MIST Suzuki Racing

Matt Bond, 28/09/07 - 30/09/07
FIM European Superstock 1000 Cup
Round 10

Friday - First Practice

First thing about the track is that its fast, very fast in-fact, with some high speed sweepers but also some dead slow technical, twisty bits, and also the surface was fairly new, so still a little bit slippery. The track was covered in dirt n muck form where the circuit vehicles had been finishing off the track preparation, and on certain parts of the track mid turn grip was close to non-existent.

We worked on getting a good base setting and getting the gearing right ready for the first qualifying later in the day. A few tweaks to the front of the bike to help it enter the turns faster and maintain corner speed, something that was made harder by the track conditions. I was having a few problems with the bike cutting out coming out of a few of the turns. A problem we later fixed after a few hours of fiddling with various wires by Mike and my old man!

Friday - First Qualifying

We started the session on a new front and old rear tyre, which we were planning to change mid session, just to try and get some faster times. I stuck in a few laps that were much improved on the morning session, thanks to grabbing a few tows from some of the quicker guys that were ahead of me.

We put the new tyre in for the last half of the session but it lasted all of two laps before it started to spin up and break traction in places where it really shouldn’t have been spinning up. I was getting thrown out of the seat all over the place and it was a little bit scary to say the least. I did improve my time but it was very marginal and didn’t put me any further up the grid, despite my best efforts.

Saturday - Second Practice

With the problems from the previous day sorted, and the bike remapped and run on the dyno, the team and I were happy and hopeful of a further improvement was to come on the second day. The bike was feeling much more responsive now than on the previous day, and it made the bike easier to ride also. The fact that it wouldn’t try to chuck you over the bars mid-turn was a big relief to, the team had done their job well!

Instant improvements in lap time helped boost my confidence, and a few more minor adjustments helped improve the bike, and make the spin from the rear end more controllable, consistent and predictable. This again helped inspire more confidence inside me. The gap to the top guys was closing down once again, and the entire field was bunching up by now, making a one tenth improvement in lap time an equal to two or three places on the time sheets!

Saturday - Second Qualifying

With the session being so short I stuck another new front and old rear combination onto the bike, but planned to do only two or three laps to get up to speed before going for a few fast laps.

The plan went well and to plan and I was able to get some good tows from some of the fast guys in the few laps that I got to push hard. Again I took a big chunk of time out from my previous best, as did most of my competitors, so although I didn’t move up the grid much, I closed in on the top of the field. A second covering 18 riders! I was a little gutted not to be higher up, but at least I was getting closer!

Sunday - Race

Despite the relatively low grid position I was pretty certain that I could make in-roads towards the front half of the field and was confident that I would make big improvements throughout the race.

I got off the line really well and forced my way into the first turn, making a fair few places in the process. I kept tucked behind a row of riders down the back straight and as we hit the brakes I went round the outside of them as it was the only space I could find, but it played into my hands as I managed to get by another three entering the following hairpin.

I then latched onto the back of Greg Guildenhuys on the Pedercini Ducati, and followed him through the end of the lap, narrowly avoiding a cruising Barry Burrell on the home straight entering the flat out first turn. I got a better run than Greg on the exit but couldn’t make the most of it, and for the next few laps we began closing in on the group of riders in front of us. I was beginning to get a bit frustrated behind Greg and then just as I was about to make a and move on him he suffered a big high-side right in front of me and took a big hit as he fell. I narrowly avoided his spinning body and sliding 1098, but made it through.

Unfortunately the time it cost let the group ahead get away, and my brakes began to fade, making it harder and harder for me to keep pace and also slow enough entering some of the slower turns. I hung on as much as I could but struggling to stop I lost a few places on the final laps, a bitter disappointment but I was still pleased to come home just outside the top 20, enjoying one of my better rides in the process.

Matt Bond, 07/09/07 - 09/09/07
FIM European Superstock 1000 Cup
Round 9

Friday - First Practice

The first session was really just a shakedown for myself, having not ridden for nearly 5 weeks I was a little apprehensive, and not even close in terms of speed and confidence, as to where I should be and previously was.

