Following some issues with 3rd gear on the Kawasaki ER650 Supertwin at Round 4, the gearbox from our spare engine was installed for this meeting. A relaxation in COVID restrictions meant that Lorna and the kids could enter the paddock at this meeting, and it was nice to have them around - as Darley Moor Round 5 finally delivered the dry summer's day that we were all hoping for..

We headed up to the circuit on Saturday afternoon, and watched some BSB racing on the Quest freeview channel, before getting the usual scrutineering and signon tasks out of the way. We then headed out for a track walk with Stephen Degnan and Nigel Race. Hopefully Dave Snr was listening carefully as he will be taking part in his first-ever track day at Darley Moor on Monday 19th July as part of the "Peter Hood 'Lofty' Track Day" - we'll let you know how he gets on!

​Onto Sunday and it looked like the showers forecast earlier in the week would be avoided. We headed out into the Twins qualifying session and qualified in 2nd position, then headed out into the Formula 600 session where we qualified in 4th position. During the day we experienced some issues with both the cameras and the lap timer, so we don't have a full selection of videos and/or overlays for the meeting like we usually do.

All races in this meeting were scheduled as 10-laps. Our first race of the day was the Allcomers Cup. We drew a 15th grid position "out of the hat" and as soon as we headed onto track some 'mental rain' landed on our visors and screens. We got a great start, entering the Wilsons chicane in 4th position, and by the end of the opening lap we managed to move up to the lead. On lap 2 we were passed by both Chris Moore and Jim Hodson. We kept on going at our pace and then on lap 5 the rain shower got a little heavier - as we couldn't catch the leaders and had a large gap behind, we just managed the race to finish in a comfortable 3rd position.

​Next was Formula 600 Race 1 and we managed to retain our 4th place position from the grid to the chicane. We circulated in 4th position for a couple of laps and then got a bit impatient and tried some optimistic (and unsuccessful) moves on lap 3 to try to get into 3rd position - one at Park corner and another at the hairpin (circa 2:20 and 2:45 on the onboard video). These failed attempts moved us back into 5th position, so we regrouped and then tried to progress again. By the end of lap 4 we had managed to move up into 3rd position, but were 2.60 seconds behind the race leader. We put in some clean fast laps and closed the gap until we caught a backmarker at Townleys on lap 9. At the chequered flag we were 0.92 of a second behind race winner Ben Handley, Albert Walker finished in 2nd place and we finished in 3rd place.

​There was now a lunch break, so we took the time to relax - safe in the knowledge that we were ready for the 'important' afternoon races (which give points and trophies). Twins Race 2 was called so we started final preparations - and it was at this point that we noticed that the tyres on both bikes were stone cold. It transpired that "one of the children" had switched off the tyre warmer extension lead at the plug socket in the caravan... So we switched them back on and waited until the very last moment to head to the assembly area, which gave the tyres around 5 minutes on the warmers.

Knowing that we couldn't attack from the off, we made a plan to spend several laps warming the tyres and then to ride as hard as possible to capture as many championship points as possible. We felt lucky that today's races were 10 laps!

At the end of the warm-up lap, the ever-quick Jim Hodson was forced to pull out of the race with a mechanical issue and didn't take the start. When the lights went out we cautiously pulled away and entered the chicane in 4th position - carrying as little speed as possible in order to not crash on our cold tyres. We continued to ride steadily and dropped to 5th place by the end of the lap. Each lap we got a little quicker but by the end of lap 3 we had already dropped to 6.14 seconds behind the leader, so decided to chance upping the pace. By the end of lap 5, we had moved up to 2nd place and were less than 4 seconds behind leader Richard Hunt. We managed to bridge the gap and took the lead on lap 7. At the chequered flag we took the win, with Richard Hunt taking 2nd position and Anthony Thane taking the final podium spot.

​A special mention goes out to 5th-place finisher Matthew Birks who had a brush with the barrier at Townleys (circa 3:02 on the onboard video) and managed to keep upright across the grass and rejoin at the middle of the hairpin!

