Fast forward to the tail end of last year and a letter marked NG Roadracing came through my door. It was my club renewal and in it was the calendar of dates for the coming season. You can imagine my reaction when I scanned down the dates and saw ‘Brands Hatch’ written there! My eyes totally lit up and any thoughts I had about retiring this year were instantly banished!
Driving down on Friday afternoon had my excitement building, all helped by a text from Ricky saying “racing, racing, racing, we’re going racing”!! A text at the same time from Sian saying “chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, Ricky’s eating chocolate” confirmed that Ricky was getting into pre-race preparation too! Arriving at the paddock entrance felt brilliant. The unfamiliar sight and sound of GT Racing Porches and Ferraris thundering around the track caught Crazy’s interest as we headed down to the paddock. Ricky had already set up and saved us a space next to his new ‘Front Row Motorcycles’ liveried van and also saved us a power point for us to hook up to; cool, no need to have a generator running all weekend! Also parked down by us was Ducati-riding Tony ‘Nut Nut’ Long. Not sure where the ‘Nut Nut’ name came from but it is pretty apt! We set up the awning in what seemed like record time (we’ll be putting a stopwatch on it next!) and unloaded the two bikes.
Yes, two bikes. Well, Deano’s mechanical DNF at Cadwell got me thinking. The initial plan was simply to bring along my roadbike in case I needed some spares but seeing as I had a spare bodykit from last year I thought I might as well fit that on the road bike to save messing about changing it all over at the circuit. I hadn’t actually ridden on the road since probably October last year so it seemed daft not using it. It also seemed daft having the mildly-tuned race engine I used in 2003 sat in a corner doing nothing so I fitted that at the same time. I fitted the wheels with the racing wet tyres on them into the bike and hey presto, I have a number 2 race bike that doubles as a wet bike in case of a last minute downpour! The added benefit was a psychological one when my competitors realised how prepared and deadly serious I was!
Chris and Tracy were running late due to traffic so while they were doing an unscheduled spot of plane spotting on the M25 we got the bikes scrutineered and I signed on at race control. Tracy took control of the kitchen shortly after they arrived and rustled us up some dinner and Chris presented me with a 1st place trophy he bought for my efforts at Cadwell; much more appreciated than prizemoney! We cruised the paddock catching up with everyone while Crazy nearly got Nut Nut’s team chucked out for riding their minimoto around the paddock (some things never change)!
Saturday morning greeted us with sunshine. Morning practice was a bit hectic as most of the NG runners had never been here before but it was good to have a shakedown and familiarise myself with the short (1.2 miles) but technically demanding circuit. The practice session also revealed a fair number of ‘ringers’; local guys who weren’t doing the full championship but had the potential to take points away from us. Mark Compton was one of them, along with Steve Iles (the guy on the expensive Ducati I beat at Silverstone) and a couple of other MRO runners too. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy!
Amanda arrived to show her support for the day and a strangely unfamiliar rattling sound heralded the arrival of Lee on his back pressure optimised BMW boxer.
I was right on the back of the grid for the ‘open’ qualifier but got a decent start and went round the outside of a lot of people into the daunting and blind Paddock Hill bend. I had my laptimer running and seemed to be doing high 53 second laps. This was probably good enough to be at the front of a trackday ‘fast’ group, but I knew the MRO guys were capable of getting into the 50 second bracket so I knew I’d have to find something extra over the weekend. It was a good feeling lining up in pole position for the SoT qualifier. ‘Nut Nut’ jumped the lights off the start and flew into the lead. I slotted in behind him but it took most of the first lap to get past. Compton came past me a lap later even though he’d started on the third row of the grid so he was obviously on the pace. I tried to follow to see if I could stay with him but he was so late going into Paddock each time he managed to pull a bit of a gap. He was quicker than me through the downhill, off camber, Graham Hill bend too, so that gave me two real points I knew I needed to work on. I was struggling for grip a little, though I was on the tyres that had done such a great job at Cadwell a few weeks ago so they were about finished. I crossed the line in second place, good for a front row start in the final.
