Being a part of the MCN Festival of motorcycling, meant an early start! Up at 07:00am to get the bike unloaded and off to be scrutineered. Practice started at 09:00am and I am learning to expect a slippery track and with only 4 laps it was a reccy to understand the layout of the track. This track is completely different to rye-house and with track conditions being moist it was pretty much a circle, requiring a more 'speedway' style of riding, currently lacking this skill set!
Heat 1
Starting from the outside of the back row, I got a reasonable start but soon found out I had a lot to learn about this track. My main struggle was laying down the power around the long sweeping corners, no camber to help here either. No positions were made up resulting in a finish place of 8th.
Heat 2
Front row and on the outside, if I could just make a good start. My first fluffed start, stalled and bracing for impact I waited for the riders to get away (sadly one rider clipped my handle bars, but thankfully stayed upright, sorry Lucia). Finally getting of the line it was matter of, again, learning the peculiarities of this, now drying out, track. Slowly building in confidence I managed to catch the tail of the pack, but too little too late, 9th was my position as I passed the chequered flag.
Heat 3
In a blink of an eye and all hope of a final gone, heat 3 was on. Middle row and on the inside, good start finding myself in 9th position (out of a full grid of 12 this time) and fortunately a somewhat dry line had started to develop. Heading into the last lap I had worked my way up to 7th position and closing on 6th, struggling to get past a backmarker on the final corner cost me one position. Final heat finish in 8th, I was happy with that.
Result
Final position after the 3 heats was 26th place (From 35 competitors) with 14points. Again to make the main was 12th place and 24points. This was a big knock to my confidence, however, I must remember that this is my rookie year and I need to understand each new track and also build confidence in pushing the bike and myself harder. I leave peterborough with a lot to learn!.
What’s next….
Unfortunately I was hoping to ride at a grasstrack meet in hullavington but with not enough entrants in the flattrack class we were removed from the schedule. Now I am left with a month to think things through before the double header, Round 3 (Oval) & Round 4 (TT, consisting of Left & Right turns and a jump!) at Greenfield Dirt Track on the 10th & 11th of June