After a good evening in the Black Bull pub it was back in again at half seven for breakfast. And what a breakfast !! Best £5 breakfast ever !! With us both fuelled we headed off to the track which is 3 miles away. It's raining, not what was forecasted, a lot. We arrive with about 6 other early birds and head off to the catering wagon for some coffee.
It's still raining heavily after the Straightliners crew turn up, so we are told to relax and signing on will be delayed. Signed on with Helen and Martin for my first top speed event ever and made to feel very welcome, and got to meet Becci Ellis the worlds fastest lady at 264 mph. Scrutineering is also delayed because of the rain and really the whole morning is wasted due to the bloody weather. Tantalising glimpses of sunshine come and go with heavy showers, gusty winds and arse freezing 4 degrees of temperature continuing to spoil things. This does mean we had plenty of time for chatting about bikes with some really top folk like Jason and Lee. Both these guys run trick turbo charged bikes and run them in the world wheelie championships with speeds over 200 mph on the back wheel !! We also met some other guys from Plymouth who have built a steam powered Busa !!! I am not kidding and is the most incredible thing to watch and listen to. Think is was run twice and topped out at around 80 mph.
About 13:00 things have improved and we are asked if we want to try it, and about a third of us are up for it. Being the only newbie playing today I am taken for a lap of the track with all the rules by Trevor, and told first timers should aim for 150 tops. There is a marginal dry line but there are puddles and standing water all over the track.
I'm third down the track for my first ever run and bimble down tripping the lights at 120 mph. The wind is fairly strong from the north which is hitting us hard from the left. I arrive back in the pits for a debrief with Si, to go straight back out for another sighting run at 130. It's very sketchy with all the different elements being thrown at us.
By half three the track has dried enough to allow some serious runs to be put in and I trip the lights on run number 9 with a best speed of 175.517 mph !! I am well pleased with result as this placed me 3rd fastest person on the day with only Jason's turbo and Zef's supercharged Busa ahead of me. Fastest run of the day was 196.068 mph.
The video shot by Si below is my 175 mph run and taken several hundred meters after the timing lights so this is in the roll off area.
Finally before I sign off thanks Si ! Brilliant trip and I couldn't have done it without you. Here's looking forward to July.
