Mike Edwards, 26/05/06 – 28/05/06
European SuperStock 600 Championship
Round 3
Summary
Despite the luxury of only having to drive 1.5 hours to Silverstone rather than 16.5 hours it had taken to get to Valencia everyone was getting rather nervous as the weekend got closer. Perhaps the pressure was starting to show or maybe it was torrential rain that was forecast or maybe the fact that neither rider had even seen the International circuit we were to race on. Bizarrely most track days use the GP circuit and most club races use the National configuration. Unless you are already a BSB rider, or have raced in WSB previously, the International circuit will be all new. Rather an odd feeling when you realise that most of the field had raced at the WSB round in 2005 so had the advantage over the guys who should have had the local knowledge!
The previous two rounds at Valencia and Monza had been interesting and we had recognised that the lack of track time and limited qualifying experience had left us with a lot of work to do. Fortunately both riders were taking on board the direction and targets set by the Team Manager for each session and were coming on leaps and bounds with every round. With two very different riding styles as well as different approaches to learning each circuit Chris and Matt were facing an uphill struggle. Fortunately Kenny Pryde at SuperBike magazine was on hand having been offered a wild card slot in the European GSXR Cup. Instead of joining in with the most of the UK magazines with the “my already proven nominated racer is faster than yours” Kenny had taken the brave decision to give Chris the opportunity of both more track time and the chance to ride a bigger bike for the first time. Hopefully the GSXR750K6 machines will be similar to the GSXR600K6 bikes the team were using albeit with more power all round.
Prior to the round both bikes had been serviced and the team had taken advantage of fitting the thinner head gasket allowed under the rules to boost the power of the bikes. When we first had ran the bikes in they both made 100 hp. The Arrow race exhaust had increased that to a respectable 107 hp and now, having loosened up the motor over the first couple of meetings and with the new gasket fitted, the bikes were making 110 hp. Hopefully the new found power should make itself felt over the weekend. Many thanks to team supporter Steve Jordan Motorcycles for doing the work so quickly.
Thursday saw the team arrive at Silverstone and despite starting to set up next to the same SuperStock 1000 team we had pitted alongside at Monza were soon moved on and positioned about as far from the pits as humanly possible. In fact it turned out we were in fact at the back of the P6 car park, way behind the motor homes and reliant on an erratic generator and no running water. That’ll teach us to get ideas above our station 😉 Once scrutineering was over and the bikes prepared there was nothing to do but walk the track and wait for Free Practice on Friday lunch time. The day started out wet and we were sure that it would dry in time for practice but luck wasn’t on our side. Although it didn’t actually rain during the session the track was wet enough to give everyone the opportunity to get some damp practice although some confusion over suspension settings meant both riders had to be cautious and take the time to learn the track.
Having suggested Chris and Matt take a more structured approach to the practice and qualifying sessions the team were fairly pleased to find themselves able to run with a few of the faster riders who were obviously having a few troubles of their own. Matt ended up in 23rd place with a lap time of 1’47.687 and Chris in 30th with 1’51.273 – Quite positive given the rapidly drying conditions and providing a good talking point for the debriefing session compared with the lines and reference points from the track walk the previous night. With the track now totally dry and the suspension back to the settings we had used at Monza the first qualifying session was next. Silverstone was one of only three rounds where we get to race on the Sunday so we had plenty of time to work on the track and the bikes which made a pleasant change.
With strict instructions to build the pace slowly whilst working on a couple of key sections of track both riders rode very sensible sessions making gradual improvements in lap times throughout the half hour period. Without the benefit of anyone to really chase during the session everyone was pleased to see Matt qualify in 23rd again with a 1’37.502 and Chris earn 29th with a 1’38.741 – A good result given that a 1 second improvement would move them up 8 – 10 places on the grid! Having ridden for a hard thirty minute sessions Chris had no time to rest as he was out next for a further forty minutes on the GSXR750 machine. The team decided that Chris should run two 15 minute sessions with a break in the middle to allow him to get his breath back and also think about the session and areas he needed to work on.
Chris ran a well deserved 11th until his break finding the 750 easier to ride than his 600. The biggest benefit was he finally had something to compare his 600 against and was able to give some very useful feedback on the suspension set up that we could use to improve things for Saturday on the smaller bike. After the ten minute break Chris went out again with some suggestions on how to tackle Becketts and Ireland bends and instructions to relax and concentrate on being consistent rather than all out. Despite fading towards the end of the session he was able to almost match his earlier best time but could string it together lap after lap. The team were convinced that the extra track time was crucial, particularly as there was no expectation and therefore no pressure on him to perform. Something at least two of the other SuperStock 600 riders had the benefit of every meeting with permanent rider in the GSXRP Cup in addition to their 600 class. With the rest of the field having had time to catch up with the early promise shown by Chris whilst running in 11th place he finished the session in 21st place with a 1’36.140 – A whole 2.5 seconds quicker than his 600 qualifying session despite the exhaustion from being on a bike for over an hour!
Another track walk on Friday night meant that Chris and Matt had a better understanding of the lines they ought to be taking and were eager to get out on Saturday for the second qualifying session. The weather proved to be a bit of a challenge with conditions similar to those that had required the BSB round at Mondello the previous weekend to be cancelled. Team suspension expert Steve Jordan was on hand for the session and was able to build on the now correctly set up suspension settings during the qualifying period. Did I mention that Steve Jordan Motorcycles won the Suzuki New Dealer of the Year in 2005? With a better wet set up the riders pressed on and were much more comfortable, able to keep with some of the vastly more experienced riders who were usually much further up the grid. Matt finished in 27th place with a 2’01.579 and Chris in 30th position with 2’02.804 – Now obviously slower due to the weather the times from the first qualifying session would count for the race on Sunday.
