I Be a Proper Racer (Oulton Park Results)

**** me, if only Oulton Park was about 200 miles further south
I'd sell up and live in the car park. What an awesome track! It
makes you realise just how bland Brands Hatch Indy is when
you can ride on the Oulton Park rollercoaster.

I'd never ridden the track before, so decided to make a guest
appearance in the SV650 class, as my bike qualified for it and
their qualifying was before my real qualifying, so it would give
me at least 4 laps out to learn the circuit. We were mixed in
with the Honda Hairnets (double the power) and the Formula
400s (about half as much again) so we'd be near the back
anyway. I just tagged along behind anyone in front to learn
the corners, hoping they knew where they were going.

We came in from the SV qualifying and I had to ride through
and back out again in my DD class as the sessions followed
each other, but at least my tyres were warm and I knew
where I was going. I pushed my way to the front to get with
the front runners and as we came down Dentons into Cascades,
I didn't back it off and carved under our guest rider for the
day in the form of Jamie Wilkins from Fast Bikes magazine...
gotta beat up the journo at the first opportunity!

As it happened we only got 2 laps in before the red flag came
out (this happened in every qualifying session!) and because
of the delay our session was ended, so I'm damn glad I signed
up and did the earlier qualifying - as you can imagine a lot of
people were both worried and pissed off in equal measures.

I got the timesheet from the SV class and couldn't see my
name on the list, so thought I hadn't qualified for the grid until
I turned the sheet over as there had been 62 riders out on
the track! Somebody obviously didn't count the bikes out as
I think the limit should be around 45. I'd managed a 2m15s
laptime which wasn't too shoddy, and was 35th on the grid
in the mixed SV/Hairnets/F400 grid ... I just hoped I could
see the lights from way back there.

Then I got the sheet for the DD class and I'd managed a
2m10s lap in there, putting me in 10th spot on the grid
which was a nice surprise as usually I qualify badly and
have to make it up in the race.

Deciding to get more practice in, myself and Team-Mate
Eric went into the SV race, starting right at the back. I got
my usual flyer of a start and barged into mid pack, keeping
up with Ali who is one of the front runner in DD and had
also entered SV for practice. I kept tabs on him in the
race but the track was very busy with so many classes
and bikes everywhere. After a red flag and a restart (more
start practice!) we were off again and I ended up chasing
Eric this time. I lined up a lovely block pass but thought
better of it at the last minute as we were only supposed
to be out on practice! I then lost him by 50 yards and
spent the rest of the race trying to make it back up but
just couldn't do it.

We went and got the results sheet to see what our
times were, and I'd managed a 2m07s lap ... and had
finished third in class! We couldn't believe it and fell
about laughing that we'd gatecrashed somebody elses
party and all three trophies had been taken by DD riders.

Out for a "real" DD race and I had Eric to my right and
fellow Essex boy Dickie on the row in front, but I did
my usual banzai start and was sitting in 5th at the first
corner. One of the faster riders went underneath me in
the second corner and the pack of 5 in front slowly started
pulling away while I tried to keep up. Pit-Bitch Mark was
showing ever falling laptimes and 6th position on the
board, and I afforded a couple of looks behind just before
the end and there was nobody in sight. The front pack
had disappeared by an amazing 30 seconds and there
was a 3 second gap behind me to Jamie. We had a
chat after the race and he said the ground clearance
of the 620 MultiPasta was attrocious, and he just
just couldn't take the lines he wanted to catch up.

In the results, my lap times had gone down to 2m06.05s
so down again, and I was really enjoying it too!

We then had a couple of hours before the next SV race
and I was well up for a win with this one. I pulled out of
the pit garage and rolled up to the collecting area but
they pointed out petrol leaking out of the bike so wouldn't
let me in! I knew straight away that the quick-join on
the fuel hose would be leaking, but with a belly pan full
of BP Ultimate we couldn't drain it in time to get out in
the race so I had to sit it out. It turned out to be the
o-ring in the connector had snagged and split. We had
spares and fixed the bike without any problem, and at
least I'd be out in the second DD race.

In the end, Eric took the win in the SV class, so we had
a good giggle about that too!

Second race in DD and I got another flyer, right near the
front for the first couple of corners but I couldn't keep
with the front runners at their pace so they started pulling
a gap on me again. Before I knew it, Jamie on the MultiPasta
tried to come up the inside at the Foulstons chicane, but
my brakes were working superb and I was skipping along
on the front wheel into there with the back getting all
wavy. We had a right royal battle for the whole six laps.
I rode pretty defensive as I knew he didn't have the ground
clearance or power to go round the outside. I held him off
for the full 6 laps (although it felt more like 60!) and we
crossed the line with less than a second between us,
me taking 6th place again. My fastest lap was a 2m05.56s
and his was 2m05.58s, with only an 18s gap to the front
pack this time.

