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Pembrey
Race Report
July 2004
Pembrey Circuit - South Wales 3rd-4th July
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| SPA CANCELLED SO WALES HERE WE COME! |
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The red shark hurtled wildly down
the M4, snapping up highway prey and spitting them out through
it’s twin zorsts. Surging towards the land of the red
dragon, of Taliesin, of the Manic Street Preachers with their
motorcycle emptiness, of Stereophonics to the land of the true
Britons. To Pembrey.
Nestled on the south coast of the country, not far from Llanelli
flanked by hills on the north and the seashore on the south.
The word was of wind and rain on the morrow, but as we started
the approach across the arcing Severn Bridge, the sky was blue
and the clouds were fluffy, dissipating contrails laced the
air like Roland’s beam.
We hoped it would stay that way for the weekend’s racing,
but fey creatures that we are, the necessary wet weather gear
had been stowed, along with a suspect tent which would furnish
us with the night’s accommodation.
Chief Shark pilot Trace negotiated our airspeed from motorway
cruise to urban re-entry and stepped out the great red shark
in Llanelli to drop Chris off for his B&B date with Alf,
The Burn, Mickman and the Gusbuster.
The red shark was rattling its V6 teeth and steady as she goes
was the order of the evening onward ever west to the Circuit
itself. On the airfield complex. Arriving at 9.45pm. It had
been a long day and we hadn’t started the serious business
of racing yet.
With the cancellation of the ‘Masters of Endurance’
24 hour event at Spa-Francorchamps, Alf wanted a run out to
garner further set up information on the mighty ‘10’.
(Lets face it the bike is a new model with no pedigree as yet
in its maiden season of racing throughout the spectrum. Nobody
would deny it’s coming on strong. John McGuinness’s
ride in the recent BSB round at Brands is proof of that. Stealing
a rostrum place on what was only his second ride on the Kawasaki
other than his contribution to our brilliant result at the 24
hour at Le Mans).
Information is power, and in this case power means horsepower
and handling it to our best advantage.
The six-hour KRC round at Pembrey was a handy alternative. Three
years ago when we were fully competing in this series ourselves
a six hour seemed like a long time, but with our experience
in the four 24 hour events under our collective belts, six hours
was a doddle. How things change and move on.
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Both riders at this event are excellent
at set up, between them they set up the bike to conquer all
comers. Saturdays practice was dispatched and both were happy
with the results, looking hungry and though cautious, avaricious
for the win on Sunday at 6pm.
Sunday was a brilliant day, the visibility was sharp, the temperature
was spot on, and there was a slight breeze. Most surprisingly
that's how it stayed throughout the day resulting in a lot of
sunburnt heads and panda eyes behind the iridium lenses of the
onlookers.
The new 902 compound 195-x70 rear Dunlop fitted first thing
in the morning for qualifying and the race proper caused a flurry
of unexpected activity. A few short hours before Alf had a set
up bike the riders were happy with. Then something remarkably
different with the advent of a new tyre, supposedly the same,
a direct replacement, but, different by 5 mm in height. Bizarre,
but no way round the dilemma other than a quick fiddle with
the rear shock ride height adjustment and a weather eye on the
clearance under the hugger blade.
By 10.30am three qualifying session were over, Mickman had put
in a 1min 2.01 second time in the second session, and Gus had
shaded him by a whisker with a 1min 1.12 second lap, this was
good enough to get us second place on the grid, behind Team
GB Moto. ’It’s a fookin’ missile is that’
Gus was heard to exclaim and proving his point he’d pulled
a trademark wheelie late in the third session, Gussing it out
of the last corner under power and got a sound telling off for
his troubles.
Most of the pit wall appreciated his efforts though. Its after
all like a calling card of the mint cake man from Kendall.
The next couple of hours were spent in preparation for the race
proper. The bike was getting a polish, the riders were at the
briefing, Alf was busy arranging all the equipment with Mr.
Burn, Trace and ‘Raver’, Liz frantically buttered
bacon sarnies and I was writing out the timing sheets whilst
Rupert was thinking about pit stops and fuel loads. The next
thing we know its onto the track for the customary Le Mans start.
Mick supported for Gus to launch into the warm up laps and then
very soon after the race start.
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This was it. There appeared to be
a long frozen moment of silence, which is the pregnant pause
of expectation, then a flurry of squeaky race boots, motors
being fired up and hot clutches slipped off the line and away.
I saw Chris Frost on the GSXR 750 Jebbster Racing machine get
an excellent launch. (Fourth into turn one he reckoned), and
when the hurly burly of turn one was over, just the thrum-thrum
of generators remained and the angry hornet noise of the pack
as they traced themselves around the winding Welsh circuit.
Gus was the first man round to complete the first lap, and he
was flying ! And there he stayed throughout the session, on
lap 14 banging out a 1-minute.078 second lap.
Lap 18 he had established a three second margin over no 66 GB
Moto, who were chasing hard. By lap 28 there was a healthy 5-second
margin and rising. The ‘10’ was blistering the air
it dove through, man and machine appeared to be noticeably quicker
out of the Honda curve onto the start finish straight, using
the whole margin and then screeching past pit wall flat out.
This early pace setting was to no avail as the pace car made
its first appearance on lap 36, by which time no 41 the Drayton
Croft Sponsored ZX-10 had pitted for a dysfunctional steering
damper. (Perhaps the Zedex had shook its head hard enough to
break its fetters) also bike no 83 the 1000c Honda of Black
Cat racing had pitted after 22 minutes and was dragged within
the confines of the canvas. The last of the early problems before
pit-carcity was no 15 the M2 gang on their 600 CBR being pushed
in. The stricken machine causing the 7 lap hiatus about three
quarters of an hour in. When proceedings began afresh at race
pace our lead had been cut back to just under 4.5 seconds. Lucky
GB Moto!
