KNOCKHILL!!! and... cadwell :(
Definitely a rollercoaster this month so lets get you up to speed!!
So on July the 13th me and dad were up at Knockhill with Stuart, Nikki and Josh from WGA Construction. We were doing a private trackday up there with the guys from Two Wheels for life and we were going to be joined by some big names such as John McPhee, Niall and Taylor Mackenzie and our friend Jenny Tinmouth.
Now id never been to Knockhill before, but Id been watching plenty of on board footage videos to get some sort of an idea to where the track went. However I soon found out that the on board videos nor the morning track walks do the track justice… it was like brands hatch and cadwell had a child and genetically modified it!!! My first session out was definitely an eye opener and it was safe to say that it is now one of the favorite tracks EVER!!!
In my second session I had a go at going as fast is id dare to see what it was like, I came in huffing and puffing because as well as this being my first time at Knockhill it was also my first time on my bike in 5 weeks since my accident, so I was feeling it a little bit. I handed the bike to dad and he was getting I t back on the stands while I was taking my gear off and getting a drink. I flopped down into my chair and closed my eyes, about 40 seconds later I heard footsteps coming toward me and a Scottish voice ask me if I was alright. I open my eyes to see Niall Mackenzie in his full gear, I nodded and thumbs up to him. He then asked me if I fancied a few laps out with him on his GP bike, and I tell you it was like my fatigue disappeared. My poor dad had to take the warmers back off and get the bike back off the stand while I was getting ready again.
For the first 15 mins of the session it was just me and nail on track which meant that the rest of the trackday participants were watching us… and all I was thinking was DO NOT CRASH NOW!!! I managed to keep a decent pace with Niall and really enjoyed the opportunity to get out there with him and observe how he rides.
We got to lunchtime and the time had come to step up to something a little more beefy. Stuart brand along his two GSXR600s, his GSXR1000R, KTM500 and his Ducati Panagale V4 and I had the amazing opportunity to ride them all!! However when it came to picking which one we let someone else decide… Nikki put all the bikes each on a slip of paper and into a hat. John McPhee was the first person to pick one out and he conveniently picked the GSXR1000R.
It was quite a step up from the R3 but I definitely wasn’t going to shy away from this!! I very carefully rolled down pitlane and very quickly realized that this bike is heavy! I went to turn into the first corner after exiting pit lane and it was like trying to turn a boat!!! I got used to it throughout my sessions and I had Jenny there to keep me in line.
The next volunteer to decide my fate was Jenny and she picked out the KTM500. Now I was really excited to ride this before getting to Knockhill as it was like coming back to my roots on pitbikes but just giving it a little more power.
I was very sorely mistaken…
Although I enjoyed riding it I wouldn’t ride it too much, my feet might fall off!! It was rattley and vibrated a bit too much, it made my feet go all funny. I think I might have got used to it though if I kept riding it. It was fast enough and very loud but definitely something different to what I was used to.
It was getting towards the end of the day, there were 3 sessions left so I decided to have a play on one of the 600s before going back to reality. As id been out on the 1000 before hand I kind of knew what to expect from the 600. It was easier to turn than the 1000 but felt a little bit less powerful, but it didn’t feel like it was any slower to me. It was a good laugh and I felt really at home while riding it.
When I got back onto the 300, I realized how easy our bikes were to ride, I didn’t even have to move and the bike would just turn when I thought about it. Although the bike was slower, I was able to get through corners quicker because if the 600 and the 1000 could, my little bike could too!!
All in all it was a really good day at Knockhill and I really enjoyed the experience of being able to ride different bikes and ride a new track as well as being able to get back on my bike after injury. Everything was looking very positive for our upcoming meeting at cadwell park where we wer hoping to get back into the swing of things…
Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be…
Everything was going well so far, I’d finished the practice day and got through Saturday without any sort of injury related issues, we did end up going round in circles with the suspension like usual though… silly me. We weren’t looking for results that weekend, we were just having a ride around and collecting as many points as I could. Sue Hunt had me all strapped up through the weekend with her special tape and we had almost finished the weekend…
Then Sunday morning decided to bite me on the bum…
When I went out for morning warm up I was feeling rather positive until the final five minutes, I got to the gooseneck and as I changed direction to go down the hill: *POP*. Something in my arm had given way. I thought id be alright until the end of the session as it wasn’t causing me a mass amount of issues but when the 2 minute board didn’t come out two laps after I had to call it and pull in early.
I went down to the office medics who then said I should go down to the medics in the middle of the circuit. An A&E doctor assessed me and told me that with my current injury I shouldn’t have even started the weekend! Therefore he had to pull me out of Sundays races.
It was a very disappointing end to the weekend and something we didn’t expect to happen. It also meant that we had to pull out of our first round of BSB at Thruxton which is also extremely gutting.
However all eyes are on Oulton Park with NGRRC now as ive been for a second x-ray and physiotherapy appointment, after my physio the lovely therapist said he was happy for me to continue WITH CAUTION which in racer means just less skids and wheelies I guess???