Sunday, May 28, 2006
once upon a time there was a wierd race team. team pig. we weren't particularly good, and the bike, well, that's why we called ourselves team pig.
ever tried to pushstart a high compression 1300cc gsx1100? lets just say it's good training for playin soccer, and a shitty way to work off a hangover.
so we annoyed the shit out of our lead rider until he got some rollers. you stick them under one of the drive wheels of a car/ute/van/whatever, put the bike on them as well (the rollers are about 4 feet wide) and then start up the vehicle, get it up to about 60 kph, then drop the clutch on the pig and it will start. (crew laying on the rear plastic bits for max traction)
we all had a go at racing. and if you read the bit about me drag racing, well racing was just as wobbly.
we were racing a sub class of post classic racing, called "forgotten era". the bikes were from 1971 to 1981 or something like that, and had to be visually indistinguishable from those of the era.
my gsx1100 wasn't as bad as the main pig though. mine had an electric start still, and was pretty much standard. after our drag racing experience though, we'd put in a beefed up clutch basket to avoid our previous detonating clutch thingy efforts.
i'd just got back on after only recently dropping my gpz900r on kiama bends in the rain (oil). so i was still a little nervous. and everything ran like it usually did, disorganised and last second screwups. we practiced with the wrong group, which was nice though, because my bike was a lot quicker than theirs, and then i faced my first race.
despite not changing a lot on this bike from road trim, we'd ripped off all the crap, and geared it down a little, so my first ever race start in earnest was also the wickedest wheelstand i'd ever done. so after nearly shitting myself at the start, i was about 4th or 5th into the first turn, after starting at about position 12 or 13. i was about 20th out of the turn however. over the flip flop on oran park i got the most sideways i'd ever been, while airborne over the tank, while not actually falling off the damned bike. i wasn't the slowest however, i managed to hover around 12-13th out of 16 i think. there was this guy in front of me on a cbx1000 6 cylinder honda. i caught him easily on the straight, but i was so wobbly on turn 1 that he left me until i caught him again on the main straight.
finally i took a big breath and blew him away on the straight and stuffed myself into the corner so wide that he couldn't get past. i think he was the only guy on the track wobblier than me. with one lap to go i was hooking up the straight, to see that someone was hanging out a race finished board. i didn't realise that the race winner was behind me, and after only 8 laps, had caught me on his warm down lap. i think i only finished a few of the races that day due to coming in too early. when i finally worked it out and kept going for the last lap, and actually finished the race, he did a wheelstand the length of the short straight behind me while i finished my last lap.
our sponsors were there this weekend. they were the local motorcycle wreckers, and particularly successful at post classic racing. they had some, interesting stories, about rule bending. anyway, it started raining, and after my recent crash on kiama bends, i didn't wanna play. they carried on like a bunch of old women, you can do it, give it a go, blah blah blah.
finally one of my sponsors said to me; "what would you do if a horse bucked you off?" of course looking for the standard response
i said; "i'd shoot it."
they left me alone after that. one of them took my bike in the next race, in the rain. crept up a few positions on the start when no-one was looking, jumped the start like you wouldn't believe, and finished second on my bike. heh. i thought it was funny.
ever tried to pushstart a high compression 1300cc gsx1100? lets just say it's good training for playin soccer, and a shitty way to work off a hangover.
so we annoyed the shit out of our lead rider until he got some rollers. you stick them under one of the drive wheels of a car/ute/van/whatever, put the bike on them as well (the rollers are about 4 feet wide) and then start up the vehicle, get it up to about 60 kph, then drop the clutch on the pig and it will start. (crew laying on the rear plastic bits for max traction)
we all had a go at racing. and if you read the bit about me drag racing, well racing was just as wobbly.
we were racing a sub class of post classic racing, called "forgotten era". the bikes were from 1971 to 1981 or something like that, and had to be visually indistinguishable from those of the era.
