Taff's racing season 2011

well the season started last sunday with a straight through 3.5 hour enduro around the sandy woods of woodbridge and the rendlesham course. II had only done 6 or so MX laps on the 570 and then fitted two new maxxis and a rear spring for my weight leaving the clickers alone. on the front I knew the 44 springs were too weak so hit the preload nut and hoped that the initial hardness wouldn't be too much while laying off the comp clickers.

a great start saw me 2nd off the 4th row from 15 riders and I held my place comfortably before going arse over *** at a log in the woods when the engine stalled mid-log! got going again and pulled in after 70 minutes and two laps for 5 litres of juice and then guessing that I had 10 litres and "stuff it if I didn't" i did the next 4 straight through and damn near died doing it! I finished the 6 laps 6 minutes inside my time and I think I probably did quite well.

there was a drop left in the cheeks of the main tank and the thingy underneath was still full. so I got 1hr and 45 minutes out of it and could have got perhaps halfway around another lap?

the bike was on its soft map and was bloody quick in a straight line however as the race wore me down I just 'lolled' down the straights, those front forks were beating me up! but it was a ***** to ride and to flick it it felt like my 400 really, a few kilos heavier but slightly easier to turn so all in all about the same. however, i can get quicker on this one!

one thing I did notice was how slow the engine turns over if you stall it? but it picks up and off you go....the carbed bike would have run the battery down I think.

target now is a set of .46s in the front and prepare a set of old model 22 yokes.

regards

Taffy

Rutted Rendlesham sounds fun. I Haven't raced my bike yet, but thats the type of place I was worried about.

What weight are you, what rear spring did you go with?

I have an 84-250 on it which I got off an old FC shock as standard. what with using the shock now on my 400 I feel that I've had good value out of it for £30!

It's spot on and the pre-load is quite small as well.

regards

Taffy

Putting my Sidecar-cross hat on for a minute, as I'm aware Stuart Brown is back on the Husaberg to defend his British title again. he has won the championship some 9 years consecutively but after 4 wins with passenger Luke Peters, Luke retired straight after the season. New passenger is one of the Chamberlain Brothers who have packed it in as a pairing and gone off to passenger for other teams and Browny is taking one of them.

Third placed finishers and top GP runners along with Browny are the Millard Brothers who will continue to run 666 or 700 Husabergs this season produced by JBS racing. If reliable they may well break Browny this season.

Steve France is now partnered by his brother Stuart on their 628 this season. surprisingly, Steve prefers it to his 2004 644. not sure if DCR is still helping though? absolutely spectacular he's a real crowd pleaser!

Likely to get a top 3 finish in only their second season are the pairing of Jack Etheridge and passenger Ryan Humphries. Last season they were on a 644 Husaberg but not sure about this season. they are dynamite and will as likely come top 4 and also start GP racing.

Ben Blythe has retired sadly and three or four clubmen are out on Husabergs. In the northern region the 2010 AMCA winners: the Turner Brothers have retired as champions.

MOST INTERESTINGLY though, a rumour that was started here is that the two Hyde brothers: Alfie and Craig have gone to HUSABERG and not only that but to the 570! these well funded teams are entering the French championship for this season so are unlikely to make great shakes in the UK.

In France you can get a huge entry bonus making it worthwhile going over there.

we shall soon see! the first round in April is being held in the North of England:
Round 1 APRIL 10 North East MXC, Woolley Grange, DL15 9AN
Round 2 MAY 30 Frome & Dist MCC @ Asham Woods, Leighton, Somerset, BA11 4PW
Round 3 JUNE 19 Torridge & Dist MCC @ Waggadon Farm, Torrington.
Round 4 JULY 10 B.A.Promotions Ltd @ Condover
Round 5 AUGUST 29 Langrish MCRC @ Manor Farm, Langrish, Hants. GU32 1RG
Round 6 OCTOBER 2 Sidcup & Dist MCC @ Canada Heights, Button Street, Swanley, Kent. BR8 8DX.
Round 7 OCTOBER 9 Halstead & Dist MCC @ Little Loveney Hall, Wakes Colne, Essex. CO6 2BH

regards

Taffy

raced on sunday in the toughest conditions for me: a whooped out sand track that was extremely fast yet three hours long. it is the only eastern centre H & H race of the season and thank christ for that!

from 25-30 on my row I left the line in second place from the fifth and last row to go. I worked past the leader and found that even on the opening lap that it was such hard work for me just shy of my 50th.

gradually the experts came around to lap me and made me look daft but at the same time I was grabbing countless riders under power from the rows in front. this was the first time I'd given the 570 it's head and it could take anyone. to be honest though, when you know your struggling in the trees etc you may as well let that desperate kid on his screaming 125 through. he's working his socks off so....

