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ABERDARE PARK, ROAD RACES : Aberdare Park - July 23rd 2005
 I’d been really looking forward to the Aberdare Park meeting for a long while. I went for the first time last year and had to learn the track in the pouring rain, I was hoping that the fairly dry time we’d been having this year would continue for a while longer, and allow the organisers and competitors to put on an unspoilt show for the many spectators who flock to the Park in South Wales. But the weather was the least of my worries as I got knocked off my road bike on my way home from work in the week before the race meeting.
Ok so I fall off sometimes when I’m racing, but believe me it’s nothing like hitting a people carrier on the public highway!! The usual scenario, I’m travelling along a 30mph A road out of Macclesfield where I work. She’s waiting to pull out of a junction on my left and when I’m a cars length away she decides to pull out whilst still looking in the other direction. Now my reactions are pretty good but she didn’t really give me much warning for this one!! I hit the brakes and swerved to the right to go around the front of her, I was riding defensively anyway so I was soon over the centre line of the road but she just kept coming!!! Consequently I was thrown over the top of the bike and landed on the other side of the road, fortunately the coach coming the other way stopped and I didn’t end up under that just for good measure!! My once immaculate 600 Hornet was laid in the road pouring its engine oil out through the broken crankcase with bits everywhere.
 Guess what she said first…all together now…”Sorry, but I didn’t see you”
You mean you were looking the other way!!!!
I was well beat up and I’d got a race bike totally stripped down in the garage and I didn’t have the energy to begin putting her back together. I’d got paperwork coming out of my ears from the insurance, and I didn’t have the enthusiasm to fill any of it in, and worse of all she’d stopped me riding my bike, gutted.
It came to the week before and I really had to get moving with the race bike, Kev Spurr had got the Forks and rear shock in Nottingham and the bike was sat in my garage at home with the swinging arm out as I’d found excessive side play due to worn thrust bearings which also required replacing! I flew across to Nottingham straight from work on the Monday evening, I managed to get the forks fitted when I got home and called it a night.
Andy Tim came around on Tuesday evening to help me get everything in order, which was a blessing, as I would’ve struggled alone. We got all the major bits back together and she began to look bike a bike again!! It seems to take forever to put things back together whereas it only takes minutes to strip it all down.
On Wednesday morning I got a call from Jason at Farrout Motorcycle & Car Repairs in Congleton to say that my  bodywork was ready for collection. I’d been fighting a loosing battle trying to match the purple paint which I scratched at Donington, so on the off chance I called in and Jason had the same colour left over from a previous job. We agreed that if I repaired and prepared the fairings then he’d help me out by painting and lacquering them, top bloke.
I collected them on my way home before heading across town to Richardsons Honda, to fit the new Dunlop KR 364 (Intermediates) on to the race wheels. I had ordered new slicks and wets but they’d failed to materialise, so I got the inters as a compromise to see me though the next meeting, hopefully I’ll get the others by Castle Coombe.
Once at home I had time to put new stickers on and fit the bodywork before Kev Spurr arrived, he’d brought Brian Wyles R6 Yamaha for me to return to him. Kev put a base setting on the Supermono suspension for me. Just having suspension rebuilt is not enough, it has to be set up once fitted in the bike, it’s a mistake many people make and they can think they’ve wasted a lot of money.
On Thursday I did a few last minute jobs until my Brother Mike appeared to help me load up, I had the R6, Supermono and my Honda RVF 400 to get in with all the kit so I was glad of the help.
Charlene and I left at 6:30pm on Friday evening after work; I wasn’t expecting Charlene to come with me, being as she’s 37 weeks pregnant, but I was glad she decided to come at the last minute. She was sick of being at home all the time anyway. We had a good journey down to South Wales and did the 160 miles in 3 hours with a short stop at Strensham on the M5, not bad for a Friday night.
