Joined Oct 2003
955 Posts | 1K+
Sweden
So, we headed to Finland for the race 3 and 4 in the cup. Botnia Ring is located some 60km from Vaasa. It was the first time we raced on this track, so it was interesting in more than one perspective.
My competitors had spent all Thursday on the track, when I showed up at lunchtime on Friday. I spent the first practice on breaking in my new piston/sleeve in my "sharp" engine and trying to find my way around the track. The track was bumpy but with good grip. Second practice went quite well and I started to feel comfortable on the track.
Saturday started with the qualifying. It was drying up and the tarmac was cold, so there were no plans on getting really fast. I got 3rd fastest laptime and a place in the front row. 20 minutes before the race I realized that the extension cord to the tyre warmers had been pulled out! 8O Bad, really bad! After the start I placed myself in 3-4th position, just trying to cope with the pace although my tyres were slipping. After 1-2 laps I felt the grip returning and it was time to add some throttle to this project. Without too much trouble I managed to take the lead. the suspension and the engine worked very well, so I had no problems crossing the finish line after 10 laps, 6 seconds ahead of #2!
I started the Sunday race too slow and entered the first corner as #4. After 1-2 laps there was a loud noise from the exhaust, like it was ruptured or leaking. The power went down and I really had to attack the corners to fight my way through. I changed places with #3 a couple of times before I could shake him off me and then set the aim on #2. I gained on him and showed him my front wheel a couple of times to shake his nerves (as I know he´s sensitive to). Just when I was about to make a sincere effort to pass him, his engine died. So I got second position for free! With 1-2 laps to go, the water temperature raised to 95 degrees C! No water left! :shock: OK, I got "no" power, an engine that sounded like it had no muffler, the second position was just given to me and the finish was in sight... I decided to go for it! The engine carried me across the finish line as #2! We´ll see, when I open the engine, if I will regret that decision... [-o<
It was a long journey but it payed off very well. And the exhaust... well, see my gallery
My competitors had spent all Thursday on the track, when I showed up at lunchtime on Friday. I spent the first practice on breaking in my new piston/sleeve in my "sharp" engine and trying to find my way around the track. The track was bumpy but with good grip. Second practice went quite well and I started to feel comfortable on the track.
Saturday started with the qualifying. It was drying up and the tarmac was cold, so there were no plans on getting really fast. I got 3rd fastest laptime and a place in the front row. 20 minutes before the race I realized that the extension cord to the tyre warmers had been pulled out! 8O Bad, really bad! After the start I placed myself in 3-4th position, just trying to cope with the pace although my tyres were slipping. After 1-2 laps I felt the grip returning and it was time to add some throttle to this project. Without too much trouble I managed to take the lead. the suspension and the engine worked very well, so I had no problems crossing the finish line after 10 laps, 6 seconds ahead of #2!
I started the Sunday race too slow and entered the first corner as #4. After 1-2 laps there was a loud noise from the exhaust, like it was ruptured or leaking. The power went down and I really had to attack the corners to fight my way through. I changed places with #3 a couple of times before I could shake him off me and then set the aim on #2. I gained on him and showed him my front wheel a couple of times to shake his nerves (as I know he´s sensitive to). Just when I was about to make a sincere effort to pass him, his engine died. So I got second position for free! With 1-2 laps to go, the water temperature raised to 95 degrees C! No water left! :shock: OK, I got "no" power, an engine that sounded like it had no muffler, the second position was just given to me and the finish was in sight... I decided to go for it! The engine carried me across the finish line as #2! We´ll see, when I open the engine, if I will regret that decision... [-o<
It was a long journey but it payed off very well. And the exhaust... well, see my gallery
