2010 Rider reports will be posted on here shortly after each race meeting
Brands Hatch, 28th - 30th August
Alex's Report:
Saturday: Qualifying 1
Earlier in the day I had done the practise day so I was reasonably happy with the setup of the bike but as soon as I put new tyres on the bike it felt awful so knowing that I had another qualifying in the morning I used this session to get the setup right again.
Sunday: Qualifying 2
Instantly the bike felt a whole lot better and that allowed me to push as hard as I could unlike the day before. I ended up P2 which I was happy with.
Race 1
Before the lights went out, stupidly I crept forward and I got a 10 second penalty. I was first into turn 1 but Hutchinson passed me going into Druids. I tried my best to keep up with him but his bike was a missile down the start finish straight so he got a 2 second lead and held it to the end with me coming in 2nd. All I was trying to do was just go as fast as I could because I knew I had the 10 second penalty. I ended up 5th after the penalty.
Race 2
30 mins before I was due on track the heavens opened. With the new tarmac none of us knew what the grip was going to be like. I got a bad start and I was swamped at the first corner. I got up to 6th and me and Ben Gautrey were eating into the leading pack but we just left the charge too late and I ended up 6th.
Monday: Race 3
Again I got a bad start and I was 7th into turn 1. Within 3 laps I had got up to 4th and I was behind Ben Gautrey and Rick Ballerini (who was riding for Alec Collinson who had come off in the wet and broke his collar bone the day before). It got to the last lap and Hutchinson had a big lead and I was in a 4 way battle for second. I got past Ben coming out of Druids but I just ran out of time to pass Rick so crossed the line in 3rd. After the race I was promoted to second because Rick had started from the wrong grid position.
Race 4
I didn't get too bad of a start I was second into turn 1 and I was on Hutchinson’s back wheel but at the end of lap 3 coming out of clearways Hutches bike blew up and I had a 2 second lead. With 4 laps to go I had a 2 second lead but every lap from then I was losing half a second a lap to Ben and I couldn't do anything about it. On the last lap he was on my case but I managed to put the fastest lap of the race in so I ended up with the win.
After a bad start to the weekend it didn't end up too bad. I would just like to thank every body who has helped me; Alan and Charlotte, Brown, Doug, Murray, my mum and dad, FSC engineering, Henry from Intrall Consulting, Paul from Accountax Solutions, Webby and everyone else who has helped me.
Scot's Report:
Brands Hatch Testing
After the crash at Cadwell there was a few little bits to sort on the bike but all looked well. Unfortunately as soon as I rode down pit lane for the 1st 20 min session it was clear the front end was twisted. I did 1 lap and returned to try and get it straightened up. This and some other small issues meant I only really managed 15 minutes in the whole morning. By the end we were happy the bike was good to go though.
Qualifying 1
This was only 15 minutes and went smoothly. I finished the session 3rd in class and 12th overall and was only .4 off of the class pole time. I had done a PB of 50.5 so was still happy and new there was more to come in the races.
Qualifying 2
We were the 2nd group out in the morning and the track did not look particularly inviting. As I waited in the assembly area BB just coughed and spluttered then died so I had to push her all the way back to the garage. This turned out to be a loose connection which had stopped the battery charging so after a hectic 3 minutes I made it out on track on semi cold tyres so did not improve. In fact I dropped back a place overall to 13th but still 3rd in class.
Race 1 Superpole
All 3 races were 16 laps which is a fair distance at this little circuit. Half hour before our race the heavens opened and we had to quickly change over to full wets which was unexpected. I got a reasonable start and the leading twin got a penalty for jump starting so I was P1 for a while. After a few laps, Les Liney came past and this was a wakeup call as he is 2nd in the Championships with me in 3rd. I picked up my pace but he gradually pulled a gap on me. Then Lee came past and pulled me a bit closer to the pair of them. Lee overtook Les and we stayed static for a few laps. Les then decided to nip under Lee at Druids and lost the front, crashing out and handing me a healthy 13 points so I slowed my pace and just circulated until I saw the chequered flag. This was a bit boring but I needed the points so that was Sunday all done with.
Race 2
10 minute warm up had gone well and as we got going I got another flying start and held position for a while. Then Duncan came past which didn’t concern me as he came 2nd in the wet and was flying. A while later Lee came past and I tried to hang onto him but had been struggling with a muscle in my right leg which really started to hurt after 10 or so laps. I had a massive gap over Les so carried on at a sensible pace just to finish again and take no risks. We finished 4th with a best time of 51.1 so a little disappointed with the times.
