage feeling confident. But while waiting to go on track Tango stopped. I couldn’t get her restarted and the marshals were trying everything to help but she wouldn’t start. We took her back to the garage and Alan started to investigate, he found that the alternator had broken, it was no ones fault just one of those things. So I missed race 1 and was so gutted after setting pole position in qualifying. I just watched the race from pit-wall to see how Matt (who was riding KRR’s other Ducati 800) and my dad (riding his Moto 450) got on. Alan had a spare alternator back at home so Spannerman Nick B was dispatched to go and get it - thanks Alan and Nick for their efforts to make sure I wasn’t going to miss the next race.
Sunday: Race 2
Alan had done a temporary fix to Tango for this one, and he told me to just go out and ride Tango and not worry about the problem. I got a good start and was 2nd into the first corner and was 1st out of the second turn and was leading with Rob Elsmere (Aprilia 550) right on my tail we were swapping places all race but I held it together and managed to take my first outright win! It was so close over the line the gap was 0.049. On the last corner Elsmere got me but I sneaked back passed him along the straight and got the win. The race was red flagged though with 2 laps to go which I was a bit gutted about cause it was a brilliant fun race.
Monday: Race 1
Alan and Nick spent Sunday evening repairing Tango and checking that she was tip-top for todays racing. So I was determined to repay them with some more good results. I got a bit of a bad start and was 3rd into the first corner but got to 2nd with some overtaking around Druids. Then I was chasing Elsmere and with 3 laps left I got him coming out of Clearways I held onto 1st place and took the win. Second win of the weekend and I was very happy.Monday: Race 2
I got a good start in this one and was 2nd and chasing Elsmere again with Hutchinson right on my tail and while I was trying to hold off Hutchinson Elsmere pulled a gap and it was me and Hutchinson fighting for 2nd kept my head and managed to hold him off and got 2nd which I was fairly pleased with.
All in all a very good weekend and it was great fun just a shame about race 1 on Sunday. The bike had felt fantastic all weekend and I really enjoyed riding it. Thanks to Charlotte and Alan for their hard work and support . And thanks to Alan for fixing Tango after race 1 and Nick for getting the new alternator from the team HQ. Thanks to Mum, Dad and Aaron. Also thanks to Unipart, Motodirect (AGV and RST) and all the KRR supporters! Awesome weekend! =D
Bring on Anglesey in 2 weeks time!! Can’t wait
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Matt Traynars Brands Hatch Report: One off ride in the Minitwin class
Saturday testday.................................................... well, not really a testday, more a sort of sit on the m25 for an hour or so and arrive too late to get a session on bike :D
Sunday!
After spending some time moving pegs and levers and handle bars around for a while to try and make it feel slightly less alien, i headed out into qualifying to try the bike out for size, knowing that if i didn't get my arse into gear then i'd be starting very much at the back for two days which didn't really appeal.
Took it fairly steady for a couple of laps to just try and get a feel for the bike but even then i found the something about the way the bike turned just didn't feel quite right, i tired to get my head around it and ride around the feeling but the harder i rode the more the issue was amplified, so i pushed as hard as i dared till the flag came out and found i'd got 16th on the grid overall, wasn't too unhappy with that really, but knew i had some serious thinking to do to try and work out why the bike felt the way it did.
Sat down with my mechanic for the weekend, huge thanks Murray!, and had a chat about how the bike felt, then had a bounce on both ends and started to realise what was happening. We managed to work out that the shock was far too stiff and the forks not quite far enough through the yokes which led us to believe that the weight bias of the bike was the wrong way round, this perfectly explained the strange feeling from braking and turning.
So, made some changes, time to see if they worked!
Race 1.
Figured i'd try the same approach to the start as i had when racing the Desmodue bike, which as it happens..........didn't work at all! Was pretty much last going into paddock for the first time, managed to get a few places back on the brakes into druids and then bang! Someone decided to use me as a brake and ran into the swingarm on the bike, which fired me out of the seat and into the poor chap on the bike next to me! It was a funny kind of a welcome to the series but these guys really mean it, it gangs of new york for last place with this club................and i like it! :D By this time i was well back from most of the pack so just got my head down to try and get past a few bikes in front before the flag, got a place back on the last lap going into druids by going round the outside of him on the brakes which i was quite pleased with, small victorys and all that!
Turned out to be 5th in class after a couple of fallers so not so bad afterall and my lap times came down to 53'7s which was fairly pleasing too. Suspension changes had just about transformed the bike, it felt great everywhere but one place where it was shaking its head in a big way. The perfect fix for this would have been a steering damper, but as this was not available i decided to see if i could dial it out with the rear shock but trying the get the bike to sit fractionally lower in the corner which would reduce the steering head angle and hopefully stop the bike trying to rattle my teeth loose, so onto race 2 then!
The first attempt at getting the bike off the line didn't work, so instead i thought i'd try an approach that i hadn't done for a couple of years and it didn't work well then but didn't think i had much to loose really so off i went.
Thought i'd try it on the warm up lap off the grid to give it a trial run, thought i might be making progress too till the nice fella in front of me decided thathe would try a stealthy practise start without his engine running........needless the say the anchor got thrown out the back in quite a hurry and thankfully i got stopped in time, only to then clench hard as i realised that whilst i had stopped the other folks behind me might not be quite so quick with the stoppers! Luckily all was well and when we lined up once again, i set about trying this other style start, lights came on............ lights went off.......... clutch went out........... Matt went backwards, not only backwards as the other riders came past but backwards on the seat of the bike! It then occured to me that the seat on the bike felt like it was a good four feet long whilst i was sliding backwards along it. Sadly though, with me now sat roughly where the reg plate should have been, the chances of a good start were now a distant dream and i was once again left to play catch up. I'll make my excuses now and take as much redicule as you can possibly give, there were a lot of reasons why my head just wasn't in the right place for this race. The first and i think biggest reason is that Clint had taken quite a big tumble just before our race and the very very second hand bike had just been wheeled back into the pit garage as we were getting ready. This sort of thing doesn't usually bother me too much but given that i had dropped myself in the deep end with somebody elses bike i didn't really fancy the idea of giving them another broken bike to sort out that day. Whilst this was playing in my mind, theres was also an awfull lot of cement dust right on the racing line stretching from the entry to surtee's all the way round the the exit of clearways, which wasn't too grippy to say the least! Thirdly, the changes i had made to the bike had helped no end with the teeth rattling, but had not done many favours to the way the bike felt everywhere else on the track, so with all these and the incident on the warm up lap i decided to not go as hard as i really should have gone, and brought the bike home to a safe 6th place in class to end the day.
So day 1 done, and two not bad results, a lap time that i was pretty pleased with, and a mutlitude of crappy starts but all totally surpassed by the truely fantastic grub the aunty CK had lined up for us, and the trophy presentaion in the club house was incredible!
Sunday....................
Had a long chat with a friend after dinner the night before and had managed to put things into perspective and knew what i needed to do to get the results i wanted for me and for the team.
Practise.
Went out in practise, having put the suspension settings back to the way they were in the first race the day before, and started searching deep for some extra time somewhere, but oddly the bike didn't feel like the