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AltoVyrus - Snetterton - June 2009
Fast. All you need to know about this Norfolk circuit is summed up in this one small word. Slip streaming, high corner speeds and the longest right hand bend in the UK. A real tyre shredder of a corner.
With only 2 left hand bends both low speed, the tyres get very hot on one side and very cold on the other. Not a confidence inspiring combination. High speeds mean heavy braking forces, and lots and lots of acceleration through the gears.
If your going to wreck an engine, this is normally one of the circuits to do so. We arrived early Saturday morning and set up. No rain and even a small glimmer of sunshine, not what we expected but very welcome.
Practice :
We checked the bike over and sent our man out. 5 laps out and he was flying. The misfire from Cadwell cured.
1 lap later and we thought we could detect a puff of smoke. 1 lap after that and the puff had turned to couldn’t see behind him as he accelerated. Unfortunately events stopped him before we were able to and he came off on his own oil at Russell’s chicane.
A relatively slow crash on the cold side of the tyre but a crash and more importantly a possible engine failure.
Phil seemed unhurt thank fully so only the bike to look at. It turned out to be a failed oil seal and easy to repair. The high prolonged oil pressures obviously finding the small nick in the seal. Bike repaired we got her dyno tested (to test the engine and to see our horsepower to weight ratio). We set the revs as per this run so we were within the specification but on the limit.
Race 1 - Saturday.
Front row of the grid (2nd place) and as the lights went out you would have thought the others had turned off their engines. Phil lead by 3 bikes lengths into the first corner.
He stretched the lead every lap and was never headed and crossed the line some 8 seconds ahead of the second placed rider. All the bikes were taken for testing post race and weighing. Not a big surprise because the Dyno was at this meeting.
To our shock the bike put out MORE power post race than before!! The 3 extra horsepower put us just over the power to weight and so we were excluded from the results. A second dyno run showed that the operator had given us a poor dyno run in the morning where the revs were not exactly synchronized. We had set the rev limit too high as a result and so with extra power as well we failed the regulations.
Result Race 1: 1st position - Disqualified from the results.
We reset the rev limiters and learned a tough lesson on making sure we are below the limit by a margin for error.
Lead weights, one finger braking and crash damage. Can you spot then all in this photo?
Race 2 - Saturday
The team is efficient and relaxed. We know that 3hp is not going to make that much difference to our top speed or lap times. To be sure we add another 4kg of weight as well.
Because of our DQ we have to start from the rear of the grid. Phil is calm, and we know we need to bag points so no do or die manouvers.
Lap 1 and as they reappear around corrams towards the start finish line we can see the extra weight and reduced power is seriously having an affect....Phil is in 3rd position!
Next lap he comes around and takes 2nd. He is some 8 seconds behind the leader. Lap by lap he reels the front runner in but runs out of laps before he can fully catch him.
Still it shows the pace of the bike and rider.
Result race 2: 2nd Position
Sunday - not so sunny.
We woke up with the sun gone and replaced with a chilly wind and rain. I wrote these words for Cadwell in the last bulletin and they applied to Snetterton. We got a dry warmup but then the heavens opened. The water laid on the track and still the rain came down ever heavier.
Race 1 - Sunday
Phil came to the line on Dunlops finest at the front of the grid and we all held our breath.
Remember at Cadwell this is when the bike started to misfire. One new loom segment later and we were rewarded with a bike clearly not too bad. Phil had decided to follow the front runners this time, let them find or not the grip levels until near the end and then pip them for the win.
As one spectator pointed out as the commentators announced his 6 bike lead into the second corner “how’s he going to follow anyone from there then?” Good point I suppose.
Look at the photos and I think you can see the skill involved. A magnificent win from flag to flag.
Result race 1: 1st position - winner
Phil Read Jnr, keeping it all together in tricky conditions.
Race 2 - Sunday
Front row of the grid....first over the line. The opposition were a lot closer but they had all weekend to dial in their bikes by now and so should be, but it’s the finish that counts and Phil and the team had a great reward for a lot of hard work.
Race 2: 1st position - winner
Championship standing 2nd overall.
Well despite dropping 25points we are still in second and only 11 points behind the lead.
It is never going to be easy at this level of national competition, so we just need to keep our concentration and commitment levels high at all times and achieve the best results we can.
Next race is Oulton Park undulating and fast through the Cheshire hills. If your free why not come along.
Settled and fast a perfect combination.
