Up and running....well sort of!
The Black & White Race Team finally got back out on track on the 21st January 2007 at Brands Hatch. It was a day of mixed outcomes but all in all the consensus of opinion is that we will be ready for the new season and set to be at the front from the very start.
It was an early start on a Sunday morning in Kent and both Erol and I were eager to get back on a racing Hornet after a 4 month lay off for both of us. Erol's shoulder is all fixed and my leg has the occasional twinge but we are basically back to full strength. Maybe a few pounds from a mince pie excess could be lost, but that should be easy with a few sessions down the gym.
The track had a few damp patches visible once the sun finally rose up into the sky, but the temperatures never really got much over 5 or 6 degrees, so a steady day was expected. We both went out for our first session and it all felt so good. Erol probably had a warmer feeling than I did as, on our return to the pit garage, he was dripping oil and coolant all down his leg! It appeared that the new bike had blown its head gasket and the radiator cap was not a great fit either.
So not a great start but things were about to improve. The new bike was wheeled back into the trailer and we decided to share the remaining sessions on my main bike. So we each had 2 more sessions each and got down to putting in some decent laptimes. Erol has taken to Hornets like the proverbial 'duck to water' and came in just before lunch having got down to 55 second laps. Very impressive indeed and I felt the need to go out and show the lad I still had the ability myself. Sure enough, after lunch (heavily laden down with Brands Hatch burger!) I too managed a few 55 second laps.
So there we are. Both riders are straight back on the pace and we know where the last few seconds will come from. A very good start to the year.
So now we just have to get the new engine fixed and the bikes all painted. My wet bike still needs a bit of work doing to it but we should be in good shape for our next test session at Donnington Park on Monday 19th February.
Finally, I've just worked out how to show your comments on this blog, so time now to respond and let us know what you think. I do, of course, have the ability to edit or refuse comments so you won’t get away with any 'naughty stuff'!
And I may even be able to put pictures into the blog too at some stage, but look out for web site changes soon, too.
It was an early start on a Sunday morning in Kent and both Erol and I were eager to get back on a racing Hornet after a 4 month lay off for both of us. Erol's shoulder is all fixed and my leg has the occasional twinge but we are basically back to full strength. Maybe a few pounds from a mince pie excess could be lost, but that should be easy with a few sessions down the gym.
The track had a few damp patches visible once the sun finally rose up into the sky, but the temperatures never really got much over 5 or 6 degrees, so a steady day was expected. We both went out for our first session and it all felt so good. Erol probably had a warmer feeling than I did as, on our return to the pit garage, he was dripping oil and coolant all down his leg! It appeared that the new bike had blown its head gasket and the radiator cap was not a great fit either.
So not a great start but things were about to improve. The new bike was wheeled back into the trailer and we decided to share the remaining sessions on my main bike. So we each had 2 more sessions each and got down to putting in some decent laptimes. Erol has taken to Hornets like the proverbial 'duck to water' and came in just before lunch having got down to 55 second laps. Very impressive indeed and I felt the need to go out and show the lad I still had the ability myself. Sure enough, after lunch (heavily laden down with Brands Hatch burger!) I too managed a few 55 second laps.
So there we are. Both riders are straight back on the pace and we know where the last few seconds will come from. A very good start to the year.
So now we just have to get the new engine fixed and the bikes all painted. My wet bike still needs a bit of work doing to it but we should be in good shape for our next test session at Donnington Park on Monday 19th February.
Finally, I've just worked out how to show your comments on this blog, so time now to respond and let us know what you think. I do, of course, have the ability to edit or refuse comments so you won’t get away with any 'naughty stuff'!
And I may even be able to put pictures into the blog too at some stage, but look out for web site changes soon, too.
posted by Black and White Racing at 11:14 am
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