My good friend Matt Lawson ((Awesome Lawson) is a racer, you may have read about his 2010 Ducati Desmo season in one of my previous blogs); invited me to be his spanner man at Mallory park which was round 2 of the 2011 season. After several days of badgering the missus and re-organising my work diary, i accepted; and it turned out to be one of the most fun filled and frightening 48 hours of my life.
Now, as you know i am a biker, but with limited track experience and having never experienced life inside the paddock on a race weekend i was actually beginning to get very nervous and unsure of what to expect, but Matt constantly reassured me i would be fine.
Now, i am going to rewind back to March and round 1 and fill you in on the story so far, the story that led Matt to asking me to spanner for him. Brands Hatch was not a total disaster as Matt scored 2 very respectable 2nd places and a solid 40 points. in most peoples eyes a success. In the build up to the Saturday races Matt had a slight mishap with the fairing, basically it exploded and decided to deposit itself around the track. Not a good plan if you don't have a spare one. So after some dodgy fiberglassing and Tank tape bodging he managed to re-fit it. It sort of resembled a fairing but let's just say, #72 was not the best looking bike on the grid on saturday.
This was not the only problem we encountered on Friday, Matt had not had a chance to look at the bike over the winter months (for personal reasons) and after several sessions decided that the bike was not turning in quick enough, and discovered we couldn't drop the forks through the top yoke because the clearance to the front fender wasn't enough and we couldn't raise the rear cos the rear ride height adjuster was seized. So come raceday Matt was going to have to grin and bear it and ride around the problems.
NOT GOOD PREPERATION!
As i mentioned earlier, Awesome Lawson managed 2 second places but was adamant that better prep would have meant he could have fought for the win,That is, if the bike would turn in and the fairing looked good and didn't scrape the ground!
Now, knowing the reasons that he couldn't find the time to prepare; i offered my services for 3 consecutive Tuesdays in the run upto Mallory. We had a masterplan and at the top of the list was strip, clean and grease everything. Job 2 was to free the ride height adjuster and set the suspension up exactly how Matt wanted. Once this was done the NEW faring was ordered from Germany and we now had the job of fitting it, but Matt needed it altered drastically as he grounded the fairing out on both sides at Brands, so we preceded to cut a 3 inch section out of the belly pan and fibreglass it back together making it a snug fit, if it ground out now, he would be on his side in the gravel!!!! (more of this later!)
With everything prepared and Horsebox in tow we set off for Mallory at 8pm on Thursday night.
We arrived in style in the newly aquired Motorhome at 11.45 only to find no electricity and a pitch black paddock. "Welcome to the world of Club racing" said Matt as he laughed. Now i thought the idea would be to park up, make up the beds and get to bed. How wrong was i? He promptly went to wake a fellow racer up who was deep in his slumber in the back of his Van! yes, you read that right.....in the back of his van. Not a caravan or a motorhome or even a tent, but a panel van. Race bikes removed and parked next to the van under a gazebo and the van then turned into a luxury condo, with a Double bed, calor gas cooker and sleeping bags.
Now, if i was woken at midnight, the night before a full 7 session test day i'd be pretty pissed off, but much to my amazement Neal Catling and Graham Fox..(yes 2 guys in the one van, a bit like brokeback mountain but without the sex.) were happy to see Matt and promptly got the beers out and joined us in the motorhome to watch a DVD recording of the MotoGP from Jerez the previous weekend. If this was a racers life, then i must be in heaven, cos this doesn't happen for real, does it?
At around 2am after several beers and plenty of piss taking banter about lack of prep at Brands and Matts Crash in race 1 at Mallory last year, we turned in, cos signing on was at 7.30am in the morning!!!!
Now...the plan was to wake at 7am and get breakfast, but at 6:15am Matts phone alarm went off and he woke me up with him scrabbling around the drivers footwell for his phone that he dropped in the process of turning it off!!! Less than 5 hours sleep and 7 sessions to do during the course of the day, doesn't bode well.
Bleary eyed and friggin' tired i made my way to the washrooms, i opened the door and it promptly took me back to my long distance truck driving days, no plugs in the sinks and no plastic matting on the flooring, meaning paddock dirt all over the shower floors....i could still hear Matt saying..."welcome to the world of club racing". At least the water was hot!
