HMRC Endurance at Snetterton

The weekend of April 7 and 8 saw the first round of the HMRC two-hour junior tag endurance race at Snetterton and this is how my weekend went.

Not everything went to plan. In the morning practice my new Brembo master cylinder decided not only would it work when the lever was pulled but it would stay on all the time. 

I pulled into the pits and we could not push the bike into the garage but it was locked on so hard and so hot we could not touch it for 10 minutes. Frantic bleeding and re-bleeding and all was well.

So we went into the hour’s open pit lane qualifying with new tyres and brakes working.

My team-mate, Mark Linscott, did his job and qualified us on pole in a 1.13.8 (’07 R1 yamaha – 180bhp) with me on my B1 (600 kawasaki – 115bhp ) 

So there we are lined up at the front for the LeMans start, me holding Mark’s R1, bike in gear, ignition on, kill switch off and GO Mark runs across the track jumps on and hits starter ——NOTHING ——and again and again and again.

By now the whole field has gone, switch off ignition and back on again hit button and vroom his away dead last and 20 seconds down on the whole field.

Why oh why oh why did no one tell us an ’07 R1’s immobiliser kicks in if the ignition is left on for more than a minute without starting the bike!

Mark carved his way through the field and by the second lap he is third.

He does his magic for his half-hour stint and at the first change over we are first.

GULP! no pressure on me and the little 600. So there I am out in first place in my first ever race with an expectant crew watching the clock.

I complete my half-hour stint and manage to hold us in third place with a team called Last Minute racing now in first on gixer thou’s, they have pulled over a minute and a half at the front.

Mark completes his half-hour and we are second again at the last change over, I complete my last half-hour and hold us in second to the flag.

Ecstatic! I’m on the podium in my first ever race. We cheer, shout and march to the presentation where they announce ………. Team SOober (us) as the race winners in the 1,000 cc class.

Last Minute racing have been disqualified for using slicks and race treaded tyres can only be used.

We shared a garage with them and they admit to living up to the their name and had only read the regulations the night before so had no idea they could not use slicks.

I did have a moments pang of guilt for taking their win but hey “that’s racing” as they say.

So I’m standing on the podium on the top step with my winner’s cap and garland and I’m in total shock, my aim was just not to finish last.

Roll on Knockhill at the end of month.