SNETTERTON Race Weekend Report

[Bendy]

Utterly top weekend. Good atmosphere, good racing and good company.

Big-up to G for doing it in the first place - well proud of you for getting out there and giving it a go!

Thanks to everyone who put up with me bossing them about.

Anyone who's contemplating coming along to the next one - do it. You're free to wander around the pits, watch from pretty much wherever you like, it's very sociable and not at all like big money racing. There are loads of races each day so there's something to interest everyone. And you have to get down on the wall for the start of the Forza Extreme at least once... that is one grand noise.

Some photos to follow tonight, but Swaffs has most of them on his lappy.


In case you're actually interested in the minutae of my weekend, I wrote this cos lots of typing makes it sound like I'm working really hard ... I'm sure G will fill you in with more track-related info later.


FRIDAY
******

So nursing a cold for which I blame Danny, we pile into G's ex-postie van and set off to collect caravan #1 in a series of complex logistics. And then it's the long drag up to Snetterton which, true to form, is in it's own microcosm of weather. Yes, we hit the sliproad for the circuit and down comes the hail. Woohoo. Since a lot of people had been there since Thursday night, parking it rather interesting but we find a spot and monster the caravan up the wet grass and baggsie extra space for caravan #2.

Trundle off again to collect the hire caravan from a place about 30 miles up the road. Return and repeat the parking fun only with more monstering this time and judicious use of van power to shove it up a slope. Job's a goodun. Next is gazebo construction and by the time that's assembled and all the kit is unpacked, it's all looking frighteningly professional by BCF standards.

We retire to the caravan for the night, G taking over the galley and cooking meat (what else). I indulge in a spot of light embroidery, sewing up a hole in himself's leathers. Folk retire fairly early as it's a 7am start the next day.


SATURDAY
*****************

Race day! So first thing G has to get the bike and his kit through scrutineering. The usual level of BCF organisation has us picking off old numbers and applying new ones while in the queue. I spy the comedy kit scrutineering procedure and sneak off to get into a photo position, smelling caption competition gold. Bike and kit all pass - good to go. Well apart from the fact that the sun is shining and the bike's got wets on. Wheel change, including spacer fun (lack thereof). Chuck G out for practice which is only a few laps.

We have a bit of a gazebo-related crisis when the increasingly gusty wind catches it and the whole shebang makes a bid for freedom. Luckily the 2 back guy ropes tied onto the caravans held and stopped it escaping across the paddock. Unluckily, one of the legs takes a chunk our of the hire caravan as it passes. We wrestle the whole thing to the ground and dismantle it... this baby's going back to B&Q!

It's race time! G is de-warmered and dispatched off (which involved pushing the bike up the grassy hill we're camped on) and MarJay and myself head down to pit lane to watch the start.

Scary stuff! 37-odd bikes all revving like bastards and then launching off towards the first corner - one hell of a sight! Can't remember how many laps G got in, but as we're counting them past it becomes apparent he's not still on the track, so we leg it back up to the pit to find G sitting on his bike forlornly playing with a rather unattached gearshift. And the 'not sounding too healthy' problem has returned. Bugger.

While the boys are getting all technical and taking the R6 to pieces, I take the opportunity to accost Robby and abuse his Smart car. We visit the scariest Tescos on earth and thanks to inept navigation, end up in darkest Norfolk where men are men and the women are men too. Eek. Upset Robby by not showing his new toy the right level of respect, get intimidated by the armco now being at head height, and return to Snett with a kettle. The bike's fixed and G's going to be starting from the back of the next race, thanks to the DNF. Come on!

More de-warmering, pushing and running down t'pit wall. This time we're counting on every lap as G comes screaming by, and the places are falling... by the end of 7 laps he's up 15 spots from where he started. Much back slapping and general 'you rock'-ness.

Wander down to watch a bit of the sidecar racing... nutters. Stow all the pit stuff away in case it rains and retire to the caravan for food. I pegged out at some point in the evening, feeling like death and knackered, so have no recollection of what happened all evening.


SUNDAY
**************

Cocking generator's given up, so there'll be no tyre warmers today.

Charlotte and myself have concocted a plan to take the hire caravan back during the day, to spare time later on. And to cry and act all girly and inept if they notice the scratches, now pretty well t-cutted out by Swaffs. Though there is the small matter of the broken taillight that G managed to clobber with something. Anyway, we clear everyone's stuff out the van and clean up, Charlotte even taking a needle and thread to the curtain that someone managed to rip. Keith and G are swearing at the generator and cooking sparkplugs over the hob while everyone else has buggered off round the circuit to watch the racing and take photos.

Race one and it's down to my spot on pit wall again, doing the counting thang. Cold track, cold tyres but G makes it round the 7 laps in one piece, going forwards a bit and backwards a bit thanks to a spot of self-outbraking.

The ladies pile into the Alfa to take the caravan back and return after a short argument with the rental guy over a jockey wheel. But the scratches have gone un-noticed so it's not all bad.

Time for final race of the weekend. G hoiks yet another wheelie off the start line and luckily everyone misses the Ducati that's stalled on the row ahead. That's got to be some scary shit, sitting there trying to restart your bike and hoping no-one piles into you. Counting them round again and there's no G. Bugger. Back up to the pit to wait for him to show up... minus one footpeg and plus some yellow paint. Impressive.

Pack up, hitch up and drag back home. Can't wait for the next one.

[Gazdaman]

When you guys do brands I'll come and give moral support / be the rental caravan t-cut guy.

Gaz

[Robby]

Shame about the genny, I thought that was one of G's decent shiny expensive posessions.

Yes. I was up on saturday, was good fun.

Two observations though, on Norfolk.

Norfolk is colder than Croydon, or Gatwick airport train station. Thats cold.

Norfolk is the most inbred county I have ever visited. It seems to be made of the people deemed too low in the gene pool to live in Essex.

[JonB]

Dunno if there is any racing in this neck of the woods, Pembrey or Castle Coombe, but if there is I might take a hike towards there.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Luke_Retrofly]

Hi
Twas a cool weekend, mucho biking action, would have been worth it even if G hadnt been racing.

Well done to G, who i reckon would have been in the points if it wasnt for bad luck he had, 15 places in 7 laps can't do much better

The racing was excellent and standing @ russels chicane means mucho crashes, a few of which i managed to catch on camera.

Lotsa bikes, crash's, fun and cold, cant wait for the next one, .

Dont worry G i wont be touching the bike in the future, will leave it to the pros .

luke
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Flounced - Long overdue
Fuck you bitch I'm in the top 10 list I can do the what the fuck I want!

[Scooby]

Very good, very good. That's impressive stuff for the first race you've done G, the only way is up and you're doing great up to now. You should get some good finishes once you've got minor problems ironed out.

So come on then Luke, what did you break?!
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A big enough hammer fixes anything!

[Adam_P]

[Wave2k]

Was a great weekend,
G did really well in the both races he completed, although it seemed kind of unfair how he outbreaked and out turned a bike lap after lap then there power took him on the straight.
sat night was a laugh, me and maurice had to sleep in the free caravan with an old boy who used to race TZRs

on sunday i watched the supersport 600s and there was so much action, (crashes) those guys a real nutters
everyone was very friendly and im very glad i made the 2 hour trek on my seen better days cbr400, all in all a great weekend

Yes its Very Very cold in norfolk
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[andrew]

[kasandrich]

Well done G sounds pretty good for a first outing
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Richard

CBR1000FM

[Bendy]

Continued over at https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=44126 cos he's awkward.