March Masters

Home from what was an eventful weekend during my first rounds of the Masters Superbike Championship!

A very unpredictable weekend it was to say the least.

I made the journey up on Friday so I could get in some time testing out the bike on the track. After encountering a few issues with the suspension we began making adjustments but the problems unfortunately lagged in to the weekend which inevitably affected my performance. You can give a read about it all below!

Taking notes on the suspension and other tuning

Saturday Qualifying & Round 1

I started off the weekend qualifying in sixth position on Saturday afternoon with bumper to bumper lap times which had left me in a decent starting position for Race 1. Although being a little disappointed with the way the bike was turning I kept the head up and remained focused for the first race that evening and began making slight changes to the bike that I felt would boost my performance.

Unfortunately, these changes made little difference as I still had difficulty turning the bike which was very out of the norm and so I could not perform to my fullest potential despite my best efforts to. Regardless of these issues I still managed to hold my position in what was a great fight for seventh place with another racer.

Upon completing this race, my crew, colleagues and I rallied together in the pits to see what could be done to the bike to better prepare it for the following day's racing which I hoped would see me competing further up the front line. Kieran Ryan gave me guidance in regards to the suspension and helped myself and my team try to alter it in a way that would see me turning it better so I could perform to a higher standard than before. After devoting some time to its hopeful rectification there was nothing left to be done only catch an early nights sleep and keep the fingers crossed that the changes would see me through a better day for the forthcoming races.

Race 1: P6

Sunday - Rounds 2 & 3

I woke early Sunday morning to get the bike prepared and I was really excited to test the changes on my suspension. I made my way to the pits to put on the tyre warmers and do a few other little jobs to get her all set-up while getting myself mentally prepared for the day that lay ahead.

I did the warm up at 10 am and got a few laps done on the bike and although the suspension had improved it still wasn't up to standard. I was of course disappointed over this but decided to remain positive and go in to the race with a competitive attitude.

I started Race 2 from P7 and help my place on the track but it was brought to a temporary end due to a red flag being raised after an accident between two riders. I made my way for the pits and did some more tweaking to the bike for the restart but it was unfortunately brought to a quick end after another red flag being raised which had inevitably curtailed the aforementioned race.

After a couple of hours in the pits making alterations for the third race I was feeling very confident that they would be successful and I could finally compete for a more dominant position on the boards. Unfortunately, my efforts were brought to an abrupt finish when I was taken out in the first corner by another rider.

Winning the battle

All in all, it was a tough but insightful weekend of racing and I am glad I can always take home some positive aspects no matter the outcome.

I would like to sincerely thank the marshal's and medics who are the unsung heroes of the weekend. They had to deal with numerous incidents over the course of it and as usual they do it with professionalism and an admirable, caring attitude.

I would also like to thank my crew and competitors for the guidance on alterations and the tremendous support shown.

I'm racing in Kirkistown over the Easter weekend so I will post regular updates and keep you all informed on my progress up there!

Rounds 4, 5 and 6 of the Masters Superbike Championship will be happening on April 28th and 29th which is the final weekend of the month.

Stay tuned between now and then for all our updates and we hope to see you at the next round!