Walderstown 2002
Off to walderstown with 2 vans in the convoy heading out of Dublin
8pm we lost one van to a lap dancing club on the way, we got to the
circuit by around midnight. Take look at it says the man on the gate,
the field is a bit soft we will open the gate to let you get a run
up. Here we go again I thought.
Setting up camp in the dark at least the ground was soft.
Wakey Wakey in the Morning BIG D on the tannoy" scrutiny is open
where are the bikes come on lets get on with it"
Practice went ok on the f1. I really like this circuit, narrow back
section 3 jumps, long straight with blind left corner at the end, the
no 3 marker is way to late to start braking (you have to pick a mark
to start slowing down before you can see the corner).
£50 classic practice clutch still slipping but settles down with
gentle riding, nursing a bit still get good lap time but on last lap
develops misfire then stops. Bike rolls to a halt in front of Big D
who gives me a load of abuse about not putting petrol in, but there
is petrol in it apologies go out to the pit crew.
After getting the bike back to the van we find the ignition sender
has fell apart not expensive to mend but we are out for this weekend
on the Honda. Then Disaster a stray football hits the side of my van
and smashes the screen on the Honda (the one thing I really wanted to
do this weekend was to get that bike back in one piece!)
Although I had a couple of drinks to get over the afternoon I went to
bed at around midnight.
Next morning Jim gives me a hand to go through scrutiny and later at
the riders briefing my name gets called on the breathalyser list
along with about 5 other riders. I line up not really sure whether
the couple I had yesterday, would show up as a positive test at 10
the following morning, seeing as the limit is zero! I pass other
rides were not so lucky, one rider was called, failed even though he
had no intention of riding that day, had not even signed on, they
still took his license off him, Told him to put his appeal in
writing. This is getting daft. (We must do something about it
syndrome).
I'm out in race 6 around 2 P.M. just before the 125 race.
I get the worst start ever make a few paces up until I go up that
slip road to Athlone again! That's 2 years on the trot. The F 1 cant
out brake a 250 tz