MIST Suzuki Racing

Matt Bond, 05/10/07 - 07/10/07
FIM European Superstock 1000 Cup
Round 11

Friday - First Practice

After Vallelunga we were pretty confident that we had ourselves prepared and ready to improve on the result from Vallelunga the week previous. We had a few suspension adjustments made by Andreani, apart from that the bike was pretty much how we’d led it after Italy.

The track seemed very different on the big bike compared to the previous year on the 600, everything just seemed a lot more technical and more difficult than before, but it also made the track that much more fun, its something I’d found had happened throughout the year!

We got a fairly decent set-up through the opening session, spending most of it just following the faster guys seeing what lines they were taking, and what they were using for braking and turn in markers. I was struggling a bit to get the bike through the middle section, mainly due to the 180 turn, which was just a pain to get out of at any speed. At least the bike was fairly rapid down the back straight!

Friday - First Qualifying

I was really going to have to push, as with the weather being very unpredictable, we were unsure as to whether or not we’d get another dry qualifying session this weekend. The plan was to do some laps on my own before tagging onto the back of one of the fast guys for as long as possible and see what happened.

The first few laps went well, and the times were a big improvement on what I’d done in the morning session, due to improve track conditions and a better set-up. I came into the pits about 15 minutes into the session just to check the lap times and make sure the tyres were at the right pressure and make a couple of adjustments to the front of the bike as it was a little unstable on the brakes.

Back on track for a few more laps and the bike was much more settled and was a lot easier to stop and turn when trail braking into some of the tighter turns on the course. It helped extensively at the hairpins, of which there are many at Magny Cours, along with numerous tightening turns. I was struggling for rear end grip so entered the pits to fit the new rear tyre.

With the new tyre fitted I had about ten minutes to put in a good lap and after half a circuit, and with the tyre scrubbed in, I latched onto the back of fellow Brit Adam Jenkinson and used him to tow me. All was looking great as I set my best sector times in the final two sections behind him but then as I started a new fast lap it all went bang, literally.

The bike suddenly began to slow and then totally locked up as I entered the first turn. I quickly grabbed the clutch and free-wheeled to the side of the track and lent the bike up against the tyre wall as I joined the marshals on their post. I trudged back to the pits, fairly pissed off to say the least, but I was cool enough to accept that it wasn’t the teams or my own fault and that we couldn’t have stopped the problem anyway.

Saturday - Second Practice

With the replacement engine fitted and re-mapped, we were ready to try n make some improvements and get further up the field on the second day of competition.

The engine wasn’t as strong as the previous one, making it a bit more difficult to get out of the turns as hard as I’d have liked, and it gave people the chance to get away from me, but it just helped me improve corner entry and mid turn speed and also enabled me to get on the throttle sooner, although twisting it harder took a while to adjust to. If I’d have dome it before it would have gotten me a few more air miles I’m sure!

We managed to get some decent lap times in towards the end of the session, and made a few more adjustments to help keep the bike settled on the early acceleration, and to help keep the spin minimal as I was powering on while the bike was still on its side.

Saturday - Second Qualifying

I really needed to get my head down for this session; it was going to be the last chance I got to improve my grid slot. The plan was simple, two or three laps on the old tyres before sticking in our final new set and really going for it.

I felt comfortable after my first few laps out and the bike seemed really smooth and controllable, and fast, which was key. I entered back into the pits right away and got the new tyre fitted to the rear of the bike.

I went for it from the opening lap on the new tyre and I just pushed that little bit harder at every turn, let the bike slide and skip when it wanted to, and basically just go for the, “it’s either pole or coming back in a van” mentality. I managed to go faster by a fair chunk, but lady luck didn’t help much and I didn’t improve on my grid slot. Bugger.

Sunday - Race

Once again I was starting from a slot on the grid which really didn’t make my job any easier, hey, why should I change things this far into the season? Ha-ha. Either way I had a plan, simply put, I AM going forwards!

From the start I was pushing and barging my way through the field and by the time we’d got onto the back straight I’d already leap-frogged most of the guys form the two rows in front of me! The slipstreaming down the back straight when your behind some 30-plus bikes is a totally extreme experience, and the extra speed you carry is amazing. Hitting the brakes it was a case of miss everyone around you and hope they attempt to do the same. Unlike last season, I didn’t have a Yamaha come flying past me totally locked up, and we all made it round the hairpin without and real problems. That was my biggest and only real worry!

