Oulton Park, Cheshire - 1st April 2002

Easter Monday 1st April 2002
MRO National Cup - Round 3

Was awake before my alarm went off at 6-15am………… made sure Chris was up, he was already, and I made us both a crappy cuppa, with those little sachet thingamebobs you have in your room……… better than nowt I suppose as I had a mouth like Ghandi's flip flop…… Had a look out the window and the road was wet, so looked like I could be using No 2 bike today……… (It was already fettled with the wet tyres)……

Must have taken the scenic route to the track, because it took us about half an hour, but we eventually arrived unscathed…… it was pretty chocca, had to drive round a few times to pick a spot, but squeezed in not too far from the scrutineering bay, and unloaded the bikes first…… Was wondering about putting the awning up, what with my sore shoulder, which was getting sorer and Chris's dodgy leg…… I thought we were going to have a real struggle doing it…… pushed a bike each to be scrutineered, said a quick 'yo' to Mark Parrett who arrived with his Wilson and Collins ZXR750, he was behind us and went through before us…… if you ever stand behind me in any queue, don't bother…… I always seem to get the slow moving ones………and then it was back to the van, got my kit on and checked and then signed on…… saw Mark Mann pushing Chris Heath's bike and spotted them across from us…… went and had a word on them and Chris offered us a spot in his HUGE awning…… which was a right result…… got to say a big thanks to both of them for that, and to Chris's wife, Linda, for an endless supply of coffee…… There was rain forecast, and it felt like it was in the air, but both the track and the paddock was bone dry, although pretty cold, and there was a handy breeze blowing…… was really hoping that it would go one way or the other, either wet enough for my wet tyres, or totally dry, so that my SuperCorsa's would do the job…… if it was damp, I'd be in trouble, was even thinking of not doing it if that was the scenario……

Seeing as how it would be completely dry for the untimed 8 minute practise session I had already planned to keep the same tyres on that had been on my No 1 bike all weekend……… they were pretty f*****d, but I wanted my new set on for timed qualifying (18 minutes)…… at this level, they use new tyres for qualifying and new ones again for the race, sometimes for practise as well, but that's nearly 700 quid in tyres in a day! Too much for me on my two bob and sixpence a week. So, the new ones on for qualifying, and they were bloody well staying on for the race…… would have loved new ones…… but them's the breaks……

Went out in my practise session at 0942 and did 4 laps…… just really familiarising myself with the track, I've only raced here twice before, and the last time I had binned it at Foulston's chicane…… oops, hit a false neutral, went on the grass…… over and out. Pulled back into Chris's awning and found that I had done a 1'48.48…… going to get my arse completely whupped if I don't do better than that. The qualifying cut off time is 115% of the time of the third fastest qualifier, which I guessed would be a round the 1'40 mark at best…… it would have been in the summer, but at this time of year lap times are always slower………colder, with less grip…… so that made the qualifying mark around the 1'55 second bracket, so there was no doubt I would qualify, it was all about where…… In the 600 race, NOBODY apart from Blair Degerholm has ever won from further back than 10th spot on the grid…… so, to get any kind of result was definitely not going to be easy.