I had fitted .46s to the front since my last ride and thought that I'd leave it at that for now. no good. the bike was simply too weak to hold up under braking chop and it was starting to really, really hurt. it was actually painful!

I pulled in for fuel and decided for once it was worth the time to adjust the clickers so I whacked 1.5 turns of pre-load on the caps as well as +6 on the comp and -6 on the rebound. on the rear I added some rebound and would have added some pre-load given a little more time.

fuel wise I expected it to be a guzzler after all the stuff I've heard here but it took 6 litres to fill after 1.50 hours of riding which I didn't think was too bad.

Off I went again and immediately felt shattered so I did one more lap after this and called it a day. first time that I've ever stopped coz of me but the forks were killing me. I'd also lost control once and that was a message to say: get the sussies done = fight another day.

as it is, it's Tuesday evening and I'm saw and I'm raw and glad I didn't do that last hour as I'd be some kind of cripple now....

Oh well! onwards and upwards.

regards

Taffy

Are you selling those .46 springs then?

Taffy said:

Tuesday evening and I'm saw and I'm raw and glad I didn't do that last hour as I'd be some kind of cripple now....

Click to expand...

Come on princess thoughen up now :wink:

Third ride of the season on Sunday at a new circuit by the name of Ashby Puerorum with the Banovallum Club in Lincolnshire near Louth. Arkley123 and headed off up there nice and early and after a really good 'dump' I knew I was in top tip shape - the new Taff! you can't beat a good 'sit down' just before the off, it tells you all is working well!

it was to be a 1H 30M, 1H lunch and again 1H 30M in the afternoon on a great little circuit that included lots of ditch bottoms and hillocks with a lovely long blast around Farmer Fred's fields.

since the last ride I had plonked a set of .48s in the front and checked the oil heights without removing the forks - cheating I know. well anyway, settled on 125mm air gap and same settings otherwise.

other Huseys there included just 2 of the 4 Howe clan now on Huseys while the other two have moved on but last years O45 champion was back. Arkley rides a 2T Husky and will I presume one day go to hell in a handcart.....

a belting start in about 5/20 and saw Howie go over the edge of a ridge and I'm in 3rd and kept it steady there as I learnt the course which was festooned with soft semi-bog just dying to grab the wheels and suck you down into damnation! this of course was afflicted on the righteous on the third lap when i was launched over the bars in a bog that marked me out for riding like a tart!

did you know husaberg's don't like starting on their sides whilst emmersed in thick BOG!

well we got going again and bar one more sticky moment it all went 'swimmingly', the suspension was georgous compared to the last ride and soaked everything up. the new springs needed another 5 clicks of rebound at the lunchbreak and I sensed the same on the rear now that the bike is behaving itself - lady and gentlemen: we are now moving into THE ZONE!

there was a lack of grip on the front and so i dropped the clamps 5mm and that cured that in the afternoon as well. I can now tell the gearing is a little 'awkward' as I'm tapping like hell all the time on the lever. whatever standard is isn't right for me methinks.

as said the forks are far better but there is an initial light harshness that will be dealt with I think with the removal of a face shim or the scaling down of. also the bike was a little harsh at 90-100mph but I don't blame the bike but rather Farmer Fred (you bugger!) actually it does have a high speed whack but it was sooo stable! the 570 took everyone, EVERY ONE it bloody mullered the lot of em! the problem at 90mph is riding in a crouch like the hunchback of Notre Dame a stance that you may think I'm used to as a modest man (and much to be modst about!: WS Churchill) but it was an awkward stance and I often looked like I'd sh** meeself.....

this look was further exacerbated by my size 28" waste camouflarged troosers I'd borrowed for my 38" girth and which split wide open down the arse vertically. I was glad of the fresh air for a while until I realised my flesh was sticking to the mud sludged seat and starting to open my skin quicker than 'Smokin' Joe Frazer. I then realised that the troosers were falling round my ankles every time I took the "H.B.o.N.D position". This was easily cured with the thoughts of a scantilly clad woman-on-a-berg, now with this new 'feeling' and the resultant "standing to attention"!!!!