my gsx1100 wasn't as bad as the main pig though. mine had an electric start still, and was pretty much standard. after our drag racing experience though, we'd put in a beefed up clutch basket to avoid our previous detonating clutch thingy efforts.
i'd just got back on after only recently dropping my gpz900r on kiama bends in the rain (oil). so i was still a little nervous. and everything ran like it usually did, disorganised and last second screwups. we practiced with the wrong group, which was nice though, because my bike was a lot quicker than theirs, and then i faced my first race.
despite not changing a lot on this bike from road trim, we'd ripped off all the crap, and geared it down a little, so my first ever race start in earnest was also the wickedest wheelstand i'd ever done. so after nearly shitting myself at the start, i was about 4th or 5th into the first turn, after starting at about position 12 or 13. i was about 20th out of the turn however. over the flip flop on oran park i got the most sideways i'd ever been, while airborne over the tank, while not actually falling off the damned bike. i wasn't the slowest however, i managed to hover around 12-13th out of 16 i think. there was this guy in front of me on a cbx1000 6 cylinder honda. i caught him easily on the straight, but i was so wobbly on turn 1 that he left me until i caught him again on the main straight.
finally i took a big breath and blew him away on the straight and stuffed myself into the corner so wide that he couldn't get past. i think he was the only guy on the track wobblier than me. with one lap to go i was hooking up the straight, to see that someone was hanging out a race finished board. i didn't realise that the race winner was behind me, and after only 8 laps, had caught me on his warm down lap. i think i only finished a few of the races that day due to coming in too early. when i finally worked it out and kept going for the last lap, and actually finished the race, he did a wheelstand the length of the short straight behind me while i finished my last lap.
our sponsors were there this weekend. they were the local motorcycle wreckers, and particularly successful at post classic racing. they had some, interesting stories, about rule bending. anyway, it started raining, and after my recent crash on kiama bends, i didn't wanna play. they carried on like a bunch of old women, you can do it, give it a go, blah blah blah.
finally one of my sponsors said to me; "what would you do if a horse bucked you off?" of course looking for the standard response
i said; "i'd shoot it."
they left me alone after that. one of them took my bike in the next race, in the rain. crept up a few positions on the start when no-one was looking, jumped the start like you wouldn't believe, and finished second on my bike. heh. i thought it was funny.
damn, sunday arvo has come around again.
so i'm bored and watching telly, oh joy, big brother. i think the telly is more exciting when it's turned off. flick, flick, flick, crap, crap, crap. danny deckchair is the pick of the bunch i think. well, i can actually watch it, rather than turn the telly off and stair at the curtain, hmm, where's my book
so i'm bored and watching telly, oh joy, big brother. i think the telly is more exciting when it's turned off. flick, flick, flick, crap, crap, crap. danny deckchair is the pick of the bunch i think. well, i can actually watch it, rather than turn the telly off and stair at the curtain, hmm, where's my book
Friday, May 26, 2006
i've calmed down a bit, but i'm over today.
frikking fridays. they're no good until knockoff time
my boss obviously thought i was starting to get the hang of things again so he decided to see if he could get me to have a stroke. he told me that microsoft are coming next week.
so all manner of things are running through my head, audits, our yearly maintenance (which i'm not ready for). turns out our yearly maintenance may be changing slightly, hopefully with some cost breaks.
thats all nice and dandy. we spend a considerable amount of money of software licensing, and he's under pressure to save money. but i really really fricking wish that next time he decides to arrange a meeting like this, where i have to do a considerable amount of running around and panicking, when i'm already flat out from the other shit that constantly gets sprung on me, that he would give me a little bit of notice and consideration
frikking fridays. they're no good until knockoff time
my boss obviously thought i was starting to get the hang of things again so he decided to see if he could get me to have a stroke. he told me that microsoft are coming next week.
so all manner of things are running through my head, audits, our yearly maintenance (which i'm not ready for). turns out our yearly maintenance may be changing slightly, hopefully with some cost breaks.