No. 83 Black Cat pitted once more at 12.50, and then the steady
stream of machines started to arrive for the first of their
pit stops. We were a two rider team and so we were going for
longevity in the saddle. Both riders would get close to 70 minutes
(the maximum allowed) per session, we had enough fuel capacity,
and this represented 57 laps before Gus was ushered in at 1.05pm
for Mick to take over.
A quick fuel replenish only. Mickman pretty much matched Gus‘s
achievements, pulling our slender lead back out to a respectable
plus 25 seconds on his ninth lap. Bunging another red hot ten
seconds on that total within the next 4 laps.
Half a lap advantage and advancing rapidly, Mickman also had
the ‘fired out of a cannon’ velocity about him,
pulling out a clear lap’s advantage by his 28th rotation.
The pace car was again required on our 90th lap for a further
7 laps, we had a handy buffer zone on this occasion. The incident
was caused by an unfortunate piling into the welsh sod on entry
to start finish straight nearly collecting another rider in
the process, he rode his machine upright moto-x style across
the meadow and back onto the black stuff just past our pit wall
position. Nice save that man!
The dear little aircraft struggling for flight above out cauldron
of oil burning sound and generator buzz, looked like they were
hanging there desperately squeezing height from their straining
motors and fragile airframe. Meanwhile on terra firma the horsepower
greedheads aboard the puissant Zedex were shrugging off gravity.
It was truly ballistic.
There were no more incidents other than the second hour pit
for the majority of riders, the harsh buzz of windy gun action
punctuated the air. On hour two we were P1, Mick was counted
down for re-entry completing 56 laps. The weather was balmy
and I had a good feeling.
Over to Gus for his trip into the third hour. This was a relatively
trouble free session. We were two laps up by lap 141. Gus was
very close to the tantalizing sub 1 minute lap. Round and round,
the bike’s leading edges should have been glowing, as
the Ghostbuster smashed his way through the air particles, leaving
all in his wake, like a shimmering mirage in the hot sun.
No 30 was black-flagged at 2.20pm, and a rider fell on the no
49 Endo Racing Gixer thou at the entry to start finish straight
again. The marshals were getting a lot of action on the exit
of Honda Curve
On lap 37 of Gus’s eventual 60 the race was stopped, The
official timing gear had cacked out and in need of repair before
the race could continue. There they sat for approx. 20 minutes
on the tarmac, engines killed, but still fully suited and booted,
soaking up those rays. This proved to be crucial as it turned
out, because when the race was underway once more, a large proportion
of riders pitted, but we carried on, as the time spent stationary
did not count toward the allotted 70 minutes scenario. Gus pitted
25 laps further down the line, pulling out our advantage to
plus three laps. No 14 Epona racing retired at 3.37pm
New hoops and stoppers, plus fuel were agonisingly slowly exchanged
for new(from the pitwall looking on. In reality only two minutes)
knowing GB Moto were hunting and their quickest rider was patently
onboard.
Mick exited pit lane with just under a lap advantage and was
only two laps into his session before a two lap pace car interval,
which also appeared on Mick’s eighth and tenth lap. No
chance to build up that head of steam, but it was probably just
as infuriating for GB Moto. This was their closest opportunity
to reel us in. Mick’s 29th lap of the session marked our
200th.
Team GB Moto were in sight, ahead of Mick but just under a lap
down pushing hard. This gap stretched and retracted like they
were on an elastic band, negotiating traffic, all the way through
to another 59 lap stint for Mick. Bought in at 4.52pm, having
caught and stayed ahead of GB Moto
The sun was hot, the hair is thin. Dry tongues licked cracked
lips, the hat had been forgotten, the shades were remembered
too late and the skin was starting to crawl with the sunburn
itch on the scalp line The monotonous drone of monstrous engines
was mesmerising, and it was a struggle to concentrate fully
minute by minute.
We were P1 after 4 hours and pulling like the proverbial train
with no brakes on a downhill slope and a following wind. The
Zedex was being ridden visibly quicker than the rest of the
field.
The finish was for Gus who would be a scant few minutes inside
his allowed 70 to complete the race, good for us, but not good
for GB Moto. They would have to stop once more. We were 1 lap
up and gathering more air behind us as Gus swept round.
Lap 18 of Gus’s last session he had broken the challenge
of GB Moto we were P1, 251 laps completed plus two laps. By
lap 44 Gus had doubled that with the help of their extra pit
stop to plus four laps.
and that’s how it finished dear reader. The Zedex’s
first endurance victory steered home by two superb riders circulating
virtually like for like for 294 laps. a whopping 5 laps ahead
of the next protagonist Team GB Moto. In the process The Gustbarter
had recorded the quickest time of the day at (yet to be confirmed)
of 1 minute. 007 seconds. There’ll be rioting and long
parties in Kendall this night. And so there should. The boy
doon bluddy mahrvelous like! Mickman’s a demi god on two
wheels anyway, so hats off to the riders, hats off to the pit
crew, hats off to Liz and the constant flow of munchies and
very much hats off for Moto Legend Rupe and I seared to the
burning concrete wall.
WE WON YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hats off to us.
Doby Trutcenden 5/7/2004
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