KRC Endurance - Brands Hatch GP - 21st May 2005



Do you ever get the feeling something is not to be?

Most will say this is probably true of my race reports but Team Purple Endurance's first appearance in a competitive role certainly seemed that way.
It all began back in Almeria, Spain, in February when we began testing. At this point we had Myself, Yoav and Mark Bamford with his trusty spannerman, Angus (ex Manx GP racer) full of ideas of cracking this endurance thing. We had planned to do all of the rounds on my trusty Steelie CBR 600 except for the 24hr in our first year at least. It was also in Spain that we were fortuitous in meeting Andy Morley, who had binned his Gixer 750 on the spanish trackday to be helped by us.

As the year drew on it became apparent that Snetterton 6 hour was never going to happen as it clashed with my opening round of Derby Phoenix at Croft. It also dawned on me that I would need a second bike for the KRC rounds as I had been prone to the odd prang or 2 in the previous year and, what with our first round at Brands coisting over £1000 to enter, I felt a spare bike (with a charging sysytem) would be a good investment.

Having set our first appearance for the end of May at Brands GP circuit, it turned out Mark wouldn't be able to make that one due to his flirtation with road racing clashing that weekend. I asked another Mark to join us (Mark Talbot) but he had just landed a big ride with RiOT racing in Superstocks and wasn't "allowed" to race endurance by his team.
Thus I hit upon the idea of asking an old mate of mine who had just retired from racing as the MRO Aprilia Mille Champion, Daz Jones. Daz had been at a bit of a loose end since retiring and was certainly up for it :-)

I had amassed the pit crew over the year too. Chris Costello was to be team manager, by virtue of him having the best beard and having shown he could put up with my tantrums in the past. Andy Morley offered to set up some telemtry for us to gleen some information and also give him some experience with a race team. "Nice Guy" Dave Moore, my trusty spannerman from Derby Phoenix was chief spanner. My good friends Iris and Chris Fowles were doing the timing. Daz was going to bring his other half Lindsey and super spanner, Humpy too. Sorted :-) Or so we thought.....

Whilst testing the second bike I realised there was no way it would be ready in time for the race (the suspension made it feel like a Harley into turns) so it became obvious we would need to use my Number 1 bike. Problem was I had 2 rounds of Derby Phenix in quick succession in May before KRC so I was going to have to be very careful not to wreck it. Alas (as u may read when I catch up on race reports) I binned it TWICE at both Anglesey meets AND Cadwell Park. Ooops.

By working hard into the night and thanks to Dave and Jonesies Motorcycles in Kinmel Bay, we managed to get enough bodywork sprayed up and the charging system changed over at the 11th hour.
However, in the week between Cadwell Derby Phoenix meet and KRC Brands Hatch meet...

1) Chris Fowles'mum became ill so he had to drop out to see her... Iris had to look after the cats (bang went out timer and catering!)
2) Dave had a massive crisis as he suddenly lost his job and his home all in one week (partly due to spending too much time on the race team).. thus, homeless and jobless he had other priorities.. bang went the chief Spanner.
3) On the way to getting my wheels shod with the new Dunlop 209s my van exploded!! This meant that I couldn't pick up my bike from Jonesies to get it race ready until the day we left using a hired van.
We had to get the bike race ready on the Thurday afternoon (the day before the trackday) meaning that Yoav and I never left until 8pm. We arrived at Brands Hatch at 3.30am!!

We had testing on Friday. Daz turned up all cheery with Lindsey. I t was bloody cold and wet but we were optimistic. .. we had a National Champion riding for us afterall!! Now Daz and Yoav are, lets say, on the lighter side, whilst I tend to be a bit "chunkier" so suspension and bike setup was always going to be a moot point... Following several tantrums and sulks during the day we found a set up that worked well for most of us. Daz was getting more confident with the bike but we had to slow the front end down considerably as his meagre mass meant that the front would slap all the way down Pilgrim's and upset him. Also, for poor Yoav's wrists we had to put the clip ons on top of the yokes instead of below as I usually ran.
That evening Daz and Linds went back to thir hotel whilst Yoav and I looked rfor somewhere to shower.. the circuit showers were opened up but alas they were BLOODY FREEZING but stop us smelling we just gritted out teeth.

Got back to the garages to find Chis and June had arrived along with Andy, who had been held up on the M4 coming from Swansea. In a celebratory mood we went for a curry and were serenaded by Elvis and several intoxicated locals. We finally got back to the van around midnight having had 3 hours sleep the night before... not good.... although things were about to get much worse.....

8am arrived. Yoav was already awake and sorting things for Practice. I was reluctant as ever to get out of bed. It had been an uncomfortable night and my neck was really playing up and I seemed to have a headache.. too much Elvis obviously! I was just getting dressed when Daz approached the back of the van, banged on the shutters to tell me he was leaving!!! WHAT???!! "Hang on, just let me get some clothes on!!"
Turned out he had been sick all night and was now very dizzy. Linds was driving him home (she didn't look so hot herself) and they were off! Not having much time to chat and discuss this, they departed before he decided to chuck up again. Bugger.