We fitted a new pair of Dunlops and I just did a few laps of the ‘open’ A final to scrub them in and to make sure everything was ok for my main race. The day flew by and before long, we were forming up on the grid for our last race of the day. Compton was on my left on Pole, with Iles and Deano (on another borrowed bike!) finishing off the front row. I got a good start but Compton’s track knowledge allowed him to take the lead going in to Paddock. I slotted in behind to try to see if I could go with him and my times improved to around 51 seconds. The Ducati of Iles was black-flagged and had to pull in to the pits as it was belching smoke so he was out of the equation. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t make any ground up on the leader, but I finished a good second with Deano a way back in third. 20 points in the bag was a good start to the weekend but I was a bit frustrated that Compton was still so much stronger than me in those two important parts of the circuit.
For Saturday evening we had a bit of a mission planned. A leaking fork seal on Spidey nearly messed up the plan but Ricky volunteered his services and Crazy offered to stay and help. I’m not usually keen on having anyone else touch my bike but Ricky is one of the few people who I respect enough to allow get on with it. I knew he’d keep the Crazy one on a tight leash too! So, the mission; Chris, in a moment of ebay auction fever, had bought a car, or rather a people carrier, and it just happened to be 25 minutes away, somewhere between Brands and Southend-on-Sea. Chris, Tracy and I got in his car and deciphered the list of directions and arrived where the new car was. A good look around it confirmed Chris had got himself a bargain so the deal was done. Phase one of the mission completed! Now, it didn’t seem right to get so close to the seaside without paying a visit and when you’re at the seaside you’ve GOT to eat fish and chips (it’s the law there I’m told!). So, there we were, the three of us, sat on the pebbly beach, eating the most delicious fish and chips, looking out over the sea and all to the distant sound of high power boom boxes pumping out of the assembled cars cruising the seafront. Bliss. We couldn’t resist an ice cream each either, well, it was the seaside after all! Contentedly full, and with a bag of Southend-on Sea Rock for the people back at Brands, we drove back to the Circuit then headed up to the bar to find everyone. The fork seal had been done and Crazy had spent the rest of the evening messing about on a quad bike that Nut Nut’s team had brought along, so he was happy!
Sunday morning I woke early. I opened the truck’s blind at the head of my bed and I could see Druids hairpin bathed in sunlight, now there’s something to wake up to! I got up, had a shower and then walked up to Paddock Hill bend to see if I could get an idea of how I needed to attack it. I spent quite a while up there, walking between the approach along the start/finish straight, past the 100yd marker-board, over the crest and down the considerable down-hill gradient towards the apex. Looking at it from this point of view, I realised the points I’d been using for braking and then turning in were much too early. Also, stood on the crest, I realised that if I aimed for a lamp-post that was visible from way back along the start/finish straight, it would put me in the correct position for the blind turn. All I had to do was put it into practice!
Pete and Zoe arrived on their bike, along with some of their friends, Chris and Chris (which was funny when they were introduced to er, Chris!).
My first ride was the Open qualifier. I again got a decent start from my back row grid position and everyone seemed to move to the inside on the approach to paddock. I thought it was good of them all to get out of my way so I went around the outside of a whole load of them, thanks, makes life easier! I practised some overtakes on the first couple of laps and tried to get the Paddock Hill thing cracked. The problem is that you approach it real fast, still partly leant over from the last corner and the start/finish ‘straight’ is actually slightly curved. The road also rises and then starts to drop away so you can’t see where the corner is until you’re right on top of it. My ‘aim for the lamp-post’ idea seemed to work and I was braking later and later each time. On about lap four, I drafted past a guy on a Blade and this time went deeper than ever before. Uh oh, too deep. I knew I’d messed up. I think I couldn’t have braked as hard as I should have because now I was approaching the bend faster than ever. I’ve seen some big bad crashes here and I truly thought it was my turn to have one. I’ve had enough near misses and seen enough people go straight into crash barriers to know it was worth trying to get round the corner anyhow. I heaved on the bars to countersteer it into the turn and got it right on it’s side. I could hear the bellypan scraping and my toe and knee sliders were decked out as I willed the bike to make the turn. I knew I was running wide as I went down the hill but made myself look to the inside of the track to keep turning. Somehow, I survived. I guess that was a lesson in finding the absolute limit and not something that I wanted to do again! Chris had seen it from the high viewpoint of the grandstand and when I came in he told me it was the fastest he’d seen anyone go through there all day!
As I came back through the gate into the paddock, I saw a young lad stood there with a Spidey T shirt on so I gave him a wave as I went past.
