Jake's Report:

When Dad and me arrived at the track, the awnings, vans e.t.c were allready set up thanks to Lizz, Gipp, Clair and Allan. After getting the caravan set up we started to get my bike ready for scruitineering. Despite the efforts of the track crew, the track was very cold. First run out I ran a 10.10 @ 66mph qualifying me second. Because of the cold track there was a lot of wheelspin, so we decided to drop the rear tyre pressure and go out for another run with a bigger burnout. Unfortunately due to small flurrys of snow throughout the day we would have to wait until Sunday for our next run. The big burnout heated the clutch causing the bike to drag me through the startline and red light. Apart from the clutch, this tecnique was working well so we decided to keep the same approach for the next run. Later, Dad decided to check the weather station and the adjusted altitude was under –300! Terrible for engines. After some consideration, we decided that it was too late into the meeting to change the jetting. Monday began with a surprise qualifying run then straight into eliminations. Jordan Bissel had allready left the track due to the cold weather leaving me a bye into round two. Round two and I was against Lou, the run went well and some very close racing, he won by just .04 of a second. He later went on to win the meeting.

I would like to thank Dad, Lizz, Steve at Motorshack and my new sponsor, Doug at Ensys. There will be videos of the meeting at youtube.com/nitrousjunkieracing including on board footage from my bike.

Lizz's Report:

My weekend didn’t actually start too well. It was the first time I took the van to the track and had to set up, usually I swan along after it’s all done by Kev, but as he wasn’t racing, he went to fetch Jake from Southampton, leaving me with a van that I hated driving and awnings I had no clue how to put up!

Thankfully, Richard Gipp turned up, as well as Allan Davies, our Crew Chief Chris, and Sarah (Minx) Chapman – Gippy got me organised, and that was just as well – so thanks so much for the help!

All set up pretty much, off to get scrutineered, sorted and ready for the following day. It was about that time, when we stopped we realised how bloomin’ cold it was. There was frost on the windscreens, and shivering crew. It was going to be a cold night! (Minus 5!)

Saturday morning came, and we woke to snow flurries, which refused to disappear. My bike had to have the fan heater put on it to get the oil a bit more fluid, eventually she started, put on the 2 step and ready to race. We had already decided that due to a few changes over the winter, where we had done away with the head gasket and now using bigger power rings made by Dave Branch, we were in unknown territory, a normally aspirated run was the sensible thing to do. We also had no idea how the track would be, and had already made the call not to change last year’s slick. Every time we were called the snow started again!

Eventually we got down to the pairing lanes, round to the burnout box, nice burnout, into 1st, staged, launched, shifted, and then found I could shift no more…… and seemed to have no air to do this either ! I eventually got to the end in a pretty dismal 22 seconds at about 29mph, giving me plenty of time to appreciate how smooth the track surface was, (or something!) Got towed back to the pits a bit miffed and baffled.

Kev and Chris found that a seal on the air shifter ram had forgotten how to be a seal, and this was what had caused me shifting issues – my constant pressing the button being in total denial had emptied the air tank, so we were barking up the wrong tree for a while. So that all sorted and thanks to Ray Debben for his input, I was ready to race again.

The rest of the day progressed, myself and the crew got considerably colder as did the temperature. I was getting a bit concerned about the conditions, and if I really wanted to go out again, when I noticed “someone” had written “NO” on the damp bodywork – the racing was stopped for that very reason several minutes later! Dew point had hit. We would have to wait until tomorrow to see if the shifting issue was cured.

Sunday couldn’t have been any colder could it? With an icy wind, it was bitter. Spent the first part of the morning wishing I could hibernate, and trying to keep the bike, myself and my poor crew warm.

Track temp was at zero, but according to the weather station the air was good. Comp Bike was called and off we went to race! Nitrous on this time, as I had a bit of ground to make up, launched hard, wheel spinning along the way, drifted to the right, corrected, and scampered to the finish. It all happened very quickly, and I felt, it was quite a messy run. Something fell off though. When I looked over the bike, it turned out to be a wheelie bar board. Chris had just had them made for me, sorry Chris, and sorry Ensys! So what was the run time? To be told when collected that I had just run a PB of 7.61 @ 164 mph on a freezing track, was more than we could have hoped for, and number 1 qualifier too! Happy Days.

Nothing broken, apart from the board, the bike was all prepped for the next run. No issues, a very similar, bit slower, 7.64 @ 167mph. The new track is awesome. Who would think it possible to run the numbers on a track as cold as this!

I sat out the last run, so we could do a bit of maintenance, I must mention, it is quite nerve racking watching your class, and wondering if you have done the right thing is missing a round. Jem Vens run looked pretty quick, but not as quick as me (yet) Allan was getting quicker, and ran a PB, Harold was creeping up. But I kept the No 1 qualifier position. We had another qualifier in the morning, but we had already decided to spare the motor in the cold conditions for eliminations. Good call, it was still pretty cold. Harold at last had found his missing seven, but unfortunately had broken beyond “at the track repair” and Jemma too snapped a cam and was unable to make the first round of Elims. I had Phil Crossley in the first round. I don’t know what I was thinking about, I got rattled when I couldn’t get the bike to burnout, and once it did burnout, I was a bit flustered, short shifted all the way up, and didn’t feel I was making a very good job of keeping the bike straight. A very messy 7.95 @ 159mph, but enough to get me through to the next round to Phil’s 8.85 @ 132 mph.

I had a bye into the Final, and just staged as it was so cold I was beginning to feel that part of me were dropping off, and just waited to see who I had in the final. It was between Allan Davies, and Phil Leamon. Allan was improving all the time, but Phil took the win.

So here I was, first meeting of the season in the Final. Mr Leamon has demon reactions, and there was no way I would ever be able to compete with that so I would have to chase, and not red light.

As it goes, I was not too far behind and overtook him, running a 7.72 @ 164 to Phil’s 8.32 @159mph. My first Event win!

Big thanks goes to my wonderful Kev for the motor, the support, the mentoring, and mickey taking, Ken Cooper for “Cooperizing” like a boss, Dave Branch, Richard Gipp, Jake, and Chris Pyke. What a bloody marvellous team we are!

Additional thank yous go to Minx and Vizman Kustom Art for Sponsoring the meeting, and Minx for coming to Crew when she really should have been home nursing lemsips, Julie Moxley for endless cups of tea, fantastic soup, and Team building! Thanks to my Sponsors :- Doug Cheke at Ensys and Tony Gillam at Abbey Motorsports, and all the amazing people who took the trouble to come and wish me well, and came back to congratulate me when I won.

Lastly huge thanks to Eurodragster, the relentless Track Crew, Marshalls, and all at Santa Pod. The track is fabulous, with some heat in it; it is going to be amazing!