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Keith 'Fatrangi'
Roissetter !!
Pembrey and Brands 2005
Junction 46 of the M4 sounds like a fair old haul, and believe me it is. But this is where the Bemsee paddock was headed for recently as we made our way to Pembrey for the next round of the 2005 championships.
Having not raced here for many years I was out on Friday to blow the cobwebs away and get some much needed track time after missing the previous round. The Saturday races were a little frustrating to say the least. I made an average start in race one and was preparing to make up huge amounts of time when the fast starting Doug Howell collided with Steve Hoel right in front of me. I squeezed the lever and shut the gas as they momentarily tangled and I promptly went backwards as the field swept by on each side. Those two continued unabated and I arrived at the first corner well down the field. I got my head down and clawed my way back up to 10th. That meant for the second race of the day I was on row three from where I cocked up the start all on my own and played catch up all over again to finish 9th. Am I really in the right sport?
Up front it was the quadruple victor from France, Ricardo ‘Hair Bear’ Ballerini showing the way once again. In the first race he beat the field by 19 seconds in an eight lap race! Championship leader Dave ‘Monkey Boy’ Hallet and Tyler ‘streaky’ Bacon were next home, separated by a tenth. That’s more like a proper racing gap. In the second event Hair Bear eased up a little and only beat the same pair by 9 seconds. Maybe he stopped for a gasper on the last lap.
On Sunday Hair Bear topped the charts once again from Monkey Boy. In third was last year’s series runner up Pete Fishwick who had kindly leant his spare bike to Daz Mowat whose own machine had developed a problem. I was all fired up and ready to. Cursing my usual average to poor start I found myself somewhere towards the back as we charged up to the mega tight hairpin which greets racers after the start line. I whistled down the outside and passed a load of people as they almost queued up to go around the corner. Great I thought, that’s put me back in the hunt. This thought stayed with me as I rounded the corner where a bike less highsiding Tyler rolled in front of me forcing me to come to a complete halt. I thought of running over him, but it was his birthday so I cut him some slack! He scarpered pretty sharpish as I hooked first and resigned myself to hauling my fat carcass back up the field to an eventual 9th. This was becoming so farcical that I was actually laughing in my helmet.
Post race it was all hands on deck to fix Daz’s chariot as he had found the Norbar sponsored machine not to his liking. We made it, but only just.
For the final race of the weekend I made a decent start and was able to hang with the pack. This has been my meeting, or even year long cunning plan. Lately my races have been, get away badly, fight past a few people and then find the main gang have gone on without me. Miserable gits. This time I got past, Doug early in the race and ended up in a eight way battle for second with John Puk, Fish, Streaky, Colonel, Daz and Dan ‘wild boy’ Wright. Monkey boy had already lobbed it at the hairpin as he pushed a little too hard in his attempt to stay with the fast disappearing hair bear. I was last in the line when the flag came out as I had misjudged a pass on the Colonel at the same time as Tyler towed past me. I got squeezed and braked so hard and late I forgot to change down in the panic! By the time I restarted and fished first out of the box I’d lost about three seconds. At least I tried. It was great while it lasted and proved I can be on the pace. The long drive home seemed a lot shorter.
Next up it was back to Brands Hatch, and the magnificent GP circuit. At 2.6 miles it is one of the longest in the calendar and a personal favourite. In fact I have a whole stack of trophies on the shelf from this place, so I was definitely looking forward to it.
I have to stop getting my hopes up. In race one I scored a lucky sixth after Fish and Streaky were controversially listed as DNF when they and a whole load of others fell on oil at Graham Hill. From my second row start I was seventh in race two after Doug lost his clutch in front of me on lap one and I lost the front pack tow. In all honesty I don’t think I would have stayed with them anyway as my engine was down on power and I was getting slaughtered down the straights. Strange as my Graham File prepared lumps are usually a match for anything, even with me sitting on top of them.
I got a ninth and tenth on Sunday after Len Whalin towed past me both times on the run to the flag. I didn’t mind as the pair of us had been fighting hard all weekend. Doug Howell had been with us a lot of the time as well and we had great fun swapping positions several times a lap. Definitely races to remember. The only one that left me a bit miffed was the last one when firstly a slowing Wild Boy nearly caused us all to pile up as he broke down at Sheene and then a lap later Doug anchored up a bit sharpish as the yellow flags flew to announce Monkey boys demise at Westfield. Both times this ruined my cunning plan, which I think may have promoted me a position. Such is life.
No prizes for guessing who claimed the 100 winners points on the weekend. Yup it was that man hair bear who scooped the lot once again. I’d love to hate him for it but he’s such a nice bloke into the bargain. Mind you he did break my flywheel puller. Twat.
A
welcome return to form saw the number one
plate Holder Pukky in second place twice on the Saturday, which he
backed up
with a third and fourth on Sunday. Daz claimed a pair of thirds on the
weekend
and the Colonel got the other one. Monkey boy also got a second place
pot on
the weekend but saw his lead in championship overhauled. Other good
rides on
the weekend came from Lee Weston, Kevin Marshall and Andy Shaw. The
usual gang
filled in the minor places but man of the meeting in my book goes to
Pete
Fishwick. After a DNF in race one he had problems in race two, which
saw
another DNF and a whole of load of problems to sort. He, his mate Gary
and a
few other stringers worked long and hard to get the Norbar machine up
and
running. In race three he came from the back to finish a fine eighth
which he
then converted into a second along with a lap record which saw him
snick a
couple of tenths off the mark set by Hair bear the race before. Finally
he’d
been denied the hat trick of clean sweeps. Well done that scouser
The big question though is can anyone deny Walton’s fastest Washing machine repairman the title? Two rounds to go and after joining us late he’s looking good. Can Monkey Boy stay on a bike for the whole weekend? Will Daz finally admit he’s a closet hippy? Will I ever lose weight? Will anything wipe that sly grin off of Streaky’s face? Will Pukky make a late charge to re-claim his crown? Will the Colonel ever make sense after 10 p.m. on a Saturday night? Will Dan Wright ever admit he’s really Jekyll and Hyde? All these questions will be answered, and many more as the gang head to Snetterton for the next exciting instalment, YPMers go mad in Norfolk.
Yours in need of a lie down
Fatrangi