From then on I got onto the tail of the group just ahead of me and we enjoyed some really close moments and exchanging of positions lap after lap. I managed to keep with the group until getting stuck behind a very unpredictable and sideways wildcard rider. It was impressive to watch him backing it in everywhere, but he was overtake, and once I was through I just tried to gap him, which I did.

After a few laps on my own I could feel him closing in, and with no-one close enough in front of me, I just aimed on being consistent and not allowing the guys behind me to get through.

With a few laps to go I noticed that I was beginning to rapidly catch the bike ahead of me, that being Dan Sutter. I desperately wanted to catch and pass Dan, but despite closing in by a massive amount of time each lap, I couldn’t quite get close enough to mount an attack, but fortunately, I didn’t get passed either, and was happy to come home safe and with a decent result.

After a few celebratory wheelies, and no burnouts (for a change), that was it, season over for 2007. It was a great year for myself and the MIST team and I really enjoyed the challenges I faced throughout the season, and the places I got to race and the people I got to race against, it was an mind-blowing year for me.

A huge thanks go to everyone involved with the team throughout the year:

• MIST Suzuki Racing – Mike Edwards for being inspirational and a cracking manager for the second year running (not even financial ruin can stop us now boss!)
• GPR Stabilizer – Jeff Norman & Co, for the best dampers and moral support
• Steve Jordan Motorcycles – Steve & Sarah for everything you done this year, suspension and race kit was fantastic
• MotorbikesToday.com – Simon & Laura for the photos and laughs
• Louise Cain & Frank Duggan for being great friends and supporters
• Alan & Ron for always being there
• Graham for looking after “Shrimpy Racing” while we were away
• All my friends and supporters who came throughout the year
• Chloe for putting up with all my antics throughout the season
• And a huge thanks to Mum, Dad, Lewis & Samantha, you guys really are the backbone of my racing, I couldn’t do it without you and can’t thank you enough for what you all done and gave up for me

Cheers guys, and see you all in 2008!

Chris Northover, 06/10/06 - 07/10/06
European SuperStock 600 Championship
Round 10

Last year I had my best race all season at Magny Cours, finishing 19th despite a ridiculously large crash in qualifying, on one of the fastest corners on the track, so I was really keen to do well at this round. Mike and I did a few laps on the pit scooter to pick lines and spot crucial areas on the track.

Matt was still on his way to the track, so unfortunately I had to ride on the back of the paddock scooter with Mike as he did his usual trick of “testing” the kerbs. Whilst a formidable machine for a 16 year old, hassling the local industrial estates (I’ve progressed to bigger toys now!!), the Suzuki Katana 50 will only take so much abuse. He broke it. There was a point, as we stood almost at the furthest point from the pits, trying to get the scooter going, when I almost doubted the wisdom of our lord and leader Mike…

Luckily, the scooter coughed back into life and we were able to carry on checking out the track. After going round a few times, I was itching to get out and ride the next morning.

Once again, I had managed to shotgun (for those not in the know, that’s the new cooler version of bagsy!) a bed in a caravan with the family. I was however less pleased with myself when we actually got to the caravan. Think lots of spiders and Friday 13th woods with a lake and you’re getting close. It was all made better by the blankets supplied by the campsite having BMX bikes on them, shame about the fleas trying to ride them though…

If only Mum and Kirsty were as enthusiastic about the blankets as I was, they might not have laid awake all night, freezing and trying not to think about the spiders.

Friday - Free Practice

I got into the swing of things nice and early on and the lap times just kept dropping right down to a 1′53.336. It was all very smooth and uneventful really, with no drama, no problems and no crashes in front of me, almost takes the fun out! I ended the session 26th and was dumbfounded to discover Matt had somehow pulled a 1′52.408 out of nowhere leaving him 17th, fair play. Git!

Friday - First Qualifying

Once again a quick tweak of the suspension for the afternoons qualifying session was all the bike needed. The go-faster polish was deployed and it was back out again to qualify. The second session was really frustrating and I struggled to match my lap time from the morning, let alone improve it. Praise be to the lap timer though, as seeing the string of 1’54’s made me pull my finger out on the very last lap and get a 1′53.023 bumping me up to 25th on the grid. Yes, 25th. Not 30th, you listening Rich!!?? To be fair to myself however (excuses…?!) even some of the top riders failed to match their pace from the morning session.

