Preparation was mostly doing more work on the piston to get compression up - description here
And then working out what gearing to use with the extra power and torque. Went for 15/45
Set off much too late as usual. Something to do with having a job to do. Arrived at about 11 to find no spaces on the tarmac so went up on the grass bank behind the paddock, where you can get a great view of the track.
Morning started OK, apart from the showers being cold, with clear skies but a brisk, cold wind.
Then this happened:
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I was pleased to be supping tea in the warm and dry!
Downpour stopped and the wind started to dry things quite quickly so by the time practice started the track was mostly dry, and my session 5 was fine.
Racing and rain played cat and mouse all day though.
Practice was dry and all seemed well, with no oil smoke. New found power seemed actually to be there and gearing seemed ok, probably.
Peter and Patricia came down from London for the day to watch and encourage, and to sample the delight of being able to watch the whole proceedings from the shelter of the caravan
Drawn 8th on the grid
Cracking start, with a couple of 2 strokes bogged down and I'm 3rd into the first corner and for the first time I'm not passed by a horde: just one, so it's 4th into the Devils elbow and Mervyn Stratford gets past me after the hairpin, but I get him back again into the hairpin on lap 2 but Tony Hierons comes past while I'm busy with Mervyn.
Chris Maggs is not in front and i seem to be holding my own, and out of
the bottom half for the first time!!. 
Lap 3 it starts to rain and by lap 4 there's the first faller, so I slow by a couple of seconds a lap, rising to 4th place in lap 5 when Tony Hierons slides off. Mervyn comes past but then I manage to hold things until lap 9 when Maggs and then Jerry Lodge get me on the s/f straight. I manage to get Jerry back as he boggs down at the hairpin but not for long, and finish a delighted 6th in class, 7th on the track. (Jerry was on a Honda MT125 - the post classic 125's shared the grid). Photo is of Jerry Lodge stalking me as we approach a back marker. I think!
6th place, best lap 53.17, 5 sec behind Chris Maggs Full Results here