thats all nice and dandy. we spend a considerable amount of money of software licensing, and he's under pressure to save money. but i really really fricking wish that next time he decides to arrange a meeting like this, where i have to do a considerable amount of running around and panicking, when i'm already flat out from the other shit that constantly gets sprung on me, that he would give me a little bit of notice and consideration
after my randomn drunken whinge, i thought i'd write something constructive, only i can't think of anything.
went to watch the state of origin wednesday night in sydney. it was a pretty good night. you could get full strength beer, and the lines weren't too long, and not too many idiots were sitting near us. a couple of teenagers in front of us were being a bit obnoxious to the queenslanders, so finally one of them tried to start a fight with him, and punched him in the mouth. so that was our annoying bit for the night. it was a bit predictable though.
a few minutes into the first half we'd finished our first two drinks, so it was time to get some more, typically as i was away from my seat we scored. i saw it on the telly, but it's not the same. when i got back they told me they'd scored right in front of where we were sitting.
i said i wonder if they'll do a replay for me. fortunately nsw obliged and scored again in the same place.
we then had to stuff around with public transport to get back to my mate's place. they were apparently leaving at 7:00am to drive to brisbane. i got up at 6:00am to drive home so i could go to work, and they were all still asleep and at least one hadn't packed at all.
last night was over 35's soccer. my physio says i can play with my ankle strapped up for the first 4 games. feels wierd though running around with all that tape on my ankle. we played ok, but we lost, but the beers were cold and i don't really care. which also meant we missed the wog-ball match in melbourne. there was a telly in the dressing shed at the game, but the reception was crap, and the results that came to us were, leading 1-0 at halftime, 1-1 at fulltime, then 1-0 at fulltime, and it snowed for the entire game. but then, it was played in melbourne i suppose.
friday is here, just gotta survive, get some crap done, and escape for the weekend.
went to watch the state of origin wednesday night in sydney. it was a pretty good night. you could get full strength beer, and the lines weren't too long, and not too many idiots were sitting near us. a couple of teenagers in front of us were being a bit obnoxious to the queenslanders, so finally one of them tried to start a fight with him, and punched him in the mouth. so that was our annoying bit for the night. it was a bit predictable though.
a few minutes into the first half we'd finished our first two drinks, so it was time to get some more, typically as i was away from my seat we scored. i saw it on the telly, but it's not the same. when i got back they told me they'd scored right in front of where we were sitting.
i said i wonder if they'll do a replay for me. fortunately nsw obliged and scored again in the same place.
we then had to stuff around with public transport to get back to my mate's place. they were apparently leaving at 7:00am to drive to brisbane. i got up at 6:00am to drive home so i could go to work, and they were all still asleep and at least one hadn't packed at all.
last night was over 35's soccer. my physio says i can play with my ankle strapped up for the first 4 games. feels wierd though running around with all that tape on my ankle. we played ok, but we lost, but the beers were cold and i don't really care. which also meant we missed the wog-ball match in melbourne. there was a telly in the dressing shed at the game, but the reception was crap, and the results that came to us were, leading 1-0 at halftime, 1-1 at fulltime, then 1-0 at fulltime, and it snowed for the entire game. but then, it was played in melbourne i suppose.
friday is here, just gotta survive, get some crap done, and escape for the weekend.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
you know, i don't disapprove of sydney. i think in some respects it's like america. (well to be more precise, the united states of northern america) there's a lot of dickheads in the world. and the bigger your population, the more dickheads you have. so there's more dickheads in america than over here.
but i work on a diveboat (when i'm trying to avoid my real job) and every now and then we have a few citizens from the usa onboard. we've got one guy who works in a diveshop in sydney and does camera courses. he's one of the nicest guys i've met, and the tourists from there are really nice too.
sorry, not trying to blow any smoke up the arses of the non-existent readers from the usa, just rambling.