Straight after practise, both Chris (Team Manager) and I whipped both wheels off and put the new ones on, had to do it straight away as I was back out in 26 minutes for my timed qualifying session, not a lot of time to make these necessary adjustments…… didn't even have time to take my new leathers off to do it either, and was trying hard not to get them dirty…… but got the job done in time …… Chris's son, Chris Junior arrived with his mate Adam to help out if they could and cheer me on…… but as we had everything ready, with only two more track outings, hopefully, packing the van would be their only job……… although all three of them would be hanging off pit wall boarding for me…… had a yap with Heathy, grateful for any tips he could give me, and while we were rounding Druids in our heads, it sounded like there was four strokes out on the track………… shit! I wasn't ready, and it was my timed qualifying session……… I must have been in 'Jurby mode'……… Got my helmet and gloves on while Chris H and Mark took my tyre warmers off, my 'pit crew' had buggered off somewhere……… Got to the holding area, passing my crew on the way and was ushered down pit lane and on to the track……… bollocks, I would have preferred it to have been less frantic, but it didn't give me any time to think about it which wasn't a bad thing…… did two laps to scrub the tyres in…… first lap was a 1'46.66, the next 146'49, then I upped my pace by following a bloke called Bower who came past me, knew who he was because he had done the British Championship round at Cadwell Park last year when I was there with Juan Kinnish…… was still pretty unsure of getting the throttle on as early as I would have liked and was still being a bit too cautious, but next lap round it was 1'43.87…… well that was better than my previous best, which had been a 1'44.5 on the old steel framed CBR Honda last year…… got blocked on the next lap (1'44.20) and then caught back up with Bower on my penultimate one, was struggling a little with the shoulder, (though it seemed to hurt more when I stopped)…… pulled in after 6 laps in total, and my lap timer had recorded a best 1'43.00…… didn't think that was overly great…… My Team Manager had me down for a 1'42.8 on the stop watch……… but when I went to check, it was officially 1'42.95……… and I had qualified 5th……… Bloody Hell…… Brilliant!!! Was absolutely made up, didn't think that I had done that much to get on the front of the second row, Bower had qualified behind me in 6th spot. Now I was just hoping for a similar result to round off an absolute top weekend. Pole was set at 1'41.35

Got back to the Awning, and fettled the bike ready and had dinner break………… just to keep myself calm, had a walk down pit lane and watched the 250 race, got a few nods from other 600 riders……… seemed that they knew who I was, which was a great confidence booster……… although maybe my bike was attracting the attention, but no matter, I was getting noticed, now to stuff it right up em on the track……

My race was Race 3, The Supersport 600, 12 laps, I waited in one of the 'Aisles' in the paddock with all my gear on so that I could watch the holding area fill up, as were a few others, because I didn't want to be first there and let my tyres cool down……… don't know how I did it but it happened again, by the time I got to the holding area, it was empty………… everyone was already on the grid…… oops…… was waved out straight onto the track and wobbled my way to fifth spot…… the TV cameras were there and the front row all had brolly dollies in their knee high boots and hotpants etc……(maybe next time). I don't know if its just me that finds that funny………… as soon as I was in my spot they were off the grid and we were waved away on our warm up lap…… it was a good feeling to be at the front at a National event, and going round there was quite a lot of people watching…… I was hoping that I was going to be able to get away with the leaders and then see what happened from there, we settled back on the grid and I was a little shaky, I know I'm not the best starter in the world on a 600, maybe get a good one out of ten, I was just wanting this one to be a goodie……

