10/07/08
Mallory Park Racing
Mallory Park is a circuit we know, we also knew that bike setup was not quite right and therefore had some work ahead of us. This however did not deter the team and we needed points so we were keen for some good results.Free Practice
Pretty much the same story with Cooper, from the off he put in quick times and his fastest on his 4th lap, still the bike was not quite right and after the session we had some thinking to do. The other half of the camp was struggling, Harris was 3 seconds off the pace of which he is plenty capable of doing, just like the ole school report, could do better.
Qualifying
After some work on the suspension Cooper entered the Coliseum with his trusty chariot and 132 horses powering it. The team were positive but an air of anticipation surround us like swarming bees just praying that the changes would get the thumbs up from Cooper. Lap 1 was a 1:01.9, well I suppose there is no point in hanging around, happy days the setup was no worse. Then lap 2, a thumping 1:00.6, fantastic and the gloomy cloud was dissipated to the four corners of the circuit. Meanwhile Harris was still living a real life nightmare; still 3 seconds off where he should be he just could not find the speed he needed, although all seemed fine with setup. Still determined Harris pushed on and dropped a second off his time to get him 16th on the grid, not good when you consider he is plenty capable of a second row start. Riding down pit lane Cooper pulled in and the gut wrenching feeling hits just waiting for the report, thumbs up, the bike is working well and the SJB camp is in a happy place. Another outing for Cooper and with 2 minuets to go he blasts across the line with a 1:00.3, great lap and pole position was well earned.
Race 1
Well just as we expect rain at every meeting we expect Cooper to fly out of the starting gates leaving the rest of the field to jockey for position. That’s what happened; Cooper was on a real mission. By lap 2 he was already 2 seconds ahead of Wood which he maintained until lap 13, coming over the line Cooper was flailing his right foot and worse still Wood was gaining. Then realization set in that the footpeg had come off, Cooper was still riding hard but all his effort was not enough to ride the bike hard enough to keep Wood behind. Crossing the line in second was a good ride from Cooper but disappointment from him and the team was obvious. Back in Elm Street Harris was battling for 15th, crossing the line in 15th it looked like the demons had got the better of him and another disappointing result for the team.
Race 2
After replacing the footpeg and a little gee up for Harris the gladiators took there positions once again. Two different battles going on within the team, one to finish the race 1st place and the other to banish the demons holding him back. After the first lap Cooper set a very fast pace, his whole body language suggesting that this race was for him and there was nobody able to argue with him. Further back Harris got mixed up with some slower riders, then after passing them got into his stride a bit but still his real pace was eluding him. All through the race Cooper was revealing his dominance and crossed the finish 1st place, 6 seconds Wood decided to cross the line, Harris returned in 14th and was finding a faster pace after catching up on a good 3-4 seconds with the next group.
My Thoughts
Arrrrrrrrgh, I should just stop there really as it says it all. A weekend on sitting on an emotional rollercoaster, the highs of getting a bike setup better for Cooper and the lows of a footpeg coming off, and loosing points, and giving points away. We have said no work on the bikes unless essential on a race weekend just to eliminate potential failure, yet someone, mention no names (phew, hot in here) decided to adjust a perfectly fine footpeg. This then fell off. Still not going to dwell on this as I am not willing to beat myself up once again, some valuable lessons learned this weekend which can only be positive. Well time to get our passports out as the next round is Knockhill, unfortunately for the SJB team Cooper is unable to ride due to BMW commitments, but good luck Richard.
Mark
SJB Racing
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