|
|
OUR RACING NEWS
Our thing is sidecarcross and we are now into our fourth competitive season. Finishing seventh in the British Championships last year we wear ‘7’ at the start of this season. We hope to keep up the pace although competition is fierce.
PONTRALIS WALES – 19TH August 2007
Another wet weekend saw Sunday clearing to give a very sticky deep track which would be a challenge for all. Qualifying was a lesson in how not to - qualifying 6th and then deciding to go another lap getting stuck in the mud and having to enlist the help of our supporters to dig the sidecar out of the mud and ending up qualifying 15th.
RACE 1 - A good start, over the first jump the team made a 7th place. The European team Derks were up at the front but soon the Watson's took 1st place. By the second hill our team were in 6th and in front of them Eastman/Kirwin. Five minutes into the race Eastman/Kirwin shot off in front leaving a group of Breacher/Hillyard, Oldfield/Foyle, Pelling/Burt, Balsillie/Chamberliain and Jenkins/Hedges all locked into battle. Eastman/Kirwin were suddenly in 3rd, behind them Lyne/Girling and the Derks brothers now in 5th.
While the battle continued at the front Oldfield/Foyle started to catch our team, they managed to keep them off their shoulders for about three laps, but when coming to the first hill again the race line did not favour the right-hand chair and Oldfield/Foyle managed to pass. Much to their disappointment so did Pelling/Burt, Balsillie/Chamberliain and Jenkins/Hodges. Even though everyone was struggling with the track conditions our team found the chair grounding out on the ruts frustrating and thought they might need a tow.
A quick switch around at the front of the pack found Lyne/Girling taking the Derks brothers who were also having a hard time sharing the problems of the right-hand chair. Twenty minutes in and the team were being caught by the Grahame brothers and not far behind Jarvis/Wernham, back to the painful hill and those two teams passed. They stayed with them but got stuck on the second hill but only for a short time not loosing another place. After the far hill a yellow flag was out and our team managed to gain some vital ground. In the last stages of the race the team managed to catch the Grahame brothers, in the end passing them to gain a 9th place. At the chequered flag the Watsons 1st, Wilkinson/Burt 2nd, Eastman/Kirwin 3rd, Lyne/Girling 4th and Derks/Derks 5th, Pelling/Burt 6th, Oldfield/Foyle 7th, Balsillie/Chamberlain 8th, our team Breacher/Hillyard 9th, Blackman/Baughen 10th.
RACE 2 - A great start taking the inside line to the first corner gave rise to a 3rd, keeping their position after the first corner and the hair-raising first jump. The Derks brothers were leading with the Watsons hot on their tail. Derks couldn't hold off the Watsons for long and they passed them early in the race. Our team were taken by Wilkinson/Peters and Lyne/Girling. Eastman/Kirwin were closing with Pelling/Burt shortly behind them, five minutes passed and Eastman/Kirwin passed our team on the whoops. We were now holding a 6th position. A good surge by Kinge/Heighes threatened Pelling/Burt who were in a battle with our team. Still making their way up the Kinge car was now challenging our team, Kinge managed to pass after some exciting race tactics. Hodge/Walters were close to Pelling/Burt, Pelling/Burt took our team and at the 1 lap to go flag, Hodge/Walters were in hot pursuit of our team, at the second to last corner the blue flag was out for the Watson's, our team manoeuvred to allow them to pass but in doing so got off the race line which allowed Hodge/Walters to gain a place. The late pass was unfortunate for our team but gave rise to some exciting racing at the end of the race. With a position of 8th our team's overall championship place is now 6th. Well done to the Watsons with another 1st, winning overall 1st.
Report by Ami Breacher
TORRINGTON DEVON – 3rd July 2007
The great British summer produced probably the wettest week of the year, we were not optimistic that racing would take place, however Saturday’s storm cleared and Sunday saw a great improvement.
The quads cleared the top six inches of slush and from then on conditions gave rise to a good days racing, although racing lines were few and far between and the track cut up pretty bad.
The Maniac team qualified 11th which just kept us on the front row.
Race 1 – A mid pack start saw us make steady progress through the field with some good race battles with Paul Pelling and Craig Burt and after the first few laps placed 9th. A coming together with Stevens & Dunkley resulted in the roll-off’s canister being ripped off leaving a stream behind and a near embarrassing situation with a buckle ripped from my jeans. Keane came together with Heights which saw Keane left with a broken arm. With the absence of Brown & Peters, due to injury, Wilkinson had their first race win with Lyne 2nd, Watsons 3rd and Eastman 4th.
Race 2 – The track drying out and even signs of dust gave rise to some hard racing conditions. We achieved a good start down the outside and tucked in with Derks, taking the Millards and Pelling into 8th. We made our way to 5th passing Derks who had only two wheels on their wagon! We then were then locked into a chop and change battle with Eastman, Oldfield and Stevens with Eastman and Stevens passing us on the straight. Places were changing quicker than the weather, but 7 minutes to go the race was red flagged which saw a 9th for us. 1st went to Watsons, 2nd to Wilkinson, 3rd Derks, 4th Lyne, 5th Eastman, Pelling 6th.
Matchams
Round one of the British Championships for us this year was a great challenge: ‘Matchams, Ringwood’ need we say more – sand, stones and ruts you could bury someone in.
Qualifying was a bit disappointing to say the least – second row, not a good place to be. The first race confirmed the fact as at the first corner we were in a major collision with dust a sidecars everywhere – position – last. After some grueling hair-raising laps and another crash we finished 17th.
Race two – kept out of trouble at the start but the furious pace of the front crews made progress nearly impossible however, the sand technique improved from the first race and a 9th was achieved.
The front crews had their fair share of troubles too Brown & Peters (British No 1) had problems in the timed training when the moose in their tyre came out and he had to get the bike back from afar on the rim. This saw them an unusual 9th fastest.
The visiting Dutch crew gave a demonstration of how to race in sand and won both legs convincingly, second overall were the Watsons and Brown & Peters third.
Round 2 of the British championship is on 28th May at Frome.
|
