THE WEATHER HAD TO PICK UP SOONER OR LATER

The sun had to come out eventually – it couldn’t hide forever. Fortunately it picked the right day and we were able to have a lovely dry track with the weather just right.

We were back at the Royal Arms the night before (strangely enough they let us book again). This time the ranks were swelled by members of the ZRX Owners Club. Mark Finburgh and Richard Morris were representing the Folly, accompanied by Duncan Barnes-Ceeney, Mark Chamberlain, Adam Soutar, Gerard Carroll, Philip King, Matthew and his wife, and Ian. Fortunately they were unrecognised to begin with. But once they produced the photos from the last visit, Teri, the waitress, remembered them. And it seems that after this stay, they aren’t going to forget them for quite a while either. At this rate we’ll need to find alternative accommodation.

The day started fine and dry and a good turn-out settled down for the briefing. No matter how hard he tries, Graham still can’t quite fit it all into twenty minutes. However, he’s whittling it down gradually and should have it perfected by the time we get to Rockingham.

As the action got underway the sun burst forth with such gusto that it was absolutely roasting, and it wasn’t even ten o’clock! Fortunately it clouded over a little as the day progressed and the temperature was just perfect.

To begin with the fast intermediate group were a bit thin on the ground, but as the morning progressed and riders began to feel their feet (so to speak) there were quite a few people who moved up a group and the groups became fairly even for numbers.

There were only two offs during the whole day. Bob Cope found a neutral while flying round Gerrards, and then parted company with the bike when everything suddenly slotted into place, gripped with severe force and threw him off. Fortunately Bob was ok but the bike decided to do a few cartwheels and trashed itself. The other off happened in the usual place – the exit of Edwina’s, with Alex Baskeyfield sustaining only minimal damage to both bike and self.

During the lunch break Stuart, one of our instructors, positioned a bike on paddock stands and, ably assisted by Steve, gave a demonstration of moving around on the bike, showing the correct positioning for body, arms, legs and head to enable the rider to lean off the bike and get the old knee down. This attracted quite a bit of attention in the paddock.

Two absentees, both absent for the same reason, bear a mention. Terry Harris was waiting for Claire to bring their daughter into the world – Ella Georgia arrived on 8 August. And Peter Fox was waiting for Justine to have their second son. Being a boy he decided to take his own sweet time about it and kept everyone hanging around for twelve days. Alex Hayden finally arrived on 15 August. Mothers and babies are doing fine – congratulations all round.

It made a very pleasant change to have a completely dry day with no interruptions due to rain. It enabled everyone to have a great day and progress their riding. Hopefully the trend will continue for the remaining two events for this year.

Our next event is at Donington Park on Tuesday 11th September. We are riding the GP circuit and it’s a noisy day (every day at Donington is noisy with the airport next door!). The cost is £165 so if you fancy a blast down the Craner Curves or the Dunlop Straight, get booking.

Our final event of the year will be at Rockingham, using the national circuit. There is a 105dB noise limit for this event, and the cost is £135.

Both events can be booked online at our website and accommodation information can be found under ‘Events & Bookings’. We hope you’ll come along and support us and we look forward to seeing you again.

Jackie