Repair and regroup

First blog in a while as I've been insanely busy. The opportunity came up to do some freelance work so I grabbed it. The timing was ideal to earn a bit extra and cover the damage to the Tuono, but it meant 90+ hr weeks for a while and no time in the garage. Repairs to the bike are now underway, and lots of people have been very helpful. White Dalton has been very supportive, Ian Newton has ordered the trade-price Aprilia parts, and Chris, Hayley (and Lola) from Moto46 have sourced a few special bits from their massive range of race products and contacts. Jim at Zone Products is refreshing and regrinding both pairs of brake discs for maximum power and a little extra float to prevent any pad drag on the long straights at Snetterton. That should be worth a couple of valuable mph. S&B Automotive Academy is probably the most useful sponsor any club racer could have. The boys in the bodyshop are repairing and repainting my panels, plus they're making me a pitboard and arranging to have someone to hold it for me at each race! It's all good experience for one of their apprentices too. A load of other parts were found on eBay, including a complete set of crash protection and some unusual, unbranded rearsets that initially looked useless and way too low until I realised that they'd been put together the wrong way around. I wonder if the seller knew? Finally, and kindest of all, the new owner of the GSX-R1000 K4 I raced last year has sent me the lap timer from it to replace the damaged unit on the Aprilia, and wouldn't take any money for it either. Garry, you are proper diamond. Thank you, and thanks to everyone that's helping me prepare for Snetterton. This weekend I'll be busy bolting it all together. Meanwhile, the Aprilia Superteens are running as a support race to World Superbikes at Donington. If you're going there to cheer on the British wild-cards, and you should, then make sure you're there in time to see the Superteens too.