My day at Loton Park all started so well. Under my 70 second bogey time on my first run on the YZ250. Definitely going better than last year with a 'straight' speed trap of 69 mph. Even better, my second practice run was a 68.42. Just over a second off my personal best ever and nearly as quick as on the Voxan 1000 a few years ago. Conditions were perfect for a two-stroke and an old gimmer - bone dry but not too warm. Everything went to pot after lunch though. It got quite warm and they started calling us to the start line too early. Old gimmers and two strokes[1] don't like being kept hot and bothered waiting for a run. So I ended up going slower on the timed runs and was so tired after waiting round all day that my second times run was slower than my first practice. Not helped, I admit, by some experimentation with trying to pull a higher gear on a couple of bends. YPVS is good, but not that good. Oh well, there's still the July meeting to try to beat my 67.87 on a Morini 350 in 1983 and 67.15 on the 250 SWM in 1985 [2]. [1] It is easy to start if I have the paddock stand to prop one foot on to give it a damn good kicking but I don't like having to re-start it in the assembly area after some prima-donna in a car has spun it and delayed proceedings. [2] The fact that these were nearly 30 years ago shows how tyres and 250 stroker engine bhp/power delivery have improved such that the lost faculties of youth are nearly offset by them. -- +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Pete Fisher at Home: | | Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" | | Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