back to my original bit. had to get up at 5:00 to leave for sydney this morning for a computer geek seminar. on the way in, traffic's a bit heavy. the majority of people are relaxing, listening to the shitty morning radio shows, and generally relaxed. but a few times i saw the whole beep beep, get outta my way, dodge around pedestrians walking with the little green man kinda shit.
on the footpath, people in a hurry, unhappy expressions, determined walk. and on the road, the same. stereotyping is a bad thing i'm sure.
heh, they've been whinging on the telly about people speeding in school zones. so they're saying "those fuckers! we'll fine the shit out of them!" only i'm sure that 1 in 10 didn't even know they were in a school zone. driving on the roads in sydney is information overload. you can change speed zones 3-4 times in a couple of hundred metres. and heaven forbid if you are parent or a concerned citizen, because looking around for the kids and busses and cars actually distracts you from the speed zone signage.
but some minister said that if you speed in school zones then you are cunt. what do i know. i'm sure that lady i saw on the telly getting booked the other day (and filmed on tellY) said "i'm gonna speed through this school zone and see if i can get me a kid for a bumper ornament!" before she started driving to work. NOT!
ask pilots about information overload. it's killed at least a few hundred passengers and their pilots. at least
wake up you silly pricks. i admit i don't have the answers. but neither do you. admit it. take some time, work out what the fuck is going on.
i dunno what social pressures are working in sydney, but driving on the roads up there is like jockeying for position on a racetrack, only less polite (a lot less).
all my coherent life (ok, that could well have begun tomorrow) i've been sure i don't want to live in sydney. it's full of unhappy cranky people. but if you don't focus on the one percent of fuckwits, then you get a nicer picture
(still don't wanna live there though!)
the usa has a similar picture in my mind. they have some of the most obnoxious, annoying, bigheaded, loudmouthed pricks in the world. but what if, just what if, they are a little like here, and the annoying idiots are just the stupid minority that the rest are embarrassed about. and let's be honest, i can't read spanish, or italian, or
deutsch, they could be just as bad.
why the fuck do i have to be tolerant?! it's not my turn!
oh yeah, i remember the other thing. i interact with yanks almost every day online. some are dumb, some are bright, some a gung ho and some are not. my dad reckons george shrub senior shoulda nuked iraq, i reckon the shrub senior and juniour have screwed up. intelligent debate over many schooners of beer i can deal with.
i can't remember where i was going with that. it's late, and i'm drunk.
i was just gonna say something annoying about Dirk but he's rejoined the land of the, um, online something-other-its, so it's all good. pissed bloggin. now to update Tony's link and i'll pass out
but i work on a diveboat (when i'm trying to avoid my real job) and every now and then we have a few citizens from the usa onboard. we've got one guy who works in a diveshop in sydney and does camera courses. he's one of the nicest guys i've met, and the tourists from there are really nice too.
sorry, not trying to blow any smoke up the arses of the non-existent readers from the usa, just rambling.
back to my original bit. had to get up at 5:00 to leave for sydney this morning for a computer geek seminar. on the way in, traffic's a bit heavy. the majority of people are relaxing, listening to the shitty morning radio shows, and generally relaxed. but a few times i saw the whole beep beep, get outta my way, dodge around pedestrians walking with the little green man kinda shit.
on the footpath, people in a hurry, unhappy expressions, determined walk. and on the road, the same. stereotyping is a bad thing i'm sure.
heh, they've been whinging on the telly about people speeding in school zones. so they're saying "those fuckers! we'll fine the shit out of them!" only i'm sure that 1 in 10 didn't even know they were in a school zone. driving on the roads in sydney is information overload. you can change speed zones 3-4 times in a couple of hundred metres. and heaven forbid if you are parent or a concerned citizen, because looking around for the kids and busses and cars actually distracts you from the speed zone signage.
but some minister said that if you speed in school zones then you are cunt. what do i know. i'm sure that lady i saw on the telly getting booked the other day (and filmed on tellY) said "i'm gonna speed through this school zone and see if i can get me a kid for a bumper ornament!" before she started driving to work. NOT!
