White Dalton Solicitors Blog

I won’t be at Cadwell this weekend as I’m using it as my drop round. This
year each class goes to 10 out of 11 events, but only nine count for the
championship. If you have more cash than Man City then you could do all 10
and drop your worst score but the original idea from Thundersport is to let
people drop a round that’s furthest away or clashes with a family wedding
etc. Cadwell Park is one of the furthest from Bath and it’s deadline week at
work again meaning more painfully long hours, plus it’s a bank holiday so
‘the missus’ would be at home for three days and probably baking non-stop. I
love da cake as much as anyone but there’s only so many tachycardia-inducing
sugar rushes a guy can take.
The following round at Mallory is the one that my class misses, so I’m next
out at Snetterton 15-17 July.

This is my good friend Sam Cox. He just won his first ever race with an absolutely fantastic ride in the CB500 class. He beat much more experienced riders, the championship leader, and guys on faster bikes who were all part of the big group battling hard at the front. He led most of the race and whenever someone passed him, he passed them straight back. I was watching with his parents and we’re hoarse from cheering so loud and exhausted from the emotion of watching. Other than what my dad tells me he feels like watching me, I can’t imagine how Sam’s parents feel.
Sam has ground his way through a few tough seasons and endured some really bad luck and painful injuries. The massive cheer, easily the biggest of the weekend, from everyone gathered at the podium was an indication of what an exceptionally likeable kid he is.
By a long way, watching Sam win was the highlight of my weekend.
Oh, and I won too.

I won! And my friend Sam rode amazingly in the first CB500 race to get third in an incredibly exciting ten-bike battle. He was also promoted to second in yesterday’s race after several riders were found to be cheating. We’re all so proud and happy for him.
In my race I got a great launch and led from start to finish, posting a new lap record along the way of 1m35.2s. Chris Matthews was second, Keith Smith third and Mark Andrew fourth, all improving their times too.
The most worrying part of the race was when a fly went straight down my throat the second I crossed the line and opened my visor. That prompted a hasty stop for a coughing fit. The insects don’t seem to like me round here as a wasp just hid in my can of Monster and stung me on the lip.
The bike is fantastic and loads of people have said how good it looks and sounds on the track. The Dunlops are brilliant too and have more grip than I’ve ever known. This is the best bike I’ve raced and better even than some top level race bikes I’ve had the priviledge of testing in the past. It’s unbelievably accurate and responsive and capable. Not bad for something I cobbled together in my garage. Massive thanks to RJW Consultancy for supplying the base bike. Thanks, too, to White Dalton and S&B for their invaluable support. The results are all a product of your backing. Now for one more, hopefully.

How do you make sure you can’t get a penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag? Make sure there’s no one to overtake, that’s how. I won by 7s having led from the start. Along the way I set a new lap record of 1m35.72s, a time I wouldn’t have thought possible yesterday. It more than made up for the first race’s disappointment. I’m really buzzing from it.
Chris Matthews was second and Keith ‘Churchill’ Smith third. Well done to my team-mate Nigel for improving his times. Most of all, massive congratulations to my friend Sam Cox for his first ever podium in the CB500 class and for massively improving his times.

Third place – even though I was first over the line. The reason was a 10s penalty I’d picked up for overtaking under a yellow flag. Obviously I hadn’t seen it but it’s been confirmed that it was there so I guess it’s a fair cop.
I got away second and stayed there for a lap after some aggressively defensive riding by Chris Matthews. The second time down Park Straight I used the slipstream and lined up a pass on the brakes into Park Corner. Chris told me later that he’d seen the yellow flag but I was preoccupied with spotting my brake marker and apex and making a clean pass. The first I knew of the penalty was when I came back it to see glum faces instead of the expected reflection of my own celebrations.
The pace was fierce all race long – Chris and I both posted 1m36.0s laps. I’m very happy with that pace, less so that Chris’s best was three hundredths faster than mine and that he holds the new lap record at this point.
Race two is soon, so I want to put things right from earlier. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for yellow flags too…