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!

Arriving in Germany after a hectic day and a half back at work (tough life I know!) I was determined to put all memories of last year well behind me. Last year’s visit saw me leaving on crutches and with a pepperoni shaped cut on my bum cheek!

I spent Thursday touching up the last bits of the bike after the Dutch Ditch Diving incident. The poor bike looked like it had been used as a doormat at Glastonbury after the crash and the team had worked flat out to get it repaired before it was packed off to Germany.

We gave the track a good walking Thursday night and identified areas on which to focus in the early sessions. Matt and Mike were on the pit scooter and gave the kerbs a trial run, much to Matt’s dismay, as he was repeatedly violated by the grab rail of a Suzuki moped! After torturing me by making me pedal flat out for two straight laps against a ridiculous wind, we headed for the Mist Suzuki camp and got our heads down for a good nights sleep.

Sleep. Ah yes. Now, that’s the funny thing that I was doing in between being woken up by crazy Germans revving their bikes for hours and the rain hammering the roof of my tent! Guess I’ll be surviving Friday on PG Tips finest, expertly prepared by Nan!

Friday - Free Practice

A slight oversight after Assen left me in some discomfort for the first session…

Y’see, landing in such a big puddle, kinda filled my boots and lid with nasty muddy ycuk (see what I did there!!). Due to the rush to fix the bike, my gear got chucked in a bag and left there until I grabbed it to get ready on Friday. Put simply, if I wanted to wear my gloves, I’d have to shave them first…

Not only that, but my thick cheekpads in my lid (the only ones I have…) also stank worse than the portaloos in the campsite Saturday night, apparently!

Once out on track, I found it hard to get going initially, but soon picked up the pace and used my new secret weapon to my advantage. Mike had lent me a laptimer so I’d be able to see when I was chasing my tail and pull my socks up. Whaddya know, it works! About halfway through the session I saw that I had gone to sleep and done three 1:55’s in a row. It works as a great reality check, as I could’ve sworn I was getting faster when, in fact, I was just getting more ragged. After this I managed to get down into the 1:54’s and end the session 30th.

Friday - 1st Qualifying

Friday afternoon was not so smooth running. Entering the chicane on the first lap, my right handlebar decided that it needed a different direction in life, so spun forward and introduced itself to the front of the at anything else! After running off at the end of the back straight and having countless close calls I eventually got the wake up call and sorted myself out. This childish behavior cost me dearly as it had wasted most of the session. I put in a 1:53.8 right at the end, leaving me 31st fastest.

Saturday - 2nd Qualifying

The final qualifying session went so much better, but the same story as Assen; despite making the biggest improvement of the entire field (2.3 seconds faster than Friday), I still only managed to secure 30th on the grid. The session was really good fun, with both Matt and myself chasing Davide ‘Gigglyjuggly’ Giugliano. There was some mid-session disruption when someone spread their bike and half the gravel trap across turn 3, which in turn caused some mid-session disruption in Matt’s leathers as he went skipping across the track over the debris right in front of me!

When I’d finished laughing at, er, consoling Matt, we pulled into the pits in anticipation of the session being stopped. This wasn’t to happen and the organisers clearly decided that we all had brushes stashed away in our leathers. The session went on and all the riders had to pick their way through turn 3 which was doing a good impression of Brighton beach. I didn’t manage to get another tow but pulled out some respectable lap times by myself. Despite the improvement, I merely managed 30th on the grid. Getting a bit too common that position, but rest assured, I have my sights firmly set on the grid places ahead, even if I have to mug another rider to get one!

Saturday - Race

My usual race plan of overtaking everyone I can off the start before riding round the outside of some more at turn one, wasn’t going to be pulled out this weekend. The reason being, I tried this last year at Lausitz and ended up on crutches! The first corner does not lend itself to liberty takers, and there was no way I’d risk another DNF like that. The revised plan worked well, with a good start and a steady eddie first corner allowing me to ride round the bike sliding across the track. I believe it was The Hives who hit the nail on the head here, “Hate to say I told you so, alright!” Smugness dealt with, it was back to the action and chasing down those that stood between me and points.

Points are like cocaine, one hit and you’d sell your soul and your cat’s soul on eBay just to get more! I was charging hard and went faster than I had all weekend within a lap. I was taking lumps out of the guys in front on all the right handers, but exiting the two left handers that lead onto the front and back straights I was being eaten alive!

Perhaps a few weeks lapping roundabouts the wrong way on a moped would help this, I shall look into it before Imola. What occurred next can only be described as a mix up between my intentions and physics, whereby an attempt to brake slightly (read ridiculously) late for the corner at the end of the back straight went slightly wrong. I realised this right about the point where, about 20 yards before the corner.