ask pilots about information overload. it's killed at least a few hundred passengers and their pilots. at least
wake up you silly pricks. i admit i don't have the answers. but neither do you. admit it. take some time, work out what the fuck is going on.
i dunno what social pressures are working in sydney, but driving on the roads up there is like jockeying for position on a racetrack, only less polite (a lot less).
all my coherent life (ok, that could well have begun tomorrow) i've been sure i don't want to live in sydney. it's full of unhappy cranky people. but if you don't focus on the one percent of fuckwits, then you get a nicer picture
(still don't wanna live there though!)
the usa has a similar picture in my mind. they have some of the most obnoxious, annoying, bigheaded, loudmouthed pricks in the world. but what if, just what if, they are a little like here, and the annoying idiots are just the stupid minority that the rest are embarrassed about. and let's be honest, i can't read spanish, or italian, or
deutsch, they could be just as bad.
why the fuck do i have to be tolerant?! it's not my turn!
oh yeah, i remember the other thing. i interact with yanks almost every day online. some are dumb, some are bright, some a gung ho and some are not. my dad reckons george shrub senior shoulda nuked iraq, i reckon the shrub senior and juniour have screwed up. intelligent debate over many schooners of beer i can deal with.
i can't remember where i was going with that. it's late, and i'm drunk.
i was just gonna say something annoying about Dirk but he's rejoined the land of the, um, online something-other-its, so it's all good. pissed bloggin. now to update Tony's link and i'll pass out
Monday, May 22, 2006
it's a fair indication how you wake up on sunday morning, how good your saturday was.
i was a bit dazed, and there was a strange bucket next to the bed i don't remember seeing before. all the lights were on and i felt decidedly seedy. fortunately the bucket was just there as a precaution, and presumably the lights were left on so that the world didn't spin around too fast.
we had a great game on saturday. played like a team, won 6-0, and i didn't reinjure myself. although getting the strapping tape off was less than enjoyable. fortunately i took the physio's advice and shaved my ankle beforehand. nearly fell over in the shower in the process which could have been nasty.
so we went and celebrated. we like to celebrate, win, lose or draw. and during the wee hours of the morning, feeling decidedly wobbly, i decided i'd had enough.
i think i'm still recovering, i felt like crap all sunday, finally had a hair of the dog at about 6:30 to shut my liver up for a few hours.
i hate mondays
i was a bit dazed, and there was a strange bucket next to the bed i don't remember seeing before. all the lights were on and i felt decidedly seedy. fortunately the bucket was just there as a precaution, and presumably the lights were left on so that the world didn't spin around too fast.
we had a great game on saturday. played like a team, won 6-0, and i didn't reinjure myself. although getting the strapping tape off was less than enjoyable. fortunately i took the physio's advice and shaved my ankle beforehand. nearly fell over in the shower in the process which could have been nasty.
so we went and celebrated. we like to celebrate, win, lose or draw. and during the wee hours of the morning, feeling decidedly wobbly, i decided i'd had enough.
i think i'm still recovering, i felt like crap all sunday, finally had a hair of the dog at about 6:30 to shut my liver up for a few hours.
i hate mondays
Friday, May 19, 2006
bah. it's that time of year again. computer rebuild time. and i hate it.
it's not like setting up a desktop for the plebs, got a whole raft of crap i've got to install. fortunately one of the guys just re-setup his desktop machine so all the cd's should be easy to find.
i've been putting this off for ages now, but things are getting worse and worse, and now i have to rebuild my craptop and my desktop. bleah.
so my craptop is rebuilding while i work on my desktop, then i'll work on the craptop while the desktop rebuilds.
stupid computers. might install unix instead
it's not like setting up a desktop for the plebs, got a whole raft of crap i've got to install. fortunately one of the guys just re-setup his desktop machine so all the cd's should be easy to find.
i've been putting this off for ages now, but things are getting worse and worse, and now i have to rebuild my craptop and my desktop. bleah.
