JAMES CLAMP - RACE REPORT AUGUST 2001

Mallory Park - New ERA Club Championship Round  - Sunday 5th August

Our race van has suffered an expensive clutch failure so we are a little short of cash this month.  Ideally we would like to have fitted new rubber for this meeting but we couldn't afford it.  Continuing my bad luck with grid positions, I was allocated grid 27 of 32 for race one.  Unfortunately, I made a complete hash of the start and fell back to around 30th place by the first corner.   I settled down into a good rhythm and worked my way up to 19th place by the chequered flag and in the process improving my personal best Mallory lap by one second to record a 55.7 second lap.  I was really pleased; especially as I did 55 second laps three times just to show it wasn't a one off.  Race 2 had me drawn on grid 26.  A better start this time and I was soon up to 19th again.  I was having a great time dicing with an R6 when exiting Gerard's I sensed the engine revs increasing without the expected increase in speed.  Furthermore, the rear of the bike was sliding out (eat your heart out Gary McCoy).  Spectacular stuff but it meant that I could not 'get the power down'.  I soon lost sight of the R6 and by the end of the race I had been relegated back to 24th place.  We'd done one race too many on that rear tyre. 

Pembrey - New ERA Superclub Championship Round  - Saturday 18th August

My first ever race at Pembrey was heralded by torrential rain.  In some places there was at least an inch of surface water.  However I was soon to find out that this is one of the grippiest (is that a real word?) circuits I've ever been to.  I was on grid 26 (one ahead of my usual position) for race one and a clean start saw me in around 22nd place by the first turn, a 1st gear hairpin.  Exciting wasn't the word, 32 bikes all battling for a space big enough for one!  Miraculously everyone got through unscathed.  I eventually finished 18th and was soaked to the skin.  Race 2 and a grid 18 start place meant that there were a few less people in the way at the first hairpin.  However, I undid all my hard work of the first race in a bodged start and was last on the first lap.  I couldn't see a thing through all the spray so some blind overtaking moves were in order.  On several occasions I dived up the inside of a rider hoping that there was no one else there.  I eventually clawed my way back to 18th place.


Pembrey - New ERA Superclub Championship Round  - Sunday 19th August

Day 2, race 1 and I was back on grid 26.  Today however, the rain held off and on a drying track I elected to go for Pirellis Super Dragon Corsa tyres.  By the finish I had improved my lap times by trying different lines.  The grip from the track and the tyres was unbelievable, I could turn into the hairpin still hard on the brakes and the front remained solid.  Again I notched up an 18th place finish.   In race 2 I was determined to get a good start and I did, picking up 3 places by the first corner.  I settled down in a two bike dice and I soon passed them and chased after the next pack.  I eventually caught up with them but ran out of laps before I could pass them.  A 13th place finish and 3 points in the championship was my reward.  My best lap of the weekend was 66.1 seconds; the top guys were doing 62's.  Considering I'd never been to Pembrey before and my 4 year old standard bike is at least 2 seconds a lap slower than the leaders I felt I'd satisfied at a job well done.

If any trackday or sports bike riders are interested I can thoroughly recommend the Super Dragon Corsas, they're fantastic in the dry.  130 miles for a rear tyre at race pace isn't so clever, you can see why us racers are always looking for sponsorship for new tyres!

My next outings will be on 8th September at Castle Combe and at Oulton Park on the 15th, two new circuits for me to learn.