Race 3
In the previous race (Sidecars) there had been a huge engine failure resulting in a 30 minute delay and oil from the start of Clearways to the start of Paddock Hill. We had to pass through this 4 times per lap and were given 3 warm up laps and 12 lap race. My grid position was right on the concrete dust but I still managed a flying start. I sat in P2 for about 4 laps, then Lee came past and gapped me a bit but we then stayed static. It was scary stuff going over the oil every lap and even though I had a few bikes on my tail, I held them off to take a 3rd in class and 8th overall. Les was 5th so I am now back to 4 points behind him with 6 races left.
I dont like Brands and I think it showed but we came away with 3 results and that’s what we need right now. Onwards and upwards to Anglesey in 3 weeks - to one of my favourite tracks now.
Huge thanks to CK + AK as always, Steve, Murray and Doug for their help. Also thanks for all the support from friends and family over the 3 days. Hope you had fun.
************ ************ *********** *********** **********
Cadwell Park, 6th - 8th August
Alex's Report:
Qualifying
The bike was set up perfectly because on Friday we had done the full days testing so I was reasonably confident.
I was first on to the track so I had clear road in front on me. I got my head down and within 3 laps Murray had put P1 on the pit board. Half way through the session I came in to see the times and was happy so I went back out to give it one last push. On my last lap I went a tenth quicker so I ended up pole by 3 tenths over Danny Murphy and half a second quicker than a ageing Alex Hutchinson ;-)
Race 1
I got the hole shot and led the first few laps, but on lap 3 Hutchinson passed me going down park straight. I decided to stick behind him and see where I was quicker and passed him on the last lap. I knew exactly where I was going to pass him, so the last lap came but going round Charlies I got a big slide and it was enough to loose his slipstream. I still had a go into Park but I was just too far back. The last place where I could have passed him was round the hairpin so I lined it up perfectly to pass him but he was using his years of experience and slammed the door in my face. Hutchinson won, me second and an impressive third for Danny Murphy. I broke the existing lap reocrd of 1.37.7 (set by Hutch in May) in this race by getting a 1.37.5
Race 2
I led the pack again into turn 1 but straight away this time Hutchinson passed me down park straight, but this time all tactics went out of the window and my plan was to just lead as much of the race as I could. It was one of my best races of my life changing position 2 to 3 times a lap was brilliant. The last lap came and I was leading. Going into Park Hutch came along side me into the braking zone - I had to let the brakes off and brake later. I managed to cut his nose off and then it was just a case of keeping my head down to the finish line. I managed to hold him off to the line for my first win of the weekend. Despite all the overtaking I got another new lap record, 1.36.3!! 1.4 seconds quicker than the old lap record.
Race 3
I decided to try a 190 rear tyre to try to get some more traction round the long corners. I led from the off again but straight away the bike didn't feel right, the back end was coming round on me everywhere and the front was trying to tuck on me. Going into Mansfield on the third lap I lost the front and I went down. Luckily the damage was minimal so it was a quick fix by Alan to get me out for race 4.
Race 4
I went back to the 180 rear tyre for the last race knowing it works well. I got 4 out of 4 starts but like the 2 races before Hutch past me down the straight. As I was thinking of a way past him, Andy Lawson caught me napping and passed me into Mansfield, I got him coming out of Barn and then put my head down to catch Hutchinson up. I managed to outbrake him into Park and then I put the hammer down and managed to pull a second lead which I managed to keep to the end.
All in all was a good meeting, I was really happy with the lap record ( the time would have put me and Hutch 7th and 8th on the 600 grid). Shame about the crash but ah well there is still 400 points available. I’d like to thank Alan and Charlotte for turning out a perfect bike. Murray for being Alan's right hand man - and running up and down that hill to do the pit board each race. Uncle Brown for doing all the filming and my mum and dad for travelling up and down taking me to the meeting and supporting me. Roll on Brands!!
Scot's Report:
With Bigbike now handling like a dream I was really looking forward to this meeting and seeing how much we could improve on times and positions compared to a couple of months ago. We had booked a trackday on Thursday as well to get the maximum from the bike before the important races. Unfortunately I arrived not feeling particularly well with a cold/manflu and could only manage short spells on the bike during Thursday. However the bike felt really good and we knocked 1.1 seconds off our previous best. I also managed to get something in my eye which hindered my whole weekend to a certain extent.