At this point I was completely despondant. Yoav was running around like a blue arsed fly as manager Chris had still not appeared. I was all set to go home but Yoav's ferver gave me the impetus to actually get my leathers on for the first practice. Chris and June appeared. Team Purple, the once enourmous team of eager volunteers and riders had been reduced to 2 riders, one Telemetry man, the Team Manager and his other half in a wheelchair, giving verbal support.
Add to this, I was asked to take a radio as Brands had not supplied medical cover for the meeting. They had found 1 doc to cover at the last minute but needed a second.. which was to be shared by both myself and Yoav, depending on who was in the garages. Luckily we were not called upon to do anything.
Yoav went out in the untimed practice, then I managed to miss the start of the first timed practice. Alas it was raining and I really wasn't in the mood. My best time managed to get us back of the grid in 35th position.
We decided we would have to run 3 one hour sessions each for the race, with me starting and doing the Le Mans start. Ha! What a hoot that was... Amazingly enough I wasn't the last away, although having never done that before it hardly went smoothly.
We were running the new Dunlop D209s which, in the damp conditions (though not properly "wet") took an age to warm up. I had a few nasty squirms on the first few laps. My head was pounding and my eyes were gritty.. I just tried to get on with going around and not dropping the bike. Half an hour into my session the drying track had boosted my confidence and the heat in the tyres so the times started to become a bit more respectable. It had started to rain as I came in again and the new section at Westfield was resembling and ice rink so I was quite relieved to see my hour was up and pulled in to let Yoav get out for his first go.

Before I knew it, I was out again. Damn. Normally I would have had a much longer rest but out I went again. By this time my head had cleared and I actually started to enjoy myself as was obvious by the times coming down. I couldn't motivate myself to go hell for leather as I would in a Derby Phoenix meet but things were smoothing out and the times were popping down nicely until I managed a couple of 1' 49"s with not too much effort. I guess I could have given a lot more but I really needed to pace myself and not bin it as I had already seen others do in front of me. Also, I had to pull in halfway through this session as the chain had begun jumping off the rear sprocket!! Luckily managed to get her back before she came off properly and all credit to the 3 lads in the pits who sorted it in a few minutes.
By the time I went out for a third time I was a bit knackered to say the least. It was wet but there was no way we were going to change the tyres as the conditions were going from wet to dry every 5 minutes at this point. After a few laps the pace car came out for 3 laps which was a lovely rest for me. I managed to put in some respectable lap times before coming in after 3 hours of racing.. exhausted.

Yoav took the chequered flag an hour later. We'd done it! Tears welled up inside me. Tim Pritchard from CoyOtei racing had been right.. it is one helluva feeling! :-)
Add to this we had finished 28th (out of 35)! Woohoo! By taking it steady we had not crashed nor had any mechanical problems (apart from the ever stretching chain) unlike the 7 teams who had finished below us.
I was knackered. Physicaly and mentally. We had to drive to North Wales the same night to get the van back the next day. I unloaded the bikes into the garage and 2 weeks later they are still sat there, untouched. I cancelled my entry into the Derby Phoenix meeting due at Donington for the next weekend - I had just had enough !!

In retrospect, it was one helluvan experience and I am so glad we did it. I am mega pleased with my achievement here, especiallly the way we came through adversity. It has left me somewhat bewildered and at a decision point now as to what to do for the rest of the year. The team is in tatters. Don't think Daz is interested anyomre (he has had better offers) Yoav will be on hols for Pembrey amd Mark Bamford is needing more signatures so he can go road racing. Nice Guy Dave is still in crisis and not available to spanner it seems and I don't want to put too much pressure on poor old Chris who is also going through an upheaval at the moment (especially after his car caught fire wehn he lent it to me last week - oops!)
If Team Purple survives this then it survives. If it doesn't it doesn't. Either way, I am hoping to get a new van soon so that may invigorate me and try to raise a new team from the ashes.

We shall see...

Special thanks once again to Phil at Buckley tyres, the boys at Jonesies Motorcyces (for swapping the charging system on the bike at short notice gratis), to Team Moores racing for helping out by fitting a tyre, Uprite Racing for offering to help (though I didn't realise 'til I checked my voicemail once I'd charged my phone on Saturday) and to Team Coyotei (Tim Pritchard, Darren Curzon and Shelley Pike) for their inspiration and support along with the rest of the Adopt A Racer family.
Special thanks to the girls at work (Team Purple Healthcare) for putting up with my ranting about the event before and after, the phonecalls from suppliers / creditors / team mates, my absences during May and dealing with parts and parcels turning up at the surgery throughout the day :-) Jude, Iris, Jules, Debs, Jenny and Lesley.. you're the best !

Photos courtesy of FRESH ORANGE photography.


Click below to go back to Racing Homepage



Click here or on index to go back to Hazel's Bike Pages.