Matt Bond @ Brands Hatch WSB round

MIST Suzuki Racing - New Truck Graphics

Not Quite The Champion of Brands… Gareth Jones on the podium

Gareth Jones @ Champion of Brands

Gareth Jones @ Champion of Brands

Photos copyright © Ian Hughes 2008

Photos copyright © Kevin Barker & www.motorbikestoday.com 2008

Friday - First Practice

Round 7 of the championship saw us at Brands Hatch in England. After getting in a few laps on the scooter on Thursday afternoon, I realized the circuit had lived up to what I had heard. It is a pretty wild circuit with many ups and downs with a few blind corners thrown in for good measure.

As usual the Superstock class kicks off proceedings at 9am Friday morning. The lap time around the fairly fast Brands circuit is only a minute and a half, so I managed to get quite a few laps in during the 30 minute practice. However it was straight into the pits after the session to decide on the changes we were going to make for the afternoon qualifying session.

The settings we had used at Brno were less than ideal for the British track. We were a little behind this weekend as our suspension technician was not available, so it was a matter of using the small amount of time on track to change what we could to improve the handling of the bike.

The afternoon qualifying was not very productive and I ended up in a disappointing position, somewhat further south of the leader than I was hoping. However I was positive that Saturday morning practice would prove to be a little more promising, and I hoped we would have a better idea of where to head with the setup of my bike.

Nevertheless dramas continued to plague us, and the weekend seemed to be heading in the total opposite direction to that of the last round at Brno, where we appeared to be moving forward.

Even though we managed to improve by 1.2 seconds in the second qualifying session, the problems with the set up of the bike were still very apparent, and I was certainly struggling, obvious by my hugely disappointing qualifying position of 29th.

My spirits were down, but the one thing that did work in our favor was the fact that the weather was looking really ordinary for the Sunday morning race. I was desperate for a stroke of luck which could perhaps come in the form of some rain! In Sunday morning’s 10 minute warm up, it was raining quite heavily and I was 14th quickest, so I had my fingers crossed that the weather would set in.

An hour and a half later and we’re off and racing. The rain had stopped, and in parts the track was drying quickly, but it was looking very bleak. It was going to be a tough call as to what tyres to run for the race. We left it as long as possible before making a decision, but at the time we needed to make that choice, it was definitely not going to be full wets.

We had some last minute dramas in the pits, and I ended up on the grid with full wets. It was my intention to join the grid with a wet front and an intermediate rear, and then my choice would have been to change the wet front to an intermediate also. Because of lack of time, we only managed to get a cold intermediate rear on my bike, whilst on the grid, and with no time left to change the front, I was left with a wet front for racing.

I knew my only chance to get up into the points was to go as hard as I could off the start. I got off the line well, and aimed straight for the inside going into turn 1. I managed some good passes and crossed the line after lap 1 in 16th. I continued to push in the early laps, before the wet front started to overheat and that made things difficult. I got up into 10th position, but about 6 laps into the 14 lap race, the track had a completely dry line.

I had some good battles but towards the end of the race the tyres felt like marshmallow and even holding a line in some of the slower corners was proving to be very difficult. However, all things aside, I managed to finish the race in 11th and take home some valuable points. It was a hard few days but points are points at the end of the day and I was satisfied to have come from 29th on the grid to finish in 11th place.

Thanks to family and friends who were able to come to support me at Brands.

Friday - First Practice

Despite not having tested either the new engine or at the Brands Hatch I was still confident that we’d have a good weekend, at a track that pretty much represented my home round.

First practice went well and I felt comfortable on the bike straight away, even with the engine still feeling tight and laggy, but still top end wasn’t too bad, having not rode for what seemed like months, it felt like a ballistic missile with handle bars! I think I’d forgotten just how fast these bikes really are!

The track was completely different to the previous year on the 600. Everything felt much faster, bumpier, more cambered and generally just a little bit crazy to tell you the truth! I loved every second of it and would seriously describe the place as a small piece of heaven on earth! I’m sure some people would have been whinging about the bumps, but it just made things a little bit more exhilarating in my view.

Lap times were good and once again I found myself inside the top 20, in a respectable 18th place, even though I wanted to be higher up I was pleased with the positives in the session, and knew there was more to come form me and the bike.

Friday - First Qualifying

Relaxing and focusing on just make lots of small improvements in each section of the track were the aims for the session. It was simple really, and after only what seemed a short few minutes I was into the pits to change tyres, only they weren’t sticker, and therefore we couldn’t go out on them. No-one could find them and therefore I had to finish the session on very used rubber.

