Page 6...!

I had to jump online and put a post up after today, I've just gotten home from my very first ever live experience with bikes on a track, and I have to say I LOVED IT!!! Some might think spending a whole day sitting on one corner of a track watching bikes race past a bit boring, but I literally can't say how much fun I had!

The classes were:
125GP,
Superlite and 650 Pro Twin,
Supersport 600 and Superstock 600,
Prolite 250,
Post Classics (pre-1989),
and SUPERBIKES!!!

Practice laps for each class went up to about lunch time - we had one 'off' from the Superlite class right in front of us on the first session (of that class), the poor guy got nudged from a bike on the side, and ended up in the grass at high speed, falling on his right shoulder - I think he broke his collarbone (Ouch!) but he walked away from the accident so at least that's a good thing. Damage to his bike was mostly cosmetic too. My crew and I ran out onto a live track to pick him and his bike up and get them into safety, it was an adrenaline rush! After lunch the qualifying sessions kicked in, then full blown racing. Didn't have any other accidents in our section of the track, thankfully, but the guys just around the corner from us were pretty busy all day! Unfortunately I only had my phone camera with me, and couldn't get any decent shots of the action due to a useless zoom function. I'm hoping after tomorrow there might be some pictures on the club's website! There were photographers out all day with really flash cameras, so I might even find a pic of my crew on our corner! :-)

After the conclusion of the racing, everyone headed up to the main pavilion area to get changed out of our marshalling overalls, and unwind. Everyone I spoke to seemed to have had a great day, some a little more tired than others, but it seemed like the general spirit was good. We then proceeded to where dinner was being served to the track staff and racers, an easy barbeque meal with a few free drinks. The hosting club definitely know how to look after their people! I got to catch up with a few friends that I hadn't seen since earlier in the day over a feed, unwind some more, have a few laughs, and generally just chill out, then it started to get dark and I decided to head home.

If today has put one thought in my mind, it's that I love the environment of motorbike racing just as much as I love road riding! Everyone was super happy to have me on board, even though I was a new face, and answered any of my (possibly stupid) questions without a problem. It felt like just an extension of the 'biker world' that I've come to know so far! I'm stoked that I went, meeting new people, seeing old friends again, getting to hang out with other like-minded people, and watching bikes racing round in spectacular fashion! I completely underestimated just how cool today was going to be!

I did have a thought of possible entering my own bike in the 250 class, but alas, it doesn't comply with the regulations. Rules are that the bikes in the Prolite class have to be of a single or twin cylinder configuration, and mine is a 4 cylinder. No major, I know I'll be having just as much fun helping from the sidelines, and maybe one day I'll have a track-dedicated bike to join in the fun with! For now I'm more than happy keeping my pride and joy solely on the streets, as I wasn't 100% sure about the racing thing on it anyways (read my last post or two...) The one thing that I'm a bit annoyed with myself about is that I could have been getting involved with marshalling a long time ago, I just didn't realise that I could! Never mind, I know about it now, and I plan on doing it a lot more in the future! In fact, I'll be back there tomorrow to see out the rest of the racing!

So, with that in mind, I better get some rest, have to be up bright and early in the morning to be at the track on time, no doubt I'll post again once I'm home tomorrow night!

Until then...

:-)