ROWRACIN-The return of Rocket Row

[oldboyonrgv]

After two difficult weekends in the soft sand of Matchams Park we returned last weekend to the more typical hardpack tracks of the south of England.
During the week the bike had been re-built with new Piston and ring, the front suspension had been re-built and new chain and sprockets installed giving higher final drive ration (higher top speed and longer in each gear)

So we stumped up at Allington Lane nr Eastleigh for the 8th round of the Hants & Dorset summer series, a bright and early (and very warm) day beconed.

Whilst I set the awning and pit area up Row and Sis Alex did a track walk round, they returned covered in mud much to the displeasure of Mum ! it would appear that after the cancellation of the previous round due to the dusty nature of the track, the farmer had been extra attentive and had dragged and watered the track 3 times during the previous week making it resemble the Somme in winter !

Practice
Despite my thoughts that the club would put the big boy’s out first to clear it for the little uns I was wrong and as it was the Juniors which were called first (they would be running first all day) off they went into the fast drying mud Row completing the practice with no major problems ( well a little slip and a missed gear), he turned up back at the pits plastered with mud, I was none too chuffed and spent the next 40 mins cleaning the worst off of the various new parts of the bike and trying to get the new chain and sprockets clean.

RACE 1
Now semi clean Row lined up for race 1, postion 29 meant that we would be starting from a poor grid – GO! Row belts off the line and into 16th place, the track has now been pretty much cleared and is offering up good grip, Row spends the race in a tight group of 5 all fighting each other for position, they are passing and re-passing in most of the corners slowng each other down whilst the top 15 get away, try as he might Row cannot get away from them and finishes in a respectable 17th place.

After the race I tell Row where he finished and he shrugged his shoulders “couldn’t go any faster Dad, they kept getting in the way” fair enough methinks

RACE 2
Its now baking hot and we are spraying Row down with cool water to strop him over heating whilst he sits in the collecting area, the track has now fully dried out and the dust is starting to rise.
Row pulls peg 39! So we are the last onto the grid and just have to fit in where we can, gate drops and Row flies off , I count him round in 15th on the first lap, its argy bargy again but Row gradually ekes his way clear of the group whilst battling with another rider, into one hairpin bend Row to closes the rider down (who is trying to get up the inside line), He pushes the bike into the other rider and the pair of them have a bit of a wobble as they fight for the position (I can’t watch!), Row manages to stay in front – just but the other rider gets Row into another bend, Row chases him to the line but cannot quite make an overtake
Back to the collecting area and Row gives me the thumbs up (always a good sign) “I enjoyed that Dad” the old smile is gradually making an appearance on his face, we check the results to find that he finished in 13th place, the confidence is coming back.

RACE 3
Its peg 24 this time and we manage to sneak Row into a better gate position – GO! Row pins it and is 4th off of the start line !, he makes the mistake of not protecting the inside and gets pushed out wide out of the first bend. He comes through in 11th place at the end of the first lap, he makes quick work to 10th place and easily pulls away but the front group have gapped him and despite making inroads he cannot get to striking distance, on the last lap I give him the signal that he has a huge gap behind him so he knows he’s under no pressure his easiest race of the day and a secure 10th place.

Row is well chuffed with his efforts and tells me about some of the lurid power slides and the huge jumps he has been doing!, he said that once I gave him the signal he eased off a bit because he knew he couldn’t catch 9th place in one lap so he settled for 10th.

All in all a more pleasing day, the bike ran strong and fast all day (it was a pleasure to see it out drag other bikes away from the slow corners) Row’s confidence has now returned after 2 difficult weekends spent falling off at Matchams Park, we are ready for next weekend (once I have cleaned the last of the mud off and re-checked everything).