Friday Test Day
Not much to report here. Much the same as Thursday. The bike still felt good, I had marginally more energy but we were out with the 600’s and some were really awful to be on track with so it got pretty frustrating not being able to put a good string of laps together. We missed the last 2 sessions so I could try and conserve a little bit of energy for the weekend and got BB ready for qualifying.
Saturday Qualifying (20 Mins)
I went out fairly near the back of the field and this proved to be a mistake. I got held up by a GP1 boy for a couple of laps so slowed down and left myself some space. With a gap in front of me I put 2 hard laps in and went from P3 in class and 3 seconds off the pace, to P1 which was brilliant. I caught the same GP1 bike up again and tried to do the same by leaving a gap. On my first flying lap I got the 1st and 2nd bends all wrong and was starting to feel tired to I called it a day. Unbelievably Lee Revely had done the exact same time, 1:36.247 but had a faster 2nd best lap time to get pole position with me in P2. There was a new guy on a very trick 200 bhp 1098 RS that was .02 off our time so I looked like the races would be very close and hard fought.
Superpole Race (14 laps)
I got a really good start and it had just started to spit with rain. We were all out on slicks so it was very much like Snetterton where we had our first 2010 race win. I slipped into the Twins lead and 5th overall. After 2 laps I had pulled a 14 second lead over the other twins and was riding at a very comfortable pace when the red flags came out as the rain had got worse. We had 12 minutes to decide what to do. My heart said leave the slicks in as it looked like a minor shower but we opted for inters just in case. On the restart the other twins had changed to full wets which was game over for them as it had already stopped raining and looked quite bright. We got away well again and I pulled a major lead in the 9 lap race. Even with grip issues for the last 3 laps due to a minor oil leak, we won in class by 50 seconds and managed 5th overall which is a top result.
Sunday Race 1 (9 laps)
This was completely dry and even with another good start I could not keep up with Lee. I was about 8th overall and 2nd in class when half way through, the rocket 1098 R blasted past on park straight so I gladly let him go to see if he could spoil Lee’s fun. With arm pump in my right arm due to a loose left Clip on I finished a lonely 3rd in class and 12th overall after going backwards in the last 2 laps. We had managed a few 1:35’s though with the best being a 35.7 so I was really pleased with that after a best of 1:38 on the last visit.
Sunday race 2 (9 laps)
After sorting the clip on out, resting, eating chocolate, taking paracetemol, power drinks and anything else I thought might help, I was well up for race 2 and determined to do well and get into the 34’s with the other 2 fast twins. I was feeling better than I had all weekend and my eye problem was starting to ease. I got a flying start and slotted into 6th overall from 10th on the grid and was right on Lee’s tail. We had a flying first lap and I knew we were on for a fast pace. On lap 2 we blasted round Coppice and as I leant into Charlie In, the front washed out and down I went. It was a fast crash and I escaped lightly. BB is slightly worse for wear unfortunately so AK will have to work his magic before Brands in 3 ½ weeks time. I have now found out that the GP1 bike just in front of us had a blown head gasket and was losing water. Might be nothing to do with my crash but you never know.
Big thanks to CK + AK as usual, Murray and Bev for all their help on pit and pit board duty and all of my sponsors who help keep me on track.........******************** ******************** ******************** *******************
Oulton Park, 25th & 26th June
Scot's report:
After making some major advances on the 1098 suspension I was really looking forward to the Oulton park meeting and seeing what BB could do round there. It’s a real ballsy track and I had a time in mind that I wanted to reach and would have been happy to accomplish hitting the times and grabbing some points back off of Championship 2nd place Les Liney.
Friday:Practice
We only had 3 sessions to get the setup right so it was all a bit of a rush and after overcoming some tyre problems (thanks Gary @ Bridgestone) we were a little off the pace of the leading twin but not by much. We also had a bit of breathing space back to the 3rd place twin which eased the pressure for qualifying.
Friday Qualifying
Just 15 minutes qualifying at this meeting so had to just go for it from the off. I generally never feel like I qualify very well but felt good this time round as my confidence grew in the bike and I pushed that little bit harder each lap. Unfortunately I started to suffer with brake fade after 10 minutes but still felt I had done well. Qualified P2 in class losing out by only .4 of a second to Lee Reveley and 12th overall out of 34.
New pads and tyres were fitted in the evening and a change of gearing to help in 2 areas of the track and the bike was ready for race day.
