Trial Race

First race meeting was only ever going to be a learning experience hence taking the decision to attend the last race of the existing season, Silverstone on a wet day in October, to make all the beginners mistakes. Wet is a bit of an understatement as the standing water was an inch deep in places. Race tyres are notoriously bad in the wet and the Michelins on the ZXR were no exception. First learning point, tyre warmers – they will change your life.

Format of the day is scrutineering to have bike and rider inspected and declared safe for racing. Scrutineering is followed by the first session of the day, untimed practice. Second session is timed practice and finally the third session a race. If you are in more than one class you may have two timed practices and two or more races, club, day, weather dependent. Timed practice and races are around 10 minutes long and although the second session is formally timed practice, it is started and stopped using lights and ridden at the same pace as the race so to all intents and purposes is a race.

Scrutineering went well; only points to be picked up on were tyre valves must have metal caps, not plastic, rest was fine. Credit to PDQ. Untimed practice was an experience; racers tend to ride a little quicker than track day riders. Having subsequently attended a few race weekends, even open practice on Friday before a race meeting is less intense than untimed practice on race day. Quite an introduction to racing. Cold, dry weather track tyres in standing water meant that the front end slid under braking and the back end slid under acceleration. All this from 55 bhp was terrifying, two laps of practice and it was obviously not if a crash was going to happen but rather when a crash would happen. To finish first you first have to finish so two laps in, back to the pits and many deep breaths.

Second learning point, wet tyres – they are not road legal and are expensive however dry tyres in standing water is just not worth it. Buy a second set of wheels and have them fitted with wets. Whole wheels can be swapped in 15 minutes, changing tyres takes an hour, English weather is changeable, not always on an hour’s notice, hence the need for a second set of wheels with wets on. Day started to dry a bit before the second session, timed practice.

Out onto the track, form up on the grid, flags waved and off for a warm up lap. Form up on the grid again. Sitting on the grid waiting for the race to start was an emotional experience. Ayrton, Nigel, Damon, David, Jenson and Lewis have all sat on that grid. No flags, this time lights! Five lights on, five lights off, oh my god! With a tear in my eye the lights went out and we were off. Started in the middle of the grid as your starting position for timed practice is in the order the club received your race meeting application. Last by the first corner due to every other rider having wets. For a moment I was Jenson, Lewis et al riding this iconic track. Then the first corner arrived and the bike under steered straight on. Off the track, onto the run off area, wide sweeping turn and back on the track. More focus required. Eight laps in and the chequered flag was waved. Other riders had managed ten laps however cold dry tyres in the rain, eight was a good result.

Timed practice decides your starting position for the race, mine was unsurprisingly last. Last into the first corner again, stayed on the track this time. At amateur club level most timed practices and races are around 10 minutes, it took four minutes in session two for tyres to warm up so was lapped before actually getting going. Prior to session three, riding the bike around the car park for a bit warmed up the tyres a little and reduced the tyre warming time down to three minutes however this was still enough to be lapped within the first two laps. Still only managed eight laps and again was lapped twice by the entire field. Well the 27 out of 30 who had not fallen off. So eight laps it was however first race meeting completed, bike and rider all as they started. Wets and tyre warmers required.