It wasn’t ideal but I clocked my fastest time on the last lap, which was good but I was right near the tail end of the field and less than happy.

The stickers had decided to fall down the back of the tool box, which no-one even thought of looking in, but it wasn’t that bad, at least I’d get new tyres for every other session over the weekend. And my ideal best time would have lifted me up about 6 places on the grid. So the pace was there, just not all together.

Saturday - Second Practice

New tyres equipped and engine ignition and fuelling remapped, the bike seemed completely different. Much more competitive, more responsive and yet easier to ride. It felt more confident with the bike, and the lap times improved, again boosting my confidence.

A few small adjustments to the suspension to help maintain mid corner grip and front end feel on corner entry were made making the bike feel slightly better, but there was still a definite lack of rear end grip, which a lot of people seemed to be suffering with. Andreani suspension advised more preload on the front of the bike, which we tried, but I didn’t gain enough confidence or feedback from the bike like that so we decided to undo those changes.

Saturday - Second Qualifying

All I had to do was string a good lap together and push everywhere in the process, I needed a good grid slot if I was to have any chance of a top 15 finish and therefore score some points.

I got my head down straight away and instantly bettered my best lap from the previous session, not hard really, but with more to come I still kept pushing further and further and was pleased with the forwards progress.

The bike again got slightly better and the engine was feeling much stronger than previously throughout the weekend, and despite lacking punch out of some of the lower revving and slower pace corners, I was able to stick with a larger majority of the people in front of me, time wise.

I didn’t get a decent tow from anyone, but the small tows I did get seemed to make all the difference and I learnt a lot after just a few laps behind some of the front runners. A few adjustments to the lines I was using made a world of difference, and again my lap time improved, even if the position didn’t improve as much as I’d have liked.

30th on the grid was really not where I wanted to be, but I was still assured by the team it was okay, I’d made a huge improvement form the opening session in terms of lap time, and having not ridden since the opening qualifying at Brno, I was well on the pace with even more to come. I was still ahead of one of the Brit wildcards still though, with Jon Boy Lee struggling somewhat, just behind myself.

Sunday - Race

Warm up in the morning had gone really well, and I was straight back onto the pace I’d been sat at over the previous sessions. The bike was running really good and thanks to some small suspension adjustments from Steve “The Guru” Jordan, I was really happy with the set up we had for the race.

The crowd was huge even if we were the first race of the day and the atmosphere around the place was really intense. It was starting to make me nervous but I just listened to Mike and the team and relaxed. Having my girlfriend Chloe beside me as my grid girl helped calm me down as well. Before I knew it we were starting the warm up lap, and all the worries of the journalists, fans, my friends and family, all seemed to disappear from my mind, and all that I could think about was getting around the first lap safely, but moving forwards too. I got a great start and ran around the outside of loads of the guys who’d started in front of me on the grid. I got squeezed out at Druids however and Graham Hill wasn’t much better, by the end of the lap I’d only passed two people from the start line. I could still see a large group in front of me and I just focused on picking people off one by one.

I’d close on people follow them for a few turns and then dive up the inside on the brakes, or use the drive from the previous turn to slip past. It was going well and I became involved in a battle with Marko Rotthlan, which included some paint swapping moments, but it was all safe and a good laugh to tell you the truth. I made my way through to 21st and then started to catch the MGM Yamahas of Dario Gisupetti and Timo Giesler with just two laps left.

I followed Dario through Paddock Hill bend and he slid slightly wide at Druids so I took the opportunity to go through and the move stuck, and with Giesler within striking distance I made a push to get onto his back wheel.

The last lap and I’d got onto him, and I tried numerous moves before thinking I’d leave it till the last turn and make a move there. I missed a gear however and he got away entering the final straight and beat me to the flag and 19th by a measly 0.019secs.

But I’d got my best result of the year, passed 10 people in total and overall, made a massive jump lap time wise, and had missed out on points by only 5 seconds over a 14 lap race. It was good.

The team was happy and so was I. Despite all the problems from Brno and over the start of the weekend, we’d been able to get right on the pace of the guys in the points, shown up all the wildcard riders who were highly rated back in the UK, and proved we belong at this level. It was good for the team to finally see there tireless work pay off, and the results are starting to come. If we can carry this speed over the end of the year I’m sure we’ll be on for points at each of the final three rounds.