​The final race of our day was Formula 600 Race 2. A decent start saw us enter the chicane in 4th position. The laptimes for the top 4 were very similar, so making a pass was tough, but we managed to force a pass through to 3rd place at Park corner on lap 5 - we ran wide but managed to just stay ahead into the back esses.

We then rode hard to close the gap to the leader and at the end of lap 8 the Top 3 in the race were covered by just 0.90 of a second. But at Park corner on lap 9 we got caught up with a backmarker (circa 8:22 on the onboard video) which broke the tow and we unfortunately lost touch with the leading group. Albert Walker took the race win, with Ben Handley taking 2nd place, and we took the final podium spot! Although we were disappointed that we couldn't keep the fight going until the chequered flag, we were happy with our overall performance.

After Round 5 (of 8) of the 2021 Darley Moor season, the championship tables currently look as follows.

FORMULA 600 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP 10)
Albert Walker       39
Tom Fisher          30
David Carson     23
David Glossop      14
Ben Handley        12
Richard Wardle    10
Jordan Bannon     10
Richard Baker       8
Liam Weston         8
Tim Walsh            6

TWINS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP 10)
David Carson     37
Jim Hodson          30
Anthony Thane     18
Richard Hunt        18
Sean Seddon        12
James Barnett      10
Andrew Herd         8
Kieran Jackson      8
Martin Kelly           7
Steven Pritchard    6

​Whilst packing up after this hectic day we noticed that the titanium Arata exhaust on the Supertwin had cracked, so that will need to be sent away for repair prior to our next race meeting. Our next race meeting will be Darley Moor Round 6 on Sunday 12th September - but before then, Dave Jnr will be doing some wingwalking, which includes a 'loop the loop' along with other aerial feats!  We'll see you soon :-)
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Here are some photos from Darley Moor Round 4, taken by official Darley photographer Tony Else...

After weeks and weeks of glorious sunshine, the weather forecasts changed as we approached Round 4 of the Darley Moor championships... But despite a damp start we ran on dry tyres all day.

Boris' extension of the COVID restrictions meant that the race organisers would not allow under-13s into the paddock, so once again Lorna and the kids were unable to attend (which will also apply to the next meeting) leaving the Two Daves to celebrate Father's Day together at the track...

There were bumper grids for this meeting, with the programme showing 31x Formula 600 entries, 18x Twins entries and the Allcomers race had the maximum 36-rider entry with a couple of reserves - the first time we can remember seeing an oversubscribed grid at Darley!

We fit new dry tyres and new brake pads for this meeting and in the Qualifying sessions spent the first few laps making sure everything was bed-in correctly. We qualified 2nd on the Twins grid and 10th on the Formula 600 grid.

​Our first race was the Allcomers race, where grid positions are selected "out of the hat". Usually we get quite lucky but this time we picked 32nd on the grid! After a hectic race we made our way passed 30 riders to finish in 2nd position.

​Twins Race 1 was next. Off the start we got stuck in 2nd gear, meaning that we entered into the Wilsons chicane in 6th place, but we were soon elevated into 5th when CB500-riding Ben Coyle ran into the rear tyre of an SV650. We caught and passed some riders to move into 2nd position by the end of lap 2, where we finished - with Jim Hodson taking the win and Anthony Thane taking 3rd position.

Following a lacklustre qualifying session, we started Formula 600 Race 1 from 10th on the grid and after the end of the opening lap we had dropped to 11th place. We lacked some aggression/confidence in making passes, which made moving forward through the pack difficult, but eventually we made some moves and finished the race in 7th place - with plenty to think about for the afternoon's races!

​We were now into the afternoon - and to the races that mattered - with points and trophies now on offer! First up was Twins Race 2. From our 2nd-postion grid spot we entered the first chicane in 5th place (race starts are not our friend today!), but managed to get back to 2nd place by the end of the opening lap - albeit 3.04 behind of race leader Jim Hodson. From here we tried to put in clean fast laps, but that unfortunately just wasn't enough, and at the end of the 8-lap race we finished in 2nd position 7.38 seconds behind Jim, with 3rd placed James Barnett a further 17.71 seconds behind us.

