Oulton Park

Blazing sunshine for two whole days,can you believe it? The test day on Friday went well but wasted to much time mucking about with differant gearing when I should have just rode it and concentrated on the track which is just awesome. The corners I just could'nt get right were the ones that needed the most bottle,Island and the first one Old hall I think, as much as I tried to go through quicker the little voice would force me to back off and turn in to early its about time the little voice pissed off and went to annoy someone else!
On race day I took practice quite steady to run some tyres in but did'nt feel over confident going round and the nerves started to build again for the qualifying race where I lined up next to Mr All Action Andy Hayes and true to form he managed to wheely three times off the line before he disappeared like a cat with rocket up it jacksy.I think I took a few places into the first but over the five laps I kept getting passed at my bogey corners and also was crap getting the power on up Clay Hill. I ended up thirteenth which put me twenty fifth in the A final which was loads off fun,the first lap was pretty hectic with forty bikes all going down Cascades four abreast! and at the second chicane about five were trying to squeeze through most ending up on the grass, I took the brave option and went straight up the slip road but didn't gain any advantage so it was OK. It felt like I was riding much better but my crap corners were letting me down and someone had me at one of them every lap.Apologies to Adam Parker who nearly crashed into the back me when I missed a gear on the straight OOPS!! I was quite sad to see the last lap flag but pushed on and actually regained a place in the last corner which felt bloody good and put me in twenty eighth.
I'm kind of getting used to being the slowest in the garage but when you share with the likes of Josh,Dave Thomson and the twins Dazza and Paul Jeffery then what can you do. Glad to see Paul walked away from a very fast crash with Dazza right behind him, those two are having a great battle this year and really pushing each other on.
Looking forward to Thruxton in two weeks really enjoyed it last year and its my last chance to regain my Va Va Voom before the end of the year

No Limits trackday Oulton Park

Oulton Park WOW!!,this is without doubt my new favorite track ever.The place is like a rollercoaster with blind crests,cambered corners and a fast sweeping bends,the videos on YouTube really don't do it justice, it just has to be ridden by anyone with a track bike. Its a bit of a pig to find once your off the motorway but luckily the others were already there to guide me in. The gate was locked so we headed off for a couple of pints at a pub that stunk of old people but did the job. The funniest thing that night was my 5 guests trying to get to sleep in a bed made for 3 kids! I would of shared my ultra comfy double bunk but "I have to look after my back". The morning was lovely and dry and we got set up in one of the huge garages with some other NG racers. The first couple of sessions were spent learning the track but it was a bit annoying getting held up by the road bike guys who I guess have to ride there bikes home so are a bit cautious,Darren and all the other racers were just carving through them but I still haven't got the confidence back yet to take the necessary risks. Had one scary moment when my sparring partner Matt Curtis ran out of fuel just as I was lining up the pass, how I missed him I don't know as my eyes were shut! Matt wanted revenge for Donington where I beat him by a fag paper and I'm afraid he kicked my arse all day and now he's retiring to go to Uni what a cop out!! The rain came down heavy after lunch but I really enjoyed just trying to ride smoother rather than faster. Still not up to speed yet but its coming back gradually and I feel confident about racing here later this month. Special prize of the day goes to Matt though for not only kicking my arse on track but also making me laugh so much I nearly wet myself with his "Pit lane incident". good luck at Uni Matt.