Ah Brands! Time to get all nostalgic about last year when I started off on this European Superstock 600 malarkey! Two injuries, a lot of sleepless nights and the time of my life, but that’s another tale for another time, or something!

After pulling back such a good result at Brno after an appalling qualifying, I was determined to be on the pace from the word “go” at my home round. With the track only a 20 minute fast drive (or half an hour legally!!) from my parents house, you would expect me to know the track well. While this may be true of the short circuit, red tape and moaning people make chances to ride the full GP circuit few and far between. Luckily Matt and myself managed to get out on a track day a couple of weeks ago for some practice, which proved to be a shrewd move!!

After driving back from Hinckley where I work, in my brother’s car (long story - me and the internal combustion engine seem to be having some disagreements lately…), it was all hands on deck organizing tickets for friends and family for the weekend. Thursday shot past and before we could say “have you got any spare tickets?” it was Friday morning and time for free practice.

Friday - Free Practice

Out on track, it was great to get on a familiar circle of tarmac, especially one as enjoyable as Brands. Some, but not all, of the European tracks just feel so featureless compared with a good ol’ British race through the Kent countryside. After a few laps I was just getting in to it when I saw a pirates flag, but without the skull and cross-bones. Ah, that’ll be the black flag then…

It took a whole lap for me to figure out that a certain, timing-based pretty red box, otherwise known as a transponder, was sadly still in its own pretty box and not filling the gaping hole where it should have been on my bike. I didn’t swear. No really, I didn’t. I was too embarrassed!

Once this had been dealt with and The Boss had bailed Matt and myself out (yes, him too!!), it was straight back on track, to concentrate on the job in hand (and hide behind the black visor!). Now, the potential danger of being worked up over the transponder had passed, but there was another foe in wait for me… the brake gremlins of Teng Wheelire(!?). The pressures of determination led me to ignore the juddering and keep pushing my braking harder and harder. Unfortunately (there’s always an “unfortunately…” in these stories isn’t there!!) as I popped up to brake late for hawthorns (a 120+mph right hander out in the woods) I realised that perhaps I should have not tried quite so hard on this particular occasion…

As I always say, when things are going wrong; when you’ve combined very late braking with iffy brakes; when you’ve entered an already ridiculously fast corner too fast; mindless optimism will get you through. Or, at least, make you think you can get through! Despite my best efforts, the physics of the situation soon prevailed and Mr. Newton won this time. The bike cleared not only most of the gravel trap, but also the air fence, tyre wall and marshals’ road. It then decided it wanted a career change from lowly race bike, to lumberjack and aimed at an innocent tree. Tree 1 - GSXR600 - 0. That’ll be that job down the pan then!

After the session, I still managed to be 23rd fastest, which was fairly encouraging, especially considering that the lap I crashed on was looking to be my fastest lap at that point. I would also like to mention the fact that I was second fastest through the speed trap, although that may have something to do with the speed trap being just before hawthorns…

Friday - First Qualifying

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, my team is the best team in the world! How they transformed a sorry looking pile of bits laying at the foot of a tree into a fully operational race bike again, not forgetting the unforgiving time scale, is awe-inspiring. Having done such a sterling job, it would have been rude not to repay them with a good performance in the afternoon. Well, that and the fact that Matt was in the top ten…

After coming in to iron out a few tree-derived problems early on in the session and to try and cure the vibration from the front wheel, I lapped with consistent improvements and ended the session 17th. Given the fact that I had, only a few hours ago, indulged in the sort of crashing activity that could have easily ended the weekend, perhaps the season, we were rather pleased with ourselves! Our confidence for the remainder of the weekend was further boosted when we discovered the front wheel being buckled was the cause of the mystery vibration I had been experiencing.

Saturday - Second Qualifying

Final qualifying and a final chance to improve my grid position further. After a steady start bedding in new brake pads, I pitted to allow them to cool off before returning onto the track. I took a while to get up to the pace I had been comfortably running at on Friday. Despite pushing hard I failed to improve my time and to make matters worse was relegated to 23rd on the grid as other riders went quicker.

After the Friday comeback, needless to say, this was a major disappointment. After many hours running through every detail of the session, both in my head and with Mike we finally got down to an explanation for the problems and, more importantly, a plan of action for Sunday. The reason for my lack of speed was simple; lack of focus! The solution was to work hard to ensure I was in the right mindset every time I get on a bike and be really, REALLY focused.