Our final race of the meeting was Formula 600 Race 2. For the first time in the day we felt that we rode well in this race. We got a great start from our 7th position grid spot and were 4th into the chicane. Our gearing was spot-on for today's conditions, topping out at 144mph on the Pope Straight and on the rev limiter for around a second. On lap 2 we managed to move up into 3rd position, which we kept for two laps before Jordan Bannon came passed. At the end of the race, Tom Fisher took the win, Albert Walker took the runner-up spot, Jordan Bannon took third and we finished in 4th position.

​Darley Moor Round 4 marks the mid-point of the 2021 championships - but as Round 1 was cancelled and there were no championship points awarded at Round 3 (which was a shame as we had some good results there) - the championship tables currently look as follows.

FORMULA 600 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP 10)
Tom Fisher         30
Albert Walker     24
David Carson   13
Richard Wardle   10
Jordan Bannon   10
Richard Baker      8
David Glossop      8
Tim Walsh           6
Joe Duggan         6
Lewis Davies        4

TWINS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (TOP 10)
Jim Hodson         30
David Carson    22
Sean Seddon       12
James Barnett     10
Andrew Herd        8
Anthony Thane     8
Steve Pritchard     6
Richard Hunt        6
Andrew Lloyd       5
Ben Coyle            5

​Our next race meeting will be Darley Moor Round 5 on Sunday 11th July. During the Twins races an issue with 3rd gear appeared on the Supertwin, so that will be investigated and resolved before then. Other than that, we just intend to enjoy this beautiful British summer!  :-)
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The heavens opened for Darley Moor Round 3, resulting in the meeting being abandoned after the first half of the race schedule had run. The Sunday evening was extremely pleasant, but there were a plethora of weather reports available advising of the forecast Bank Holiday Monday conditions - all of them had rain listed somewhere throughout the day, but "when will it land?" was the question on everyone's lips...

On Monday morning, the sprinkles of rain got heavier around 9am, so that was when we made the decision to switch across to wet tyres on both machines. Along with the tyre swap, we also made some corresponding suspension adjustments to the forks (as typically we leave the rear settings the same).

​Prior to the Twins qualifying session we had a little bit of drama. Having started and quickly warmed up the Supertwin we took it to noise testing, where we couldn't find Neutral (due to poor clutch adjustment after recently installing the uprated clutch springs) and we stalled the machine. A prod on the electric start brought it back to life and we performed noise testing before leaving the area to adjust the clutch lever. Unfortunately we stalled the bike again so just decided to make a blind adjustment. Another prod on the electric start showed that the battery voltage was now low and it wouldn't spin the starter motor quick enough to start the engine. After a brief intermission we tried once again and it fortunately roared into life! Phew, out into qualifying... This was our first time using Bridgestone W01 wets, so we carefully scrubbed them in then started to circulate a bit quicker. At the end of the session we were surprised to learn we had qualified in 2nd position, just 0.06 of a second off pole position, as we felt comfortable doing those lap times.

In the Formula 600 qualifying once again we spent a few laps scrubbing the tyres before getting faster. Again, we managed to qualify 2nd on the grid, but this time 0.61 of a second off pole position.

​We took the decision to take 2 turns of preload off the Supertwin shock before the Allcomers Race. In the assembly area we drew the 11th grid spot out of the hat, then when the lights went out we got a flying start and managed to work our way up to 2nd position by the end of the opening lap. Mark Brailsford on his Honda CB500 was flying in the wet and cold conditions but we took the race lead on lap 3 and then led for majority of race. On lap 8 (of 10) Jim Hodson came passed on the entry to Park corner. We tried to tag onto him but by pushing we made a few unforced mistakes, along with catching some backmarkers at the the wrong spots. Regardless, we didn't have the speed to match Jim who took the win and we crossed the line in 2nd place. What was most concerning was that we couldn't feel our fingers after 6 or 7 laps - so it was time to defrost next to the caravan heater for a while...