The final qualifying session for the GSXR Cup was at the end of the day so Chris had a bit of time to prepare the 750 and update it with the improved suspension settings from the 600. As it hadn’t rained for a while the track was drying but wasn’t yet dry so tyre choice was a bit of a gamble. Half of the field seemed to be on wets and the rest on drys. Silverstone always used to be quite treacherous in those conditions so we opted for wets in the hope it wouldn’t dry out too quickly. The first few laps showed Chris hadn’t lost any of his confidence in the 750 and he was soon running in around 9th place. Towards the end of the session a few of the faster riders on dry tyres went quicker but he still finished the session in 14th place overall. Sadly the times were slower than those from Friday so it didn’t make any difference to his qualifying position.
Race day dawned bright and sunny which was a relief for everybody and the prospect of having dry shoes at the end of the day made a welcome change for the team. Having fitted a new Yoshimura ECU to Matt’s Suzuki the team were finally able to spend some time in the morning working with Arrow to set the system up. Without being sure of the impact everyone was cautious about blowing around 900 quid on each bike but the new found power, and perhaps more importantly, the new found drive out of the turns was well worth it despite only showing a further 2 hp increase on the dyno. Not a bad way to spend some of the team’s meagre resources especially as we had now gained 5 hp since the start of the season thanks to the engine loosening up over time, the thinner gasket, a PiperCross air filter and the new ECU.
The GSXR Cup was due to be between the two SuperBike races with the SuperStock 600 class run after the second SuperBike race. Due to delays in the first race the GSXR Cup race was the victim of tight TV schedules and was postponed until after the 600 race so no rest for Chris between the two. Both riders made an excellent start with Chris almost getting the better of Matt in to the first turn. Will Gruy did his best to take Matt out at the first bend but came off worse when he lost the front after hitting the back of Matt’s bike. By the end of the first lap they were up to 17th and 18th, having started from 23rd and 29th respectively. Everyone on the pit wall was getting nervous was both riders were nose to tail for the first six laps and gradually moving up through the field. At the end of lap seven three bikes went down on the same corner and the race was red flagged bringing a short but frustrating end to to the MIST Suzuki charge.
A ten minute break before the restart allowed the team to inspect the bikes and correct the wheel alignment on Matt’s bike where it had been hit on the way in to the first turn. The race was destined to be run in two parts with the aggregate times deciding the final positions. At least the new grid was able to form up based on the finishing positions from part one. Another blinding start from both riders saw them running 12th and 14th respectively at the end of the laps and with Matt improving to 11th on the second lap before dropping back as a couple of the faster riders came through having recovered from their poor starts. A nail biting few laps saw the guys getting regular TV coverage as they were close enough to the front runners to appear in shot. A couple of mistakes saw Chris drop back for a lap or two before he got his head down to catch Matt who had been held up by another rider. Once again nose to tail Matt and Chris crossed the line in 14th and 15th place with Matt holding 13th for a few seconds until another rider came through putting his aggregate time a tiny fraction quicker than Matt.
Confusion reigned in getting Chris out for this GSXR Cup race as not only did the officials move the parc ferme after the race so Chris was unable to get the planned lift to collect the other bike and then a mix up with security meant it took much arguing to get out on the grid to put the tyre warmers on. To add insult to injury, or maybe just comedy effect, security hadn’t allowed another team member to bring the stands in to the pit lane so Chris didn’t quite get the planned opportunity to relax before the race and set out on to the warm up lap having got his breath back and collected his thoughts. Having effectively come straight in from competing in two races (if you count the restart) this would be the third race in a row and even the fittest racer would be tiring by the end.
A good start saw Chris in the points and he ran in 14th position for much of the race. By half distance he was clearly starting to get tired and the extra weight through the bars was causing the front to chatter in some of the faster corners. With the gap closing to the two riders behind Chris was in danger of being overrun and with just two laps to go he was demoted to 16th place. With just a lap to go Chris was running 2 seconds a lap slower than the next rider and once passed was unable to make up the difference due to sheer exhaustion. Finishing 17th in the class was almost a disappointment after the success of the 600 race but having been on the bike for over 100 kilometres he should be pleased with the results from the two classes. Thanks again to Kenny at SuperBike magazine and Steve Booth at Suzuki for giving Chris the opportunity – Despite all the hard work I think the extra track time really paid off and the team are most grateful.
Both riders in the points at round three? Who could have foreseen that at the start of the weekend, yet alone the start of the season. The team is now comfortable with both the suspension and the power set up for the bikes and both riders are maturing and improving every time they get on the bike. Chris earned his first ever point and Matt added a further two to his tally from Valencia giving him 4 points from the season so far. Race times of 1’35.865 and 1’35.675 show they both have the pace (down from 1’37.502 and 1’38.741 in qualifying respectively) and with a bit more track time the team are confident that they can improve on their qualifying positions allowing both riders to run in the top fifteen from the start of the race rather than having to overcome their qualifying position to get up to the competition.
The next round is at Misano and for once we may be able to get some time to go testing rather than repairing the bike or carrying out service or other set up work. Fingers crossed!
Mike Edwards
Team Manager – MIST Suzuki
www.mistsuzuki.com
Would like to thank main sponsors www.givemethekeys.com and Steve Jordan Motorcycles for their never ending support and the help given to the team from B & C Express, Dyna Pro, Pipercross, RaceDays.net, S&B Commercials and Silkolene.