The biggest thing that was holding me back was getting the bike out of the slower corners. This was being caused by two things, one in my head and one on the bike! I was entering the tighter corners with too much corner speed, whereas I needed to stop the bike mid corner, turn it and fire it out. I was also making too much of a corner out of the first part of the final chicane, where I needed to concentrate on getting out the left quickly and not worry at all about corner speed. The other problem was with the rear sprocket, which had bizarrely worn into an oval shape causing the chain to appear to have a tight spot, making things a touch interesting for the rear suspension, causing it to impersonate a rocking horse when feeding on the gas.

Saturday - Second Qualifying

Saturday morning was wet and murky leaving us with a slightly damp track in the afternoon for our second qualifying session. This meant that the grid positions from yesterday would stand for the race, as nobody was likely to improve their time in the damp, unless they were crazy. Or British. Or crazy and British. Although I didn’t manage to beat my dry lap time, I got within a tenth of a second of it! Not only that, but I was actually significantly faster in sectors 1 and 3 than I had been in perfectly dry conditions! Such a blatant display of disrespect for the laws of Physics and an apparent disregard for my own safety made me 7th fastest in that session and the fastest Brit, result!

So before the race had even begun we were celebrating on my best qualifying session all year, even if it made no difference to the final grid positions. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing my rain dance for the race, but to no avail. The skies cleared, the sun shone and I was left dancing about like a baboon with ants in his pants.

Saturday - Race

Lining up for the last time this season it was almost worth shedding a tear for the end of the first full season I have ever competed, and the best season ever! A knowing nod to my bro watching beside the start line said it all - we gonna ‘ave it! Well, it was either that or the good luck kiss from Kirst, but one of them did the trick as I left the line on my way to the best race finish of my entire racing career.

After the first lap mayhem, only one crash in front of me this time, I started hunting and soon found myself all over the back wheel of Bostian Pintar. Annoyingly, for three laps I was stuck there; every time I went to overtake, I was greeted with yellow flags; I reckon he must’ve slipped the marshals a few bottles of special Bribery Bordeaux! When I eventually managed to force my way past, I had a hell of a gap to make up to the next group of riders. I got my head down and went for it, reeling them in lap by lap and setting a scorching (if I may say so myself!) lap time of 1′50.5 in the process. Alas Mr Bond and the fellows around him were saved from a CG Armageddon by the chequered flag, good job really, it was going to get messy and I was not about to be beaten!! I was delighted to find out I finished 11th place, setting the 9th fastest lap of the race. YEEEEEHAA!!!

So that’s it. Done. Complete. Bit sad really, next mission is to train like crazy to make myself super fit (and keep me sane in the absence of bike racing over the winter!) and, more importantly, to get enough money in from working and hopefully sponsorship to race again next year. Any help would be very much appreciated, even if it’s only a little, without it I may have to run round the tracks next year!!

Thankyou so much to everyone who has helped out this season, I could never have done this without you:

• Everyone with a name ending in Northover! You guys are the best family ever!
• Beckie and The Cornish Contingent of CG racing!
• Kirsty for looking after me and for keeping me relaxed at the races!
• Bruv for The Nod
• Mum, Dad, Roger, Nanny and Grandad for getting me here and fighting off the bank!!
• Mike for putting up with this wowdy wabble for the whole season.
• Steve and Sarah Jordan for invaluable advice and help with bikes, bits and highside practice
• Rage Against The Machine for giving me a soundtrack to my races!
• The Pirelli guys for looking out for us all season
• Peter from Sportbike Tyre warmers
• Matt Bond for target practice
• Superbike Magazine for the coverage and Gixxer Cup Ride
• Bike Sport News for the coverage
• Auntie Angela and Unc. Andre for the website
• Uncle Rich for sacrificing so much to run round after me at every race
• Martin and Bretta for the leathers
• Ros and Pete for their continued support
• SuperBike News for coverage and friendly (I hope!!) banter at the races
• Everyone in the paddock who has been so friendly and helpful to me over the year
• If I’ve forgotten anyone, I’m sorry, so thanks to you guys as well!

Watch this space ‘cos we’re on a mission for 2007!!

Matt Bond, 06/10/06 - 07/10/06
European SuperStock 600 Championship
Round 10

Coming Soon…