Even though there was a difference it was nothing compared to what the difference would be between kit and factory stuff in 250 GPs. In GP racing there is no way that I could still be within metres of a factory bike at the end of a reasonable sized straight. This was much fairer! In the next couple of laps I built up a gap of about 1.5 seconds and just tried to keep my head down and stretch the gap because there was still a group behind me back to eighth place.
From lap 10 of the 16 my front tyre started to protest and really didn’t want to grip much more. I could feel it slipping away from under me and I knew that the group would get back onto me. With a few laps to go I could see exactly who was behind me on the big TV monitor at the end of the back straight. My lap times had dropped by about 0.5 to 0.7s per lap and they were all on me. I was trying to trail the brakes in as little as possible and give the tyre a bit of a break but that way I couldn’t turn the bike as well and was more chance of running wide.
On laps 14 and 15 Hacking re-passed me on the back straight and I got him back on the brakes. I went into the final lap ready to put down as quick a lap as I could and try and get a slight gap so he wouldn’t be able to have stab at me at all. The first corner is a third gear, a reasonably fast left hander. I went into it hard because the left side of my front tyre still felt like it was hanging on OK but the rear came around and I got proper sideways! I ran wide by a metre or two which allowed Hacking back up the inside of me.