But; i was looking forward to the day and putting myself to some use and helping out Matt the best i could. Let's hope i could do what was needed when it was needed. we unloaded the horsebox and began with the job of checking tyre pressures and fuel and a final check of all nuts and bolts ready for session 1.
The morning went well but Matt didn't seem to like the set-up. So we lowered the rear by 3mm and suddenly the laptimes began to drop and were consistantly in the 1.02's, Matt knew it wasn't quick enough though and the tyres were beginning to look very second hand, but having only one spare set, they had to last the rest of the day and the free practice on saturday morning, when we would swap for the scrubbed set for qualifying and races. The same couldnt be said for Neil Appleby (Class A winner from Brands Hatch), in the first session he blew his engine up and we thought that, that would be the end of the day for him and possibly the end of his weekend. so went went down to see him between sessions to discover he was knee deep in parts and rapidly trying to get a spare engine in the frame ready for the afternoon sessions. Which to be honest, astonished me...BSB, WSB, MotoGP, yes? but Club racing at grass roots level? It suddenly dawned on me that regardless of what level racer you are, racing means the world to them and nothing is gonna stop these guys from being on the grid come saturday at 3pm.
Now, whilst Matt was on track it was my job to time each lap and as soon as the session was finished i had to make sure i was back at the motorhome before Matt and get the paddock stand ready....i am so used to bikes having side stands it was easy for me to forget and did on several occassions as i swanned back admiring the other bikes in the paddock...oops. But i soon cottoned on that he needed help and anyway we decided to check tyres temps and pressures after every session before they had a chance to cool down, and this is where i learnt my first lesson..the hard way. Never touch the brakes discs whilst attempting to remove valve caps, cos it friggin burns!
As the day went on the routine began to stick and we were like a well oiled machine, noting down tyre pressures, emptying the fuel tank and refilling with 5 litres and generally making sure everything was ready for the next session.
Lunch time beckoned and we had the obligatory racers lunch ..it doesn't matter what it is, as long as its fried to within an inch of it's life and you have ketchup with it! this was followed by a gallon of tea mixed with plenty of energy drinks. A racer's diet runs a fine line between energy giving and heart attack inducing, but living on the edge as they do, i am sure they don't care!
The afternoon sessions went without mishap and the banter flowed between all the Desmo racers between sessions and even offering parts or assistance if a fellow club member needed.
This is where i began to see the bigger picture, i had been so wrapped up in my world and loving every minute of it, i failed to notice that the Desmo family is a very close knit one. Everyone knows everyone by first name and everyone makes the obligatory walk round, to chat and a catch up, drink tea and generally take the piss! all in good nature of course and is something that binds this group of like minded people together. wives girlfriends and even children make the trip for race weekend which really surprised me. Some wives even get stuck in with the spannering. This group is a tight nit one and god help anyone who tries to upset the balance!
The test day finished with Matt happy with the way the bike was set-up and that come race day with new tyres on he was confident that he could find the extra 2 seconds needed to make the front row. Pole was possible but he would have to push more than he had before.
Once the bike was away we could relax and i went for a wander round the paddock, taking in the atmosphere and the blending into my surroundings for the first time. it had been a busy day and on less than 5 hours sleep i was shattered, but i was buzzing and living on the adrenaline from the day's testing.
Walking around the paddock is a bikers dream, with mechanics working hard doing small but important jobs like checking tyre pressures to major jobs like engine swaps, most jobs taking place on the tarmac or gravel and under 20 quid homebase gazebos.
After a good homecooked (well, an Asda precooked) Cumbernauld pie and a beer or two, we decided to bunk down early in preperation for race day.
Race day started at 6.30am and i made my way to the shower block and was about to shave, when the guys in the shower block stopped and looked at me...what had i done?
Lesson number 2: You cannot shave on race day! apparently started by Glen Richards in BSB but in truth it probably started many moons ago and still adopted by the club racer. superstitions are a common thing in racing, from the very top right the way down to the very bottom, from putting the left glove on first, to wearing the same t-shirt every race or lucky underpants only on race day. Matt wears the same t-shirt, but he does wash it, unlike Colin Edwards in Motogp.
So unshaven but showered and ready for race day, i left the shower block promptly with my tail between my legs, and with 2 day old stubble that was driving me crazy!
