Silverstone, sliding & scabs!

Now then I’ve found time to sit down and knock out a blog to cover last weekends Silverstone round…
I’m not entirely sure where to start with this one, actually hang on I do – the race two crash seems to stand out a bit at the moment!

Looking at the data recording for turn 1 at Silverstone, at the point where I hit the oil [dropped by Platers R1] I was just pulling back a gear from 5th to 4th between 110 & 120mph. It was at this point my bike helped me perform a headstand on the bike which I then saw fit to try out on the tarmac.

Now if you look at the copse corner, all the run off is tarmac – which is great if you outbrake/overshoot the corner but not good if your sliding on your backside. I literally had to turn from my backside to my front as my bum was starting to get a bit too hot. Once I came to a rest, worked out where I was & got my breath back Steve Plater came over and apologised for dropping the oil. Not his fault & pretty decent of him to come over and check how I was to be honest.

If you really want to know what its like; think of it like jumping out of a car on the motorway at 120mph. I can recommend M-Tech leathers and Arai helmets if you do. (DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS!)

The final kick in the balls was having the third place taken off me as:
"I wasn’t on my motorcycle when the red flag was brought out" – BSB Officail.
Even though it wasn’t my oil etc the rules in BSB and NO other high level motorsport championships state this? Cheers guys!

The bike? Well somehow that kept on its wheels and headed (at a similar speed) straight for the air fence/concrete wall.

Needless to say the wall won and shattered the frame. At the time I thought the whole bike was written off but we’ve since found out, amazingly the front wheel, forks, fork yokes etc are all ok, and the footrests weren’t even scratched!!

With Oulton Park this weekend it’s still looking tight, at the moment [Thursday afternoon] I still don’t have a bike, or all the bits. But I do have a good team and I know I’m gonna owe more than a few favours/pints by the weekend.

Off the track I’ve just been chasing parts, resting, in the hydrotherapy pool, trying to make sure both me and the bike will be straight and sound for the next round.

Which pretty much brings me to where I am now, sat outside with my laptop in the sun trying to dry my scabs out!

None of the above may have been that interesting to you but for me it’s been a top quality therapy session.

Now then… anyone any good at welding?!?

TT