Race day!

Alarm at 6:30 am, but I can't move... too tired.... 7:00 am that's better, people are moving. Libby makes breakfast, and we eat before I risk disappointment (starting the bike).

Well it start's relatively easily, it seems very sensitive to choke, to much and it floods... anyway I put on my jacket and gloves, and go out for a test. I am up with the rabbits, hundreds that are cutting the grass around the circuit. Somewhat surreal, I am on my race bike in the middle of Paris, waking the rabbits up with the noise! And the bike is......suspense....... working fine! Phew....

After another 20 or so laps, my instruments are coming a bit loose, after another ten, they have fallen from their support, so back to the pits. I am generally happy the bike is going great, and I have pretty much finished running in!

I bodge the instruments, with the ever useful jubilee clips and tie wraps (collier Rislan), and we are READY! Timed practice for grid position in the morning! I am still keeping it to about 8K rpm, but the engine is running fine, and when I get my "special" oil I can start to open her up! My times as you can imagine don't put me at the front of the grid, I am running around 1:24 which is about 14 seconds slower than the quick boys, but I am not last which is important for my moral!

The super singles, are getting around in 1 minute 9 seconds which is pretty quick. Most of the RDLC's (4 of us), are around the same with a guy way out in front. I must go and see what he's got in his fuel tank!

First Race
Setup lap, warm up lap, red light, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am near the back, into the first left hander which is a difficult bend, I get around 3 abreast with other guys, everyone is taking it a little easy until things string out, which they do pretty rapidly. The fast guys are gone! Let's not forget that some of these machines are kicking out 130 bhp, against the RD which is at best pushing 59 bhp. I am having a good race with a couple of guys on a Kawasaki 1000, (I overtake on the bends and he gets me on the straight), and another guy on a Martin Kawa.

I am coming around for about my 5-6 lap, and I go to change up, and the knob of my gear lever has gone! F*?@ - won't things ever go right! My hand goes up and I slow, but hell the engine still going well, and I need the practise... I keep going changing up with my hand, changing down I can still use my foot on the lever - this is a bit dodgy, as you lose sight of braking points coming into the slower bends, which give me a couple of "moments".

Before you know it there is a red flag, and the race is stopped, someone is off at the hairpin before the pits straight, and he has left an oil slick in his wake, he is still on the ground as we go past. I park the bike in the pits and rush off to see if I can find a bolt to replace my "knob". Our pits are about 200 yards from the "real" pits, as there is an endurance race on Sunday. Anyway I sweat all the way there and back with a nut and bolt, and fix it finger tight into the gear lever. I am just back in time, and we are out again. The only problem is that the nut keeps loosening, and I have to tighten it up going down the straights, anyway I manage to overtake a couple of guys towards the end of the race, and we finish, again phew....

I bodge a gear knob, and we eat lunch while waiting for Race 2, we get the results, and I finished 2nd last of the bikes that were left standing! Lots of people had problems, so I am 23 bike out of 29. Oh well, I have some improvements to make!

Race 2
I start on line 7 (very near the front :-)) The red light goes out and we are off, I make a better start, and get quickly into a dice with another 350, we overtake a couple of times, and he has more power on the straights, but seems to be having some problems, I overtake and don't see him again. I overtake a TZ350, and a couple more fourstrokes, then the fast boys come to lap us! Boy it's pretty frightening having then come past inside, outside, anywhere and any time. I make the most of them to catch a lift past a guy that was bugging me in front. The bike is going great, and I am taking more risks, the knee is nearly down!

The tyres, grip, and power I am getting are great, this is it, I am racing!!

There are lots of bikes down, a big Kawa on the hairpin, another guy dumps it just behind me. Just as I am peeling into my bend I hear the crunch, and mettle to tarmac noise, that scared me! I hope it wasn't me that put him off. Still I kept my line - so no problems there. We don't get the chequered flag as one or two laps before the end, someone dumps it and leaves oil. As we have completed most of the race, we are directed back to our pits. I should have done better this race.

Effectively, I got into the points (5), I finished 13th in my category, which was 18th scratch - not bad, I was dissapointed in my race 2 result as I was second to last again, because so many people fell off. But at least racing is all about being consistant, and I at least finished 2 races!!

Video in a couple of days!