Free practice was at 9am, so a bowl of cereal was order of the day followed by a banana..healthy and energy giving and i felt this was going to be a great day and i was looking forward to it, running over in my head all the important jobs i needed to do, like the washing up and making the tea. Seriously though, the day had arrived quickly and 9am was upon us.
Matt had to be scrutineered the night before so the bike was all but ready, just the fuel and tyre pressures and we where ready to kick ass. Still on the same tyres from the previous day and with the temperature warmer by 3 degrees the laptimes came upto speed very quickly, again in the 1.02's but still 2 seconds off Neil Applebys fastest lap from Friday. We knew the better tyres would make a difference but unsure of how much?
The session was almost over and Matt came in early, with the rear brakes alight!!!! The piston had siezed in the caliper and locked the pads onto the disc, causing it to wear the pads right down to the shims and locked the back wheel on. So we used the correct method of waiting for it to cool before we took the pads out..did we eck! we just poured a full watering can of water on to it and got them cold as soon as possible cos we didnt have long before the qualifying session started and we still needed to change wheels to the scrubbed tyres. So whilst an ex-racer and Neal Catling helped Matt replace the rear pads and free the piston i changed the front wheel and the topped up the fuel.
The paddock announcer called for all desmo racers to the pitlane for qualifying session and i made my way to my viewing spot out the back of the circuit halfway between the esses. A good view point and able to see half the lap, from the exit of gerrards all the way to sears hairpin. With my laptimer in my hand i clicked it on as Matt went through on lap 1 and instantly recorded a 1 minute flat..the new tyres were instantly 2 seconds quicker and bringing him close to the outright lap record of 59.7seconds. 2 laps later and i could see he was visibly catching Neil Appleby, Neil went past me and i was looking for Matt when there was a scraping sound to my right i spun round and instictively lifted my camera to my eye and clicked away.
This was shocking to see and especially as i had spoken to him no more than a few minutes earlier. but as you can see he is up on his feet and walking away...one very very lucky man. On first inspection his bike is wrecked.
As you can see in the picture, (Matt, wheeling the bike back to Neils van.) after the engine swap in the morning on friday and being thrown off at nearly 100mph The bike is slightly second hand with one careful owner and in any case only 40 minutes remained before race 1. Impossible for Neil to get it ready for the race and left Matt with a bittersweet taste in his mouth. A possible double win is on the cards but he said he would rather Neil be on the track and try and beat him fair and square. The results of the qualifying were astonishing, Neil Appleby managed to grab pole on his first flying lap! Matt was kept off of pole by 0.04 of a second!
Back at the motorhome all was calm and we even had time for tea before the first race. I took the time to clean the bike and polish the wheels and clean Matts visor and rid it of the bug and fly mortuary. Whilst we were sitting chatting Neil rode by towards scrutineering.....he was only bloody gonna ride it! Either he hasn't got a brain or he had a bang on the head! either way, Matt got his wish and Neil was racing.
The time came for race 1 and my job now became one of laptimer and pitboard operator, the job i had been dreading. It turned out i was going to have some help in the form of Sam west, a previous Desmo Due champion so he knew the score. I gave him the job of holding the pitboard whilst i timed the gap to the rider behind.
The riders lined up on the grid and i was as nervous as hell, god knows what it must be like actually sitting on a bike on the grid! The lights go out and Neil appleby gets a flyer, front wheel in the air. we didn't realise until after the race, but he actually got a jump start and a 10 second penalty. It made little difference cos he rode like a demon possessed and by the end of the race he was 14 seconds clear of Matt, who rode a brilliant but lonely race in 2nd.
Back in the paddock the debrief began, and Matt was dejected and as usual beating himself up over the result. Only 40 minutes seperated race 1 from race 2 so there was just about enough time to check tyres and re-fuel and make the peppermint tea. Matt realised that he was gonna have to ride out of his skin to beat Neil or get a good start and get riders between him and Neil.
Race 2 was quickly upon us and Sam and i made our way to the pit wall, Nerves better this time for me but in the holding area Matt steps on Neils foot (a ritual started at round 1 Brands Hatch) and wishes his rival good luck, Neil turned to Matt and said "i'm nervous and i don't know why?" or words to that effect. They lined up on the grid after a pretty quick warm-up lap.