Saturday Race 1 (8 Laps)
I got a reasonable start and after the usual 1st lap silly business concentrated on settling into a rhythm behind Lee. This was a struggle for the first 2 laps, then I relaxed and made up the small gap that had opened up and soon found I was getting held up by Lee and 4 GP1 bikes. It was hard to make a decisive move so I bided my time and remained patient. Unfortunately half way through the race, an exhaust join separated making the bike very loud so I had to retire as I didn’t want to harm the bike in any way. I had already gone .9 faster than my qualifying time and actually held the class lap record by .002 of a second so had many positives from the race.
Saturday Race 2 (8 Laps)
AK had changed the clutch pack in between races as I had mentioned it was juddering a bit on the previous race start. This felt totally different and I did not get away well and lost 4 or 5 places. These took a while to claw back and I was desperate not to let Lee get too far in front. Fortunately once I got the first 2 laps out of the way I was catching Lee up and on lap 4 managed to pass him exiting the 1st chicane and powering up the hill. I was absolutely trying my hardest and elated I had taken the lead but knew I had my work cut out to stay in P1. Next lap I saw +0 on the pitboard so pushed on and took another couple of places from some flagging GP1 boys. Lap after saw +1 so tried to relax, breath and stay focused concentrating on the next bend, not how I was going to celebrate my win. On the final bend of the penultimate lap, Lee sneaked up the inside on the brakes but ran wide heading up deer’s leap but I couldn’t re take him. We went for it all out on the final lap but I couldn’t make a safe pass and crossed the line .2 behind to take a well earned 2nd in class and 11th overall.
We had both smashed my time from the first race as well shaving another 1.3 seconds off on the final lap!
I can’t wait for Cadwell Park now I really believe I can hunt Lee down and pull a few surprises out of the bag.
************* **************** ************* ****************
Cadwell Park, 29th - 31st May
Scot's Report:
Saturday Practice
I really like Cadwell Park and was looking forward to this meeting. The downside was the bike needs a really good setup to be fast and consistent and that was something we had been struggling with since the Mallory meeting for some reason. The first session was dryish so we put inters on the bike and went for a bobble round. The bike felt ok and we waited so see what the weather would do. Naturally it rained heavily so the rest of the practice sessions were on wets. Overall the bike felt reasonable but I was still lacking feel from the front end so was hoping it would be better in the dry and at race pace.
Qualifying 1
This was really wet and there was standing water everywhere. I know it was the same for all the riders but I really didn’t enjoy these conditions with a bit of a vague front end. On several occasions I had some sideways action aquaplaning at 150 mph on Park straight and also had some moments over the mountain. I called it a day after about 10 minutes as I wasn’t going to improve on my times and had nobody to follow and pull me along. Finished 3rd in class and 14th overall.
Qualifying 2
I was all set for a dry day but the gods had different ideas. With 15 minutes to go before 2nd qualifying it started raining again. This really annoyed me and I was not going to bother qualifying. Then Alex gave me a kick up the bum and with a rushed wheel change I headed down to pit lane. My plan was to follow the class leader and get a tow from him but he was wise to this and bumbled round for a lap and a half. He had nothing to lose so I shot past him and put in 2 hard laps. There was a semi dry line by now and I didn’t want to destroy my wets so I pulled in hoping I had improved. I was amazed to find I was in Pole Position so that cheered me up a bit.
Superpole (14 Laps)
This was going to be a hard race for me. I was finding it very hard to muscle Bigbike around and a 30 mile race was a daunting prospect. I got a fairly good start and after a few laps took the class lead. I couldn’t pull a gap and after another 3 or 4 laps lost the class lead again. There was not much distance between the 3 of us and it was a fairly close race but I just could not quite hand with the leading 2 twins. Finished 3rd in class and 11th overall.
Monday Race 1 (10 Laps)
I got another reasonable start and sat in P2 for the entire race. I could not carry the speed through the faster bends but was good on the brakes so there was a yoyo effect between Les in P1 and myself. It was a really good fun race and I had 2 attempt’s at taking the lead on the last lap but unfortunately neither were successful and I didn’t want a repeat of my silly mistake at Pembrey so settled for 2nd in class and 9th overall.