The lights went red, quickly followed by green and we were offski…… another average start had me cursing, but as I was on the outside of the grid, I managed to go round the outside of a few at the first corner 'Old Hall'…… powered towards Dentons and into Cascades I got great drive on the exit and flew past some more, was back up to around 5th by the time we got to 'Shell Oils Hairpin', and I think I'm pretty handy round there, its really well banked with a positive camber…… So, made a move to go round the outside and as we all tipped into the corner, one of the favourites, Sam Corke hit the back of someone and he went down……… right in front of me………… bollocks! Swerved to avoid him as he was spinning in the track and only just missed him, more by luck than judgement, but then I thought I was on the grass……… and only just missed it…… Christ that was lucky…… was looking for the red flags, but they never came out, and I lost quite a few places, down to about 10th or 11th at this point…… saw that Juan's mate!!?? (sic) New ERA Super Club Champion, Baker, had got past me, so that was like a red rag to a bull, chased him down to Knickerbrook still not believing there were no red flags out……… I had my work cut out for me now…… tailed him for a lap and up Clay Hill on lap 3 I was ringing the neck of my R6 and went up the inside of him at the blind crest absolutely flat out in 5th and got past him……… yeeee haaarrr. Managed to get past a couple more and never spotted my pit board the first couple of times round as we were all still pretty much together……… but when I did it said P8 +0 (position 8, plus 0 seconds) that meant that there was someone up my chuff, but that info was a lap old, and I knew that I'd passed Baker, so it was at least P7…… could see all the geezers in front of me and could make out Bower and Tony Shaw (who wears Iain Duffus's old leathers), tried to get past the bloke in front of me on the No 22 bike to go sixth and had that many bites at him I was getting sick of it……… I nearly ran into the back of him every time at Cascades, where he was a lot slower and at Shell oils, but there was the oil flag out where Corke had crashed, so I was extra cautious through there, he was also holding me up at Clay Hill and Druids, but it was far too bumpy there to make a move, so tucked in behind again……… next few laps round it was still P7……… but was pulling away from the blokes behind when it said +2……. Then +4……. Then +6……… If I had been a little stronger in my left shoulder, I would have made one of these moves on the guy in front stick, by being braver on the brakes, but didn't want to ruin my whole weekend by jumping off…… give the guy his due, every time I showed him my front wheel, he wiped my nose, but he was still holding me up……… I knew if I could get past him the bloke in front of us would be toast as well…… eventually managed to get past to go 6th by going around the outside of him over the start/finish line, but he wiped my nose again into Old Hall corner, nearly had to go on the grass at Cascades, when his back wheel nearly took my arm off I was that close, that put the shits up me a bit……… next lap round my board said P7 +8, so, had bagged 7th at least barring any mishaps and crossing the line for lap 10 saw someone near my pit crew gesturing to slow down, I thought it might have been my Team Manager thinking the same as me about not ruining the weekend by tipping off……… your friggin joking aren't ya???……… (turns out it wasn't, they were all screaming at me to go faster!) Could still see the leader on a blue bike every lap as I went under the Warwick Bridge, and I was just wishing I could get past this bloke safely……… the exit of Druids was really wearing me out, as you have to stand on the pegs, lean off the left hand side of the bike to compensate the wheelie that you get while banked over…… the bike comes up and hits you in the chest and it wobbles when it lands…… hard enough when your fit…… it started to spit with rain on the penultimate lap, so I started to get a little worried, and on the last lap it was coming down heavier, and into Lodge Corner for the last time three of us were together and crossing the line there was only three quarters of a second between us……… and I had bagged 7th………only 7 seconds down on the winner. I would have ripped your arm off if you had offered me that before the event, but I was a little disappointed after qualifying fifth…… I had also set the fourth fastest lap of the race…… couldn't help but wonder what would have happened in Corke hadn't crashed. We were ushered straight into Parc Ferme and I leaned the bike up against the fence and went to find my pit crew to put it up on its stands, while I got out of my leathers……… was sweating cobs, sore and absolutely knackered……… and your supposed to enjoy this. Packed the van up just as it started to rain…… really would have struggled without the help of Chris Jnr, and Adam…… cheers boys! Went and got a shower, which was nice and hot, and changed the bandages that I'm still having to do every day, then went to pit lane for a quick watch…… Heathy came 9th in the Powerbike. He was a little disappointed, thanked him for his hospitality, then said ta-ra to Chris and Adam, then me and Chris Snr jumped in the van and headed for the ferry. About 5 minutes into our drive it absolutely pissed it down.

Got to be happy about the weekends events, a shed load of good results, only downside is the bike needs to go for an overhaul at V&M, as I've already gone past the recommended mileage………… Shit, that won't be cheap.

The ferry home was packed, and got home for about 11pm…… left the unloading of the van till tomorrow………… next up for me is the New ERA club round at Cadwell Park on the 13th/14th April…………… bring it on.

The Oulton Park round is going to be shown a few times on Sky Sports in a couple of weeks, with the first viewing on Sky Sports 3 at 7pm on the 18th April………

So, tune in for another very exciting, televised, brolly dollied, hot pants up the crack of their arse episode of…………… Tommy Clucas Racing.