Luckily, I managed to remain on the black stuff, now somewhat less hot on the tails of the bikes I was chasing. Annoyed by this and not wishing to be left behind, I did as every good racer should and made exactly the same mistake just two laps later. This, I believe, is what is termed “a school boy error” and must not be taken lightly. As punishment to myself I nailed some fast laps and even slipped in a 1:49 lap time. I finished a fairly respectable 21st position, happy to have made the flag, delighted with the 1:49 but deep down kicking myself for the aforementioned slip-up.

Another race, another lesson learned and another notch in my 2006 European Superstock bedpost. Right, Imola is gonna see some better qualifying, building on the improvements so far, and some more points. Yes, points, lovely, nice, succulent points.

Must… …have… …more… points.

A Massive Merci To:

• Mr Edwards for the laptimer and tolerating me for the weekend
• Mr Richard Northover for sorting the novelty handlebar at lightening pace
• Nanny for looking after her little soldier all weekend (Nans words, not mine alright?)
• Grandad for expertly piloting the race vehicle round Europe again
• Mark and Coop for suitable ribbing over the 30th place qualifying again
• Mads Odin Hodt for managing to block my view of the dancers in the beer tent Saturday night, thus preserving my fragile, innocent mind.

That’s All Folks

CG

Coming Soon…

Photos copyright @ MIST Suzuki Racing 2006

Summary

Having to return to the UK after Assen meant the drive to Lausitzring took longer than we had hoped. Nestled in the far corner of Germany just a stones throw from Poland and the Czech Republic we were thankful for German Autobahns and the Mercedes Vito we use as a support vehicle during the 1,800 mile round trip. With the race truck heading straight there from Assen it was nice to have everything set up by the time we arrived. Spending the afternoon before scrutineering exploring the facilities, along with the largest grandstand I have ever seen, was interesting and after numerous laps around the circuit on the scooter we had quite a good starting point for lines and reference points around the track. A spectacular track albeit rather flat after some we have visited it appears rather like Rockingham at first although on a rather larger scale.

Having fitted a lap timer to Matt’s bike at Assen which he found useful we did the same for Chris in Germany. Some times the riders have struggled to see their pit boards as there are only so many free slots in the safety fencing along the pit wall and unless you get there early it can be hard to get the best spaces. I’ve learnt it’s best to steer clear of the Ducati pit wall set up as they seem to think that leaving their pit board there all day reserves the little window for them and having half a dozen shouting Italians loses it’s entertainment appeal after a few minutes.

The first half of the free practice session was spent putting the theory on the best lines in to practice and both riders got to grips with the circuit fairly quickly. Chris struggled initially with what appeared to be warped discs and some suspension problems as it was the first time out on the bike since his crash at Assen but where as earlier in the season it would have ruined his session he concentrated on the lines and riding smoothly before coming in to the pits towards the end of the session. It was too late to go out for more flying laps but he still went out to try a couple of new lines in the first section of the circuit. Both riders had pushed a little hard fairly early on and had run onto the oval section of the track at one point which led to that lap time being cancelled but had made steady progress since then improving pretty much every lap.

A last minute tow for Matt dropped his times down to 1’51.452, down from a previous best of 1’52.503 the previous lap, and Chris managed to get down to 1’54.560 which was pleasing, especially as he had already beaten the early sector times on the lap he chose to come in to the pits. Matt finished the session in 17th place which was promising with Chris in 30th. After the session Chris felt that the brake judder had improved so put it down to a rough pad surface caused by debris from the crash. Some suspension adjustments to allow for the additional bumps on the track meant that everyone was hopeful for the first qualifying session.

Qualifying was on Friday afternoon and with only three sets of tyres to last the weekend both riders went out on the part worns they had used in free practice. Both riders were quickly on their previous pace but took a few laps to show any improvement. Chris reached his previous best mid way through the session before coming in to discuss some options on a couple of the wider turns where there seemed to be a number of possible lines. Matt, meanwhile, was also consistently able to reproduce his previous best lap but struggled to improve on it so came in to the pits also. Focussing on a clear turn point in to the first corner and driving through the next complex helped Matt to drop his times and he was soon lapping almost 0.9 seconds quicker. With strict instructions to relax and look further ahead Chris initially struggled until the very last lap when it all came together and he too improved by 0.7 seconds over the first session time.