Monday Race 2 (10 Laps)
I was hoping for another close race but was feeling the effects of putting so much effort into the previous race. I got a fair start but got badly beaten up in the first 2 bends by some GP1 bikes. At the end of lap 1 the other 2 twins had pulled a massive gap on me and I tried my hardest to close up on them but halfway through the race just ran out of steam and settled for a safe 3rd in class again. This was disappointing as I was hoping for slightly better results and times but we scored solid points and now have a healthy gap over 4th place in the championship.
Big thanks to AK and CK for trying their hardest to sort the bike out for me, Doug for pit boarding and helping out with my bike, you’re a star mate, Uncle Brown for doing his bit in all types of weather and Alex for the slap round the head I needed and a subsequent Pole position.
Alex's Report: (Photos courtesy of Glyn Richardson, Thundersport Biscuit Club)
Saturday
I woke up Saturday morning and surprisingly the track was dry so we put the slicks on Tango for the first session, but as per usual as soon as we got to the holding area it started to rain. It wasn't wet enough for wets so I went out just to check the bike was running ok. The bike felt fine, but I came in because the rain got heavier. For the second practice I put wets on because the heavens opened. After a few tweaks the bike felt perfect in the wet so I was confident going into qualifying.
Qualifying 1
The Track was like a river and visablity was limited, every lap I checked my pit board and I was in p3 then with 5 mintues of quailifying left, my bike stopped because water had got into my interceptor. I ended up 7th 
Qualifying 2
This was on the sunday morning and the weather could just not make its mind up. Luckly for my quailfiying session it was dry but because this session was only 10 minutes I didn't get one clear lap in so I ended up 6th on the grid. I wasnt very happy with this result but there was nothing I could do.
Race 1
Minutes before we was about to go out we have a downpour so we quickly changed to wets just in time for the race. I got a good start, getting in to second for the first corner from second row on the grid. Quickly the track dried and the wet tyres were going off quickly so I settled for 6th but luckly for me with two laps to go there was another downpour and my wets came back to me and so I managed to get into 5th before the race got red flagged because of hail.
Race 2
The track was dry so we put slicks on and as we were going onto the grid there was another downpour. I got a rubbish start and was in 18th after the first lap but after two laps the track had dryed so I could put the hammer down and ended up 7th by the end of the race, which I was quite happy about!
Race 3
Monday the weather had decied to settle and it was nice and sunny all day. I didn't get the best of starts and I was 7th after the first lap. Within four laps I fought my way into 2nd and started to put my head down to catch Alex Hutchinson who was 2 seconds in front of me. Within two laps I was at the back of him, trying to figure a way out how to pass him, it got to the last lap and I just wasnt close enought to pass him into Park Corner. So my next opportunity was the Hairpin , I wasnt really close enough but I had ago anyway. I went in about 20 mph too fast and over shot the corner. I finshed 2nd and I was very happy because the lap times were good!
Race 4
The race was restarted and it was a five lap dash. I didn't get to bad a start and I was 4th into the first corner. It took me three laps to get into 2nd place and by this time Alan Percival had a 3 second lead over me. It got to the last lap and I got onto the back of him. My aim was pass him going into the Hairpin but going into Hall bends a back marker got in my way so I ended up coming 2nd. I was over the moon because I got into the 37's which was 2 seconds faster than Tango has even been round Cadwell, and 0.2 of the lap record!
Overall the meeting wasn't too bad and I am behind Alex Hutchinson in the championship by 5 points.
I'd like to thank Alan and My Dad for all their hard work over the weekend - mainly on Sunday night to get my bike up and running, Doug for doing my pitboard. and Charlotte for making everything so organised :)
********* ************ ************* **************
Snetterton, 1st - 3rd May (Snetterton Photos courtesy of Glyn Richardson, Thundersport Biscuit Club)
Alex's report:
Saturday Practice
Saturday morning; it was still damp from the rain in the night so for the first session I went out on wets and just got my self dialled in with there track because I haven't raced there for 2 years. It took me a couple of session to get the set up right and when I did I was quietly confident.
Qualifying 1
I got away with the front runners and they were just holding each other up by racing each other so I dropped back and tried catching them. I did and I managed to put Tango on pole for the second time in a row.
Sunday; Qualifying 2
It was wet and I was confident no one would beat my time from Saturday so I went out and tested the new Bridgestone wets as suggested by Gary from Bridgestone. I went out but within 2 laps it got red flagged. By the time we got going again my tyres were cold and on my first flying lap I lost the front. Luckily the bike wasn't too badly damaged so I could get out for race 1.
