Gregcrosby.co.uk - Brands Indy

Brands Indy - Jul 18th 2005

Tuesday, 19 July 2005
Me, Rob and Allun.... The weekend started well with the Bemsee racers doing their thing in glorious sunshine on the full Brands GP circuit. Greg and I had brought both bikes in the back of the van with intention of him riding home, and me staying over Sunday night, ready for the track day in the morning. So after everyone had packed up, I waved goodbye from a lonely empty pit garage! Thankfully, there were a couple of guys next door who were also staying, so I popped my head into their garage to say hi, before getting on with the work I needed to do on the bike, and getting the rest of the stuff set up in the garage. The ZXR still had Brands GP gearing on from the previous trackday,so I set to work putting the 47 sprocket back on. I'm pleased to say, even though it took me ages, I managed it all on my own ;-) While I was working one of the guys next door came over with a cold bottle of water straight from the fridge - what a star! Once I'd finished everything off I went and sat with them both with a drink, and chatted for a while before heading off to bed. I got up at 7 - pretty late for a normal trackday, and it was nice to have time to chill out with a cuppa, without having to get the bike unloaded and setup. Rob rolled up shortly after I got up, and by the time he was unloaded and sorted it was time for the briefing at 8. Going from past experience of the "non-standard PACE day" - i.e. the pace day run along side the proper ESS race school, I got into my leathers before the briefing, knowing that it was likely to be the inters group out first, and it tended to be a little on the rushed side. So we sat through the briefing, and they then let the advanced riders go out ready to sign on, while keeping the inters in for an extra chat about how to countersteer your way out of a corner you've managed to bugger up. We were then let out to join the vast queue for sign on. Once signed on I legged it back to the garage to get ready to go out - Rob, bless him, had warmed my bike up already and got it all ready to go - cheers mate! But by the time I had my lid on the Inters were already out on track andpit lane had closed. >:o( Exactly what had happened last time - and I'm not impressed, it's not my fault they overran the briefing! So I went and had a word with Tazzie, who was working for ESS that day, and she said I could go out with the fast group next session. So, I'm out ready to go with Rob and Allun, and we're at the back of the line up in pit lane. We edge to the front, and then suddenly the marshalls stop me, and the remaining 4 other riders behind me including Rob and Allun from going out, saying they'd reached the limit of the circuit and too many riders were out on track. So we sit there for a while while they try and sort it out, and finally they tell us to go back to our garages, assuring us that they'll give us an extra session at the end of the day. Well, none of us are amused, and we're not entirely confident about getting any extra session, but we just have to wait and see. Even more annoying is we've missed the timed session that they'll use to do the first set of grids, so we each have to start from the back of our respective groups. Great. Finally then, I get out in the next inters session, starting from the back. Turns out I'm a lot faster than most of the group, and end up doing loads of overtaking, and even lapping some people! I was getting some good overtaking practice in though, so it wasn't all bad. I was jobbing bikes at every corner - in places that I've never been brave enough to overtake before, like Graham Hill or Druids on the brakes. In some laps, at my favourite places for overtaking - exiting clearways, on the brakes into paddock, and on the outside at paddock - I was getting 4 or 5 bikes at once!!! I was struggling quite a bit with a downchange just before the entry to clearways, so I had a really good chat to Tazzie about which gear to be in where, and also some more general pointers on various places on the circuit. She made some suggestions which I tried in the next session - I started short shifting up on the straight, after Graham Hill, and then stuck with 4th all the way round McLaren and into Clearways. It worked so much better - I had much more time to get lined up and brake for Clearways, and it consequently made the corner much smoother. I had been concerned I wouldn't have the revs for the exit, seeing as it's one of my favourite overtaking places, but actually it made bike so much more planted, less twitchy, and made the roll onto the throttle a lot smoother. Top tips Tazzie - thanks very much!! I think I should have stuck with the 46 sprocket after all though, cos I was topping out looking for 7th on the straight. (That must mean I was faster than last time there mind ;o) After that session, we had a break for lunch, and we got the grid reshuffled again. I was pleased cos I didn't want to spend the whole day having to work my way to some