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Race one is first after lunch, we form up, one sighting lap and form up again, the lights are a long long way away!!! I’d had two crap starts at Castle Coombe so tried a different technique to get off the line – just whack the throttle wide open and dump the clutch!! It works, bit of wheelspin but I get away well, accelerate hard into the first right hander and there’s just a solid mass of bikes, have to throttle off and we fight our way round three abreast, through avenues and into the fast left hander of Cascades still in a gaggle, we string ourselves out a bit then on the run to shell and I settle behind a yellow 620. A couple of laps and my tyres are properly warm so I set about reeling him in, he keeps looking over his shoulder on the straights and I’m closer ever time, finally I get him on the brakes and set off after the rest of the pack. By now I’m getting the hang of this hanging off and fast corner speed lark so I go in harder and faster every corner, and it’s holding up well, I’m gaining on the next group. I notice Lucie Stone (Grib) up ahead, I had a great battle with her at Castle Coombe and she’s respectably quick, she qualified well at 2.18 and was three rows ahead of me so I never thought I’d get near her, but I pick off the couple of bikes in between one by one, the chequered flag comes out though just before I get up to her so she finishes ahead by 0.6 seconds. I’m confident now though, roll on race 2!!! ! finished 30th from my 35th start, best lap 2.13.30, average 72.2mph.
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