Race 1
I got to the grid and something didn't feel right with the brakes. So I decided it was better off parking Tango up because I didn't think it was worth throwing it up the road again.
Race 2
Alan fixed the problem and I was very confident because it was dry. I got a good start and all was well, but after a few laps something didn't feel right set up wise so I was in 5th for most of the race. By the end of the race I caught Will Hodgeson and Ben Gautrey up, and coming up to the last corner on the last lap I lined them both up to get the drive onto the straight but Ben high sided in front of me and I had nowhere to go and I hit his bike and went over the handle bars. I was ok but I was annoyed because I had dropped to second in the championship.
Monday: Race 3
As we got to the holding area the heavens opened and it was all hands on deck in the garage to change my wheels in time for the race. I got out just in time and when I got to the grid the handle bar felt in the wrong place so I came in on the warm up lap to get it moved so I had to start from the pitlane. The race started and I was miles behind but I managed to pick people off 1 by 1 and I got up into 4th. 3rd was in my sights if only I had 1 more lap I think I would have had him but ah well I was happy with 4th non the less, and more importantly I finished ahead of Alex Hutchinson which meant we were joint at the top of the championship.
Race 4
The weather did exactly the same thing as in the first race. It hammered down in the holding area but it was already declared a wet race so they didn't give us any time to change tyres so I made the decision to switch to wets and start in the pit lane for the second race in a row. Another lightning wheel change and I was ready to start. Again I was miles behind and i got into 4th by the end of the race which I was very happy with because I finished ahead of Hutchinson and Hodgeson so I go into Cadwell with a 5 point lead.
It wasn't the best of weekends but I would like to thank every one who helped me over the weekend; Jordan and Andy for doing the pit board and helping Alan out with the bike; My dad and Alan for fixing the bike after I threw it up the road, my team mate Scot and garage mates Garfield and Charlie Flett for helping out with tyre changing and CK for making everything work like clock work. Lets hope Cadwell is a better weekend...
Scot's Report:
Saturday Practice
We only had four 15 minute sessions so was up against it with setup. After the Pembrey upset we needed solid results but I felt confident we could do well here. The day started off wet so the 1st session was a bit of a waste. We then tried some scrubbed Bridgestone slicks as it was starting to dry and the bike felt good in general and really strong down the straight's even in stock form. We finally moved back onto the Dunlop slicks which we finished last year on but couldn't get the bike setup in time.
We left them on for qualifying and ended up 2nd in class and 11th overall but with slower times than we hoped for.
Sunday Superpole Race
We had skipped Sunday qualifying as the heavens had opened just before we were due out and we had the bike waiting on new slicks, times were not going to improve so we played safe and waited for the 14 lap race in the afternoon.
I got a good start in the race and was the leading supertwin for a while. Another 1098 with a bit more power than we have came past me on the straight and I just could not stay with him. The gap stayed static at a few seconds and I felt I had a safe 2nd place in the bag but as the race went on the championship leader started catching me and I watched my lead over him drop lap after lap. Luckily he ran out of time and we held onto 2nd by a small margin but I was happy none the less.
Monday Race 1
The weather had been ridiculous all day; raining, stopping then raining again so tyre choice was tricky to say the least. We had made some substantial changes to the bike so it was a case of fingers crossed and hope it helped. I got a reasonable start but got shoved back to 3rd in class fairly early and the leading two twins pulled a gap on me. I had resigned myself to a lonely and boring race when it started to rain at a couple of corners on the track. Within a lap and a half I had pulled back the substantial gap on the leaders and passed them. I couldn't believe my luck but was now very wary on being the leader in our group as its difficult to know how hard to push without crashing. Unfortunately the rain didn't last and I was soon battling to hold position. I finally lost out on 2nd in class by .009 of a second but had a whale of a time.
Race 2
This race was started in the dry but under wet race conditions. We were all on slicks and I got a good start and took the class lead on the 2nd bend. Even though the times were slow I held position and but kept seeing plus 0 on the pitboard. On about the 5th lap it started raining again but only at certain areas. This continued for the next lap as well and the conditions were getting tricky. I still had plus 0 being shown when the heavens opened and we barrelled into a very wet Russells bend praying to make it out of the other side. Then heading onto Revitt straight it was hailing and the stones were bouncing about a foot in the air. I continued as best as I could but exiting the bomb hole the red flags were shown. I gladly accepted my first win of the season and will remember that race for a long time.....
