Snetterton Rd 3 Race Report

It is time again for the next race report of my 2013 race season. This time it was held at Snetterton in Norfolk famous for its long fast straights and dodgy weather system. With the recent weather having looked to have taken a turn for the better for a change, we were hoping for a good solid dry weekend, this is how it went for me.

Photo taken by Brad Cox

Friday testing got underway well on the original two mile long circuit, putting in some solid laps testing several new suspension changes and also the circuit on the bigger bike. Managing to squeeze in 4 good testing sessions along with a couple of tricky damp sessions I felt ready to go for Saturday mornings qualifying.

After securing my best result of sixth place thus far this season in qualifying during the last lap I couldn’t wait to get underway with the races. A perfect start to the weekend as we move closer to a good race set up on the Yamaha R6. A sudden down pour of rain a few hours before my race meant it was looking a bit hit and miss as it was very hard to determine if the circuit would dry in time for my first race. Literally in the nick of time the sun shone through and cleaned the track up for a dry race, game on!

The lights went out but only after an average start I started to make my move and lift the pace shortly after one lap. I now felt very strong indeed having made some good suspension changes between qualifying and race one. During lap 2 I set the fastest lap of the race and started to close in on the leaders just ahead of me using the power and torque from my Seton Tuning prepared machine. Unfortunately as I upped my pace the race was red flagged which put an instant halt to my momentum.

The race was then restarted and I was hoping to retain the pace I had before the red flag incident. Unfortunately it was not meant to be after another rider bumped into me at the second corner causing me to crash out of the race. This was a big disappointment to the team as this was shaping up well before the red flag incident. Not only was there damage to bike I also walked away with deep gash on my finger exposing the broken bone.

After this incident I lost a bit of confidence riding closely with some of my competitors most of which are new to me this season and after three crashes in three race meetings, I just wanted to score two good finishes from the televised races on Sunday.

Photo taken by Larry Smith

Race 2, and I dropped a little way back just trying to get into my rhythm, I was soon able to get in to a groove and after three laps I ‘pulled the pin’ to work my way to the front of an eight wheel dice, and finished in seventh place over the line, but third in Superstock class and my first podium of the weekend. I was really happy with this result and it picked my spirits up a little. Not only was I happy with the result I was also very happy with the times I had posted which was half a second off of the formula (tuned) 600 bikes, and I was the fastest Superstock 600 rider. Not only was I pleased for myself I was happy for my team as the mood was now back to normal after the disappointment from the day before.

Race 3 saw me get off the line well and I was able to maintain my position but I lost a few places over the course of the first lap with all the jostling in first few corners dropping to eleventh place, whilst I was still settling into a rhythm. I realise now that I left it a little too long before putting in some fast laps and I could not get onto the leading pack. I did work my way in to sixth place and take another third place in class, and second podium of the weekend.

This was another good result leaving me with confidence as we head in to the next round at Cadwell Park at the end of May.

I am over the moon with my results and I did what I had to do to build my confidence after the incident on Saturday, and I am very pleased with my progression within the Sportsman Elite 600 championship. I proved again that I can run at the sharp end and contest for podium finishes. I am very excited for the next round at Cadwell Park. I absolutely love riding my Yamaha R6 so fingers crossed for an enjoyable and consistent Cadwell!

As always I would to say a massive thank you to all my sponsors and support team who make it possible for me to put a good performance when I step onto the bike. I am proud to have these people/organisations behind me!