Mallory Park, May 3rd
Mallory Park is at www.mallorypark.co.uk/spec.htm
One day meeting, practice and 2 races, and only an hour and a half from home.
All loaded up the night before, only a slight panic the previous week as the cam
drive nut fell of the end of the cam, the woodruff key popped out and the cam
stopped, allowing piston and valves to come together. Luckily it was not much
above idle and did little damage - very slightly bent inlet valve which
responded to a quick reface by Tony Brancato. Fixed the swinging arm pivot pin,
fitted a new MkII Amal carb and lined the leaking tank with PetSeal
It also turned out that the faltering at Pembrey was due to me fitting a
spark plug with only 1 washer - and the piston just touching it and closing the
gap up after the first race, so it was running on only 1 and a bit plugs
(standard mod on these motors is to fit two plugs as the combustion chamber is
rather spread out and thin)
Passing Coventry it starts to spit and by the time I reach the circuit it's
pouring. I'm using the car & trailer as I've had a discussion with Zolie
about the horsebox - paying 100% of the cost and using it for 1/3 of the
meetings seemed sub-optimum to me, so now it's 0% and 0. As it was clearly the
huge mileages i was doing to race meetings that was causing all the wear and
tear, Zolie seems happy with the deal as well. Nice to have it when it's wet tho.
Can sit in the back with a cuppa and a chocolate digestive (plain of course) and
watch everyone else getting wet. Seriously thinking about caravans and angle
grinders, but have nowhere to park one at home.
Practice session is delayed 20 minutes. Someone's done a nasty in an outfit
at the bus stop (chicane after the hairpin on the circuit map). Eventually we're
off and it's pissing down. Never been here before so it's all a mystery. Seems
grippy enough though, so I'm not that perturbed. Classic club rules say no wet
weather tyres, so everyone is in the same, er, boat.
Couple on/off the outfit are mostly OK - one hobbling about with a strapped
up foot, the other just limping a bit. Outfit is a little sad looking as it
seems to have slid for a while mostly on its rev counter
Big delays to the rest of practice and the first race starts about an hour
late. And I hear that five have fallen at Edwinas. Detergent and scrubbing of
track till about 12.30.
Race 1
24th on a grid of about 30. Good start and i seem to make up about 10 places
before becoming all polite into Gerards. 
Track is dry but I'm
learning from
scratch. The rev counter is working enough to tell me I'm under geared, as 9.5
at the end of the s/f straight is a little much. I deal with a couple round
Gerards on lap 3, including Mike Harrison (who hasn't got his forks back from
Maxton yet) and start to close with a group of 6 in a line. Try for the last one
(Steve Crooks) on the brakes into the hairpin but he slams the door. Take him
again on the brakes on the last lap into Edwinas but he gets me back going up
the hill to the hairpin, I pass him on the brakes but he is quicker coming out
of the bus-stop and out drags me down the hill to the finish.
Brilliant!! Learning to pass round corners as well as when breaking!
15th out of 26 starters, 22 finishers, best lap 1.13 av speed 68.39
Full results at http://www.crmc.co.uk/results/mallory04/6.pdf
Changed the rear from 46 to 45. New carb works, but i think the slide is too
rich. It's a 2 1/2 as I had a 2 in the Mk1 and reckoned that was leaking air
past the slide. Underestimated!. Need to try a 3 1/2.
No more faltering and the swinging arm pivot hasn't moved, it's not leaking
oil, petrol is staying in the tank, the brakes are OK and the forks are great.
Not so sure about the rear suspension which is Hagon, as fitted by the previous
owner at least 6 years ago, maybe longer. They work, but not as well as
something better, and then I'd immediately have the confidence to attack corners
with panache and bravado
Wander round and watch how the quick guys take the bus stop. Looks simple....
Race 2
Next to Steve Crooks on the grid. He's more aggressive for the start and
makes up a couple of places. I manage to catch up round Gerards and stay with
him. Lap 2 a Greeves comes by on the s/f straight and passes us both but we
bunch up round Gerards and I get them both into Edwinas only to be taken by the
Greeves going up to the hairpin and by Steve on the s/f. We swap positions
several more times till the last lap flag comes out. Then I take Steve again
going into Edwina's and do it fast enough that he can't catch me before the
hairpin, where the Greeves is on the inside. I'm out-braking him but he's inside
and goes wide on the exit. I exit a little in front heading to the bus stop but
he's on the inside line and has more grunt so I can't hold it. He's holding me
up through the bus stop but then just pulls away to the finish. All this must
have given Steve a chance behind, and he comes past on the line - but .03sec too
late. Yes!!!
16th out of 22 starters 21 finishers. Best lap 1.13 av speed 68.67.
Full results at http://www.crmc.co.uk/results/mallory04/17.pdf
Brands Hatch in 2 weeks!
Track is dry but I'm
learning from
scratch. The rev counter is working enough to tell me I'm under geared, as 9.5
at the end of the s/f straight is a little much. I deal with a couple round
Gerards on lap 3, including Mike Harrison (who hasn't got his forks back from
Maxton yet) and start to close with a group of 6 in a line. Try for the last one
(Steve Crooks) on the brakes into the hairpin but he slams the door. Take him
again on the brakes on the last lap into Edwinas but he gets me back going up
the hill to the hairpin, I pass him on the brakes but he is quicker coming out
of the bus-stop and out drags me down the hill to the finish.