Snetterton Photos courtesy of Glyn Richardson, Thundersport Biscuit Club
Note from AK & CK: This was one of the MOST challenging meetings for set-up we have ever done, we were SO pleased with the way that Scot rode, particularly in the final race
******** ********* ********* ********* ********* ********** *********
Pembrey, 10th & 11th April
Alex's Report:
Friday practice
The weather was nice warm and sunny and i was really excited to get on track and try out the new the new things that Alan had got put on the bike.
In the 1st practise the bike felt like a rocket from last time i rode it at Mallory due to the new Interceptor that had been put on the bike. Also i was getting to grips with the new quick shifter which was a big help to me.
Within a couple sessions i had got the set up pretty much spot on so i was confident going into qualifying i could set a good time.
Saturday
Qualifying
I went out behind Alex hutchinson and coming round the flat out kink on the second lap his engine let go and a bit of his engine casing hit me, so it took me a lap to get settled in and by the end of the session i was pole by 0.016 of a second over Connor Tagg.
Race 1
After doing several practise on friday i got my start off to a T. I led the race start to finish, after Doug put i was +3 on the pit board i slowed down to make sure i didn't do any mistakes.
Race 2
Again i got the hole shot into turn 1. I didn't manage to get away like i did in race 1 so i had to push to the last lap but again i led the race stat to finish. I was really happy with the win but the bike had a lot of chatter on the front end so we put a new tyre on for sunday in hope that the chatter would go.
Sunday
Race 1
I led the field again into the first corner. Will Hodgson got passed me round the back end of the track but by the end of the lap i was back passed him. The bike was still suffering from chatter and Connor Tagg was pushing me for the lead. we had pulled a large gap over Hodgson in third. But as i was coming on to my 9th lap i was shown the black and orange flag which means there i a fault on our bike. I pulled straight off the track and when i looked behind the bike was smoking. I instantly through the worst and through the bike and blown up but when we got it to the pits , Alan quickly found the problem. There was a small hole in the oil cooler so a quick fix and a tweak on the suspension i was ready for race 2.
Race 2
I got another amazing start and i quickly pulled a lead, the changes we did to the suspension was perfect but on lap 3 my clutch started to slip and as the race went on it got worse and worse. By lap 6 Tagg was pushing me and he got past me, i tried to stay with him but i couldn't get the drive coming on to the straights. There was quiet a distance to 3rd so i decided to settle for second.
All in all i was happy with the weekend apart from the DNF but that's racing. The bike felt spot on and i can't wait for snett !!!
Scot's report:
Friday Testing
This went well all day and after making some minor suspension adjustments we were running consistent sustainable times which were on the pace of the other leading Supertwin’s. It looked like there would be some hard, close racing to be done throughout the weekend.
Qualifying
We had 20 minutes qualifying and the top 3 Supertwins were all very close as expected. It was difficult to get a clear lap in and as the session was coming to an end I was 3rd in class so made a hard push on my final lap. On entering the pits AK told me we had pole but unfortunately on the last lap, we got pipped so ended 2nd in class and 8th overall which was still a very good result.
Saturday Superpole Race
This was set to be an 18 lap race and we had a strategy in place which would give us some solid points if nothing else. I got a reasonable start and was 2nd in class exiting the first bend. There was a GP1 bike in between myself and the class leader and on lap 2 I felt he was holding me up so I tried to out brake him into the hairpin to ensure the leading Twin did not pull too much of a gap on me. Unfortunately I left a little too much to do and lost the front end, skidding into the leading Supertwin and ending the race early for both of us.
Sunday Free Practice
Alan had worked hard to get Bigbike ready for Sunday morning and we had made some radical changes to try and make the bike more useable on the power. We had 10 minutes on track and the changes had made a difference. Reasonable laptimes were accomplished and I was concentrating on staying out of trouble in the race.
Sunday Race 1 – 12 Laps
I got a poor start in this race and sat in a comfortable 3rd in class all race but was off the pace and the bike felt really un settled. It was an un eventful race and I was glad to see the chequered flag. We finished the race collecting another 16 points and set about adjusting the suspension for race 2.
Sunday Race 2 – 12 Laps
I managed to get a much better start to this race and was sitting 3rd in class again but on the tail of the leading twins this time. I felt I was running at a comfortable pace and the gap was staying static. At about half distance a GP1 bike came past me and we changed positions a couple of times when I decided to let him go and get a tow up to the other twins and get ready for a big push on the last 3 laps. Out of the blue the front end tucked tipping into the hairpin at the far end of the track causing me to go down again. This was a strange crash as the bike had felt brilliant all race and we had also set out best time of the weekend. I had no prior warning that I was losing grip and can only assume there was something put down onto the track by the sidecars that had raced before us.