Next up was the Twins race which shared the track with the PreInjection 600 race. After another good start we entered the chicane in 3rd place, before taking a couple of laps to find a safe way through into 2nd position. From here, a few of the PreInjection 600 riders came passed but we managed to hold onto our 2nd place finish in the Twins class at the chequered flag.

Over the next hour or so, the rain continued to fall and the weather conditions were now very cold and very windy.

From our front-row grid position for the Formula 600 race, we dropped back to 5th position out of the chicane, but managed to pass two riders at the hairpin and then moved up to 2nd position by the end of the opening lap - 3.14 seconds behind race leader Rich Baker. After putting in some strong laps (including the fastest lap of the race), by the end of lap 4 we were just 0.51 of a second behind the race leader. We now experienced a new problem though - closely following Rich meant that we were riding through a lot of spray and struggled to see. With worsening track conditions meaning that we were now wheel-spinning across the puddles down the Pope straight  - along with locking up our brakes twice on braking for Paddock corner - we decided that a 2nd position finish (meaning a 2nd place grid spot for the points race) would be fine.

​Shortly after the Formula 600 race, it was officially announced that the meeting would be abandoned due to the standing water on the circuit. Trophies would be awarded based upon the results of the races that had already been run, but no championship points would be awarded (which in the scheme of things makes our attendance at the meeting quite pointless - no pun intended!).

​We met Mike Gittings after leaving the circuit to collect a one-piece race leather suit - which should allow Dave Snr to participate in his first-ever track day later this year. Another (quite random) thing that happened on the way back to Two Daves HQ is that we hit a pothole on the M6 and watched the caravan wheeltrim pop off and casually roll across three lanes of traffic before coming to a rest by the central reservation... The next one will be held on with a cable tie!

Now for some good news - for the next Darley Moor meeting (Sunday 20th June) spectators should finally be allowed to attend - so if you do come along to watch then please give us a wave! But before then, we will be attending a Flat Track school to get some practice with a bike moving around beneath us!  :-)

Here are some photos from the opening Darley Moor meeting of 2021, taken by official Darley photographer Tony Else...

​Racing is back once again! Unfortunately, Round 1 of the 2021 Darley Moor championship had to be cancelled due to COVID and because of current restrictions we were unable to camp - so everything had to be done in one day.

​Despite the unpleasantness of a 4.30am departure from Two Daves Racing HQ, the club made changes to ensure that the day ran very smoothly - with both the race office and scrutineering opening earlier than usual.

​Following hours of work on our trusty race machines during the off season, when it was time for noise testing our Kawasaki Supersport machine refused to fire into life. For whatever reason, the fuel pump was not priming and therefore not sending any fuel into the engine. After an inspection of all fuses and some of the wiring, there was no change - so it looked like the Formula 600 races would be off our schedule for the day.

Our Kawasaki Supertwin (with its newly repacked exhaust) flew through noise testing and then we were out into the qualifying session for our first track time in 2021. We took it slow and steady, building pace at a consistent rate, and then noticed that on wide-open-throttle the clutch was slipping. We tried our best to ride around the problem and somehow managed to qualify for the Twins race in 2nd place. When we returned to the paddock I then managed to break the GoPro mounting - so there are no videos from this meeting, which is a shame because we had some cracking races!

Our first race of the day was Darley Moor's first race of the season - the Allcomers race. Grid positions are chosen "out of the hat" and our starting grid position of 15 (from 29 starters) couldn't be any more average - we had 14 riders in front of us and 14 riders behind us. It appears that everyone was very eager to get racing underway as the start was madness! As soon as the red lights switched on... one racer on the front row moved, then another, and then the majority of the field. We waited eagerly until the red lights went off before we set off but by the time we got to Park corner on the opening lap, the red flag was being shown - the organisers must have thought that it was quite pointless giving half the field a jump-start penalty, so we restarted (albeit losing a racing lap as it was now a 9-lap race).

