#98 Trout's almost official Oulton report...

[trouty]

Having to work on lateshifts, due to my inability to wake up in time for the earlyshifts, meant that i wasn't loading the van for the trip to Cheshire until after 9pm, and finally setting off around 10pm. I arrived at around 2:30 saturday morning and settled in for an hours sleep and several hours of tossing and turning whilst trying to stop the passenger seatbelt attachment from becoming a permanent attachment to my kidney.

Up and off to scrooting, all ok, yay! Although i was advised that my numbers weren't big enough, and the seat numbers should be on the side fairings... what??

After scrooting, i fitted up the camera, and fifued inside the airbox would be a pretty safe spot to put the recorder, after all, it would be protected by the inch foam that i wrapped it in, the airbox, AND the tank...

I wanted to ensure that the guys that i'm usually dicing with, were finishing behind me at this one. Oulton is an 'alien' track to me, along with Mallory and Assen. After those, we're back on familiar territory. If i could stay in touch or pull ahead of them at this round, it would make it easier going later in the season.

DD qualifying... having been out for SV qualifying, and messing around switching camera equipment on, i got out towards the back of qualifying and found there was a lot of traffic. My attention defecit disorder soon kicked in and after 2 timed laps, i pulled back off the circuit. I found i was down in 19th place on the grid, row 5. I've never been much of a qualifier type person... which is a shame as i personally think i get away from the line pretty well and could save myself a lot of work if i could qualify better. p19, 2'10.59

DD race 1... Worked up to 12th in the first lap and pretty much stayed there. I could se my arch-nemesis Cashmore just ahead but couldn't close him down, and Ali B and David A kept me working hard throughout. Ali B came past on the last lap and i couldn't do anything about that, and David kept showing me a wheel here or there right down to the final line, even rubbing shoulder with me in the final 2 turns as we tried to avoid Shep's rizla blue laying in the track. 12th, 2'05.99

One of the Ultimate Finish guy's asked me if Dave and I made contact in the last corners, showing concern for the paintwork on the #98 bike... "i shouldn't worry about the paint, i'm sure it can be blown in..." i assured him...

DD race 2... As the lights went out i remembered passing Shep on the apprroach to turn 1, then he slipped back inside on the entry. I squeezed by him on the exit and was surprised that he gave up that spot without too much of a battle. Ali Knight, Ali B and Nick B were now just ahead of me so i slipped by AK at the first chicane, then Ali B on the approach to Lodge, and Nick B seemed to brake early for Lodge so i slipped up the inside there, to complete the first lap in 7th. Ahead i could see my teamy Otei, and JPM (those 2 ahead was like dangling a big juicy carrot...), and knowing that Ali B, Shep and Ali K wouldn't be far behind, i cracked on. I hoped those 3 would get involved in there own private battle and leave me be... i didnt take a look behind, but up until lap 5, i thought i might actually be on my own and that they HAD involved themselves with each other! Lap 5 and approaching chicane 2, Ali B nudged on by, and i realised that actually, i wasn't alone... d'oh! In fact, all 3 of them had been on my tail... i was pretty determined to take back my 7th place... i could have let it lie and settled for 8th, but if i was going to do that then i may as well go do trackdays instead. I felt i had the pace on the Bison at Druids, as during race 1, i had been held up into there a little bit. So most of lap 6 was spent trying to make sure i remained close enough to make the attempt... Ali had been getting superb drive out of chicane 2 and i had to make sure he didnt gap me there. As we approached the bridge towards Druids, Ali had stayed fairly central on the track, suggesting he was expecting the move up the inside, so i went to his left and thought i had inched past him under the bridge, hit Druids, went to turn in and he was right there inside me still!!! I ended up attempting to make the corner on the grass, which was never going to work... and went down quicker than an Essex girl who's short of enough change to buy a pack of fags. DNF, 2'05.10

To say i was gutted was an understatement. However, i was made to work hard and had a superb day's racing even if the end result wasn't quite what i was looking for! I was however, pretty pleased to retrieve the footage of the race! Yes, that 'safe spot' inside the airbox wasnt so safe, as the airbox got split into 2 and the screen smashed on the PVR...

If the rest of the season is like that, it'll either be a superb season, or i'm going to have a coronary.

"yeah, about blowing in that paintwork..... maybe it'll be better to replace it, it was a deeper scratch than i first thought"





The journey home was just as exciting, with the van breaking down on the M1 with a snapped cambelt... i eventually got home sunday afternoon!

[trouty]

Many thanks to Glynn, who has been helping out at the races with spannering stuff, and Matt... who have both been busy sorting out #98 and have already straightened up the chassis! ChrisP has had a bit of a spanner twirl in there too for me! I guess i better get the breakfasts in! It should be ready for Matt to take out on a test day in mid-may.

Amongst the list of broken bits... airbox(!), throttle cable(!), throttle, clip-on, rearset, crash bung, nose cone, right side fairing, seat unit, subframe, screen, brake lever, brake hose(!)... probably a few other bits that i cant remember/arent aware of

[955SP]

Sorry to hear about the off! Looks like it could do with the TLC now. Can I be nosey and ask where you got your seat as it look quite tasty!

[trouty]

HC Racetech do all our bodywork, and have done for a few years now. That seat is a K4 gixxer thou unit.

DUCATI DESMO DUE BODYWORK

[Matt-T28]

What amazed me was how you managed to rip the footrest in half and yet the peg is completely un touched!

[Imola Duke]

Nice write up trouty

[Earkle]

DDaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!

well like they say if your gonna do something...do it properly!! Trouty! your a legend fella!!