I returned with a vengeance Sunday morning, with one goal in mind: overtake whoever is in front of me and repeat ’till the chequered flag. I arrived at the track and decided the best plan would be to relax and clear my mind in the morning and disappear to get mentally prepared in the hour approaching the race. I spent a chilled morning at the edge of the circuit out in the woods with friends, playing guitar and watching the bikes - paradise!! I disappeared to a Quiet Place for the hour preceding the race to run through the first lap bend by bend, move by move. I had my plan decided for the first corner from so many races on Brands Indy Circuit.

Sunday - Race

The start line was, once again, the best feeling in the world, with no one cheering louder than dear ol’ Mumsy!! Gah! Not content with her mischief at Silverstone, Mother Dearest was doing her best to embarrass me and even the grid interviewer felt the need to pass comment! Parents eh? After the sighting lap we lined up for the sixth time this season for what was to be my best race yet. As soon as the red light disappeared, I was off the line in a shot and made for the outside of Paddock Hill Bend like a drunk to a kebab shop at kick out time. Nothing was going to stop me getting the lines I wanted this time!

After passing a handful of riders round Paddock, I managed to get a couple more round the outside at Druids and into Graham Hill Bend. I got settled straight into the race and started trying to pick off riders one by one. I got fellow Brit Barry Burrell fairly early on in the race and set off after my crazy Italian chum Daniel Beretta. Friends off the track, but there would be no love lost between us once the visors snapped down; after battling for some time, he made a break when I had a big slide exiting Sheene Curve and lost considerable time.

By the time I had recovered the time I had childishly lost, master Beretta had managed to pass a few more riders and the chase was on. I set about getting past the remaining riders that stood between me and that all important top ten finish. After a few good stabs at getting through I had another slide, only this one was slightly bigger than the biggest slide I’ve ever seen! Mind you, it did get shown on the big screens and I guess any coverage is good coverage!

I set off (again!) to make up the lost time. Although I caught back up again, setting a faster lap than three riders in front of me in the process, I was unable to make a pass stick in time. After just missing out on 12th place by a ridiculously small margin, a 13th place finish still felt really good.

There were the usual “what if’s” and “I should’ve just…” thoughts in my mind, places I could have made a firmer pass, qualifying sessions I could have actually used rather than just riding round in circles… but the bottom line is that I came 13th after starting 23rd. Having learned so much once again and hopefully started to better suss out the immense psychological side of racing, I can only wait for Assen and make sure I put everything into practice.

Thanks and Cuddly Toys to:

• Steve and Sarah Jordan - Use of plush race vehicle and highside practice… And Steve’s superb bike set up advice
• Mike Edwards - Winner: 100m sprint, pit lane olympics. Thanks for sorting out my head for the race!!
• Uncles Clive and Richard - Superb mechanic service, bikes repaired while U wait!
• Roger and Tony Z - Professional ribbing of CG for crashing, a great double act now showing in a truck cab near you! Top notch supporters and much more!
• Neil Faulkner - Help with brakes and tickets!
• Ros and Pete - Supporting me and photography of Dragon Steak!
• Craig for the NHS Helpline story…
• Beckie Dark - CG Racing, Newquay Division
• The man on the motorhome area gate, for being such a cheery chap!
• Supporters Bruv, Kirst, Gemgem, Smed, Double D, Nick, Loominator, Sammy, Bunny, Unc Sebastian and Auntie Gertie, Jonny B Goode, Sarah, Chris, and everyone else who was there to support us.

Friday - Free Practice

After two disappointing rounds in a row I was well fired up and ready for Brands, pretty much my home round of sorts and thanks to a superb track day, which was to prove invaluable, I was totally focused on getting a decent result, not only for myself but the entire team.

I started practice at a decent pace and gradually built it up and up, getting used to which lines were working and how the bike felt. I also done a little bit of line experimentation by running in purposefully too deep and wide or too tight, just to get an idea of how to get round the turn well, if I make a mistake and not lose too much time.

After tagging onto the back of Davide Guigliano and finding his pace not too hard to keep I set about slamming in some good lap times. It seemed to work really well and the bike felt absolutely superb, with hardly a wheel out of place round the entire circuit, it just felt so smooth and flowing.

I decided to just finish the session early as I wanted to save the tyres for first qualifying and also to stop any of the other guys following my lines too closely. I was chuffed to pieces when I rolled into the pit lane and Steve signalled to me that I was fifth fastest. I was kind of in shock and didn’t really believe him until I checked for myself, and then a smile came across my face. Just knowing that we were at the top of the time sheets was an awesome feeling.