Back in the paddock Jamie was grinning from ear to
ear and he said it was the best racing he'd ever done.
He said he was even tempted to sell his ZX10R and
buy a winter bike and a 620 (one with ground clearance!)
and join the series! I think he might stop grinning some
time next week.

Oulton is awesome. If you can get there, go do it on
a trackday sharpish because it is probably the best
circuit in the country. I'm just gutted it's not closer and
can't wait to go back!

 

<snip>

Oh, as for the subject - I've now got 10 sigs so we'll
be having a ritual burning session of the orange noddy
bib now that I'm a "Clubman" racer.

Time to get me name on me leathers ;-)

 

Well done on the results and well done on the change of status.

So many options for major nastiness and so little time to do it.

 

<snip>

Great results, congrats.

I've watched racing at Oulton loads of times - both cars and bikes.

It is, as you say, an awesome circuit.

Do the bikes still use the 'old' Knickerbrook, or do they have to use
the chicane as cars now do? - the 'old' Knickerbrook was absolutely
fantastic from a spectator's perspective, but after a series of crashes
(ultimately costing Derek Warwick's brother, Paul, his life in a F3000
race) they tamed it with the chicane, which was a shame.

 

Better start building up them shoulders, then.
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/CBX1000Z
|_\_____/_| ..80389../..21885.../..31432.
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 WG*
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 PM#5
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 YTC#4 two#11
'^' RBR'06 Points: 85 Miles: 413

 

<snip>

Well done. Oulton is my favourite circuit closely followed by Cadwell
and Donington National.

 

Yes, we used the chicane. It's a fairly hairy corner as it does
tighten up and doesn't look as bad as it is. There's also not
much run off in that area, so coming off trying to take that
corner at speed is not a good idea.

I can't believe the amount of stoppages from people lobbing
it. The ambulance went out every qualifying and race just
about, and the pickup trucks were certainly busy. I think
our DD races were the only ones that weren't stopped,
although the qualifying was.

One guy, in the pro-bikes I think, even managed to crash
so fast at the first right hander (Old Hall) that his bike cleared
the safety fence! The bike skimmed over the gravel and clipped
the tyre wall which sent it spinning over the fence. There were
spectators the other side throwing bits of it back over.

 

Cheers. Donington next, will you be attending?

 

Cadwell is a great circuit let down by poor facilities and the
remote location. If they could build some garages in the
paddock and add another set of toilets and a shower block,
the place would be excellent.

I like Donington because it is so wide and fast, but the
corners are a bit bland compared to Oulton and Cadwell.
Donington is much like Assen - very wide and open; I
wonder if all the MotoGP tracks are like that, and what
the MotoGP boys would make of somewhere like Oulton?!

 

Length?
--
| ___ Salad Dodger
|/ \
_/_____\_ GL1500SEV/CBR1100XXX/CBX1000Z
|_\_____/_| ..80389../..21885.../..31432.
(>|_|_|<) TPPFATUICG#7 DIAABTCOD#9 WG*
|__|_|__| BOTAFOT #70 BOTAFOF #09 PM#5
\ |^| / IbW#0 & KotIbW# BotTOS#6 GP#4
\|^|/ ANORAK#17 IbB#4 YTC#4 two#11
'^' RBR'06 Points: 85 Miles: 413

 

Remaining rounds for DD are:
Sunday 13th August @ Donington
Sat/Sun 2/3rd September @ Snetterton
Sat/Sun 7/8th October @ Cadwell

Although I'm gonna check for more SV rounds now ;-)

 

All three, I expect.

 

Told you so! Well done.

 

<snip>

A few (!) pics here:
http://www.mutters.f2s.com/oulton06/slides/Oulton06-000.html

 

Superb. Well done.

You'll be needing new gay racing leathers next.

 

I bought some new glove the other day, and ended
up with the black and white ones because they
match my leathers better ... it looks like it's
already too late!

 

Nice one!

 

I thought Gooseneck was at Cadwell?
http://www.mutters.f2s.com/oulton06/slides/Oulton06-033.html

Congrats on tossing the bib and nice report as usual. Always enjoyable
reading - keep up the good work.

 

You fucking hero. Can't wait to see you in action.

 

*proud*