The little moustachioed Marshall gave us the signal to retreat into the garage as the first of the crowd intent on souvenirs leaped barriers and headed straight for pitlane across the track, all ravenous mad eyes, and outstretched clutching hands. Thankfully we had pulled the timing box off the wall into the garage only moments before. The thumps and awful noises were astonishing as they ravaged all before them like a tide of ants, the garage door shook as they must have thrown themselves against it. We shook hands and congratulated each other, then started clearing up and preparing for the long sleep denied us all the previous evening. Personally I had been awake for close on 42 hours

The bike sat quietly in parc ferme rimed in the dirt of competition, we ran a stock bike and there were no problems to be addressed. Though dirty and worn, it still looked well hard, the union jack still fluttered on the side fairing. Once again we were the only all British team to compete and complete. For me personally and I guess the other guys (if they paused to reflect) it was a proud moment, and a pleasure to once again be involved and to contribute to the overall team effort.

Alf has got the hard work to do now. The bike needs to be stripped, cleaned, rebuit with several new parts in time for a possible outing at Zuhai in China. This is only a six-hour sprint. Mick’s first competitive ride on the ZX10, but part of the FIM calendar.

The campsite the next day was quiet, airborne flotsam drifted down to earth here and there, caught in the light eddying winds. The scene was not dissimilar to the Somme or other awful battlefields. All the people had gone, the canvas citadels had been stowed, the packed earth, suffered a terrible carpet of filth and discard. Blackened stumpy nightmarish trees poked out here and there, no doubt looking for their brethren who in all likelihood had been consumed for fuel by the armies of petrol heads and leather groupies encamped their.

The ash and ruin could not hide the hideous organs of discord, the remains of the palleted whirr-banging devices, now burnt, twisted and melted. They looked like broken and overrun gun turrets in the overall battlefield scene, now quiescent and awaiting removal.

Time to return to the other side of the pond and plot for the 24 Heures De Liege at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit, July 3rd-4th .

The Team for Le Mans:- Alf – Team owner, bike prep, front wheel, Trace – Team owner, rear wheel, Steve Burns – Team Manager, Tango – top fuel, Mr. Burn – special bitz, front wheel, Alan – boffinry and rear wheel, Bash – fireduties, Rupert – tyre fetching, Liz & Faye – massage, Ralph – racetruck, Crinkly – catering, Rupert & Anne – Timing, Boyd – timing & web stuff, Nick – Timing & web stuff enablization, Mr. Dinxton – driver. Mick, Gus, John & John – Riders.

80 Individual brake pads, front and rear. (4 per caliper front)

1 x rear Renthal sprocket

1 x DID ERZ race chain

1 x litre of oil consumed in 24 hours

Ohlins pre-load adjuster snapped

1 set of discs (warped)

Gallons of Red Bull

shed loadsa T-bags.

Gallon drum massage oil.

lots of duct tape

Dunlop tyres used:-. 4 sets of slicks
1 set of intermediates
2 sets of ‘Airplane’ wets
1 set of standard wets
1 rear slick 195 x 70 type‘640’
1 intermediate front 120/70 (medium)
1 rear slick 195/70 ‘640’
1 front slick 120/70 ‘758’

13th overall from a grid of 54 – 8th in class of 37 finishers Qualifying grid position 38th 742 laps completed – Fastest lap 1min43 by John McGuinness

Fuel burnt (litres)…………….

Doby Trutcenden 7.4.04