White Dalton Solicitors Blog

Feeling a little light-headed? Size matters – particularly when buying a helmet. Chef reviews his latest lid. (continue reading…)

I have been looking at a more practical bike to replace the beautiful but feisty Ducati Multistrada. Two bikes are in the frame, the Triumph Explorer and the Honda Crosstourer, and I took the Crosstourer out in greasy, cold conditions and covered about 100 miles of urban (into and out of North east London) A roads, motorway and fast dual carriageway. (continue reading…)

As previews go, this one is rather late. I wholeheartedly apologise. By the
time anyone reads it I’ll probably have finished qualifying. But then, until
a couple of hours ago I wasn’t sure exactly what sort of weekend I needed to
preview.
The first big shuffle came last weekend when my ZX-10R was sold. It wasn’t
supposed to go until after the last round this weekend but the chap who came
to see it really like it and was ready to pay the asking price, there and
then, in cash. You don’t send those people away, especially as race bikes
can be very hard to sell and it was co-owned with a RSRmotosport.
My entry to the last round was never at risk though. The streetfighter was
offered to me again so I’ll be able to defend my points position on that.
Mallory Park is even better suited to the GSX-R750 than Brands Hatch;
Edwina’s and the Bus Stop reward terrier-like agility and you’re rarely
upright. There are two straights but you wind up the speed onto both from
fast corners so powerful bikes can’t make the same sort of impact as they
can when drag racing out of a tight bend. Last year I set a best of 55.0s
here on the streetfighter. If I can do that again then I should be in some
decent positions for GP1.
So that’s that, except it isn’t, because someone made a suggestion that
initially sounded daft and a second later was unmissable. It began with,
“Seeing as you’re riding the Streetfighter anyway…” And ended with me
deciding, yes, entering both classes this weekend is an awesome idea.
The timetable works out well, I should only need one more tyre and it gives
me more practice for the GP1 races. I can’t think of a better way to end the
season.

It’s 10.36pm. I’m in the back of my van in Oulton’s paddock, tucked up in
‘bed’ (two sleeping bags and an airbed with a slow puncture). The thin metal
roof stops the rain from actually landing on my face but otherwise repeats
the weather conditions with me verbatim. The temperature outside is
identical to in here. Every individual rain drop reverberates around the
van; a light shower sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies served in a steel
drum; a heavy downpour is like being shut in a wheelie bin while it’s hosed
down with ball bearings. Lurking unseen, the wind is a troublesome gang
kicking bottles around the paddock and rocking the van on its springs.
Summer’s swan song of a week ago is just a memory; Autumn is here and it’s
stamping its authority. Winter’s hollowness awaits, a dark absence of all
this, of the anticipation that warms me, of racing. A motorsport season is
all seasons.
This weekend the task at hand is simple, in essence if not in practice. I
must beat Chris Barnes in order to protect my fifth place in the
championship. Exactly what that entails I will discover tomorrow afternoon,
shortly after qualifying when all the cards are turned over. However, I’m
pretty sure it will come down to riding my motorcycle as fast as I can.
Oulton Park is fun at speed, a true challenge at race pace. It bucks around
Cheshire like a rodeo bull, testing your concentration and reactions. Hard
braking follows flat-out crest, hairpin follows sweeper, patter bumps follow
millpond asphalt. Stability in a bike is essential here and takes precedence
over steering speed and even mid-corner front-end feel. If your bike isn’t
stable you’ll spend most of the lap playing the rodeo rider to the circuit’s
bull, and we all know that some rodeo rides may last longer than others but
they never end well. Far better to be the horse whisperer, to soothe your
bike into thinking you’re not riding it hard whereas in fact your
stabilising flat chassis balance allows you to open the throttle with
confidence.
Time to sleep and dream of glory.

At last, it’s time to go racing again! Missing Cadwell and Mallory back to
back made a huge gap in my season but it’s back to business now and I’ll be
fresh and hungry after the break. The RSRmotosport ZX-10R is ready to go and
I can’t wait to ride it again. The world has felt pedestrian without it.
Snetterton has had a huge makeover since we were there last year. The track
has been extended with a really interesting technical section after the
first corner that’s increased the lap by around 80%. It’s now a much more
varied challenge without losing its two very high-speed straights and
corners. The British Superbike action last weekend was great and I’m sure
ThundersportGB can produce more of the same.
At an educated guess I’d say the new layout should suit me and the ZX-10R. I
like fast sections of track and the Kawasaki has a scintilating top end.
Once I’ve learned the track I’ll be using the practice day to work on the
settings some more.
Another redeveloped track has been causing some havoc in the calendar,
unfortunately. In their haste to book events following their escape from
fiscal disaster, Donington Park managed to double-book both of the remaining
ThundersportGB events there this year. Both have been cancelled with
replacements due to be announced soon.
Finally, sorry for not posting pics from the cycle racing as promised but no
one got any of me. My vanity was deeply offended. There were some good
results though – 6th (of 30) in a brutal criterium in Bath, 5th (of 50) in a
four-man team 24hr race around the old Goodwood circuit with 508 miles
ridden, and a win in my first 10-mile time trial. The next challenge is the
Etape du Tour on Monday 11 July, a full stage of the Tour de France before
the pros get there. It’s relatively short at 65 miles but there are three
big mountains to climb. At least my fitness will be tip top for Snetterton.