The lights go out and the race is on, Matt gets a flyer and leads at the end of lap 1 and Neil is in 3rd, As Matt goes past the pit wall we have +0 on the pitboard as #41 is less than a second behind him and Neil is tucked in behind. Sam and I watch the 3 riders Going into Gerrards, and it's here where it all begins to go horribly wrong, #41 goes past Matt along the pit straight and is under him into the turn, Matt realises that Gerrards is his strong point and does trade mark Awesome Lawson move around the outside on full gas (which has got to be 100mph+) and #41 goes wide leaving Matt nowhere to go, he sits the bike upright. At this point Neil realises he can take advantage of Matt running wide and he attempts to go up the inside but tucks the front, he goes down and slides into Matt taking them both into the gravel.
Watching this was horrible and what i saw next turned my stomach...i was waiting and watching for both riders to get up, it seemed an age and i saw Matt attempt to get further into the gravel trap but collapsed and Neil didn't move. All i remember doing is shouting at the Startline marshall "STOP THE FUCKING RACE!!!" The red flag took forever to be waved, i turned around to see the paramedics jumping in the ambulance. My heart sank but was helpless, i wanted to be there, but was stopped at the end of pitlane.
The next few minutes felt like hours, i could see the doctors on the scene and i saw the Spinal board come out of the ambulance...please god let him be alright. Neil by this point was up on his feet and taking the long walk of shame back towards me down the track, he was carrying his tail unit and his head bowed down in a moment of awkward embaressment, but he was ok and he mentioned that Matt was fine except that his shoulder hurt bigtime. He was ordered into the medical centre for checks. Thankfully he was ok and released. Matt in the meantime was being lifted into the ambulance. I was waiting at the medical centre for the ambulance but was told i wasn't allowed in until the doctor gave me permission.
The wait outside was the awful, i needed a smoke bigtime but they were at the motorhome. Eventually the call came and i was allowed in..i walked through the swing doors to be greeted by a smiling Matt with his arm in a sling. Possible broken collarbone and told he must go to Leicester hospital for an x-ray. Now, i am not a religious person at all but boy, did i pray that he was ok. Sam did the honours and took him to the hospital so that i could begin the mammoth task of cleaning up the motorhome and packing away the bike, once it was cleared for release from scrutineering.
Back at the motorhome Sam's parents were fantastic, Sam's dad got the bike and promptly started stripping and cleaning the gravel and sand out of it whilst Sam's mum cleaned the motorhome and packed away everything for the journey home.
As you can see, the only real damage was pegs and brake levers and fairings, very lucky not to have done more damage considering the speed he went down. The red paint on the right fairing panel is off of Neil's bike. But boy does that gravel get absolutley everywhere and the dust is even worse. we got some work to do before the next round at Angelsey in 6 weeks time!
At this point it dawned on me that i had to drive the motorhome 140 miles home towing the horsebox. Never having towed anything in my life! i was shitting myself.
At some point i was called to the riders trophy presentation and i was asked to collect the 2nd place trophy for Matt (for which i was felt honoured) and i let everyone know that he was fine and it was nothing too serious.
Matt didnt return to the motorhome until 8pm and by this time the West family had done their best and everything was packed and ready to roll. The x-ray proved that it indeed was a broken collarbone.
As you can see, its a proper break.
The drive home was pretty uneventful and easier than i had imagined, but to be honest i don't know how i stayed awake after all the excitement of the day and being up at 6.30am, i was totally exhausted. we arrived back at 1am and i drove the 20 minutes home on autopilot.
On reflection i had an absolute ball, the weekend as a spanner for Awesome Lawson was definitely something i could do all season as i enjoyed every moment of it, well; almost. i could have done without the drama in the second race, but judging by the rest of the Desmo crowd it was 'just another race weekend'.
What did i take away from the experience?
that at this level, it isn't about the winning or even about the racing, it's about the banter, the craic and the people, yes; the people. Without them the paddock would be a lifeless boring place.
i would like to thank everyone who i met over the course of the weekend that made me feel part of the family that is Desmo Duo. You guys rock and i hope to see you all again before the season is over, Angelsey perhaps? (if i get permission from the wife!). I want to wish everyone the best of luck for the rest of the season, stay safe, ride hard and live long.
My final word goes out to Matt, thanks fella for giving me the opportunity to do something that i've only ever dreamt of doing, and would love to do it again sometime; but next time don't fall off and frighten the friggin life out of me!
Comments
Post a Comment