so my craptop is rebuilding while i work on my desktop, then i'll work on the craptop while the desktop rebuilds.
stupid computers. might install unix instead
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
bleah
i hit snooze on the alarm a coupla times, trying to get a few extra zeds before getting up and getting ready for work, but the damned phone went off. it was a silent number so i figured "screw 'em" and let it go to message bank.
i'll paint the scene, it's 7:30, i start work at 8:30.
i review the message, and also have a look at my email (my poxy phone also gets email unfortunately) and someone from our comms section has sent me an email at 7:30 to say he'll be picking up some equipment at 8:00. he also rings me a coupla times as well.
this is not a good start to the day.
i thought he wanted the gear tomorrow. so of course, it's not ready. drag my sorry self out of bed and go to work and sort it out, with interruptions, deliver the gear, and skulk back to the office.
i wonder what i was meant to be doing
i hit snooze on the alarm a coupla times, trying to get a few extra zeds before getting up and getting ready for work, but the damned phone went off. it was a silent number so i figured "screw 'em" and let it go to message bank.
i'll paint the scene, it's 7:30, i start work at 8:30.
i review the message, and also have a look at my email (my poxy phone also gets email unfortunately) and someone from our comms section has sent me an email at 7:30 to say he'll be picking up some equipment at 8:00. he also rings me a coupla times as well.
this is not a good start to the day.
i thought he wanted the gear tomorrow. so of course, it's not ready. drag my sorry self out of bed and go to work and sort it out, with interruptions, deliver the gear, and skulk back to the office.
i wonder what i was meant to be doing
Sunday, May 14, 2006
well, seein as i'm completely stuck for crap to write about, i'll bore you with pics.
from our track day last week. turn 2 and turn 4.
i won't show the pics of the other two riders, partly because there's a big copyright thingo right in the middle of the picture as i didn't buy their pictures, and mostly because they are on the right part of the track, knee sliding along the deck, going much quicker.
i had to leave early, and on my way out i was watching our second quickest rider going from turn 4, through 5 and up to corporate hill. that is one of my favourite areas, and i monster all the guys in my group (ok, the slow group) going through there. our second rider is so much faster through there than me.
the guys want me to ride an endurance round with them, i really really need to get my shit together if i'm gonna do that or people are gonna be weaving all round the place to get round me
from our track day last week. turn 2 and turn 4.
i won't show the pics of the other two riders, partly because there's a big copyright thingo right in the middle of the picture as i didn't buy their pictures, and mostly because they are on the right part of the track, knee sliding along the deck, going much quicker.
i had to leave early, and on my way out i was watching our second quickest rider going from turn 4, through 5 and up to corporate hill. that is one of my favourite areas, and i monster all the guys in my group (ok, the slow group) going through there. our second rider is so much faster through there than me.
the guys want me to ride an endurance round with them, i really really need to get my shit together if i'm gonna do that or people are gonna be weaving all round the place to get round me
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
well i could have an early night. or i could have a few drinks and watch the adventures of baron munchausen
:-)
:-)
Sunday, May 07, 2006
oh wow, i was actually watching television.
hell, i flicked channels at the wrong moment, during a drunken stupour on a sunday night, and they had Sherbet on! and then they had the people who did play school! all the telly stars were singin, i'll have to revise my opinion of them (telly stars, not playschool people, i already know they are cool), upwards. (which was the only way i could anyway)
hell, i flicked channels at the wrong moment, during a drunken stupour on a sunday night, and they had Sherbet on! and then they had the people who did play school! all the telly stars were singin, i'll have to revise my opinion of them (telly stars, not playschool people, i already know they are cool), upwards. (which was the only way i could anyway)
a close shave this weekend, well not that i avoided anything by particular cleverness, rather, the opposite.
friday was a good day. no accidents at eastern creek (well not for us, some others had falls, none serious).
