That’s another thing that I have also noticed about the four-strokes/Pirelli combination compared to what I’ve ridden before. When the rear tyre goes off a bit they don’t just slide around on the way out of the corner on the gas. With all the engine braking they breakaway much easier on the entry and like to come sideways on you when you don’t really expect it! I followed Hacking onto the back straight and knew that I’d have a very hard job beating him now. He pulled a little bit too much of a gap on me on the straight and I was too far back to have a go at him so I had to focus on keeping the others behind me. A guy called Ben Attard came up the inside of me but went a bit wide and I went the long way around him into the next left hander. I just concentrated on holding them off until the flag and eventually crossed the line, pretty chuffed in fifth.
It was a really fun race. More fun that I’ve had racing a bike in the last two years. I’m sure with a bit more help from a rubber point of view to get something that lasted that little bit longer we could have been closer to the front, but at least they’ll know for next time! The team were extremely happy and I was very happy for them as well. Quite a few people came up and congratulated me which was nice and I had one guy come up to me who told me that waiting in the rain for the last few days was all worth it to watch me passing people at the end of the back straight!
I have to say a big thanks to Barry, Mark and Angela, for dong a good job all weekend, and especially Barry and Mark Hamilton for giving me the opportunity to ride their bike for them.
As for what I do next, I’m not really too sure. I’ve proven to myself that riding four-strokes is no big problem and also adapting to quite a few different things in quite a short space of time isn‘t a big problem. It’s definitely put me a little bit more in the shop window for 2007 with regards to riding four-strokes so I’ll keep you posted on what the plans are.
S**t that was a long "checks in"...!
Chaz #57/336!