Friday - First Qualifying

After the first session on track I was more than ready to get myself the best qualifying of the season and it all started poorly! I spent the first fifteen minutes of the session just fooling about and was giving people a tow round the track, which I really shouldn’t have been doing at all. Fortunately a red flag came out and having returned to the pits boss man Mike gave me a useful word or two in my ear and it worked a treat.

Back on track and it began to work better than before and the times started to come together, with little improvements in every sector lap after lap. I just focused on pushing into, through and out of every turn a little more each lap and by the end of the session I was really working hard just to keep the bike on the right line as I began to push the tyres to their limit.

As the session began to end the bike began sliding everywhere as the rear tyre struggled to grip, after a severe amount of power being put through it for the last 25 minutes was beginning to take its toll. Fortunately it stayed together just enough for me to set my best time with a lap to spare, and I was pleased to end the session 6th fastest, with only Simeon getting in front of me, after him missing the entire first session with an oil leak. It was good to be up with the fast guys for a change, rather than languishing down the bottom end of the table as had been the norm for the last rounds.

Saturday - Second Qualifying

I was determined to improve on Fridays time and I so wanted to get onto the front row for the following days race, but it just wasn’t to be. I spent the entire session riding like a lemon to sum it up. I just couldn’t find my rhythm I didn’t focus on getting a tow from one of the guys in front of me and even when I did try I ended up either tailing them from too far behind or on a lap where they messed up or even on one of their in laps. Then when I tried pushing the times on my own my concentration just wasn’t there and I made mistakes everywhere and began to over ride the bike.

After returning to the pits to try and sort my head out there were only four minutes left and a rather stern word or two in my ear from Mike just flicked the switch and instantly I stuck in my fastest lap and then caught a tow from Simeon. I managed to stay with him for the entire lap and was on for fifth and then I completely muffed up Stirling’s, lost the rear on the brakes and only just managed to make the turn, but kept it pinned and crossed the line setting an even better time but the slide cost me dearly.

I slipped into ninth and the third row and was well gutted and I could see the disappointment in the teams eyes, I felt so bad not only for myself but for them mainly, even with the joy of the years best qualifying it still seemed like a poor result. I needed another lap really, and I’d have been sorted!

Mike and myself sat down afterwards and analysed the sector times and it all made sense as to what I could have done if I hadn’t made that mistake and it certainly cleared my mind and made me feel a lot more settled and confident for the race. I just began to think about a plan for the race and visualise it all.

Sunday - Race

After a fairly sleepless night just trying to plan for the race and trying to think about lines and where to pass if I got the chance, I was ready. Rolling out onto the sighting lap and looking around the circuit as I toured towards the grid I could just notice how many of the 120,000 plus people had stayed, and it was kind of frightening!

On the grid was superb, I could actually see the starting lights for the first time all season! And the added bonus of Frank’s wonderful grid girl made it even better, cheers to him and www.superbike-news.co.uk for sorting that one! I owe you fella! Sitting on the grid the media frenzy was somewhat overwhelming and just looking to the side and seeing more people than I could ever count made it all seem surreal, but at the same time made me realise that I had a big task at hand as well. Mike calmed me down and told me to focus in and visualise, whilst ignoring everything else around me (seemed a blooming hard thing to do at the time) and dad just said be smooth. It all worked and I just blanked it all out.

Once the grid was cleared I can honestly say that I was more nervous than for any other race I had been in and I’m sure that a tear of joy was in my eye as we were flagged away for the warm up lap. I just got the tyres scrubbed right to the edge and nice and hot and as I rolled into my grid slot I just re told myself the plan for the first turn. Next thing I know the lights are out and I made the start I wanted and made it into the first turn in about fifth place. The first laps a pretty much a blur and all I remember is getting my head down until entering Druids, Guigliano decided to use me as his brakes and literally smacked my arms off the bars! I just managed to save it but it shook me up, despite trying to get my own back he began to disappear, especially on the straights, damn that bike was fast, but maybe he was just getting out of the turn harder, I’ll never know.