clear track. I was also really hoping I'd make it into the back of the fast group, as it seemed I was a fair bit quicker than many of the inters riders. And...YES!!!! I did it - I made the fast group for the first time. And what was better was I wasn't even at the back! I was about three rows from the back, with 8 or 9 riders behind me. How chuffed??? Man, I was buzzing! And just to make my head even bigger, some guy from the inters group came round to tell me he was impressed with how fast I was - you should have seen his face when I told him it was a 400 I was riding ... LOL, it was a picture!! He left the garage quite quickly after that ;o) First session after lunch, and my first in the fast group. It's going to be a very different session - it's not at all likely I'm going to just be able to overtake like I had been, I was going to have to work for it this time! Tazzie had agreed to come out with me this session too - she was going to follow me, then try and overtake and show me places where I was weaker. So out we went, and I managed to overtake I think 2 riders, and stay ahead. I didn't see Tazzie, I'm sure she must have been absolutely shattered after the weekend though, so I don't think she was on the kind of form she'd normally be. Towards the end of the session the faster riders from the front were beginning to overtake me. Allun, who'd started beind me, also overtook me, and I was starting to get tired and achy, so I was quite happy to see the chequered flag out! All off us rolled in absolutely shattered, I guess just the normal session-after-lunch-syndrome, so I put the kettle on while Tazzie ran me through what she'd observed during the laps she was following me. Some great tips again Tazzie - you gave me just the right amount of bigging me up versus telling me where I need to improve. Cheers mate! So, out again, and this time Allun says he'll try and catch and overtake me (he's a good 6 riders behind, so no mean feat!). He does, at Graham Hill, and then taps the back seat indicating for me to follow him. That turned out to be one hell of a session! I should explain, for those of you who don't know him, Allun was successfully racing SS400 until he had a horrible accident which badly broke his leg last year. I think I'm right in saying that was the first time he's been back to ride at Brands since then, and in addition to that, he was on a road-going RVF, which he really didn't want to crash. So, given a mission, I knew Allun could be very quick. So, I'm managing to follow him, in the corners where I lacked his speed I could make up for it with the power of my bike, but in following him I was riding faster than I had before, without a doubt. His entry speed in to Paddock is truly awesome - I was managing to copy his braking points (his lights weren't taped), so I was braking as late, but he was letting off earlier than me. I've never braked so late into Druids - it was amazing! I had the back wheel squirming around and everything! I learnt a lot in that session - I had no idea I could go that fast. It wasn't even ragged and scary - I was just as smooth, just faster, later on the brakes, harder on the gas. Thanks so much Allun, you really helped me! Towards the end of the session I missed a gear into Druids (I think I left the braking so late that I didn't have time to make a positive enough downshift) and as a result I got overtaken by a couple of bikes. It was all I could do to stick with Allun - gaining on him after losing time just wasn't gonna happen, so after another lap I decided to come in. About 30 mins after pulling in we find out that, good to their word, the 5 of us are getting an extra session. FIVE of us on track on our own!! Not something to be missed!! So, out we go, one yellow flag lap and we're off. The leading guy is pretty slow, and I nearly ran into the back of him at Graham Hill, and Allun nearly ran into the back of me :oS We managed to clear him, and I'm going for it. Mission: try and stay in front of Allun. I managed a good few laps without seeing him, and then he gets up the inside at Graham Hill. I powered back past him straight away (I think he may have backed off to be fair), and spent another couple of laps ahead. He got me again, same place, and again I powered past him. Rob came flying past at some point too - I tried to stay with him, but no chance - you're quick mate!!! Finally Allun got me again by outbraking me into Druids, and he made it stick for the rest of the lap. I managed to miss a gear again into Druids, and again, figured it was probably time to call it a day. Big grins all round for sure, I think we all had a fantastic day, despite the shaky start. I can't wait to get my lap times, I'm sure I'm quicker than before. I don't think we'll get them until next week though :o( Big thanks to Rob, Allun and Tazzie for all the help and support, I really felt like I achieved a lot! I can't wait to get out there again....2 weeks till Snetterton ;o)
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 19 July 2005 )