I knew I could sally forth to the end, sometimes the 'semi' faded and my troosers fell down again but then I just pretended instead that she was on the bike ahead of me! killed two birds with one stone - with that one! :cheers: :cheers:

anyway, I reached the end of the race shattered mentally but the body was now refreshed!

this week we'll try some different clicks and maybe a little more oil in the forks before deciding on a new shim stack. the Yokes at 20mm offset no longer seem an issue for now but I'm starting to like this bike.... throttle is a bit strong at times and I'm thinking how to just trim it at certain points when I have to switchback and leave a corner, bloody thing is like a mountain goat!

it's well heavy though and very tall so we'll see what comes from the changes.

regards

Taffy

Taffy said:

Arkley rides a 2T Husky and will I presume one day go to hell in a handcart.....

Click to expand...

Oh how the rightious fall......have a look at the mighty Taffy - picture 030....lol :bounce3:

http://www.whiskerburn.co.uk/

Sports / banovallum / ashby 20.03.11

PS my other bikes a berg..really

my twin brother! he's useless!

regards

Taffy

now is that a fat leg or a wide tank? ok. a fat leg!


getting by ain't easy is it?



donchya just love those figure huggin gortex trousers? size 28" and by now well ventilated! the swamp goblins have just let go after messin wiv me mind!



regards

Taffy

OMG Taffy your race write-ups are a laugh! I love the bit about the trousers :cheers:

well after a weekend where I was just too drunk too get up and what with the hours sleep loss I made hash of a days testing so it was all the more important this weekend that i saw some sobriety on the saturday evening....

I had been offered a ride on one of my customers sidecarx outfits if I went to a circuit near Weedon, Northants which I've wanted to do for some time. I took my 570 with the intention of practicing on that all day and then having the one-off driving the chair.

since the last ride I'd fitted the 48s in the front with no pre-load and that was all i'd done time and work constraints prevailing. the bike was bloody hopeless to be honest, it bounced out of landing dangerously and the lack of rebound on the rear nearly flicked me into a forwards somersault.

the next three sessions saw the preload ring on the rear shock tightened two turns, the preload nuts on the front 21 sides as I call it of the nuts. I wound both compression on the front to full as well and the HSCD on the rear as well. the bike became better but what with the injection cutting the motor in mid air and the complete lack of front damping I was having some real frighteners! eventually even though the front hadn't dived I still took this ver, very fast jump and pancake landed on both wheels and the whole bike bottomed but mainly the front which crushed my B *&*^^% S on the seat whilst also compacting my spine.

luckily it has recovered, the back that is while I'm still nursing my balls....well they are MY balls so I am allowed to nurse them! :cheers: :cheers:

handling was great and grip on the front always superb. now running bottom ring of the forks to yokes.

the comp on the fronts was on the max so more work to be done here. 50s for my fat arse? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
more fork oil?

anyway, another banovallum this weekend and I'll make a few alterations to get it back to full enduro spec. racing at Manby in Lincs and hoping to repeat my 6/21 in the over 45s.

had both rear indicators snap clean off through the flexi bit, obviously just can't take MX and won't be repeated again! can't afford to buy 'em that's why!

regards

Taffy

I was at the second round of the Banovallum championships on sunday and the track was the man made Manby near the town of Louth. It has been used that many times that it has become quite brutal to man and machine and this was further compounded by the anvil of the sun crushing down on us in the Month of April - yes April! :shock: :shock:

In the week leading up i decided to lay off the rear preload for an enduro by 1 turn, I turned the LSCD in 6 to compensate a little and on the front I undid the comp by 6 and added 20cc to each fork which was on a 125 air gap - I didn't record the new figure but expect around 115 air.

I started the race flat last - nobody else seems to say anything but god do these 570s turn over slowly! surely they need to turn a bit quicker than this?

anyway, I worked my way forwards but the track was pounding away at me on old ruts and hardened edges with no give in them. The front end was plunging everywhere and way more than the rear, the bike almost unbalanced in the way it does it, the initial bump is always there in your hands and so every bump is registered yet the forks have no back-up and 'plough through'. the rear was nice except on one open sweeping curve the rear was whap-whapping and so I need to try to stop this with damping but another harder spring may be needed.

I turned the HSCD out 3/4 of a turn at lunchtime and the LSCD back in 5, rebound in by 5 as I was getting a kicking and also, after checking that the forks weren't bottoming I undid the comp damping 5.

