Vic Club Winter Series Rounds 2 & 3

Round II

I got a newer SV to replace my trusty carby model and was keen to see what the differences were. Basically, the injected model has a shedload more power in Protwin spec and this would make life much easier on the track. The new bike was also fitted with a TTX shock from CKT with noticible benefits over my standard Ohlins shock.

Qualifying
From memory the track was damp and I never got a good feeling despite having full wet tyres on for the session. The bike was still set up for the previous owner so everything felt a bit wierd. 8th on the grid.

Race 1
Extra power means better starts and I felt much more comfortable on a dry track. The bike still felt foreign but there was plenty of grip and I managed to work my way up through the pack to take the lead on the second lap. I tried to settle into a rythm and stay calm - the last thing I could afford to do was crash. So when new fast man Rob Berrington-Smith came past towards the end of the race I tried to stay calm and not do anything stupid. On the last corner of the last lap I ran a wide line to get better drive over the line but Rob had made a mistake to hand me the win anyway. Rob is a very impressive rider, especially considering this was his first time on the long track, let alone his second time at Manfeild!

A bonus after the race was learning that I had set a new PT lap record on the long track.

Race 2
The next day was wet and I was a bit worried as my crash rate does go up in the wet.

I got a good start but quickly felt a little inadequate as Geoff, Rob, Paul and an impressive Zane Brooks buggered off into the distance. I don't know why but I couldn't get any confidence out of the bike in the wet conditions and my lap times were way off because of it. Finished this race in 4th.

Race 3
We made a couple of small changes to the setup to try and get a better feel but it didn't really make any difference in this race and I finished 4th again. At this point I am thinking maybe a problem with the tyres or just me being to careful but I was happy enough to have stayed upright after a tough time lately.

Congrats to Geoff for two convincing wins.