East Fortune Raceway  (July 20th/21st 2002)

Formula 400 Class  Duncan Baillie

 Its really strange and a bit difficult to get back into short circuit racing again. I've had a really intense season so far including the TT and then suddenly there were 6 weeks off !

 During these 6 weeks however, the Barking Spider Team  has not been idle. I finally got the Swona full race exhaust system and with advice and help from Neil and Herbie we got it set up pretty well. It has changed the power characteristics of the bike quite a lot, with more power at high revs.

 We couldn't get a hold of the Pirelli Dragon Super Corsas tyres I used at the TT, because they were all bought up for Supermotard racing in France. Again Neil and Herbie did their best and we got a set of Metzeler Rennsports which are very similar, but it was a new type of tyre and changed power delivery to deal with, which can be a bit off putting.

Saturday

 I spent the first practice session getting a feel for the new powder characteristics and scrubbing the new tyres in.

 Second practice went fine, I was getting more confident, but my times were still not great. The bike was very different with the increase in power at high revs. It felt much more willing to pull in every gear.

Before the race, it began to hammer down with rain and this continued throughout the race. So it was on with the sexy black Gimp Suit (waterproof top) and out for the first race in horrible saturated conditions. Even on the sighting lap people were pulling off after they saw the amount of standing water on the track.

 I knew the sensible thing to do was not to go out, but I could use all the experience I could get from racing in the wet, so I went out. After an OK start I was 4^th or 5^th through the first corner, but passed by a lot of bikes at the second. Laurie ( the only guy with wet tyres) passed me on the outside at Railway and it just looked so good.

  As the race got on however, I gained some confidence and began to pull places back. The track was treacherous though and everyone was aquaplaning wildly at every point of the track, which made it horrendous to get any derive out of the corners. I was up to 6^th when Graeme (my team mate passed me). I went after him but couldn't catch him and this was the way the race finished. It was good that I had regained a lot of confidence, but it was Graeme who was the star, achieving his goal of finishing ahead of me in a race.

Laurie came 2^nd (a brilliant result)

 We all looked like drowned rats after this and I've never seen so much standing water or rain as hard during a race.

Sunday

The weather looked good already from 8am and just got better. It turned into a brilliant, sunny HOT day and the racing turned out to be just as hot.

Practice saw my bike revving out on the back straight, but I thought I would leave it as I felt I needed the acceleration on the start finish straight.

We left the rear suspension, compression damping low from the wet settings of Saturday, as I felt this may help me in the bumpy part of the course (and it did).

Race 1

 As we set off on the first lap I got a great drive off the line and went into the first corner in second position. I managed to outdrive  the bike in front and passed him going down railway straight.

 YES, I though, for the first time in my 3 years racing I was in the lead. So I went for it as best I could.

 Coming out of the hairpin, I couldn't believe it, the race had been red flagged. Just when I was in the lead, I thought "shit how am I going to get as good a start again".

 No need to worry, on restart, I got another good start and this time came out of the first corner in FIRST position. I knew the top guys would be breathing down my neck, so I kept my head down and went for it.

On lap 3 Stuart Sturrock passed me on breaking for Railway bend, and the rest of the race saw us dicing, with me trying to get past. He was just too good on the brakes though and even as I got better drive out of the hairpin on the last lap, he still beat me by 5m, BUT I got second place, my best result yet.

Race 2

We changed the rear sprocket  for one with a tooth less, as the bike was hitting the rev limiter hard at the end of the back straight. It proved to be a big help and lost me no noticeable drive.

This time I was really ready to give it everything and as I pulled off the line I had to go very wide and ride round the outside of a Kawasaki to be first out of Pates. On breaking into the second corner, I was passed, but I wasn't going to let that last and as we came down the back straight into the fast 4^th gear esses I dived under Brian Neilson (in front) (this is not a usual passing place) but I feel really confident here and made it stick. From then on I reinforced my lead and pulled away. By the flag, I was so elated and for the first time could punch the air as a winner. It was brilliant.

My first win!!!

Second place was over 100m behind me.

Race 3

I thought " well there was nothing else to do than prove it wasn't a fluke".

 Again I got very good drive off the line, but was beaten into the first corner by my old adversary; Rab Davie.

 I kept close to him and knew that I was faster through esses, so I slung shot him through second esses and outbraked him at the hairpin. It worked and again I concentrated fully on staying in front and consolidating my lead, it was hard work but as I crossed the line at the finish it was a second win and by 200m from the 2^nd place.

 What a day. I will never forget this meeting!…What result for my 3^rd anniversary of road racing.

 The bike felt like it was on rails, it handled so well, we had got the suspension right, the new exhaust helped and I had gained a hell of a lot of confidence.

 A second place and TWO first places got me three trophies and as this meeting was part of the North East Championship I earned valuable points to take with me into the top 5 for the next round at Croft.

 With a bit of luck this would also see my standings in the Melville Club Championship also rise to within the top 5.

 All this was basically down to the team work involving Neil setting up the suspension, tyres and organizing the exhaust and Herbie setting up the carbs to suit the exhaust and the pair of them for coordinating the difficult job of getting a set of tyres to run on under difficult circumstances.

So thank you boys It was a great job well done.

 More of the same this weekend coming at Carnaby (Hull)

Thanks to Lynn for the sausage rolls and coffee without which I couldn't survive.

Pictures this page from Carnaby kind permission by Ken Christie