I'll give figures for these when I can....

In the afternoon the bike was better but I wasn't! after leaving the line last again I worked my way up to about 6th before hitting a wall. the forks were still killing me and the 570 is still a tough old dog to bring to heel!

after the 1.5 hour morning session I got 3/4 of an hour into the afternoon and what with pushing it I noticed I was fading quickly! there was just so much 'chop' that I found myself standing for long periods and this gave me real leg-burn and I had to roll around for the last 45 minutes. it seems to be a pattern this year....

what a reminder that I'm 50 this week....

I think a set of 50s for the front are required, the bike is unbalanced at present. I'll also change the gearing to 12 x 51 from 52 and pull a link and this will bring more weight on the rear. I'm also going to look at which part of the damping isn't working hard enough. the air gap at 120 can be improved down to 110 and I just need to soften that face shim and get the HS shims backed up so they do more. the back is likely in need of 88s but I know that the front is part of the problem so that'll be done first.

regards

Taffy

last sunday I did the 4th round of the banovallum championships up near Louth in Lincolnshire. the track is an old favourite called 'North Willingham' sadly it was to be raced in continuous rain and 'mizzle'. I took my mechanic and his son, who, aged 14 is inquisitive about this sport of 'enduro'? we then picked up arkley123 at wisbech who has got the husaberg out again instead of his 2T smokey husky.

disaster of the day for me was turning up with worn tyres giving myself a real handicap!

the 1.5 plus 1.5 started with a straight hour and the 12 in the over 45 class slewed off the line on the wet grass, tails weaving and wagging towards the first corner. as usual, mine start ans stalled 5 times just before the drop of the flag and then took two goes as the flag did drop. I was away last but worked my way through to third before a 's' bend at a downhill hedge, the rider infront went straight into the hedge locked up. he'd had about 10 seconds warning that it was going to happen but could do little.

In second I caught the leader who took us down a man-made line of trees to do a U turn at the bottom and claw our way up again. on the way up at some 4mph he fell and blocked the track. I stopped and the bike wouldn't even start going again so I got off and pushed the bike by him and into the lead!

ion the lead pushing a bike....

as I remounted at the top of the hill I was overtaken again and then later as I went through a ditch a rider blocked my exit so I was stuck in the bottom. I came in at lunchtime and was happy with third. the 570 was actually a blessing in the rain as I could pull third everywhere instead of second, the whole bike vibrating as it came close to stalling.

I passed Arkley a couple of times and he was blowing hard! this course was tough! the secret being to 'clear your treads' by finding any small straight in which to thrash the bike and hit the worst bumps you could and splatter the soil out of the treads.

they said at lunchtime that the afternoon session would be 1.5 or maybe 1??? so we sat at the line and again I had a poor start but using 2nd straight off the bat I was in second at the first corner and took the lead coming out of the third. I kept it nice and smooth and got lucky when several riders from the group infront all fell in front of me or pulled over or picked them up again after I'd gone by! lucky me!

I think I led for about 50 minutes and then someone stalled on a steep slope that we were crossing in a deep rut. his bike wouldn't restart so I left the rut just as it started up! alas I couldn't get the bike back on the track - it was just too heavy! sometime later I got back on the rut and only 5 minutes later I saw the chequered flag at the finish line and it had been stopped after an hour.

I came third on the day overall behind the two Howe Bros so that was Husabergs 1,2 and 3 with an old 450 then a 550 then mine. Arkley didn't do the afternoon as it did look bad and quite a few did the same so nothing unusual there.

SIDECAR-CROSS
in the meantime the british sidecarX championship continued with round three down at Torrington in Devon. After a massive spill at the French GP the previous week Stu Brown still won 2/3 on the Husaberg 628 while the Millard Bros won the other. Jack Etheridge was placed third overall so that was also a Husaberg 1, 2, 3!

with the exception of the opening race at Canada Heights in 2010, Husabergs have won something like the last 60 races on the aki-bonk! (on the run)

truly an amazing engine the 628 and I'm still always gutted as to why they stopped making it.

regards

Taffy

last sunday I did the 4th round of the banovallum championships up near Louth in Lincolnshire. the track is an old favourite called 'North Willingham' sadly it was to be raced in continuous rain and 'mizzle'. I took my mechanic and his son, who, aged 14 is inquisitive about this sport of 'enduro'? we then picked up arkley123 at wisbech who has got the husaberg out again instead of his 2T smokey husky.

disaster of the day for me was turning up with worn tyres giving myself a real handicap!

the 1.5 plus 1.5 started with a straight hour and the 12 in the over 45 class slewed off the line on the wet grass, tails weaving and wagging towards the first corner. as usual, mine start ans stalled 5 times just before the drop of the flag and then took two goes as the flag did drop. I was away last but worked my way through to third before a 's' bend at a downhill hedge, the rider infront went straight into the hedge locked up. he'd had about 10 seconds warning that it was going to happen but could do little.

