Race Blog - Dunton, spring 2008

Jamie Walker spent the winter on the race track at Hillingdon, West London. Now he has ventured east and raced at the Ford test track at Dunton in Essex.

Here's Jamie's take on road racing on a motor circuit :

Dunton 15/03/2008

Its been a while since I successfully finished a race, hence the large gap in between reports. Today (15/3) the race was held on the Ford test track, so from my experience of test tracks I was expecting Nurburgring style banked corners, and I wasn't wrong, one of them even being on a hill. I will point out this was a 2/3/4 cat race so I wasn't expecting anything out of today other than experience.

The race got underway and two riders were off from the start collecting around a 45 second lead for around 2-3 laps till they were pulled in but in-between that 6 other cat 2 riders went away and stayed away. Come the second lap I was dropped off the hill because I lost concentration and was leading the group before the hill, although the group of four that I was in, the other 3 riders took a turn of no more than 7 seconds each and when it was my turn to drop off no one came, so I just slowed the group down till someone passed but by that point I was spent. I was dropped along with another lad who, by looking at him, he was quite bulky but I thought he would have the power to pull both him and myself back to the group on the decent, but after a split second of trailing him I realised he didn't so I passed and pushed to catch the group who had pulled a 30 second lead on me.

It took me a whole half a lap to catch the group through so extremely clever cycling not to over spend myself before the hill again. This time I learnt my lesson and was near the front before the hill but not leading this time. The pace was steady, a little too steady at times and on every lap we could see the cat 2 riders gaining on us as we passed each other on the two-way straight. We get signalled final lap and the pace slightly picks up but not much as we enter the hill which is just after the start/finish line and the cat 2 riders catch us all as we climb the hill, which appeared a little bemused by some of our riders as they tried to move to one side.

Coming down the other side of the hill the pace picks up again as we roll to around 35mph and the pace is almost held to this pace as we come down and enter the next corner. I'm holding my own around the middle of the pack, looking out for the breaker but nothing happens till we pass the last corner onto the finish. I'm telling myself not too sprint to early, not least until I can catch a wheel to follow to the line. ITS OFF!! everyone going for the sprint, I push hard but still in the saddle, passing riders, and shouting to the slower riders to move out of my way, I'm getting tired, power is slipping but I'm in 4th and tell myself I can rest in 20 second's but not now, not yet. I hold 4th and cross the line to finally finish 9th overall but the highest placed Cat 4.

The track is great, as I said there is a slight hill that slows the group down as it has to contend with the banked curves too, which also is hard to hold your line on as the banking is trying to push you back towards the the edge of the road. there are about 3 bumps that are easy to contend with, 2 you can't avoid no matter where you are on the road. I would definitely say give it a go.