Round 6: Donington Park

Airports, Baffles and Chocolate. An ABC of bike racing…

It’s really odd going to a racetrack and hearing bikes with a 98db limit on the track.  Kind of like someone’s pressed the ‘mute’ button or turned the telly down. Friday’s test limit meant we needed to baffle the bikes (yes, really), so we were really pleased we’d put a day in on Thursday at full noise and power.

We got some good test laps in over the two days and were feeling pretty good by the end of Friday. So good Simon even got to leave the track before 8pm! Keith was away working this weekend, so Ben and John were riding, and both were in good spirits, ready for Saturday.

Six weeks is a long time between races, so everyone was more than ready to get going on Saturday. Rider briefing at 8.30 led swiftly into first practice and with the weather conditions fine, we put in some good times. We were really happy to see Keith when he literally flew in at 9.30 on a whistle-stop visit en route from Switzerland to Cardiff, via Donington!

Because of a packed schedule, unfortunately our endurance race had been bumped back to a 3.45 start. This meant that Keith would be around to see us qualify but not to race. However, Madge hooked everyone up with the live timings link, so even from afar he’d be able to watch our progress! Qualifying went brilliantly – Ben banged in an awesome lap and we qualified first in class and second on the grid – our best qually position all year.  The weather was great, we were at the front of the grid, and confidence was high. What could possibly go wrong?

Due to spills in the earlier races, our start was bumped back even further, so we didn’t get out on to the grid until about 4.30. Ben got an amazing start – first away – well in line with the strategy (‘get to the front and stay there’) and we were whooping on the pitwall.  3 laps in, 1^st in class, 3^rd overall – yep we were happy.

Lap 4 – tannoy – ‘there’s a rider down…..looks like Number 115, Team Traction Control’.  Yup…it was Ben.  Thankfully the announcement said where, so Jim and Anita were despatched (‘get the f’ing transponder’) to the Melbourne Loop to collect the vital timing device.  Poor old Ben was left to forlornly wheel his handlebar-less bike back on his own.  In the now biblical rainstorm.  All the while, Keith was getting text and phone updates – though not sure a text saying ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck’ was that informative.

Transponder back, straight on John’s bike and he was out.  Go, go, go…the only instruction we gave him. The rain was pounding, so he was out on wets. So that left the small problem of getting Ben’s bike track ready within the next 25 minutes.  As usual Simon and Jim worked like demons. The bike was patched, taped, scruitineered and ready to roll when we gave the IN board signal.  Looking at that picture, I’m not really sure how!

[Photo credit:  Trevor Harlock]

We had gone from hero to zero – first in class to last overall!  A lot of work to do; a banged up bike, a rider who had taken a tumble and rivers of water on the track.

For the first time this year or last the race was red flagged. Stopped dead, due totrack conditions.  So we were pretty surprised to see John arrive in the pitlane.  We swiftly sent him back out and told him to stop on the grid!

From that point it was a fight, pure and simple, to get from last to somewhere near the points. We knew our nearest rivals in the championship were lapping 10 seconds a lap faster than us, but we couldn’t work out how. We had to focus and draw deep – the weather and conditions were appalling, but we had an hour and a half left to race – and it ain’t in the TTC rule book to give up! It was a blur of safety cars and timing changes….but the boys rode their socks off – lap after lap – and an inspired changeover as the safety car went in saw us rocket up the timing chart. As John went out for the last time we were P6.

P5…, P4…, P3….all came and went – apparently John couldn’t keep up with them on the board, until finally, like a man possessed he took us over the line in P2.  Unbelievable!!

For a second place, that comeback surely felt like a win. ‘I’m so happy I was high-fiving myself on the wall’ was the comment from Madge. Pretty much echoed by the whole team.  We danced and whooped and jumped up and down on the pitwall, and people from other races and teams came over and got caught up in our excitement. It was a magical moment.

After the initial excitement, we spoke to Keith, who was at the British Speedway GP in Cardiff for Monster, with John McGuiness.  Watching the live timings they got caught up in the excitement and were cheering us on from afar!  The whole team were gobsmacked when they heard that!

A late finish meant a long, late drive home – but at least we had some hand-delivered Swiss chocolate to keep us going!