In second I caught the leader who took us down a man-made line of trees to do a U turn at the bottom and claw our way up again. on the way up at some 4mph he fell and blocked the track. I stopped and the bike wouldn't even start going again so I got off and pushed the bike by him and into the lead!

ion the lead pushing a bike....

as I remounted at the top of the hill I was overtaken again and then later as I went through a ditch a rider blocked my exit so I was stuck in the bottom. I came in at lunchtime and was happy with third. the 570 was actually a blessing in the rain as I could pull third everywhere instead of second, the whole bike vibrating as it came close to stalling.

I passed Arkley a couple of times and he was blowing hard! this course was tough! the secret being to 'clear your treads' by finding any small straight in which to thrash the bike and hit the worst bumps you could and splatter the soil out of the treads.

they said at lunchtime that the afternoon session would be 1.5 or maybe 1??? so we sat at the line and again I had a poor start but using 2nd straight off the bat I was in second at the first corner and took the lead coming out of the third. I kept it nice and smooth and got lucky when several riders from the group infront all fell in front of me or pulled over or picked them up again after I'd gone by! lucky me!

I think I led for about 50 minutes and then someone stalled on a steep slope that we were crossing in a deep rut. his bike wouldn't restart so I left the rut just as it started up! alas I couldn't get the bike back on the track - it was just too heavy! sometime later I got back on the rut and only 5 minutes later I saw the chequered flag at the finish line and it had been stopped after an hour.

I came third on the day overall behind the two Howe Bros so that was Husabergs 1,2 and 3 with an old 450 then a 550 then mine. Arkley didn't do the afternoon as it did look bad and quite a few did the same so nothing unusual there.

SIDECAR-CROSS
in the meantime the british sidecarX championship continued with round three down at Torrington in Devon. After a massive spill at the French GP the previous week Stu Brown still won 2/3 on the Husaberg 628 while the Millard Bros won the other. Jack Etheridge was placed third overall so that was also a Husaberg 1, 2, 3!

with the exception of the opening race at Canada Heights in 2010, Husabergs have won something like the last 60 races on the aki-bonk! (on the run)

truly an amazing engine the 628 and I'm still always gutted as to why they stopped making it.

regards

Taffy

Taffy said:

Arkley didn't do the afternoon as it did look bad and quite a few did the same so nothing unusual there.

Click to expand...

Well thanks as usual to my mentor / teacher & enduro buddy Taffy for his kind & motivational words of encouragement spurring me on to keep trying........not!!

The conditions were atrotious - in the pre race riders brief, cancellation was even discussed. Having said that everyone battled on & a good number finished.

I really hate to say it (but as he keeps saying it himself) Taff did well.

I was really angry with myself - pulled up without completing one lap (I think 7 was the total for the day). Just couldn't keep the front wheel from slipping out beneath me. After about 20 falls on single track deep rut rooty wet clay hills, I realised this was just beyond me & I was increasingle going to be holding up the pack so thats that....must go out & practice more.

Anyway - pics below don't really indicate how bad the conditions were - no excuses though..if we wanted easy it wouldn't be an ENDURANCE!!

http://www.onlinepictureproof.com/whisk ... =625&h=525

arkley123 said:

I really hate to say it (but as he keeps saying it himself) Taff did well.

Click to expand...

you can be so hurtful James! I didn't notice my swollen head but now I've looked int he mirror....

I remember an MXer coming by - No8, he seemed well quick but a little further ion he fell. took him a lap to make up for that fall. you really needed to stay sunny side up.

regards

Taffy

on Sunday I did the 5th round of the Banovallum Championships at a new track called Minting which is just outside Horncastle. On the way to the circuit my back had fallen over on the trailer at a level crossing and I was helped get it upright by a rider and his mechanic who were going by.