It took a while to gather myself after that but was ready for the SoT qualifier. I only needed to finish in the top four for a front row start but I wanted to see if I had improved over the previous day. I took the lead away from the lights and led for the first lap. Compton came up the outside of me at Druids and cut me right up as I entered the turn. I was real close to having my front wheel taken away but thankfully I kept it together. He knew he’d made a dirty move and so he looked behind and raised his hand by way of apology. This just made me more determined so from then on I hung on the back of him better. We spent the race pretty close but he was riding ragged, obviously trying as hard as he could. He was still going into Paddock faster than me, though I had more drive on the run down to Druids. He was only marginally faster through Graham Hill bend now but from then on I had more speed. Running in close formation meant that back markers were more of a problem now and we must have scared a few of them; to be riding as fast as you can only to have two thundering Aprilias on full noise come past like you’re stood still has to be pretty intimidating! The last lap I tried my Cadwell Park move. The gap he’d pulled in the first part of the lap closed as we went down the back straight, into the Surtees left hander and as we tipped right for the long Clearways bend I began to wind Spidey up for a drag race to the line. I had him in my sights but as soon as I got the throttle fully open, the rear tyre span and slid sideways. It may have looked cool but it robbed me of drive and he beat me across the line. Still, I knew he was beatable now!
As I came back through the gate into the paddock, the lad with the Spidey T shirt was stood there again. This time I stopped to chat and told him I liked his shirt.
Time for another rear tyre change and although my result in the Open qualifier was good enough for 18th on the grid, I went off from the back of the pack, scrubbed the tyre in for three laps and pulled in to ensure I had maximum grip left for my important race.
Time flew once again and we were soon being called for the SoT final. Pete and Zoe produced a pile of A4 sized ‘Spidey-eyes’ with my number ‘53’ on them and handed them out to everyone they could find, Marion included, to line the banking on the outside of Paddock Hill bend, cheerleader style! I’m not sure if there was any dancing of chanting but I’m told they managed a good Mexican wave! .
I was ready to give it my all this time. Iles was back out on the now oil-tight Duke and Deano was looking fired up. I got a flyer of a start and led for the first lap. Compton came past into Paddock and I was determined to stay with him. I shadowed him for the next two laps but found I was matching his pace and felt comfortable. He, on the other hand, looked wild and on the limit! I had a long look behind me on the back straight and it looked like I’d pulled a good gap on the third placed man (there’s no good place to show a pit board at Brands). Without having to worry about an attack from behind, I focussed on doing something about the man in front. Time to turn up the pressure! Two laps to go I came alongside him going into Druids. He ran a little wide on the exit and I got alongside him again going down the hill. He got past a couple of backmarkers easier than I managed but I closed through Clearways and this time I had the grip to gas it early and slingshot past him, beating him across the line as the last lap flag was shown. There was another backmarker as we approached Paddock. Compton went for the outside line and I slowed a bit more but went up the inside. He ran well wide on the exit and I took the lead but I over-cooked it braking hard into Druids with the rear wheel in the air and he came back past me. He got another backmarker between us at Graham Hill but I knew I could still catch him. I could see a whole group of riders ahead of us and hoped they wouldn’t get in our way as I started my run up. It wasn’t to be though. He slipped past a backmarker in Clearways and the guy sat up in front of me. I had to back off slightly and it affected my drive onto the start/ finish straight. I tucked in as much as I could but I just didn’t have enough to make it across the line in time, though I was only 0.6 of a second behind him at the flag. A cracking race none the less and another 20 points to add to the tally so although I was a bit hard on myself for not winning I’d done a 50.8 second lap and I knew I’d ridden as hard as I could.
We watched the rest of the day’s racing and just as we were loading up, the lad in the Spidey T shirt came over to the truck. He looked behind for his parents who encouraged him with the words ‘go on’ and he came up to me with one of the race day photo’s of Spidey in action that he’d just bought, and asked me to sign it! I felt like a real star so asked him his name and wrote ‘To Mitchell, thanks for being a Spidey-fan, Andy Peck #53’. He was happy, I was proud and everyone who had seen it let out a collective “Ahhh”!
Although most people had left, I stayed on for a bit, just to take in the atmosphere of the place for a little longer, even better now the raceday noises had stopped.
So, I’ve extended my points lead over Deano, but Mark Compton (now confirmed he’ll be doing the remaining rounds) has closed right in on him and with 150 points still left, they both still have a real chance so the pressure in on. Pembrey is next; Deano always goes well there and will have his full-power bike up and running for it. Compton has apparently never been there so I’m hoping to repay him for Brands with a little Welsh lesson, watch this space……….