Either way a few laps in and I was starting to get my head round things and just focused on going forward bit by bit and finding out what the bike was doing and how the track was, the latter being incredibly inconsistent and very slippery.

The lack of grip did play a few games with my head, but I just got on with it, and felt much improved by the end of the session.

Friday - First Qualifying

Just going as fast as possible in this session was going to be key as it looked like the next day’s qualifying would be wet, and therefore a lot slower.

I really put in all my effort throughout the session, and used as many people as possible to help get the best time possible, even if I only managed to stay on them for a few turns. It helped just showing me where I should be on track on some of the more complex sections of track, and helped speed up the process of getting used to going fast after the lay-off I endured.

My lap times really improved and we worked on the settings of the bike, especially with the suspension, which needed a lot of softening, just to try and get some grip and feedback from the front end of the bike. It defiantly helped, but a small interruption and red flag didn’t. I was on my fastest first two sections and then had to pull into the pits as someone decided to jump off.

Saturday - Second Practice

As we predicted the heavens opened and the track became exceptionally slippery, with many people falling foul to the conditions, fortunately I wasn’t one of them, and spent the session getting an ideal set-up from the bike as we hadn’t enjoyed much time to test in the wet.

It was a really progressive session and the bike was getting set up better each time we made adjustments. I still didn’t have as much confidence in the front end as I would have liked but we were getting there and I was beginning to feel more comfortable riding in the wet than I ever have before on the big bike. A few adjustments to the back of the bike helped stop some of the wheel-spin and helped keep the bike a lot more stable mid turn and on the exits of the tighter turns.

I was a lot higher up in the time sheets than in the dry conditions the previous day, so I was cheered up by that fact and began to hope we’d be having a wet race on Sunday!

Saturday - Second Qualifying

I went faster than the mornings session and was really chuffed with actually being inside the top 20 for a change. I managed to get in a fair few laps and the bike was really feeling good, but still a bit too hard on the rear end so we decided to chance it and put in a new rear spring, slightly softer than what we had in, for the following day.

Even so I still used the time to get myself sorted with different lines and using different reference points, just in case I ended up somewhere on track that I hadn’t been before! It was useful to see how it affected the speed at which you could turn and corner in the wet, and lead to further improvements.

Sunday - Race

It was a bit hit or miss as to what the weather was going to do, but finally it made its mind up and stayed dry for our race, somewhat of a pain in the backside for me as I knew a wet race could see me well unto the points, but for the dry all I wanted to do was improve.

Despite one of the Alfa pace cars dropping its entire internal fluids over the track right on the final complex, and the very clever marshals using water to wash it away making it exceptionally challenging, we were under way in dry and overcast conditions!

I made a decent start, despite getting forced wide at the opening turn, and just tagged onto the back of an R1 and used him as my marker. Straight away I felt a lot more settled and back to riding at a decent pace. I did my best to hang onto the back of the bike in front but he just gapped me after we passed a couple of guys and I had no answer for him.

I just got my head down and rode just like I was learning a new circuit and made small improvements lap after lap, then Greg Gildenhuys (Sorry if spelled it wrong mate), the South African on the second of the Pedercini Ducatis caught me.

I was determined not to let him past and I instantly went a second a lap faster, thanks to Greg’s pressure, which was kind of a motivational technique for me! I could hear the big thunderous sound through the first half of the lap as he closed in, but id manage to stretch away from him in the latter half.

I was relieved to see the last lap flag come out and I just dug really deep and managed to keep enough distance between me and Greg to come out on top in our little battle, even if we were near the back half of the mid pack I was still jubilant! I’d managed to match the lap times of the guys in the points so I was pleased with the effort of myself and also all the work the team had done.

Next up we have Vallelunga in Italy, a completely new track to many of the riders, including myself, hopefully we can build on this meeting and keep moving forward over these final rounds!