The next lap Michal Savary passed me under yellows and I was well and truly pissed off by it as he didn’t pull over to let me back past. I got stuck behind him for what seemed like ages and I just couldn’t out-brake him due to the gaps he was getting on the straights, and that was definitely to do with his blooming fast bike! Once I finally got close enough I divided past at Paddock and set about catching Dan Sutter, which I quickly done but just couldn’t find the right line to pass him. It was a great little battle and he finally left me a gap at Druids and it was too good an opportunity, and I just ran in so hot, and how I stopped I really don’t know, but it worked! Next few laps I spent really charging and trying to catch Ondre Jezek and by the last lap I was closing in to striking distance, despite trying to keep Sutter behind! Exiting Stirlings I was close, but not close enough and had to let it go, there was no chance I could have made the pass safely, and thought that points would be better than a battered body and broken bike. So I settled for the place and crossed the line in seventh with Sutter right beside me in eighth and Jezek just in front in sixth.

I was so delighted to get a decent finish I just punched the sir with joy all the way up the hill to Druids, and then dully stopped to do a monster burnout! Which I duly copied for all the groups of fans all the way round the track! Some also got an additional wheelie down the back straight as an added bonus!

It felt awesome to return to a smiling, happy team and the improvement in places just made all the weekends work worth it. Seeing Chris come home in the points too bought a smile to my face. But for me being the first Brit home and with my first top ten of the year I was never gonna stop grinning like a Cheshire cat. It was the best day of my career thus far and has really inspired me to do it at every round form now on. No more excuses, just results, and with a great team around me I know its gonna be possible! Watch this space!

Lastly I’d just like to thank all the following people for making the weekend one of the most memorable and enjoyable one to date:

• MIST Suzuki Race Team
• www.givemethekeys.com
• T&J Commercial Repairs
• Steve Jordan Motorcycles
• www.trackparts.co.uk
• S&B Commercials
• Silkolene
• Pirelli
• Nick & Matt @ Feridax
• Frank Duggan and Mike Hill @ www.superbike-news.co.uk
• Louise Cain @ www.petrol-heads.co.uk
• Simon Bradley @ www.motorbikestoday.com
• Mike Edwards for his inspirational words and management skills
• Steve Jordan for suspension set up the gods couldn’t better
• Everyone for their congrats and kind words
• All the fans at the track for the support
• All the fans at home cheering me on and texting me throughout the weekend
• And the biggest thanks to Mum & Dad, whose tireless help, support and hard work has got me to where I am. I owe you so much I’m glad that we finally got where we deserved to be.

Cheers guys and see you at Assen in a few weeks!

In case you wonder why there are photos of a gravel trap and a tree you might like to read about the crash Chris had in Free Practice. He managed to launch the bike over the gravel, bounce it off the air fence before hitting the tree and bouncing down in to the ditch. There were even marks on the tree where it hit and we found one of his air tubes in the middle of the tyres when we walked round the track later on. he got away pretty lightly in my opinion, two damaged wheels, a bent rear subframe and some bashed bodywork. Could have been a whole lot worse!

Photos copyright @ MIST Suzuki Racing 2006

Summary

The preparation for our home round began with the mad dash from Brno to get back in time for a track day on the Brands Hatch GP circuit in preparation for the forthcoming WSB round. A steady day with good progress from both riders testing brake pads, suspension and getting used to a circuit they haven’t visited since last year. After that it was a week of frantic activity trying to organise new signs and stickers for the sponsors, the van and the bikes, plus preparing an advert to be shown over the race weekend on the large screens at the circuit.

With only a 40 minute commute instead of 16.5 hours the weekend was still going to be a busy one. We managed to get the race truck and motor home to the circuit on Tuesday night in the hope we could get a decent position in the paddock. We weren’t allowed in until Wednesday morning and even then there was a huge queue before we could get everything organised. Another trip to the circuit in the evening to set up the awning and I returned to the circuit ready for the weekend first thing on Thursday. With bikes to unload, tyres to be collected and fitted, signs to be erected, etc. it was a busy day and by the time the rest of the team arrived it was almost time for scrutineering. That done there was just time for a track walk with the riders before having an early night.

Other than walking the circuit to identify reference points and lines the only tasks left to the riders are to fix the tyre identification stickers to the tyres on the bike (to ensure nobody uses more than their allocated amount) and to collect their transponders. Obviously it wasn’t an auspicious start to the day when both riders were black flagged in the first practice session for not having fitted their transponders. Matt had also managed to get turned away at the gate at Misano for forgetting the tyre stickers. At least they only ever make the mistake once!

