Race report: Snetterton-200 2018 Round 2

Intro

A greatly reduced RAFMSA team made their way to Norfolk on a wet Friday afternoon collectively wondering; why they do this, knowing full well that the weather wasn't going to get any better all weekend.

If Pembrey was the test of winter work then Snetterton was to be the proving ground, but that's not to say there wasn't any new metal on show for this meeting. Heggs had managed to get his Honda VFR 750 into some semblance of completion in the hope of entering it into the 750 Superstock (post classic) and Green had brought along his Yamaha TZ350 F2 which hadn't been seen since its last outing two seasons ago at Silverstone. Unfortunately none of the Honda MT125's or junior production 600's were to feature on the grid for this meeting for various reasons.

Post Classic 750

#14 Green

After having problems getting onto the 125 I opted to take the 350 to Snetterton, the bike is a TZ350, but built to Formula 2 rules. As this was a late entry and in a heavily subscribed class I was 3rd reserve. This meant I didn’t get out on the Saturday, however the multiple crashes made room for me to take the bike out on the Sunday. I was out in first practice of the weekend, very cold and wet so a steady ride around was in order as I hadn’t rode the bike since 2016.

Race 1 and 2 was a DNS as I was 3rd reserve

Race 3

First real ride out, I know Heggs was in front somewhere as I was having to start on the last row of the grid. As I got off the line I held onto the back of the 750 four-strokes, the class is full of P&M Kawasakis, and as the track was starting to dry out I managed to pick them off. I then caught up with Heggs and managed to go around the outside of him and then proceeded to chase down a group of TZ350’s in front. I was pleased with the first outing, I just needed to stop the bike wanting to wheelie everywhere. The bike had also been changed from a twin disc setup to a single EBC disc and a set of their GPFAX brake pads. This proved a very successful combination which allowed a great feel with fantastic stopping power. 

Race 4

DNS, opted not to ride due to the weather conditions. I was happy to have stayed on the bike.

Post Classic 500 air cooled

#157 Woodward.

Since they modified the track, (modifying/removing the best two corners), of the Snetterton 200 track, it has never been a high on my list of favourite tracks, and this weekend just knocked it lower, in the first lap of qualifying, an exhaust spring failed and the exhaust popped off the manifold. I pulled into the pits, frantically blagged some wire locking and pliers, wired the exhaust and went back out. Half a lap later the exhaust was off again as the wire had snapped. As this was towards the end of qualifying, I gave up and went back to the Gazebo. Due to the abysmal qualifying I was 32^nd on the grid, desperate for a good start, I gave it to much beans and the bike threw the chain, I pushed the bike to the side and ran back to the holding area as the 250s were out next. The causing issue was resolved, but due to working on another bike, I let an inexperienced assistant re-connect the gear linkage whilst I worked on my other bike. Unfortunately I never got round to checking the linkage and on forming up on the grid for the second race it failed, so yet again I pushed it to the side and walked back to the next races holding area. The bike never completed a lap or made it past the start line all day!!!

I missed the third race for reasons which will become apparent later on. The last race was near the end of the very wet, cold and miserable weekend and due to my so far abysmal performance I started from the back. Just grateful to get a lap in, I rode the bike round in a very underwhelming manner, but at least I finished.

Post Classic 750 SUPERSTOCK

#74 Heggs 

Finally the Honda VFR750 is getting its first outing on the race track. I have wanted to race one of these right from the beginning, my road bike is a VFR800 FI and I have loved the V4 engine since riding a mates VFR400 NC30. The bike had been a bigger winter build than planned thanks mainly to my own over enthusiasm for making this thing to the highest possible standard on the lowest possible budget.

Practice was the VFR's first outing since being built, so this could have been a very short weekend. I hurriedly picked up some blue numbers to slap on the bike for scrutineering, possibly too hurriedly as I looked around in the holding area and noticed all the other VFR's were sporting black numbers. Nobody seemed bothered and the bike was going to get some paint before Oulton Park so I left them as they were. Bar a snatchy cush drive and incorrectly positioned (and rather loose) gear shift the bike seemed to be running well after practice, leaving me feeling very pleased indeed.