This was a very disappointing end to the weekend after running so strongly all race. Fortunately the damage is not serious and we will be out at Snetterton hoping for better results and better luck.
Pictured here is AK & CK with Steve Day, prior to TV interviews......
********* ********* ******** ********* ********* ******** ********
Mallory Park, 13th & 14th March: 1st race meeting of the year
Alex's March Mallory report 
Friday
We arrived at the track early Friday morning, it was damp but i was hoping it was going to dry up because it was nice and sunny, but i was wrong. After 9 o clock it pretty much rained all day. I did the first couple of sessions getting used to the weather and track with no hick ups, but as i was getting quicker the clutch started slipping. so i missed a session whilst Alan changed it. Next session i went out the clutch was fine but towards the end of the session the bike started to miss fire then it cut out. Alan stripped it all down and found out it was water that had got into it. He worked his magic and got me out just in time for the last session and the bike felt fine.
Saturday
After walking round the track i made the decision it was dry enough for slicks for qualifying.
10 minutes before qualifying we went to start the bike and there was nothing, we found out that it was water that had got into the power comander so Alan took it off and i went out to qualify. There was still a few damp patches so i went gingerly for the first few laps and made sure i got some heat into my tyres. I put the hammer down for a few laps but the front tyre felt abit hard so i came in and took a couple of psi out and i went on my way again. On my last lap i put my quickest time in and ended up 3rd on the grid.
Race 1
I got a ok start and was 5th into the first corner, but coming out of Edwina's Alex Hutchinson went down. I followed Andy Lawson for a few laps and once i was comfortable i passed him. Connor Tagg and Ben Gautry had pulled a gap,it took me a lap to catch them and i manged to get passed them by lap 5. From there on i managed to pull a gap and was just checking the pit board to make sure the gap stopped the same. I won the race by 2 and half seconds, i was sooo happy because it was my first Thundersport win.
Race 2
I got a good start and was 4 into Gerrards. By lap 3 i was in second behind Hutchinson and passed him into Edwina's but he passed me straight back. i decided to stop behind him and on the last lap i passed him into Edwina's, I managed to keep him behind me till the line and made it 2 wins out of 2. I was over the moon.
Race 3
I got a awfull start and was about 7th into Gerrards and had it all to do. I manged to make a few places up and was 4th by the end of lap 1. By lap 4 i got up to second but Hutch had pullled a gap. By lap 8 i manged to catch him and followed him for a lap and on the last lap i pulled a almost carbon copy move as in race 2 and passed him into Edwina's. I held him off to the end and i was ecxstatic, 3 wins out of 3!!!
Race 4
Again my start wasn't the best and was 6th into the first corner, by the end of the lap i got bullyed down to 9th! Slowly i started workin my way through the field but i got stuck behind Ian Popplewell. It took me till lap 5 to pass him and the leaders were nearly the full straight ahead of me. I got my head down to catch Tagg and Gautry, by lap 8 i had passed them both and Will Hodgson and Hutchinson were in my sights. It was the last lap and i had got onto the back of Hodgson and Hutch, going into the hairpin Hodgson ran in too hot trying to pass Hutch so i was in second and between the hairpin and the bus stop circane i passed Hutch, i couldnt belive i had got into the lead and coming onto the straight i thought i had won it but he slipped streamed me to the line. I was still happy with the second, 95 point out of a possible 100.
I would just like to thank every one who has heplped me, Alan and Charlotte, my mum and dad, Doug for doing my pit board, Steve for the filming and ken from FSC Engineering.
Scot's March Mallory Report
Friday Testing
We woke to miserable weather on Friday morning and I opted out of the first session as we were 2nd out on track and I wanted some input on track conditions. The weather got gradually worse and we fitted full wets onto Bigbike and managed to do the next three 15 minute sessions without any drama’s or scary moments. Bigbike felt good with the new rear suspension linkage fitted so we swapped wheels at lunch time to new Bridgestone wets as we had not used them before. Unfortunately water had managed to find its way into the ECU and we couldn’t get the 1098 to start. That was the end of play for the test day for me so we concentrated on stripping her down to try and find a solution.