Alex Gault - Aintree Outing - June 2006

YPE have done a fantastic job with the bike

Pole, 2 wins 2 DNF’s and a new lap record!

We did eventually manage to make it to Aintree, we had wanted to contend this championship but with Alex’s school exams taking place around the first meeting and a date clash later in the season with the CB500 Cup dates, we decided to give it a miss.

However after the problems with the bike at Knockhill we thought it prudent to give both it and Alex a run out on it before returning to Knockhill on the 25th.

So Round 2 at Aintree gave us the best opportunity.

With temperatures at 28 deg C in blazing sunshine our whole family looks like the cast from a Ribena Berry commercial;…. I don’t do heat!..... We’re Scottish for goodness sake! Our natural colour is “Blue”….. So I just know this is going to be sore tomorrow!

Anyhow back to our day out. Aintree is one of the best club meetings in the country, always well organised with a great atmosphere, good competition, plenty of track time for your money & great to meet up with old friends.

I’d entered Alex on the YPE Honda into the Superbike 400 class and also the open up to 500cc class which is brilliant to watch as every thing from 125 GP bikes to CB500’s take part.

Now remember this was only to be a shake down for the bike after being rebuilt, and some suspected problems came to light throughout the day, first off the replacement petrol tank was very dirty inside, it is difficult to get new tanks for these bikes and it is much cheaper to go to the breakers, the one we got must have been lying around for ages as I am sure it filled with soot, rust and perhaps a few birds nests!

Also the radiator has been suspect since we got the bike and I knew in these ambient temperatures, it was going to be a problem.

Seven laps of practice and every thing else looked good, Alex looked on the pace the engine sounded beautiful, however the bike was very hot when it came in, we did a few things to get the temperature down to a respectable level before he went out in the first race for the Super bike 400’s.

Alex drew number 5 so we were hopeful of a good race, as there were about 36 lined up on the grid (little story to this one……… when the girl presented Alex with the bag, he managed to get a quick look in side and seen the #5 peg.

He went “YOINK” that will do me….. Oh Look? I’ve drawn #5).

The local hero’s & Aintree experts in the S400 class, Alan Oversby and Tim Kermode along side 250 2 strokes which are also allowed to run in this class and the man of the moment is Colin Skillicorn on his Aprilia , who I was told, won the last meeting here by over 8 seconds.

No need to worry in the qualifying race though, Alex hit the front and led the rest home, giving him pole position for the final.

Now it was out in the open 500 class, not so lucky with the draw pulling 27th out the bag, also with the two races being so close together we couldn’t do anything about the temperature the bike was sitting at.

Now we all know Alex can’t launch these 4strokes off the line but he did a pretty good job of it this time; from 27th on the grid he entered the first corner in 4th by the second lap he was in the lead, then red flags came out, as someone had crashed blocking the circuit.

They held the other riders on the start line for a very long time, while the medics attended the crashed rider. On the restart Alex pulled of the circuit after only one lap, the engine had reached a critical temp and cut out.

Luckily, lunch was called and this gave us time to get the engine temp back down for the final of the F400. From pole Alex never put a foot wrong leading the race from start to finish, just doing enough to bring it home in first place in front of Alan Oversby, Kermode and Skillicorn.

Then out again for the final of the Open 500 class, Temp was still a bit high in the engine and as Alex had retired from the heat he was on the back row.

Now I tried to work a fly one, as I held him back and missed the sighting lap, trying our best to keep
the engine temp down.

At the front the “Aintree experts” Ian Perks, Colin Sillicorn and Tim Kermode were pulling away, the race lasted 7 laps; Alex caught the leading pack and made his way up into second spot before entering the last lap.

It looked like he could pull this off, a back row to winning the race in just 7 laps, unfortunately the engine got too warm and stopped again.

If it had kept going for just another 40 seconds more, it would have been the race of the season so far, as it was….. Alex pulled of the circuit at the famous “Beaches Brook” (Race Horse course) and chatted with the flag marshals about a dead frog they’d found under a hay bail! (Made me wonder too?????).

As always here; a really good meeting and thanks go out to the Aintree Club staff & marshals, we did every thing we set out to do, faults are being ironed out , the bike is getting faster and we know how to fix the problem with cooling system.

Oh! Now the Aintree circuit is in Liverpool, home to “Scousers” a strange people who have their own language, thanks to the lad that came up paying Alex a compliment by saying...
“2dhjh27gg943tndfh49y90;’4oi59uj3oj.Orgo48r3wenwpnf.kjvprgru;smdb8fg2#.” Alex smiled, thanked him and when he went away. Alex turned to me and said “I didn’t understand a word he said! ”

I translated and told him that the lad had said, “Watching you ride that bike was like watching British Super Bikes you were brilliant wee man!”

One last note, I was told in the last race Alex set a new Super bike 400 lap record with an average speed of 91 MPH.

All pictures in this report are from Garry Haris-Newsham, (you are free to use them in any releases but please give Garry credit) Garry and his wife Vicky are starting to get the bug bad!

Garry has followed Alex since the JRA days and are now talking about coming up to Knockhill to support Alex at the next round. MAD! But their support and help are much appreciated.

Next weekend we are off to darkest Wales, when Super Club visits Pembery for rounds 4 & 5 of the CB500 Cup, any Guides brave enough to make the perilous journey or any one willing to do the driving, apply to the usual address.