This weekend it was the first race of the NORA92 British Cup at Landrake. I had a solid weekend, considering the fact I unknowingly broke my hand on the first lap of qualifying.
After some heavy rain Saturday the track was looking ready for some good racing Sunday. After a track walk with Joe Sunday morning I was feeling very prepared for the day ahead. Qualifying began strong, riding round with all the other faster riders at the front. I had a small crash due to the slippery conditions on my first qualifying lap, but got straight back to it. I carried on, but during my first lap I smashed my clutch hand on a post about halfway round the lap, I didn’t realise at the time, but this actually lead to a bad fracture in my hand, which I then had to ride with for the rest of the weekend. I finished the lap, which managed to put me p13, which is what I held for the rest of qualifying.
Race 1 began with a poor start which put me in P19 on lap 1. I was in a lot of pain with my hand, but I carried on pushing through. I finally caught up to the pack in front and made my way into P17 by lap 4. I then pushed through the rest of the group and made it into P14, which is where I stayed and finished the race.
Race 2 got off to a good start, coming over the line in p11 on lap 1. Even though I was feeling a little pain in the hand struggling with the hand, I held onto it strongly, not far off P10. Unfortunately, there was a red flag after the rider in front of me went down hard, which meant a race restart. My restart wasn’t as strong, coming out in P22 on the first lap. I fought my way through to p18 by lap 3, until unfortunately having to retire due to an engine failure. This meant a DNF. After the disaster in race 2, I was left bike less for day 2. Thankfully, one of my good mates was kind enough to lend me a bike for the day, which I can’t thank them enough for.
Day 2 began a lot drier and faster, which was good news as I know that I perform well in these conditions. I had 1 sighting lap before racing Monday, on a bike that I had never rode before, so I was excited to see how it would go.
Race three began with a mediocre start, crossing the finish line in P20 on lap one. It didn’t take long for me to settle with the new bike, making my way into P16 a lap later, and P15 the lap after that. I spent all race hunting down P14 and managed to overtake him with 2 laps to go.
Race 4 began with me knowing I was just going to try and bring it home, as my hand was in pain, and I was riding a borrowed bike. However, I came off the line in P19, and after some excessive fighting, I managed to bring home a P12 Overall, the setup was amazing by the guys at NORA, and the meeting was ran great. Considering the circumstances, a P19 overall wasn’t too bad, but I know where my sights are really set for the future. Onto the next..
