Most of the Teams travelled up on Thursday evening as this was an unusual event. A test morning and then qualifying Friday afternoon; then all the races on Saturday with the Endurance event first in the morning.
Some long distances involved with Lee coming furthest with a 7hr grind from Portsmouth. People were still trickling in through the night and early hours of Friday morning. The teams were also different for this event as some regulars were on exercise in Canada and Deano had sold his bike. So to keep at least one rookie team alive Loz and Darryl formed Team 1 (Clubman 1000) and Iain and Lee Team 3 (Clubman 1000 and Rookies). Spence and Moggy were the usual Team 2 (600 Clubman and Rookies). All except Loz did the test morning and things went well considering it was the first time at Oulton for most. Iain found this out straight away and went grass tracking on lap 1 at Knickerbrook chicane, this formulated his quote of the track – “when you know what you’re doing it’s a very fast track, when you don’t…big time difference!!!”
It was busy over Friday lunch as all scrutineering and signing on had to be done to qualify from 1330 onwards. Loz, Spence and Darryl had also entered some sprint races on the Saturday afternoon so had to do most things twice. It started oh so well, then the dramas began. Most were still learning the track so qualifying was treated as more track time than out right grid placement. Darryl even had to learn his new bike for the Endurance; a K5 GSXR1000 he was riding for the first ever time. Loz was the main drama provider when he decided not to turn right at the end of the start finish straight and went off into the air bag barrier! He missed his braking point by miles while scanning the pit wall for his pit board, then over-braked, locked the front, quickly off the brakes before he went down on circuit, then onto the grass and into the barrier. They are very spongy but still do lots of damage. This was followed by a quick sprint from Kerry, who had witnessed the off and also it was useful for her training. We had to get the transponder, up over the bridge and back so Darryl could qualify. At least Loz had managed a reasonable time before his spill. Out of the 34 teams T1 were 15th; T2 a very respectful 16, only tenths behind and getting faster all weekend; T3 were still learning and 28th.
So Friday evening and even early Saturday morning Loz with everyone else helping were trying to rebuild his bike for the race. It was not very well. Iain was on rear sets and straightening things. Lee back pod and fairings. Steve miller clocks and front bracket. And everyone else accounted for all the other bits and bobs. His quick shifter had also decided enough was enough and stopped working properly so back to stone age gear changing. To cheer everyone up Loz and Spence proffed loads of tickets for the Michelin hospitality BBQ, so Friday night’s tea and some beer and lots of prizes were had at the expense of good old Michelin. The prizes were from their raffle and for Spence from a previous race. This will now become a regular event! Blag tickets and scoff wherever we can. Besides the bike injuries, Loz realised most of his internal organs were bruised. The rapid halt at the air bag stopped his outer shell but his innards tried to get out of his belly button!
The aftermath of Loz’s off
So to the race. It was an early start, especially Loz as his fairings didn’t arrive till 0730. T2 got the best start and ran into the first corner 2/3 places up.
Ccrreeaakk!!
T1 limped across the track (Loz) and just about held grid position and T3 got the best get away making up 3/4 places. The first sesh settled in. Loz went grass tracking first at Cascades, a scary fast right hander, something fell off his bike and spooked him, turned out it was a bit of fairing and apart from one or two other nuts/bolts disappearing (that’s not bad considering the rushed re-build) well done all getting the Gixxer back on track! Lee was first out for T3 and Spence was off like a stabbed rat for T2. After the changeovers T3 decided Loz and T1 were not going to get all the limelight for the weekend and well and truly took over providing the dramas! Lee ended his second session trying to follow a very quick National rider up Clay Hill and duly ran off into the kitty litter. His bike was not that bad but the Marshals put it to bed, handed him the transponder and pointed him in the general direction of the pits a mile away!
All dressed up with nowhere to go…
So T3 were a 1 bike team and losing laps like lepers lose limbs. They were still not quite last, so Iain took matters into his own hands and decided to run wide and tuck a low side at Druids corner, another quick right hander. Although his bruised and battered ZX10 looked fit for the scrap heap he made it back to the pits and a frantic “all hands on” got the bike out for the final few laps to finish the race. So albeit 27 laps down on the winners the ethos of Endurance was fulfilled, finish the race.
Ouchee!!
T1 ended up 14 and 5th in class. Loz finally settled down and got some good lap times in just missing out on breaking the 1:50 barrier. To top all his weekends problems his clutch went too, so even Stonehenge like gear changing didn’t work. Darryl got steadily faster as he began to gel with his bike and had a fantastic last session holding off Carben racing to keep our P5 in class position by only 3 secs. So it was left to T2 to repair the British Army’s reputation yet again. Apart from a broken gear linkage in qualifying and Moggy picking up the wrong cuppa with 2 sugars instead of his usual 1, their weekend was a balmy summer evening ride. They finished 10th second only to Gary Johnson and Edge racing in the 600cc division, first Clubman and top Rookie 600s and confirmed their position as 2014 British Clubman 600 Endurance Champions.
Team 2; faultless as usual!
Spence was on it all weekend and got steadily faster, breaking the 1:50 barrier on numerous occasions and winning his sprint races in the afternoon. Moggy stayed on and has had a rookie, first ever crash free season, he achieved excellent consistent mid to low 1:50 lap times. They went home with a shed load more trophies, lots of prizes and financial vouchers. T1 and T3 went home with lots of broken bikes, broken bodies, but still happy and would do it all again tomorrow.
Thanks pit crew(s)!
Thanks to all our sponsors and most of all to our support and pit staff! They give up their weekends to help us and watch us mess it all up, Lewis and Patrick stalwarts of T1, Robyn without whom food and beverage would not exsist, Charlie, Kerry and Julie T3 and most of Iain’s family, Kelly and Stacy the Wags of T2, also Steve and Cat who came to support and will be racing at Croft, thank you all, roll on Croft just weeks away.
Army Endurance Motorcycle Race Team 