i never really got into a good rhythm at eastern creek. last time i went there (especially after phillip island) i had a really good run. i was able to keep my mind free of everything except my lines, where i wanted to be, and enjoying the moment. this time i had all sorts of rubbish going through my head, i was thinking about crashing too much i think. and there were some car guys there playing in the skid pan, you can see them when you come up to turn 9.
one of my mates said that i wasn't happy because my standards have raised, well that's possibly true, but i definitely wasn't riding as well as last time. i think i'm getting a bit complacent too. going around turn 8 i backed off the throttle big time, instead of committing and driving, i thought i was gonna end up on my arse for sure. the bike stood up, looked at the grass and tyre wall, and coming onto the straight i was a lot slower.
i eventually started riding satisfactorily, but i was still aware that i really wasn't riding as nicely as i like. now that it's not as new as it was before to be doing track days on such a weapon, maybe now i need work on clearing my head a bit to get rid of the stupid distractions.
we couldn't get our old slicks changed as early as we wanted. half of the hired help apparently crashed while racing on the weekend, so they had newbie tyre changers. in my second session i had a bit of a slide coming out of turn two. it was very progressive and didn't leave a brown stain, but scared me a lot. if this happened in turn 1 i woulda freaked.
so i came in and the other two took their turns, then we put on the new slicks. much nicer. i don't drag my knee on the ground, but i checked out a few pics on the web from the guy who takes photos on the day, and i'm leaned over as far as some of the others who do, so i'm happy with that. a lot more relaxing needed though.
i had an amusing moment as well. at the start of one of my sessions, i got overtaken, no worries, he's more confident than me on cold tyres. then i overtook some of my mates on the straight (maybe i'm not as distracted as i thought, didn't sese either of them) and started working my way through the traffic. yet again, coming out of turn turn two, trying to overtake without screwing someone elses up i ended up on the concrete. doh!
so i'm working my way through the traffic. there's not as much room to overtake here as at phillip island, gotta blast past (grunt is good) on either the straight, out of turn 9 on the short blast up to the final turns onto the straight, out of turn 5 i can get them up the hill cause i'm going faster through the turn (if i don't screw up, try to early, and balk and have to restart). my favourite is around the outside under the bridge on corporate hill and around turn 8. these slicks stick like shit to a blanket. i wish the photographer took some photos here. everyone i'm riding with is happy with me going around and stuffing myself in deep to do the right hand hairpin.
woohoo! finally i get a clear lap. up to 10, 11 and 12 and the chequered flag brings me in. doh!
i'm still happy. good stress relief. next is wakefield park, goulburn. the others are thinking of an endurance round there. our fastest guy starting, next doing the next stint, me 3rd, then the other two trying to catch up again. they also want to buy a newer, faster bike. we're hitting limitations with this bike. they are running out of suspension and brakes. i'm not going fast enough to notice.
next time i'm going slower. it seems to be the key to me going faster.
oh yeah, and the heading. there was this chickie on the boat. drop dead gorgeous. some of the crew said she was interested in me. (how fucking pompous does that sound?) we were chatting and giggling a bit, but i didn't get the same impression. some "more studly" guys would have capitalised on the situation. but i have never had the knack.
so i avoided yet another screwed up relationship situation with my usual method. being clueless enough not to know what is going on. i'm still not sure if i was lucky or unlucky. this bird is drop dead gorgeous, but i can't play her game.
apart from that the rest of the weekend was grand. hell, that was fun too. dunno where the weekend went, but it's over now (baby blue)
friday was a good day. no accidents at eastern creek (well not for us, some others had falls, none serious).
i never really got into a good rhythm at eastern creek. last time i went there (especially after phillip island) i had a really good run. i was able to keep my mind free of everything except my lines, where i wanted to be, and enjoying the moment. this time i had all sorts of rubbish going through my head, i was thinking about crashing too much i think. and there were some car guys there playing in the skid pan, you can see them when you come up to turn 9.