I turned up to a damp paddock and was able to park in the farmer's yard so I wouldn't get stuck.

since my last ride I had re-valved the forks again with the aim of softening the face shims and getting more in the mid-stack and I'm pleased to say the bike was better still however the chop was a killer and tested everything!

The course was virtually just a blat around two farmer's fields and one small trip into a wood as well as a few grass fields. at one hair raising point we came bowling off a grass field to go down a hill opposite those coming up and we were only separated by a bit of tape!

I was on the front row of the over 45s with about 16 in the class but no Arkley123 this time. I got a decent start behind two brothers on a WR450 and a CRF230 with Dave Howe in third. conditions on the grass were lethal with tail-wagging, lock ups and falls abounding. I stalled it in the woods third time round and after 6 taps of a dead button it burst into life as if to say: "what's the problem?".

right from the off I decide that I'm going to trust all the drying ruts whereas everyone else goes for the most 'virgin' stubble etc. the trouble for them is that even this fresh line is used by everyone else and so it is often a wide line for nothing.

as I came out of riders were being held back so that an ambulance could get to a rider who had fallen on one of those ugly grass straights and as I suspected - under braking not acceleration.

at the restart the rider that had helped me was coming up so I let him have the last place on the front row so I started on row two and got a good start. straight into about 5th, passed a 450EXC around a swopping right, blasted the little 230 out of a dead corner and then started to put the heat on Dave Howe. after a lap and a bit he was bowling along the left of a hedge and had to cut through a cutting at speed but he locked it all up on the wet grass and went careering on.

so that was me in second. next up was the wr450. for those that don't know a UK enduro, a chicane is put up and covered in blue tape, this is a 'walking speed' area and where your number is recorded for another lap. as I came out of the tape there laid the leader on the deck. bloody hell! I'm in the lead!

I have't lead for a while and so I made a few mistakes and the next thing I know the WR is back on my tail. suddenly the engine stops and I realise that I must have run out of fuel? I walk briskly back to the paddock start line by going straight across the farmer's stubble and see all the leaders go through so I'm now a lap down.

I'VE PICKED TODAY AS THE FIRST TIME EVER NOT TO LEAVE FUEL AND TOOLS IN THE PARC FERME! I thought these were better on fuel than this? damn! so I walk on to the car and find a gallon, throw it in and snick around behind the Farmer's barn and re-join the race just like **** Dastardly in car 00! so now I'm only half a lap down!

I still manage two more laps to the lunch break and prove that I ran out of fuel a long way off doing the 1.5 hours.

over lunch I fill the bike again to the brim and purchase another gallon off another rider which I leave in th parc ferme.

for the second half I feel really good but keep trying to hit that middle area between confident and cocky! I start on the end of the front row next to the ditch and Dave asks his brother, sat next to me, to nudge me in the ditch! :lol: :lol:

I get a reasonable start but against the ditch I can't do anything when I get baulked by Dave's brother and go around the first corner in 12th or so. I ride in out and through riders before arriving up at about 4th. I then take two in two corners and head for the leader, he's apparently a 15 times British Grass Track Champion but late 50s so let's still give him his due, he's bloody quick!!!!

eventually I dive inside him and hold a slow but tight line and then give it the 'berries'. this time I just go mental and attack everything and everywhere. little do I know it but he is suffering from a bad back while his brother on the little CRF230 has jammed a stake into the gearlever.

after leading for over an hour I pull in for this quick fuel stop and I hear 4 bikes go by but don't look up. I get going again and just nail it everywhere. with 15 minutes to go I see Dave Howe just a she twigs me and there is about 70 metres between us. I do my best but hit all the traffic at all the wrong times and have to settle for following Dave over the line.

So fuel was the ruin of my day: I ran out in the morning and I had to stop for it in the afternoon! really chuffed with that though and given that I got lapped at Manby last Septemeber in my first ride on the bike you can say I've come a long way.... I would have won both legs but for this.

I now need to work some more on the forks (more of the same), bring the bars back and raise them as well as bring the grips in as far as I can. I also want to do the same trick again to the ride height that I did with the old girl (FE400e 2002). The bike has corroded spokes so how cheaply made were those brand new? what with a tyre, a mousse, spokes, rear sprocket and chain I'm going to hurt in the wallet after this one!

regards

Taffy

on Sunday I did the 5th round of the Banovallum Championships at a new track called Minting which is just outside Horncastle. On the way to the circuit my bike had fallen over on the trailer at a level crossing and I was helped get it upright by a rider and his mechanic who were going by.

