Mallory Park BSB

Mallory’s a circuit I really enjoy, preferred it before the Edwina’s chicane was introduced but the approach speed towards the old Esses was getting too fast for the run-off area!

Times are always very close around the short 1.39 mile circuit and can be very hard during qualifying to find a clear lap!

Free practice was spent finding a good base setting and gearing for my Kawasaki. Every circuit we go to is new to the team and me with these settings and never enough time to find the perfect set-up!

You pretty much have two options with gearing; five gears are all you need for Mallory so it’s a choice between using 1st-5th gear or 2nd-6th?

As we’re still down on acceleration off the corners my best option was 2nd-6th giving more punch off the turns. Fifth into Gerard’s, third at Edwina’s and second at hairpin.

Practice went ok and also spent time doing some mileage on a race tyre making sure we had something that would last the distance. By the end of free-practice I was in tenth position about a second off the fastest time!

Qualifying was hard work, the garages are very small at Mallory making things hard for the mechanics and out on circuit it was hard finding a clear lap.

Luckily the weather was being kind in both sessions, good job for me as I only managed to get out on one qualifier in session one and was held up dropping me to seventeenth position.

Session two was better and managed some clear laps moving up the grid to eleventh but still a second off pole.

Race-day was very busy to say the least, the paddock was bursting at the seams and it was impossible getting from the pit to your motorhome over the bridge. I had to wait until a warm-up session finished, throw all my leathers etc into a kit-bag and run across the track.

My start in race one wasn’t good enough, probably should have set off in second rather than first as my gearing was very lively and couldn’t keep the front wheel down, then Scott Smart collided with somebody nearly taking me out also. On the approach to Edwina’s two riders collided and I had to run across the grass or hit them putting me down in twentieth position after half a lap!

Got my head down but the pace car came out shortly afterwards, one or two riders at the front were brake-checking everybody behind the pace car having a massive knock-on effect down the field where I was.

The pace cars lights went out meaning it was about to leave the circuit, as we all approached Gerard’s everybody was struggling to miss each other and I had to run across the grass in order to miss the pack.

By the time I caught the pack back up the green flag was being waved, Kyo then crashed at Edwina’s bringing the red flag out!

For the re-start I had to start off the back of the grid pretty pissed off, I cut my way through the field to tenth position by the last lap and was desperate to keep my position for the finish. Unfortunately I tried too hard at Gerard’s high-siding mid-corner knocking myself out for around five minutes!

Completely my own fault and as I’d been unconscious for so long was given an eight day suspension from riding!

To make things worse it’s only six days until Oulton Park, fortunately Toby Branfoot (medic, mega surgeon and top bloke) agreed if I passed an MRI scan during the week he’d let me ride!

More Hospitals!!