Short Tracking

Xmas bores me really but after competing a trial Boxing Day on my Sherco then borrowing Mick Grants Tiger Cub for a pre-65 trial at Cadwell the day after the boredom had soon gone.

I’d been invited to ride the new CCM F35R Flat Tracker at Scunthorpe speedway on the 28th Dec but the weather put a stop to that. Flat-tracking is very big in the USA and Pete Boast has been running a Short-track series in the UK during 2005 to mirror their series. It’s mainly converted 4-stroke moto-x bikes that compete in his series with a bigger championship planned for 2006.

I’d really been looking forward to it, apart from instructing on Pete Boasts Powerslide training school (speedway) I haven’t ridden on the shale since playing at Speedway at the age of fifteen.

Re-scheduled for January 2nd there was no time for any practice beforehand. I had a team-mate for the day who was Andy Moore from Newton on Trent, a speedway rider for Eastbourne. His farther was one of my hero’s as a child, a very brave top UK grass track rider in his day.

We had two practices, 5 laps each before three heats, then if you scored enough points a semi-final and of course the final if you finished top five.

First practice on track were quads so I went to watch, couldn’t believe how fast they were lapping and was nervous to say the least.
My first practice was terrible, I rode the bike with my eyes the size of jam jars and my body completely rigid. Managed to relax for my second practice, lapping much quicker and generally feeling much more at ease with a smile on my face.

My three heats were six laps each which aren’t very long compared to what I’m used to.

First heat was ok, struggled to get the CCM off the line but lapped faster every lap.

Same for the next two heats really improving all the time and really enjoying myself.

Managed to qualify for the 8-lap semi-final and got a mega start, on the exit of turn two somebody went down in front of me. I hit their bike completely sideways quite fast; it was one of those impacts where you were just waiting for the pain to begin. Amazingly I stayed on (pure luck only) but lost so much time hadn’t qualified for the final. The impact was that hard it had squashed the CCM’s exhaust and tubular chassis under the engine.

Luckily there is a last chance qualifier where the top two finishers make the final. Didn’t make a mistake this time with a mega start then stuck to the back wheel of the leader making the final.

My start in the final was disgraceful but made up some time in turn one, finished the race 6th place and quite content after only totalling around 48 laps all day.

My team-mate Andy Moore was on the pace from race one but unfortunately suffered an electrical problem in the final whilst laying third, would have been a good result for CCM’s first race meeting.
Probably going to do couple more meetings for CCM through 2006 that don’t clash with BSB, really looking forward to it and keen to stand on the podium!