Welcome to my 2012 motorcycle racing season
Hello again and welcome to the 2012 season, after a massively long lay off after my knee injury last year, I parted company with Newcastle Motorcycles on good terms, It was quite sad really as I’ve been with them since 2006 but I just wasn’t happy riding the Honda last year and didn’t want to waste their time or mine for another season but I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to Dave Winfield and the rest of the staff for their help and support over the last 6 years.
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June 2011
Well 2011 finally got under way at an unusually sunny Croft back in April and while I was extremely rusty having not even had my leg over a bike since October I was looking forward to it, We still hadn’t sorted out what I was riding yet so we dug the old girl out of retirement and dusted her off for the first two meetings of the year. Practice went ok and then it was the timed session and that felt better although I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular but was pleasantly surprised to find I’d qualified 5th behind four 125 GP bikes who’d come up for practice ahead of the BSB meeting. The first race was a good one and I made the perfect start, I got my head down and never looked back but with a couple of laps to go I could here a 125 behind me so I just tried to keep it nice and tidy and not make any mistakes, on the last lap he came past on the brakes into Tower and it was 14 year old Luke Hedger who went on to win the first round of the British 125’s at Brands Hatch, I got a good run out and got alongside on the exit of the Jim Clarke esses just enough for him to know I was there and he overcooked it into sunny running wide so I nipped back through and went on to take the win which I was over the moon with.
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APRIL 2011
Well the 2011 season is upon us and after what seems to have been the longest winter in history, we are finally getting ready to go racing again. There’s been a few changes during the off-season, the main one being that Kawasaki Newcastle are now Newcastle Motorcycles a Honda & Yamaha dealer. Yes, the Kwaka’s have gone, so it came as a bit of a shock to learn that I wouldn’t be out on an ER6 this year.
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October 2010
Back from the Manx GP
Hello again, we’ve been back from the Manx GP a while now and what a fortnight it was the weather was fantastic and we all had a really good time. We got to the Isle of Man on the Saturday morning and got set up in a really good spot, I then had to go through the usual signing on, rider briefing and technical briefing before preparing for 1st practice. I had the bike sorted and ready to go so there was nothing to do but wait, the weather was decent apart from fog on the mountain and I was a little apprehensive as we went up to the holding area as it was four years since I’d ridden here and I ended up in Nobles hospital with a broken wrist. The butterflies quickly disappeared as I set off down Glencrutchery road for the first time and I’d sort of forgotten what a great feeling it is to go flat out down Bray Hill, you just can’t get that anywhere else in the world.
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Air Ambulance Charity ride
Coast to Coast cycle ride
The Saturday after Knockhill, my brother in law Kyle Deswert and I, did the Coast to Coast cycle ride, the plan was to do it in a day and we set off from a very dark Whitehaven at 1:20 am and finished at Sunderland at 5:20 pm absolutely knackered, but over the moon to do it in 16 hours.
We thought it would take longer, but we completed the course, assisted by Stephen Graham driving the back-up van, and raised a decent amount of money for the Great North Air Ambulance along the way.
When NEMCRC vice-chairman Mick Anderson heard about the ride he decided a contribution was necessary and went round Croft on club race weekend collecting with a bucket.
Mick collected over £200 toward the fund and I presented a cheque for £ 2050.00 to the Air Ambulance in August (see photo)
May 2010
Hi again and before anybody thinks it, I know it’s been ages since I put anything on the site, Susan has already reminded me! So here we are again, the start of the 2010 season, it’s been a long winter looking forward to getting back on a bike, almost needing a refresher course it’s been so long. Anyway we’re back again with another brand new ER6 courtesy of Dave Winfield at Kawasaki Newcastle, which without his generosity and many other of my sponsors it just would not be possible.
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August 2009
Hello again, a little bit late I know but I am getting better, slightly!
Anyway we were back at Olivers Mount for the Cock ‘o’ the North on July 11-12th 2009 and it was an excellent meeting, practice went well and I rolled up onto the grid for the Superbike qualifier only to find they didn’t have me on their sheets Pixie was in the same boat, after a short discussion we both had to start from the back which wasn’t ideal in a four lap race. I made a good start and made up a few places into Mere hairpin, I picked up a few more positions over the next couple of laps to finish 7th and qualify for the main races so I was happy. The Superbike first leg was up next and I made an excellent start slipping down the outside I made up a load of places on lap one, a few came past over the next couple of laps and the rest of the race was pretty lonely finishing 15th. Without a break and a quick refuelling stop I headed out for the Minitwin race, I made a good start leading into Mere, I put in some quick laps and built up a good lead by half race distance. On the last few laps I eased off and pulled some wheelies but won quite comfortably. We retired down to Scarborough for fish & chips and another slot machine fest with Spencer to tire him out, this is after he’d already done god knows how many laps of the paddock on his bike, anyway it worked and he went straight to bed when we got back.