Matt made some good progress, quickly getting down to his best time on the test day and finishing in 5th place with a best of 1’35.977 - A good start that he felt very comfortable doing. Chris had also made a good start and after just 6 laps managed a best of 1’37.981 which was the same pace as on the test day. Unfortunately Chris then went missing so was left down in 23rd place. When walking the circuit the previous night both riders thought it funny to test the air fences (designed to protect the riders from the hard barriers should they come off).

It turned out that Chris had crashed through Hawthorn Bend, the bike missing the gravel, bouncing off the top of the air fence (a good forty or so feet away) before hitting a tree some eight foot in the air and then bouncing to end up a further eight feet down another slope in the nettles. The recovery crews did a magnificent job getting the bike back to us and the team breathed a sigh of relief to find the ’only’ damage was a trashed pair of wheels, discs and snapped front and rear sub frames. It was still a fair amount of work but after replacing the wheels and fitting our spare bodywork and sub frames the bike was ready to go again.

The first timed qualifying session was much less traumatic with both riders putting in comfortably faster laps than in practice. Without the benefit of a tow they were never going to get near the front few but it is easy to forget that this is still their first full season riding 600cc machines which makes their achievements all the more remarkable. In the middle of the session Matt got his head down and was soon running in fourth place overall. Chris was also putting in some fine laps ending the session in 17th place with a best of 1’36.205! Matt dropped down a couple of places in the closing stages and finished 6th after a best lap of 1’34.909, barely 0.9 seconds from the pole position man.

With Friday complete we walked the circuit again to identify areas to work on and to look for a few missing parts from the damaged bike. By some luck we found a missing air intake tube in amongst the tyres behind the air fencing and inspected the damage to the tree and the large area of flattened foliage behind it. We all realised that we had been very lucky to still have a bike to ride for the weekend and decided that our luck had changed for the better after the last couple of rounds.

The second qualifying session on Saturday proved more difficult with both Matt and Chris having problems getting a clear lap as they were now targets for other riders who tried to get an idea of the lines they should be using. Matt lost almost half a session trying to keep out of the way of riders intent on slowing him down. Matt was able to comfortably run close to his previous best but it was only towards the end of the session when he was called in to the pits and told to focus more that he improved his times. Unfortunately there wasn’t much time left and despite being on target for fifth place on his last flying lap a slide out of Stirling’s Bend halted his progress and he slipped to 9th place in the dying seconds. A best of 1’34.901 was an improvement but we all knew he was capable of so much more. Chris also had a frustrating session although did improve his time to a 1’36.111 he qualified in 23rd place.

Both riders knew they could ride faster and were comfortably ahead of all three British wild card riders who all had much more experience on 600cc bikes. Just goes to show how steep the learning curve has been for the team in moving to the European series rather than staying in the UK. The choice was obviously the right one though as all the wild cards, and several of their friends from the British SuperBike series, are looking at joining us in racing in Europe next year. Our plans include the current riders moving up to the European SuperStock 1000 class in 2007 whilst also running a SuperStock 600 team to bring on more British talent.

The actual race was the last item on the programme for Sunday and was straight after the second SuperBike race. Everyone was pleased to see the number of people in the crowd who stayed on to watch the race so despite the long wait everyone was really looking forward to the start. Both riders got away well with Chris getting up to 16th by the end of the first lap and gradually chasing down and catching the riders ahead. A few spectacular out of the seat moments through Surtees corner were caught on camera slowing his progress slightly allowing the 12th place man to keep his position at the flag with Chris finishing in 13th just 0.076 seconds behind. A new best lap of 1’34.881 was a remarkable improvement and shows just how fast the guys can ride.

Matt made a slightly slower start but managed to get up to 7th at the end of the first lap before dropping to eight and then ninth as faster riders found their rhythm before he did. A massive moment through Druids didn’t help when Giugliano passed so close that he actually pulled Matt’s hand off the bar almost causing him to crash. Matt recovered and set about catching the next few places but was held up badly on one lap and could only watch the few in front pull away. After a brave move on the brakes Matt soon pulled clear and set about catching the group ahead. By the last lap he had caught the rider in 6th place but opted for a safe 7th rather than risk an incident just a few corners from home. Finishing just 0.163 seconds behind 6th place was frustrating but to take 7th place with a 1’34.531 (the 6th fastest lap of the race and around 0.9 off the fastest lap) was a great result for both Matt and the team.

After a hectic weekend to come back and have both riders in the points again was fantastic for everyone involved. More importantly, both riders are convinced that they can run at this pace for the rest of the season and it was great to hear them say it as the team have long believed that to be the case.

