Cadwell Park: MRO/BEMSEE

(25-27 April)

What with Cadwell being such a pain to get to, along with the fact that it is a rider's circuit, I thought it would be a good idea to make the most of our time there, so we pre-booked a day's practice on Friday and headed up there on Thursday evening. We arrived just after the rain had cleared and the place was a quagmire! I managed to get us a reasonable place in the paddock (crammed due to a track day also running on Thursday), ran the truck onto the grass where it promptly sunk! Fortunately it was level so we just left it there.

Friday - test day.
Looking at the schedule, Row should get 7 sessions in and should be well adjusted by the time he has to race....

Session 1
Row takes to the track and takes his time to settle in. By the end of the session he is doing 2:12. We have no idea if this is good or bad but Row says that the bike feels fine but the gearing feels too long.

Session 2
This goes the same as Session 1 but the time is down to 2:07. Row says the track is awesome! This one got cut a bit short and Row re-appears in the collecting area after the front fairing bracket breaks (a sign of things to come?) A quick swap out and we are ready for.....

Session 3
This one ended with a rather loud bike after the silencer broke.....

Session 4
Row is starting to get on it now and by the end of the session he's down to 2:02. We hear rumours that the top Aprillia boys are at 1:55.

Session 5
Another good session - Row gets down to 2:00.

Session 6
1:58 this time - good lad! Row turns up back at the awning, the bike sounding VERY loud! I check the silencer and wiggle the exhaust. It's swinging a bit free, so I take the fairing off and start looking near the front. The pipe has fractured at the top. I tell Row his day is done as I don't have a spare pipe. The other Metrakit boys are in the same situation, all with a broken pipe and silencer! (All four of the Metrakits are here this weekend). I get a call put out on the tannoy and within an hour, I have the pipe stuck back together. I then have to go and borrow a grinding bit so that I can clear the overweld from inside the pipe. A couple of hours are spent grinding the inside of the pipe back so it will work. It ain't pretty but at least he will be able to race.

Saturday
UWe are up nice and early and get the bike scruted, sign on etc etc. Row goes out for his practice/qualifying. When he comes back, the bike is loud again. This time the silencer has broken! I manage to fit a new one and Row qualifies 1st Metrakit in 14th place on the grid, on a 1:56! The next Metrakit is in 17th place (Jason Douglas) who also had a silencer break during the session clearly slowing him down.

Race 1
With the bike screwed back together (but without a datalogger because it's stopped working, so Row will have to ride by ear), Row takes his place on the grid
GO! Row gets away with the pack. I can just see him rubbing a few Aprillias as they disappear from view. They come through at the end of the lap with Row in 14th, where he pretty much stayed, although of 32 starter only 24 finish. Row's best lap was a 1:57.

Race 2
Nothing seems to have broken during the first race - relief! They line up again
GO! Row holds his position for the first few laps, then gets taken by a couple of Aprillias. He gradually falls into Jason's grasp and, despite battling, gets passed at Mansfield corner and finishes 15th. Row reappears in the paddock and points to his loose left footrest.
"I couldn't put weight on the left peg; my foot kept on slipping off of it."

So; that's Saturday done then. I strip the bike and check everything. The pipe needs re-welding but apart from that all is well. Row goes off and gets the all important signature. We have some tea and settle down for the evening. Later in the bar, chatting to Craig (Jason's dad), we agree that the boys aren't gonna get around here much faster than 1:56. Both are also complaining about front end chatter in the faster bends.

Sunday

A bit of a lay in today - we manage to hang it out until 08:00! Row goes out in the morning warm up and does a few laps.

Race 1
GO! Row pins it off the line gets to about 10th in the 1st lap then gradually gets caught back to finish in 13th place, his best result so far this weekend! Jason beat him to the finish but only after Row had given him a herd time! When we check the lap times, we are gobsmaked that both boys are now down to high 1:52 (Jason) and Low 1:53 (Row). Where did those three seconds come from then? Rowan comes into the paddock and points to a broken fairing mount.
"It was rubbing on the tyre - I could see blue smoke coming up."
The faring is quickly repaired. Row also says that he has major front end chatter through Charlies out and at Chris curve. I have a chat to Jason's dad, who says they are having the same problem, despite trying some different tyres, so it would appear to be set-up (not something I have played with yet because I was waiting until he needed some adjustment). I wind the rear shock preload up a bit to see if that helps.

Race 2.
This time I count Row in 7th off of the start although he comes through at the end of the lap in about 10th. I can see he is really on it now and, despite being outgunned by the Aprillias, he manages to bring it home in an excellent 12th place.
"The chatter is really bad now, Dad. I reckon I could get through Charlies flat out but I had to roll it off because the front was chattering so bad it started to slide. I am getting my knee down all over the place now, though." Top kid!

So that's it, with our pile of broken parts off we go home. Looking back at the weekend, we really enjoyed it. The broken bits don't matter and Row's riding continues to improve. He now only needs 2 signatures to be able to get his club license, which should be done at Snetterton in two weeks time. We'll then see if we can get his national by the time he's 13.

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