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BSB Openers
Rounds 1&2:
After a winter of preparation and countless miles clocked up in testing, the first BSB race meeting burst into action.I was looking forward to actually getting on with competing in the Triumph Triple Challenge. The bike was ready, I felt better than ever and after a brief free practice I was straight into qualifying.
The first two thirds of qualifying didn’t seem to be working out as I was running 18th . However, after a couple of flying laps I jumped up to 5th and pole of the premier class just before the flag came out. This was great and gave me a lot of confidence going into the races.
Race 1 finally began in damp conditions after several delays (including the track sweeper breaking down!) After a good start I was getting into a nice rhythm, until my gear change leever fell off and I began to drop down the order as it became almost impossible to change gear.After a disappointing race, I received the even more disappointing news that the race would be re-gridded on the race results, meaning I would be down the order on Monday’s race.
Monday didn’t start as I had planned, the weather was even wetter and I crashed on oil in morning warm up. The team and I then had a busy rush to get the bike ready for the race.Once the bike was ready I was looking forward to getting out for another race, however the second race didn’t go to plan either. After making a mistake on the start resulting in a jump start penalty which was a ride through, things became worse as the race was red flagged after five laps which didn’t give me much time to make up some places.
It was great to be racing at my home track of Thruxton for the first time this year and even more exciting with the big crowds that had been drawn in by the British Superbikes.As this is our local circuit, we booked a place in the Triumph Triple awning and it was great to see lots of our local supporters throughout the weekend.After a hot Friday with sunshine throughout, it was a surprise to wake up on Saturday morning to the pouring rain.
First up was qualifying and having no wet practice meant that I struggled to begin with. By the time I started picking up the pace the session was over, meaning I was further down the grid than I planned.Race 1 took place on Saturday afternoon and by this time it had dried up and was looking to stay dry for the rest of the day.Spending a lot of time practicing starts the previous week paid off as I got a great start and was able to fight through the pack early on.But by the time I had got through the mid-pack the front runners had got away and I was unable to catch them, leaving me 6th in the premier class as the flag came out.
The weather was much better on Sunday and I was looking forward to the second race.After a good start I fought up through the pack for a second time, unfortunately the front pack had broken away once again leaving me 6th in the premier class.
Overall it was a good weekend. However, I believe with a good qualifying I could be fighting at the front soon.
Roll on Oulton Park 5th and 6th May!
Max Symonds #21