Ledenon

This weekends racing started on Friday - when we left the house. We arrived at Ledenon, which is almost my home circuit given that it is only 2.5 hours away, just before lunch. In fact we arrived just before a Proclassic training session, unfortunately it was not a "published" session, so I didn't manage to do it - because I didn't know about it!

The circuit is on a small hill in the middle of the Rhone valley, which if you remember my last rendition of Ledenon is subject to a bit of wind! Well the wind was forecasted for Friday and Saturday, and dying on Sunday. The forecast actually turned out right, on Friday and Saturday the wind was strong enough to blow you off line very easily, and in fact it may have been responsible for an accident on Thursday which ended up in the hospital with more than 7 ribs broken!

Anyway, Friday evening practise for me was reduced to one lap! I had fitted my expansion chambers, but I hadn't yet had the opportunity to check my carburation at maximum throttle opening (the most important setting!), so I completed a plug chop on the first lap, and took a look at the plugs, which although the insulation on the anode looked OK, the cathode (the bendy bit) was white, which led me to think that I was running too lean, so back to the pits, and off with the carbs and up to 250 main jets. Unfortunately the time to do this and you run out of the 20 minutes practise time!

Saturday morning timed qualification. Fortunately the bike was pulling well up to maximum throttle and revs, the pilot however was having trouble with the wind, the off camber bends and generally learning the circuit! I finished the session with a 2.01 minute best lap, which was pretty appauling, the fastest time in our series was 1.37 seconds ! This was set by a current European Champion (guest rider) on a prepared TZ350, but even still I was pretty crap! This put me on line 7 of the grid with surprisingly some bikes behind me!

Race 1
I got an excellent start, from line 7 I overtook a line at the start and another few guys in the first bend, I was in front of 44 and the 750 Honda of David Boisnard, and even dicing with the 1000 Kawa Martin of the Hugh Arnold, who despite getting past me on the straights was having difficulty on the twisty bits. Eventually he got clear of me, and I proceeded to have the same fight with David as his Honda was more powerful on the straights, but I was quicker around the bends. I was comfortably keeping both Claude and David behind me, when the BSA 750 came flying past, I kept my head down to follow, but he went straight on virtually at the next bend! I just managed to understand what he was doing, and managed to keep going although a little shaken by the experience.

On the second to last lap, I missed a gear going into the last bend, in fact I thought the engine had stopped, of course both David and Claude came flying through, and although I discovered my error quickly they were already long gone! The result was a 23 or 24th scratch, although I must be in the points in my category.

Race 2
The temperature had increased and the wind dropped completely for the second race. Thankfully the fan club was there to hold the umbrella (thanks Philippe) and Pascalle with the cold water to keep me alive on the pre-grid. My start was not good, I got boxed in in the first bend, and got stuck behind a 750 Honda it took me a couple of bends to get past him and by that time I was fighting to get back in the pack of 350's! By lap 4-5 I was catching Pierre Eline on his RD 350, but my bike started to cough and stutter - SHIT, I thought I was going to seize, one more lap, SHIT it's the petrol tap - I had forgotten to switch back to reserve after filling the tank! The bike only runs with about 5 litres of fuel for the race, and so this "went onto reserve" and I had lost at least half a lap on my group before realising my mistake.

Frustrated, I really tried to open her up on the last few laps to try and get back to them, but I couldn't get near them, and looking at my lap times I turned out being slower in the second race than the first! I must get some more practise on this circuit there are things I haven't yet understood.

Again, I got a few points, bringing the weekends tally up to 7 points due mainly to people breaking down. Anyway at least I improved my championship points, and I should have overtaken at least guy in the championship as he was not racing this weekend.
I had got my lap time down by 8 seconds in the first race to 1.53, but only managed a 1.54 in the second!

My thanks to all my team, officially now Da.R.T Daves race team. with the T shirts to match!! I am really looking forward to Croix-en-Ternois as I have already raced there, and I will have support from the English contingent!! Speak to you then.
Video to follow!