The next round is at Assen where we will be racing in between the two SuperBikes races on Sunday in front of one of the largest British audiences of the series.

Mike Edwards
Team Manager - MIST Suzuki
www.mistsuzuki.com

Would like to thank main sponsors www.givemethekeys.com and Steve Jordan Motorcycles for their never ending support and the help given to the team from B & C Express, Dyna Pro, Pipercross, RaceDays.net, S&B Commercials and Silkolene.

Would also like to thank Mike Eglington for all his hard working in preparing the revised stickers and signs at short notice.

Summary

We finally managed to book ourselves some much needed testing time on the Brands Hatch GP circuit, and I for one, was going to make the most of it and get the bike and myself ready for the upcoming round.

The first session saw us take a few laps behind a travelling marshal before they “released the hounds” so to speak. Instantly I could feel the bike moving and sliding a lot, due to the tyres still being on from the Brno round a few days prior to this test. Never the less I got stuck in and just put into practice a few of boss man Mike’s ideas and began making a catalogue of reference points in my head. I began to adjust these as the session wore on and just as I was getting into a decent rhythm of running the points further and further one of the track day heroes decided to throw his wonderful Ducati 998 down the tarmac and cause a premature end to the session.

Session two went a lot more smoothly as we began to build up the pace, and with the adjusted gearing now on the bike, it seemed a lot more ride able. I began to build up the pace and after catching and passing fellow Euro Stock 600 rider Mads Odin Hodt; I was feeling quite confident and fairly quick too. Once again the session was bought to a premature end thanks to another bike heading into the kitty litter, but I wasn’t too fussed as id began to work my references really well and they’d begun to string together nicely.

For session three we decided a new set of tyres was in order, after a fair few big front and rear end slides towards the end of the second session. They felt so much better after riding on what was effectively completely shot rubber at the start of the day. With the new Pirelli’s working well I got my head down and began to push into every turn that little bit harder and accelerate that little bit sooner and more aggressively. It was going well until I caught a whole gaggle of track day riders and rather than risk it I just picked them off one or two at a time, giving them all plenty of room. Well, didn’t want to get tangled up or scare them did I, would I do a thing like that, with my reputation? Once again the session was ended early as yet another bike lost adhesion, and yet again we trundled back to the pits passing a very unhappy rider on the edge of the circuit.

Back on track after lunch for session number four and I got in a number of decent, fast and clear laps, despite Mads trying to tail me, I was still able to get myself free, without showing him too much ion the way of lines, braking points, etc. Thanks to advice from Mike, I was well aware of what would happen if he did get on my tail. The rest of the session seemed to fly by, right until, you guessed it, another rider decided to face plant into the wonderful Kent scenery. Maybe I was missing something, were they giving away prizes for the days best dismount?

After the fourth crash in as many sessions we (and by we I mean the entire group!) got a severe talking to from the clerk of the course, who threatened to put a travelling marshal out on track with us. It seemed to work as no-one jumped ship for the rest of the day. Now why couldn’t they have said all that before lunch? Anyways the session was really uneven; I’d get a few laps clear and then get completely stuffed as I tried to get through a group of five or six riders and then I’d get a few more clear laps and then hit more traffic. I didn’t really get to string anything together and the session was kind of wasted, although I was able to test a few overtaking places thanks to catching the groups in roughly the right places.

Session number five was the fastest and smoothest session of the entire day. Everything clicked into place perfectly and when it came to traffic I was through without incident every time. I was really able to push my reference points, and began to ride the bike hard. I felt at ease as well and was really relaxed and just found myself able to get from point to point, with the bike at full speed, with no problems whatsoever. It was great to be as one with the machine. Even though the bike was out of line at various points around the circuit as I either backed it into Druids or spun it up out of Sheene curve, I never felt out of control and damn was I having fun out there! Especially memorable was doing three bikes in a row on the brakes entering Hawthorne’s, don’t think any of them saw that coming! And we got a full 20 minutes on track thanks to no-one dumping it! Bonus!

The final session was spent just bedding in some brake pads ready for the meeting, and I also used it just to make double sure of where al my reference points were. After a few laps I pulled back into the pits and called it a day. Nothing else needed to be done and I was happy with the set up. Confidence is high ready for the round in a few weeks time. Fingers crossed it’s a good one!

Paddock photos copyright @ MIST Suzuki Racing 2006