21 May 2000: KDMC/IRsport 125 Championship, Knockhill
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Race 1: 5th / Race 2: 4th
Championship position: 5th

Saturday I went up to Knockhill for practice; the weather forecast predicted showers all day and then a dry day Sunday, but I wanted to get a chance to work on gearing and suspension with the slicks on, so I was hoping for good weather. The forecast's never right in Scotland, anyway.

I arrived; it was sunny, and having spent several hours Friday night preparing the bike I was pretty much ready to go. Out came the bike, I warmed the tyres, and five minutes before practice begins, the rains come. Changing the wheels over isn't as quick as I'd like (I have to change the brake discs, too, because another racer borrowed my wets and returned them without brakes on). By the time I get out, there's five minutes remaining and I get one lap in before a crash brings out the ambulance.

The rest, as they say, is history. The weather cleared up, the track dried, I mounted slicks again, got two laps before a torrential downpour begins. Mounted wets, got four laps before another bike dumps oil all over the track.

So I wasn't in the best of moods for Sunday, although I was hoping the sunny forecast would hold. Got up at five to clear skies, checked the weather again - the forecast had changed to 'showers' again.

At Knockhill, the skies were still bright so I mounted slicks and went out for first practice with the bike running beautifully. Second practice was equally good, and I made some changes to the gearing and tried some new suspension adjustments, becoming fairly anxious about the clouds looming overhead.

The first race was early, but this time we got plenty of notice and it was a good call; it looked like the heavens were about to open, so I wanted to get the race out of the way again.

I'm on the second row of the grid. The lights go green, and it's not a great start (starting to see a trend here?) and I make it into the first corner in eighth, passing three riders on the first lap. From there I get stuck behind novice rider Anthony Czeyewski; every time I try to make a pass on the brakes he closes the door, although I'm faster through the turns, resulting in the occasional spot of panic braking while cranked over. His bike had great drive out of the turns, pissing on my intentions to pass him up the inside on the exits - the weather change had my bike running a little on the lean side and it wasn't making as much power as I would have liked. Ultimately, though, it came down to underaggressive riding on my part, so I was determined to get past him in the next race. I wasn't unhappy with fifth position, but I know that if I could have passed him in the first lap I would have had a chance at third or better. It's frustrating watching the lead pack get away when you're stuck behind a slower rider. But hey, my fault. It was a great race, with me stuck to his tail most of the way round and a few lairy moments braking into the hairpin and at the end of the straight. I certainly learned a lot, and was lapping faster than I ever have at Knockhill.

An hour after the first race it starts to rain, at first just a drizzle but growing in intensity until the entire paddock is soaked. I figure there's no chance that it'll burn off so I change to wets, and begin to warm them gently a half hour before the second race, at which point there's a thin dry line round the track. Just a jetting change and I'm back out on a warm-up lap.




Second on the grid again. Lights are green, and my start's much better, although apparently so is everybody else's. Through Duffus, slightly cautiously; right then left, then cranking the bike over for for McIntyres when somebody loses the front and I have to tighten my line to avoid him. The front tucks under, the bike goes sideways and starts to disappear from under me before some speedway action with my right foot saves it as I lose a couple of positions, gassing it through. After the first lap I'm in sixth, trying to stick as best I can to the dry line but also conscious that I might overcook the tyres.

The fun begins when I move off the line a few laps later, now in fourth, in Clark corner; the rear steps out something like a foot, hooks up again and my feet come off the pegs. Running wide I manage to get back in position, but immediately hit the rumble strip on the exit. Knockhill's rumble strips do. Again the bike does the dance of death but it's still pointed in the right direction and it doesn't hurt to gas it some more. Back on the track, I've recovered pretty quickly and am still gunning for it, while the commentators are on the edges of their seats, astonished that I'm still on the bike as I lead the pack that's fighting for fourth, fifth and sixth. I'm told I set the fastest lap of the race immediately before this, but I haven't got the statistics to hand to verify.

The bike continues to slide around controllably and I don't lose any positions, but the hammer comes down on the second last lap as I'm coming into the hairpin. One of the leaders has crashed, apparently taken out by a backmarker, and there's a group of three marshals on the asphalt trying to get his bike out of the way before I get into the turn. Yellow flags are waving, and I think of how unpopular I'd be if broke six knees in one day, so I brake early and take the corner slower than usual. Unfortunately, another of the riders has no such intentions and shoots up the inside; by the time I'm sliding the back out of the turn he's got twenty metres on me where I would usually be putting the distance on him, and he's off down the straight.

I make up some of the distance but the slides get larger and larger. Which to do: fight for third and risk throwing the bike down the track, or keep the same pace and accept fourth? I opt for the latter, taking it fairly easy for the last moments of the race. And because I didn't appeal the illegal pass in time, I stayed fourth.

So that puts me fifth in the championship. It was a great weekend and I learned a lot, and with the crystal-clear hindsight goggles, I could have done better. Next time.

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