ROUND 4 RACE REPORT: Donington at World Superbikes

Great weekend at Donnington Park with WSBK as a support class. We enjoyed the weekend as a team and are very happy with my performance.

Friday was mixed conditions for free practice, with a damp track and spitting but not enough to go full wets. 4 laps in it appeared to be starting to full on rain so I pitted in. We waited to make the decision, eventually decided for wets, though halfway through the tyre change reverted the decision as the rain stopped…only had 1 hot lap as I spent 20 mins inside of the pits p31. Not what we wanted but the bike was intact!

Saturday qualifying; though it rained overnight the track was mostly dry with 1 or 2 damp patches. After 5 laps I was up to 15th, pitting in to give feedback to the crew and regroup with people out on track. Not sure what then happened however I lost all front brake at the last corner of my out lap, running on. It turned out that one brake pad and one side of the disc had become contaminated with some type of plastic. It seems unlikely but the only thing we could think it could of it being is a tear off that had melted onto my disc. Not being able to continue my progression my time eventually dropped from 15th to 23rd. Not what we needed and I definitely had it all to pull back in the race.

Sunday morning with 10 minute warmup, a new disc and set of pads in place, I set about bedding them in for a few laps, eventually found my pace and putting my fastest lap of the weekend in putting me 16th. Felt happier knowing that I could improve massively in the race than where I was starting from.

Race 1 – p23 on the grid, it was a fight to get with the front runners for the first few laps. The front group became a 16 rider battle which I was hunting down, picking them off 1 by 1 getting to p14. Latter part of the race at the Melbourne loop 2 riders ahead had taken each other out, leaving with a gap to the front runners, on the last lap I had made a clean move up the inside at the Melbourne loop leading the 2nd group of riders finishing p11.

Race 2 – Starting from 10th based on race 1 lap times, I was keen to show what I could do from a position I should have qualified. Got a great launch off the line but couldn’t change gear, ARRGH! The quickshifter wouldn’t activate for a good few moments and I was overtaken by riders behind dropping to p16. The front group had already created a gap leaving 11th up for grabs. I fought up to p12 but dropped back to 14th due have to avoid another riders “moment”. I sat waiting for the final lap board to send a move on all of them. Getting excellent drive out of Coppice I passed all 3 in the slipstream and gained p11 back. I didn’t ride defensively enough into Melbourne and I was taken back by a rider up my inside but I held my position onto the straight that allowed me the inside line into the last corner, with the rider on the outside leaning on me and my bike I held my nerve and they had to back off eventually allowing me p11.

Overall an amazing weekend, though it did leave me with a few what if’s…the team is happy, I walk away with my first championship points, 20th in the championship.