one of my mates said that i wasn't happy because my standards have raised, well that's possibly true, but i definitely wasn't riding as well as last time. i think i'm getting a bit complacent too. going around turn 8 i backed off the throttle big time, instead of committing and driving, i thought i was gonna end up on my arse for sure. the bike stood up, looked at the grass and tyre wall, and coming onto the straight i was a lot slower.
i eventually started riding satisfactorily, but i was still aware that i really wasn't riding as nicely as i like. now that it's not as new as it was before to be doing track days on such a weapon, maybe now i need work on clearing my head a bit to get rid of the stupid distractions.
we couldn't get our old slicks changed as early as we wanted. half of the hired help apparently crashed while racing on the weekend, so they had newbie tyre changers. in my second session i had a bit of a slide coming out of turn two. it was very progressive and didn't leave a brown stain, but scared me a lot. if this happened in turn 1 i woulda freaked.
so i came in and the other two took their turns, then we put on the new slicks. much nicer. i don't drag my knee on the ground, but i checked out a few pics on the web from the guy who takes photos on the day, and i'm leaned over as far as some of the others who do, so i'm happy with that. a lot more relaxing needed though.
i had an amusing moment as well. at the start of one of my sessions, i got overtaken, no worries, he's more confident than me on cold tyres. then i overtook some of my mates on the straight (maybe i'm not as distracted as i thought, didn't sese either of them) and started working my way through the traffic. yet again, coming out of turn turn two, trying to overtake without screwing someone elses up i ended up on the concrete. doh!
so i'm working my way through the traffic. there's not as much room to overtake here as at phillip island, gotta blast past (grunt is good) on either the straight, out of turn 9 on the short blast up to the final turns onto the straight, out of turn 5 i can get them up the hill cause i'm going faster through the turn (if i don't screw up, try to early, and balk and have to restart). my favourite is around the outside under the bridge on corporate hill and around turn 8. these slicks stick like shit to a blanket. i wish the photographer took some photos here. everyone i'm riding with is happy with me going around and stuffing myself in deep to do the right hand hairpin.
woohoo! finally i get a clear lap. up to 10, 11 and 12 and the chequered flag brings me in. doh!
i'm still happy. good stress relief. next is wakefield park, goulburn. the others are thinking of an endurance round there. our fastest guy starting, next doing the next stint, me 3rd, then the other two trying to catch up again. they also want to buy a newer, faster bike. we're hitting limitations with this bike. they are running out of suspension and brakes. i'm not going fast enough to notice.
next time i'm going slower. it seems to be the key to me going faster.
oh yeah, and the heading. there was this chickie on the boat. drop dead gorgeous. some of the crew said she was interested in me. (how fucking pompous does that sound?) we were chatting and giggling a bit, but i didn't get the same impression. some "more studly" guys would have capitalised on the situation. but i have never had the knack.
so i avoided yet another screwed up relationship situation with my usual method. being clueless enough not to know what is going on. i'm still not sure if i was lucky or unlucky. this bird is drop dead gorgeous, but i can't play her game.
apart from that the rest of the weekend was grand. hell, that was fun too. dunno where the weekend went, but it's over now (baby blue)
Monday, May 01, 2006
well i'm over my saturday rant. shit happens.
i also managed to twist my ankle/foot. the physio said i'd done something technical, and wants x-rays, and i can't play for 3 weeks, but i can go to eastern creek still, hopefully it won't be raining or i'll be tip-toe-ing the whole way around.
(it's my right foot, i don't use the back brake much except for sitting still at the lights, sorry Mick Doohan)
work is shit, weekends good, bring it back again
i also managed to twist my ankle/foot. the physio said i'd done something technical, and wants x-rays, and i can't play for 3 weeks, but i can go to eastern creek still, hopefully it won't be raining or i'll be tip-toe-ing the whole way around.
(it's my right foot, i don't use the back brake much except for sitting still at the lights, sorry Mick Doohan)
work is shit, weekends good, bring it back again