​Being mid-pack, when the race started there were bikes everywhere and it didn't take long for us to lose track of our race position - so we just looked for a bike ahead and tried to catch it. The results sheet advised that by the end of lap 3 we had moved into 2nd position and were 6.04 seconds behind race leader Jim Hodson. Over the next six laps we made some time and lost some time, before being in a position on the final lap to make a passing move at Paddock corner. It was only when we returned to the paddock that Dave Snr advised that we'd won the race!

​After a short break we were back out in Twins Race 1, where we started from 2nd position on the grid. A decent start kept us near the head of the pack and we moved into the lead at the end of the opening lap. We then tried to pull a gap, but by riding more aggressively the clutch began slipping quite badly. After a few clean-ish laps we looked behind and saw Jim Hodson glued to our tail. We tried to put in some smooth laps without burning up the clutch, but knew that Jim was right behind us. On the final lap, he made an appearance and came passed along the Pope straight whilst we were both overtaking some backmarkers, but we managed to retake the lead on the brakes and crossed the line to take the win by 0.36 of a second!

​During the long break between races, Dave Snr continued to investigate and play around with the Kawasaki Supersport and its wiring. After a while he decided that enough was enough, as we couldn't find any faults. It was at this point that we thought to check for any fault codes logged on the dash - when we did we heard the fuel pump had kicked into life. A prod of the starter button and the bike purred into action. Very confusing, since we had neither replaced any parts nor knowingly fixed any problems... Regardless, we didn't care and took the opportunity to prep the machine for Formula 600 Race 2 - albeit we would need to start from the back of the grid.

Our Twins Race 1 victory meant that we started Twins Race 2 from pole position. We knew that Jim Hodson probably had the best of us (and was probably toying with us in Twins Race 1) but were feeling comfortable on the bike so wanted to try to put up a good fight. When the lights went out we got a decent start until we got stuck in 2nd gear! This meant that we entered Wilsons chicane in 6th or 7th place, but managed to get back up to 3rd place by the end of the opening lap - 1.8 seconds down on the leading pair of Jim Hodson and Sean Seddon. By the end of lap 3 we were just 0.7 of a second behind the leader, so we were back in contention.

​But the final 7 laps of the race were frustrating - as every time we made an overtake we were then repassed on the following straight (which wasn't helped by the slipping clutch). A favourite passing spot at the hairpin was not available through a lot of these laps due to the presence of yellow flags. So on the final corner of the final lap of the race, we attempted a last-ditch "around the outside" move that didn't work and crossed the line in 3rd place - 0.16 of a second behind Sean Seddon in 2nd place, with Jim Hodson taking the win a further 4.39 seconds up the road. A good fun battle of a race and a nice reminder of why we love racing!

The final race of the day was Formula 600 Race 2, where we lined up from last on the grid (20th). Our aim was to check that everything was running well, and if so, to see whether we could get a Top 10 finish (as championship points are awarded to 10th place). We got a great start and by the end of the opening lap were in 9th position. We kept on trying to chase down people. Nearing the end of the race we started to see familiar racers in front of us such as Tim Walsh and Rich Baker. At the end of the 10-lap race we crossed the line in 6th place, but as the 'wildcard' race winner wasn't taking points or trophies, we were awarded championship points for a 5th place finish - which worked out great for us!

​After a great opening meeting, we leave with a few jobs to do... Our plan is to look into Supertwin clutch issue (checking the stack height and installing some new EBC heavy duty clutch springs), as well as revisiting the Supersport wiring and fuel pump issue.

This opening weekend wasn't kind to everyone though, so we would like to send our best wishes to Zach Tansley and Lee Smith who both suffered injuries during the race meeting - Get Well Soon lads!

Our next race is planned for Darley Moor Round 3 on Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May. There may be a possibility of spectators being allowed to the event - if so, please give us a wave!  :-)
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