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Back At Brands

Following a few successful club meetings to get the season started I was excited to get going with the first round of the National Superstock 600, contested within the British Superbike series, at the fast and undulating Brands Hatch track.
Clear skies and warm weather over Friday and Saturday meant the pace was faster than ever and with fast, steep and banked corner like the thrilling Paddock Hill Bend I was able to push the Kawasaki ZX-6 to the limit. Unfortunately Sunday was overshadowed by extremely wet conditions, seeming even worse following the two days of sun we had just had, meaning that qualifying 2 was essentially meaningless bar using the time to improve wet setup.
It was a great relief to wake up on Monday morning to find that the race would be held under clear skies and although grip was lessened by the rain I was keen to get out there and battle with the other 38 riders on the grid. However it seemed that everyone was as keen as me with 9 or 10 rider crashing out on the first two laps resulting in a shortened re-start. This resulted with even more frantic racing where several passes and fairing banging in the process took place, as I neared the end of the race I felt some relief that it was shortened as the hard racing and high speed meant I was feeling the pace and beginning to ache somewhat. Crossing the finish line for the first main race of the year was a great feeling and leaves me more excited for the upcoming rounds, the next being back at Oulton Park next bank holiday weekend.