As I hurried to prep, I knew my first race was very shortly after the RD went for practice, which would further delay me as you will later see. A helpful message from my girlfriend telling me what races she would be watching indicated I was out for race one so I really did need to get a wriggle on to get out.

I made it in time and after a little confusion I was in, although at the back of the grid. The grid was huge and I peered through the hoard of machines to see if I could spot my nearest VFR but could not see one so I settled on chasing down some of the Yamaha FZ's for this one. The race went well despite the rain, with the VFR already feeling pretty familiar, blasting down the straights and cornering as fast as I dared on my rather slick looking Pirellis. Many of the other machines on the track seemed very quick indeed which worried me somewhat but the VFR held its own fairly well till the left footpeg started to remove itself, making gear shifting a bit problematic.

Subsequent races saw me push up the grid a little but I still struggled to make much headway against some very quick competition. Race 2's highlight was a fairly ballsey overtake made on Corums around the outside of a slower rider. Race 3 allowed me to finally see Greens 350 in action as I joined him for a lap. The bike looks fantastic and really has some poke, which my VFR was stretching to catch back up on the straights and I had no hope in the corners of matching him for performance. It was also at race 3, which was virtually dry, that I noticed my clutch was slipping when I was really giving the bike some beans. This reduced my top end performance but I was still able to get plenty of enjoyment out of the race. Race 4 was damp again but a sole overtake did give me some achievement.

Considering this was a fresh build, I was happy the bike went without any huge difficulties. Fixing the clutch and my self-removing footpeg will be a job for the following weeks. A major cause of my struggles to keep up with other racers, aside from a poor gear shift, slipping clutch and mediocre skill would later come to light when I got home. Whilst compiling this race review I noticed I had been running with the 750 clubman and not the 750 super stocks. No wonder I wasn't able to spot the other VFR's, they were still eating their breakfast!

Post Classic 250 air cooled

Practice

We only mention practice on the PC250 class as the boys have a habit of doing some more interesting things here and Heggs did not disappoint.

The racers came to a very wet track all eager and excited to get back in the safety of the gazebo to drink coffee and warm back up. However needs must, so they all took to the track, tentatively getting a feel for the grip of the track and to remind themselves of the layout of Snetterton's 200 circuit. For most; this was maybe a little wobbly yet uneventful 10 minutes. Heggs on the other hand, whilst trying to reduce a hopelessly early braking point into Riches corner on lap three, very quickly found himself sliding down the tarmac, equally, very quickly. Whilst sliding along on his back (he had a while to think) he hoped he wasn't in the way of any other riders and that he could clear himself and machine out of the way in time. As it would happen the wet track which had felled Heggs now helped him along his way till he came to a soggy stop just outside the marshals station who were also quite relieved they didn’t have to walk far to clear up yet another rider.

Race 1

#14 Green

Due to a steady practice, I started 18th on the grid. Keeping the bike upto temperature was my biggest concern due to the wet track and cold temps. I crawled my way up through the pack on a steady race pace to finish 5th. Not a bad result in poor conditions. I managed to avoid a couple of crashes which had me have to take avoiding action, but I survived an edition of man verses weather, episode one...

#15 Dickinson

After proving in practice I didn’t know the track, which was still soaking, combined with the previous race meeting’s crash I thought I’d take it steady. The track felt pretty greasy and after seeing about 3 riders fall, I kept it sensible. On the last lap coming out of the hairpin the back wheel lit up, the rear wheel went into a large slide and the bike tried to throw me off. Thinking this was more than just a damp track I pulled straight off to see a fuel hose had come off. I dashed towards the nearest marshal to warn him of a potential fuel spillage. Luckily the whole field came through the corner unaffected and post race the marshals couldn’t spot any fuel on the track.

#71 Rudd

Following a mixed weekend at Pembrey I carried out some modifications to the X7s exhaust system and engine. A subsequent dyno run showed a significant increase in usable power which made my preparation for Snetterton full of optimism.

