|
Snetterton 27th - 29th June
Friday
 I didn’t know what conditions to expect to ride in as I woke up on Friday morning after arriving the Thursday night in terrible wind and rain.
However, the morning’s weather was quite the opposite. Blue skies was the immediate sight I got when stepping out the caravan which put me in a slight better mood ready for the practice day and my first time at Snetterton.
Throughout the day I got better and better and my times kept on falling.
The circuit was becoming easier to learn as I kept on tagging onto the fast lads, which again increased my confidence ready for the racing.
At the end of Fridays testing I felt ready to get some good results and some fast times in my weekend of racing.
Saturday
The weather again was incredible on Saturday before qualifying and I was itching to get out on my bike and just get as good a qualifying position as possible.
I qualified 18th out of 34 that is my highest qualifying so far and the excitement inside me was building me up for a great days racing. Race 1 was pretty fast.
I was hitting corners faster and braking later to try and keep up and my overall finish was 14th.
I felt satisfied with my finishing position seeing as I started 18th and had finished in the top 15.
Bring on race 2 I thought.
 Race 2 was pretty unsettled really, I was running well then a big crash stopped things and the race was restarted and I had to battle through the field as I missed the lights go out!
I did though finish 11th which put a huge smile on my face after the race but then I was told that my bike after running brilliantly and not failing me was to be completely stripped for scrutinising to see if I had tried to cheat.
This frustrated me even more as I know my bikes completely standard so why should I have to strip it?
Anyway I did it as well as getting some new rubber fitted to my wheels and was then given the all clear to be told my bike was fine and put the machine back together ready for a great days racing for Sunday fingers crossed.
Sunday
The weather hadn’t failed me so far this weekend and it didn’t look as if Sunday would be any different.
Race 1 was tricky as I was battling all the way through with various riders and on last lap I got took over by two riders but never the less on the last corner I out braked them, shut the door and stuffed it up the inside of them and got a well deserved 12th place.
With my confidence boosted from that I had lost the fear of over taking aggressively and my bike was running like it always had done after putting it back I didn’t see why not I could make better finishing position in the last race.
Race 2 of Sunday was my best race so far. I got caught up behind a pack of about 4 riders and I was getting impatient so unlike before where I’d wait for a gap I made a gap and took all 4 within a lap and went hunting for others.
I found a group of 3 lads which I’d never come across before and the reason was because they’re always ahead of me at the front and as I got closer and closer I got more hungry for their position so I rode my hardest and was out braking nearly all of them in every corner.
My chance came I went past one, the another and then went straight round one flat out on start finish straight, it felt incredible. 6 laps left, I was watching one of the lads pit boards who was behind me.
I was tiring my bike was basically flat out everywhere and eventually with 3 laps to go 2 bikes came past me, one hitting me the other flying past me on the straight.
 They had tuned bikes a great advantage so I had to work hard.
Last lap the other lad I’d taken over earlier took his revenge and passed me on his again tuned bike and I tried to go round him through one corner and we ended up swapping tyre rubber against out bikes and he got the better of me.
I finished the race exhausted knowing that I was at some point in a high position. It turned out I was in 8th when I was leading the pack but finished 11th.
A great achievement but knowing I was at some point high up has made more eager and more determined that ever before. And to add to my slight disappointment my lap times were quicker than 8th, 9th and 10th.
Shows that I’m doing quite well on a standard bike and not raced before.
Thank you to my uncle and cousin turning up to show their support as they’re presence at that meeting must of done something to how I rode.
Also cheers to my sponsors for helping succeed in my racing, my granddad just for doing every thing to help me and my mum for cooking some mean meals while we’re away!
Bring on Mallory!
|
