Nitrous Junkie Season Review 2017

Written by Lizz

How we are able to write a season review when none of us have been racing is amusing. It’s been as much of a busy season as ever. Just like it would have been if there were the three of us racing competitively! How does this happen??

I will try to make this as interesting as I can. We are asked what is happening with various developments – so here goes.

Jake got an unconditional offer to study Computer Networking at Sheffield University, and is going to be concentrating on this, so won’t be racing for a while. No doubt at some stage will be doing some run wots, on Kev’s old Bandit which is being rebuilt and redeveloped at present. He passed his driving test the week before he left, so was able to drive himself up there. Very proud of this chap! Jake and the team also crewed for Pete le Gros and his beautiful top fuel twin a few times, which was always such a pleasure.

Kev is still working on the build of the Top Fuel Bike, as I’m sure you can all appreciate it comes at a price, and a lot of the components are bespoke. He is not prepared to compromise on the quality of the build he wants, in order to get himself out quicker, and in his words “It will be done when it is done, life and grown up stuff gets in the way sometimes”!

He kept himself busy supporting Dave (Rocket) Peters with his funny bike, for part of the season and getting it more consistent in the 7.3’s.

He also sponsored Rocket’s Nephew, Will Pickering by loaning him Jake’s old junior bike to race for the season. The Junior bike then went up for sale once the season had finished, and sold very quickly.

He was also coerced into crewing and tuning for Lizz, who he was (mis) led to believe had retired from competition!

Lizz was offered Erik Feijt’s street bike for a season, with a challenge to try and get it into the 9’s. This incorporated a trip over to the Isle of Man (somehow) and a race meeting at Jurby, which she won! Lizz and the team then went to the Bulldog, won fastest female by the skin of her teeth, and got not only one but two nines, which was a relief!! Retirement going swimmingly, she was then offered a ride on Claire Rule’s Nostalgia Pro Stock bike. This was an odd one. “Seeing the word “Nostalgia” Lizz says, “I automatically thought that it would be slow! The bloody thing tried to kill me on numerous occasions – they launch so ferociously, you have to be ready for it. It’s nothing like a funny bike, but so much fun. I got the hang of it eventually and I want to do it again!!” She ran a PB for the bike of 9.1, which is not too shabby for a bike which was running on pump fuel, and has been asked by Claire to ride it again in 2018.

Huge thanks as always go to remarkable crew, Julie Moxley and Sarah Chapman who not only turned up to Jurby to crew for Lizz but rocked up to the testing of the pro stock bike too! Big thanks to Erik Feijt and Claire Rule for the opportunities!

Kev would like to thank Dave Branch and Dave Woodard for their help with the fuel bike project.

Meanwhile at home, planning permission applied for and has been granted for another house in the garden, and not one to make life easy, it’s been decided to build it around whatever else is thrown at us in 2018! Never a dull moment in this household!