Driving a 160mph Combine Harvester!!!
Long time since the last blog – but rest assured we’ve been busy.
Between the Monza & Silverstone rounds I helped out my main sponsors Hardinge Bridgeport Machine Tools by appearing on their stand at the MACH Show in the NEC (Birmingham). The show is the biggest engineering show in the UK and lasts Monday to Friday, which I was advised, “would be a long haul”.
With my bike spinning on a turntable behind me the plan was to sign posters etc, which turned out to be more fun than it sounds, mainly helped by the massive number of bikers and motorsport fans involved in engineering.
Talking about bikes and racing all day is something I can do, so it wasn’t exactly a taxing job!
By the end of the show 1 in 18 people through the door had taken away a signed poster and Hardinge took a lot of machine orders – job well done.
Silverstone was a really hard weekend – everything really went against us but it gave us all a very good direction for improvement.
With a big break before the next round at Misano and some track time required the plan was to use the Superbike Open race at Castle Combe to give us the time on the bike.
With fantastic weather, a good-sized crowd, more than 60 guests from Hardinge, the weekend was going well on & off the track. The direction from Silverstone worked well & it felt like riding my bike again.
Although without any other supersport riders there it was difficult to judge the progress but third on the grid of 1000cc superbikes wasn’t too bad.
In fact the only downside of the weekend was being punted off at just under 160mph!!!
I ended up fifth in race one, and was running in third in race two. But whilst full throttle in top, I felt a bang…… the next thing I was sat in a cornfield looking down a small tunnel of corn at the crowd. It turns out I’d been hit by a rider who I’m guessing misjudged the speed difference between a 600cc Supersport and a 1000cc Superbike.
Fortunately although trashed, my Arai helmet and Dainese leathers did their job and apart from a gash and a tarmac burn complete with blister on my back I was fine. The bike not so……..
According to spectators and the data logging the bike stayed upright at a similar speed - without rider and also disappeared into the cornfield before reappearing about 30ft in the air.
With most of the larger bits found with a lot help from the marshals (cheers guys!) it was back to the pit via the medical centre.
It sounds strange to say it after that but it was still a great weekend.
On to Misano……. Which is where I am now hiding from the heat in the air-conditioned media room. Fingers crossed for a good weekend – and hopefully no lawn mowing!
All the best
TT
Between the Monza & Silverstone rounds I helped out my main sponsors Hardinge Bridgeport Machine Tools by appearing on their stand at the MACH Show in the NEC (Birmingham). The show is the biggest engineering show in the UK and lasts Monday to Friday, which I was advised, “would be a long haul”.
With my bike spinning on a turntable behind me the plan was to sign posters etc, which turned out to be more fun than it sounds, mainly helped by the massive number of bikers and motorsport fans involved in engineering.
Talking about bikes and racing all day is something I can do, so it wasn’t exactly a taxing job!
By the end of the show 1 in 18 people through the door had taken away a signed poster and Hardinge took a lot of machine orders – job well done.
Silverstone was a really hard weekend – everything really went against us but it gave us all a very good direction for improvement.
With a big break before the next round at Misano and some track time required the plan was to use the Superbike Open race at Castle Combe to give us the time on the bike.
With fantastic weather, a good-sized crowd, more than 60 guests from Hardinge, the weekend was going well on & off the track. The direction from Silverstone worked well & it felt like riding my bike again.
Although without any other supersport riders there it was difficult to judge the progress but third on the grid of 1000cc superbikes wasn’t too bad.
In fact the only downside of the weekend was being punted off at just under 160mph!!!
I ended up fifth in race one, and was running in third in race two. But whilst full throttle in top, I felt a bang…… the next thing I was sat in a cornfield looking down a small tunnel of corn at the crowd. It turns out I’d been hit by a rider who I’m guessing misjudged the speed difference between a 600cc Supersport and a 1000cc Superbike.
Fortunately although trashed, my Arai helmet and Dainese leathers did their job and apart from a gash and a tarmac burn complete with blister on my back I was fine. The bike not so……..
According to spectators and the data logging the bike stayed upright at a similar speed - without rider and also disappeared into the cornfield before reappearing about 30ft in the air.
With most of the larger bits found with a lot help from the marshals (cheers guys!) it was back to the pit via the medical centre.
It sounds strange to say it after that but it was still a great weekend.
On to Misano……. Which is where I am now hiding from the heat in the air-conditioned media room. Fingers crossed for a good weekend – and hopefully no lawn mowing!
All the best
TT
posted by Tom Tunstall at 5:56 PM
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