This trip to Aintree circuit kicks off our "4 race meetings at 3 circuits in 9 days" adventure... However, we were almost thwarted before we even begun - as our trusty yellow Vivaro refused to start on Thursday afternoon. The issue was diagnosed as a faulty/failed crankshaft position sensor which when replaced on Friday afternoon meant that she sparked back into life. Phew!
We travelled with the wet wheels fit to both bikes so that upon arrival we could treat both machines to some fresh new dry tyres (only our second new set all season!). Then once setup we cooked some pizza and settled in to watch the opening match of the EUFA Euro 2024. As exciting as it was, I think that was enough football to last me for a while...
We travelled with the wet wheels fit to both bikes so that upon arrival we could treat both machines to some fresh new dry tyres (only our second new set all season!). Then once setup we cooked some pizza and settled in to watch the opening match of the EUFA Euro 2024. As exciting as it was, I think that was enough football to last me for a while...
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An early start for scrutineering (7am) gave us plenty of chance to fit the new dry tyres. Little did we know that this would be the first of three times that we would need to change wheels during the day (which was 12 wheel changes!).
Like the previous round, we were scheduled to be out in three qualifying sessions and in six races - starting with the Supersport 600 qualifying. We quickly settled into the groove and managed to qualify in 6th position, which we were happy with.
We were watching the weather radar and could see that some rain was heading our way, so decided to try and put in a "banker lap" in the 750cc Twins session before the rain fell. We expected only 3-4 minutes before the rain started to fall but it turned out to be closer to 6-7 minutes when the rain drops started landing on our windscreen. We pulled in, expecting that heavy rain would soon follow, but only light sprinkles fell. But we had made the best of the early conditions and had set the pole position for our class (which was 2nd on the combined grid).
A few minutes later the proper rain fell - and then kept coming! Before long, all on-track action was halted and an early lunch was called. A river started running through our awning! Part of the track was waterlogged and needed to be pumped dry before the race meeting could continue.
Like the previous round, we were scheduled to be out in three qualifying sessions and in six races - starting with the Supersport 600 qualifying. We quickly settled into the groove and managed to qualify in 6th position, which we were happy with.
We were watching the weather radar and could see that some rain was heading our way, so decided to try and put in a "banker lap" in the 750cc Twins session before the rain fell. We expected only 3-4 minutes before the rain started to fall but it turned out to be closer to 6-7 minutes when the rain drops started landing on our windscreen. We pulled in, expecting that heavy rain would soon follow, but only light sprinkles fell. But we had made the best of the early conditions and had set the pole position for our class (which was 2nd on the combined grid).
A few minutes later the proper rain fell - and then kept coming! Before long, all on-track action was halted and an early lunch was called. A river started running through our awning! Part of the track was waterlogged and needed to be pumped dry before the race meeting could continue.
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After a break of roughly 3 hours, the on-track action resumed with Qualifying Session 8. We had swapped back to wet tyres and headed out in Qualifying Session 10 (700cc Twins) onto a damp circuit. Despite having the right tyres for the conditions, we struggled to get comfortable with the conditions - but at the end of the session we had qualified 2nd in class (4th on the combined grid), so many people must have felt the same.
Due to the delays it was decided that only one race per class would take place. Following a short break we had our first race, Supersport 600. The track conditions were apparently much better, so once again we performed a wheel swap and went back onto dry tyres. Out onto track and there were minimal damp spots in sight - it was amazing how quickly the circuit conditions had changed!
We got a decent start and exited the first corner in 7th position. During the race, two riders went straight on (giving us an automatic bump upwards in position) to 5th place and then on the final lap we managed to pick off another rider to finish in 4th position! We had been aiming for a Top 5 result during the season, so were very pleased to achieve our goal!
Due to the delays it was decided that only one race per class would take place. Following a short break we had our first race, Supersport 600. The track conditions were apparently much better, so once again we performed a wheel swap and went back onto dry tyres. Out onto track and there were minimal damp spots in sight - it was amazing how quickly the circuit conditions had changed!
We got a decent start and exited the first corner in 7th position. During the race, two riders went straight on (giving us an automatic bump upwards in position) to 5th place and then on the final lap we managed to pick off another rider to finish in 4th position! We had been aiming for a Top 5 result during the season, so were very pleased to achieve our goal!
 Photo by Jenna McKenzie |  Photo by Johnny Horley |
Next up was the 750cc Twins Race. We got a good start on the Aprilia and entered the first corner in 3rd place on track (1st in class). During the race we ended up chasing down the Kawasaki ZXR750 who was 2nd on track, which makes for some good onboard video footage. At the chequered flag we finished 3rd on track (just!) and won our race, as well as setting the fastest lap in class.
 Photo by Jenna McKenzie |  Photo by Johnny Horley |
Our final race of the meeting was the 700cc Supertwins Race. We didn't have the best of starts but managed to recover to 5th position on track by turn 2 of the opening lap. By the end of the opening lap we had moved into the class lead and into 2nd on track.
We kept our rhythm and soon we had caught overall race leader Wayne Pudge. On lap 3 we got a great slipstream down the back straight but as soon as we pulled out it was like we had thrown out an anchor (see 2:45-3:00 in the video below). We made a move on the brakes into the final corner to take the overall race lead. Wayne kept us honest all the way to the flag where we took the race win!
We kept our rhythm and soon we had caught overall race leader Wayne Pudge. On lap 3 we got a great slipstream down the back straight but as soon as we pulled out it was like we had thrown out an anchor (see 2:45-3:00 in the video below). We made a move on the brakes into the final corner to take the overall race lead. Wayne kept us honest all the way to the flag where we took the race win!
With only one race per class taking place at this meeting the organisers decided to award double-points. The championship standings now look as follows.
700cc Supertwins Championship Standings (Top 5)
David Carson 100
Stephen Johnston 58
John Miller 44
Andrew Herd 40
Tim Walsh 40
750cc Twins Championship Standings (Top 5)
David Carson 95
Stephen Johnston 61
John Miller 41
Tim Walsh 40
Andrew Herd 36
Supersport 600 Championship Standings (Top 5)
Stephen Gorton 90
Christopher Jones 86
Max Ainscouch 56
David Carson 43
Duncan Burns 36
700cc Supertwins Championship Standings (Top 5)
David Carson 100
Stephen Johnston 58
John Miller 44
Andrew Herd 40
Tim Walsh 40
750cc Twins Championship Standings (Top 5)
David Carson 95
Stephen Johnston 61
John Miller 41
Tim Walsh 40
Andrew Herd 36
Supersport 600 Championship Standings (Top 5)
Stephen Gorton 90
Christopher Jones 86
Max Ainscouch 56
David Carson 43
Duncan Burns 36
 An early Father's Day gift?? |  Just call me "Daneil"... ;-) |
With the meeting coming to a close we packed up and set the Sat Nav to take us straight to Darley Moor Round 2 for their race meeting on the following day (Sunday). You can read the Darley Moor race report here!
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