I turned up to a damp paddock and was able to park in the farmer's yard so I wouldn't get stuck.

since my last ride I had re-valved the forks again with the aim of softening the face shims and getting more in the mid-stack and I'm pleased to say the bike was better still however the chop was a killer and tested everyone!

The course was virtually just a blat around two farmer's fields and one small trip into a wood as well as a few grass fields. at one hair raising point we came bowling off a grass field to go down a hill opposite those coming up and we were only separated by a bit of tape!

I was on the front row of the over 45s with about 16 in the class but no Arkley123 this time. I got a decent start behind two brothers on a WR450 and a CRF230 with Dave Howe (Husaberg 550) in third. Conditions on the grass were lethal with tail-wagging, lock ups and falls abounding. I stalled it in the woods third time round and after 6 taps of a dead button it burst into life as if to say: "what's the problem?".

right from the off I decide that I'm going to trust all the drying ruts whereas everyone else goes for the most 'virgin' stubble etc. The trouble for them is that even this fresh line is used by everyone else and so it is often a wide line for nothing.

as I came out of the woods, riders were being held back so that an ambulance could get to a rider who had fallen on one of those ugly grass straights and as I suspected - under braking not acceleration.

at the restart the rider that had helped me was coming up so I let him have the last place on the front row (coz that's the great guy I am! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: ) so I started on row two and got a good start. straight into about 5th, passed a 450EXC around a swooping right, blasted the little 230 out of a dead corner and then started to put the heat on Dave Howe. after a lap and a bit he was bowling along the left of a hedge and had to cut through a cutting at speed but he locked it all up on the wet grass and went careering on.

so that was me in second. next up was the wr450. for those that don't know a UK enduro, at the end of a lap, a chicane is put up and covered in blue tape, this is a 'walking speed' area and where your number is recorded for another lap. as I came out of the tape there laid the leader on the deck. bloody hell! I'm in the lead! He'd over done it gassing it.

I have't lead for a while and so I made a few mistakes and the next thing I know the WR is back on my tail. suddenly the engine stops and I realise that I must have run out of fuel? I walk briskly back to the paddock start line by going straight across the farmer's stubble and see all the leaders go through so I'm now a lap down.

I'VE PICKED TODAY AS THE FIRST TIME EVER NOT TO LEAVE FUEL AND TOOLS IN THE PARC FERME! I thought these were better on fuel than this? damn! so I walk on to the car and find a gallon, throw it in and snick around behind the Farmer's barn and re-join the race just like **** Dastardly in car 00! so now I'm only half a lap down!

I still manage two more laps to the lunch break and prove that I ran out of fuel a long way off doing the 1.5 hours.

over lunch I fill the bike again to the brim and purchase another gallon off another rider which I leave in the parc ferme.

for the second half I feel really good but keep trying to hit that middle area between confident and cocky! I start on the end of the front row next to the ditch and Dave asks his brother, sat next to me, to nudge me in! :lol: :lol:

I get a reasonable start but against the ditch I can't do anything when I get baulked by Dave's brother and go around the first corner in 12th or so. I ride in out and through riders before arriving up at about 4th. I then take two in two corners and head for the leader, he's apparently a 15 times British Grass Track Champion but late 50s so let's still give him his due, he's bloody quick!!!!

eventually I dive inside him and hold a slow but tight line and then give it the 'berries'. this time I just go mental and attack everything and everywhere. little do I know it but he is suffering from a bad back while his brother on the little CRF230 has jammed a stake into the gearlever.

after leading for over an hour I pull in for this quick fuel stop and I hear 4 bikes go by but don't look up. I get going again and just nail it everywhere. with 15 minutes to go I see Dave Howe just as he twigs me and there is about 70 metres between us. I do my best but hit all the traffic at all the wrong times and have to settle for following Dave over the line.

So fuel was the ruin of my day: I ran out in the morning and I had to stop for it in the afternoon! really chuffed with that though and given that I got lapped at Manby last Septemeber in my first ride on the bike. you can say I've come a long way.... I would have won both legs but for this.

I now need to work some more on the forks (more of the same), bring the bars back and raise them as well as bring the grips in as far as I can. I also want to do the same trick again to the ride height that I did with the old girl (FE400e 2002). The bike has corroded spokes so how cheaply made were those brand new? what with a tyre, a mousse, spokes, rear sprocket and chain I'm going to hurt in the wallet after this one!

regards

Taffy