Having noticed that we were having to adjust Matt’s clutch regularly to take account of the wear it was still a surprise when he reported that the one of the reasons he was struggling in first qualifying was that the slipper clutch had started to disengage under braking and only engage again way beyond the turn in point on the back straight and in to turn one on the front straight. Not pleasant given how sideways the bike was getting with the back end trying to come round with no engine braking to slow it down. With a new set of clutch plates on hand the next job was to get them swapped over.

With a best of 1’50.580 Matt found himself in 22nd position, almost in the 1’49.xx bracket that was the aim for the session, and Chris in 31st with 1’53.854 - The team were a little disappointed as they felt both could have improved a lot more but valuable lessons had been learnt and both riders were positive they would improve a lot more in the afternoon. With second qualifying on Saturday the evening was spent cleaning the bikes and doing more laps around the track looking for improvements in the lines and additional reference points to help improve consistency. At least the sunset was nice although having been sunburnt during the day it was surprisingly cold at night.

After running Matt’s bike on the dyno, thanks to the Arrow exhaust guys, to ensure the clutch appeared to be working and we were out for second qualifying. Matt was back in the pits after a couple of laps to let the new brake pads cool as part of the bedding in process and to report that the clutch was now fine. Both riders were then able to go out and improve immediately putting in fast laps before the majority of the grid slowed and came in to the pits. A bike had gone down in the first sector showering the track with gravel and giving Matt and Chris a few unpleasant slides. The rest of the session was a total loss for improving the lap times as despite going faster around the back of the circuit they were losing so much time due to the gravel the benefit was negated. Both finally managed to get close to their previous best on the very last lap but it was too little too late as those who already knew the track had all gone faster earlier in the session much to our dismay.

On a positive note both had improved but progress had been limited by wasting the majority of the sessions thanks to the gravel. Matt managed to get up to 26th place with a lap of 1’50.238, an improvement of just 0.3 seconds, and Chris was up to 30th place with a best of 1’51.527, an improvement of over 2.3 seconds. Amazing what relaxing and looking further ahead can do for your lap times! With both on the outer side of the grid the key was to resist the temptation to go mad in to the first corner, especially after Matt’s experience at Assen, and get round the first sector before really getting their heads down. Another lesson in why it’s important to qualify well when there are this number of talented riders on the grid.

It must be the British club racing backgrounds but Matt and Chris both made good starts and were 19th and 23rd, respectively, at the end of the first lap. Matt was quickly on the back of another rider but was struggling to find a way through. It later turned out that his slipper clutch had decided to stop slipping at all which made life very difficult. The extra effort when changing gear and the superior mid range grunt of the bike in front meant he was likely to stay in that position for the rest of the race. Chris was having a great race, holding his own against at least one rider who had qualified on the second row but had to do a ride through penalty for jumping the start. If only both guys could qualify at the pace they eventually run at it would be points every round and many more top ten results. I guess that’s the advantage of circuit knowledge and not having to learn the circuit from scratch each time.

Matt eventually struggled his way up to 16th place, still behind the same rider, as they both made progress through slower riders and as a couple of faster guys had to do their ride through penalties. Three laps from the end Matt’s frustration and slipper clutch problems got the better of him and he ran wide letting four riders come by. In the next couple of laps he fought back to regain three of the places only for a front runner to have problems and fall back almost to within his grasp. I know we should be pleased with 18th place, and given the clutch problems we are, but when the rider that you have spent most of the race being held up by finishes in the points it is frustrating, particularly after so much bad luck recently. Chris continued his good form and battled his way up to 21st place by the flag.

18th and 21st place finishes count as a huge improvement over qualifying, 26th and 30th respectively, particularly on a new track and both improved their times again to 1’49.312 and 1’49.824! Pretty good for just 33 laps of free practice and qualifying. Both riders are getting much better at learning new circuits but for 2007 the focus really has to be on testing as much as possible, both on the circuits we will race at and making the most of every opportunity to get time on the bikes.

The team hope to contest the European SuperStock 1000 class next year on the new Suzuki GSXR1000K7 machines. The quest for sponsorship for the season is on and is vying for time with continuing the development of the 600s for the final two rounds of the series. Hopefully our run of bad luck is over and we can make some good progress at Imola and Magny Cours. With Matt in 20th position in the championship and Chris in 28th we are aiming for both to move up at least a couple of positions by the end of the year. Fingers crossed!

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

Would like to thank main sponsors www.givemethekeys.com and Steve Jordan Motorcycles and ongoing support from B & C Express, Dyna Pro, Pipercross, RaceDays.net, S&B Commercials and Silkolene.