 I’d put in a big gazebo at the last minute, as I didn’t have the room for the big awning. Everyone took great pleasure in mocking me whilst putting together this huge mass of poles but they were grateful for it in the long run. Brian Wyles hadn’t been there very long when I arrived; he was very pleased to be reunited with his R6 though.
Charlene had the best night’s sleep she’d had in a long time!!! I got up early to good weather which was a relief after last years wash out. I set too with Brian changing the sprockets on the 400 as she was still on Northwest 200 gearing, and I’d run out of time to change before leaving home. Stuart Davies appeared in time to help me push the Supermono through scruitineering whist I took the 400. Both passed no problem. Once back I changed into my leathers and took my kit to be checked prior to signing on.
When I read through the program I noticed that I hadn’t been entered for any races on my 400, so I had to go back to the office and ask them to fit me in on of the 250 races, but of course that meant I’d be at the back of the grid!!!!
All the bikes were ready for the off when practicing should’ve started but a mix up with the circuit doctor caused a delay, so we didn’t get started till after 11am, loosing a good 2 hours of track time. I fired up the Supermono on the rollers and headed down to the track, but the bike stalled on the way. I tried in vain to bump start the bike down the hill but it wouldn’t go.
 I left the bike with Stuart and ran back to the paddock for the 400. I was exhausted and managed to get Phil Davies to push the bike through the paddock for me. I bump started it down the hill to the track just in time to be stopped having missed the session. Then they let the Quads out and the 50’s & 80’s so I had to stop the 400 and wait for ages, when I finally got out on the track I only got 4 laps and they brought us back in.
I’d not ridden the 400 since last years Manx GP so I was hoping for a bit more time than that to be honest. I re-joined the queue and managed to get out again for a few more laps. I got one more short session but that was all and I didn’t managed to get out on the Supermono at all, so I didn’t have chance to see if the suspension needed adjusting or to scrub the new tyres in either. I wasn’t very happy!!
My first race was on the 400, I lined up on the back of the grid but I was on the left side with a pretty clear view in front of me, when the flag dropped I got a pretty good start getting away with the leading pack. I was really enjoying riding my 400 again and had a great battle with a couple of 250’s. The 400 only let me down a bit on power up the back straight where the 250’s would pull away from me a, but it just made it more fun working harder in the corners to stay with them. I finished 7th in the race which I was pleased with.
I was very wary of the new tyres when I lined up for the King of the Singles race. The disappointing thing about the singles race is that it’s full of 125’s, which out handle the less agile, and heavier Supermono’s, but they make you work hard!!!
 I had a slightly better grid position this time and was on the right side of the track, but I couldn’t see the flagman!! I had a brilliant start though and got up with the leading pair in third place. I put caution to the wind and went for it on the new tyres!!!
However I came onto the back straight and the bars were flapping wildly, I had to stand on the foot pegs and reach over the tank into the front of the fairing to turn the steering damper up a handful of clicks in an attempt to calm it down, whilst trying to keep the throttle pinned!! Local Welshman Mark Edwards seized the opportunity whilst I was distracted and passed me, I had a race long battle with him, which was brilliant, I made a couple of attempts to pass him but didn’t make it stick and eventually finished 4th.
In the King of the Singles final I got another good start and held my position well, Mark Edwards came passed me again and it became a mirror of the first race with us fighting tooth and nail through out. I finished the race in 7th place behind a sea of 125’s!!
On the Saturday evening Stuart Davies invited us back to his house in Aberdare to shower and freshen up which was very hospitable of him and his family, not least because we’d had him working hard all day running around after us!! The Aberaman MCC put on a do and presentation in a local club on the Saturday night; with dangerously cheap beer and the biggest buffet you’ve ever seen!!
During the night the heavens opened and the rain was relentless with no let up, On Sunday morning we set to packing everything away. We were very glad of the gazebo but it did little to shelter us when trying to load the vans!!
I chased the rain up the country and the motorways were awful taking nearly 5 hours to get home!!
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