With the rain continuing to fall, a cautious start saw me passed by Green in the early stages of the race. With fallen riders at what seemed like every corner, I managed to stick with the more experienced Green which gave me the opportunity to follow and pick up some better lines through the corners. The closing laps of the race saw me battling with a couple of other competitors to eventually finish in 12th place.

#74 Heggs 

With a massive help from the team, the 250 was taped back together in time for race one. Having just got back in after my first race on the 750 I felt pretty good to put some effort in on the smaller machine. Out on the grid however I found myself very close to the front. I decided that following Woodward into the first corner could only end badly and the parade lap had proven that all was not well with the little 250 with shaky brakes and the engine struggling at low RPM. As such my start was sensible with the aim of sticking with Rudd and Green. This might have worked if I wasn't then mobbed by the following pack of bikes. From there I continued a familiar tale of yo-yoing between poor slow speed cornering compared to good straight line and fast corner performance, leaving me in no-man's land untill the chequered flag dropped. This race was a mixture of disappointment in an underwhelming performance against not happiness of not falling off/ bike falling to bits. 

#157 Woodward.

Not many riders felt comfortable in the conditions and I was one, I struggled to keep with the front runners and dropped a place from qualifying to finish 5^th.

Race 2

#14 Green

Starting from 10th on the grid, I had Rudd next to me on the X7 and Heggs right behind on the next row. I ensured I had a good start to save me fighting to get passed either of my team-mates. Throughout the race I managed to have a good tussle with 3 Ducati 250’s, whilst keeping an eye on the grip levels. Wet racing feels a bit “He who dares wins”. I didn’t so 6th was good for me.

#15 Dickinson

Feeling a little more familiar with the track I got a half decent start. With Pembrey’s crash still fresh I was keen not to pile into the first corner too quick but found myself on the inside of Heggs with space, so carried on and passed him down the straight. I knew it wouldn’t be long until he came back passed. I then had a dice with one of the slower guys which showed how off the pace I was. Still it was more fun than the previous race!

#71 Rudd

With the weather improving and the track drying out the race pace increased. During a fairly uneventful race the X7 ran well and I managed to maintain a reasonable position, only losing one place crossing the line in 12th place. During this day a milestone was achieved. The X7 engine was not requiring a Saturday rebuild, the first in for a significant number of meetings.

#74 Heggs 

Starting from a little further back this time, I had a clear line onto Rudd and Green. I had seen our lap-times from the last race and despite finishing well behind them; our lap times were close enough that I knew I could stay with them if I could just latch on this time.

My start was poor again with the engine slow to wind up and I saw Dickinson creeping up the inside as we came to the first corner, well this could be fun at least.

I dropped in behind Dickinson, enjoying the fact that he also had no idea how to go through Montreal hairpin. The track was somewhat dryer than the mornings race 1 and I was tempted to take him on the outside at Corams, as I knew I could take that corner a lot faster, but the much wetter outside line put me off. The next opportunity came on the following lap where I out-braked him into Brundle, I fully expected his comeback as I wobbled through Nelson but as the laps wore on and several more bikes dropped behind me, I realised I must have pulled away. I managed to drag another speck of a bike towards me and pass him before the chequered flag dropped again.

#157 Woodward.

Much the same as the first race, struggled to keep with the leading pack but kept the rest of the Team a safe distance behind.

Race 3

#14 Green

With what finally felt like a dry but very cold track led to a much happier feel to the bike. Starting 9th I was able to get a great start and settled down to hang onto the back of the leading pack. I worked hard to hang onto the back, but they got away in the middle of the race. I held onto 5th place but finished 4th after seeing Woodward crash out on the last lap. Another race survived. The bike was also running slightly warmer due to a change of spark plug temperature range. This allowed the bike to run much better.

#15 Dickinson

With the track nearly dry I felt like I had a bit more mojo. I tried to follow Heggs into the first bend before some other bikes got in between us. Passing them down the straight I eyed up Heggs and tried to stay with him. Still feeling 2 corners were a bit greasy I didn’t have the bottle to try to chase him down and he slowly pulled away. In drier conditions I enjoyed the circuit but was alone again.

#71 Rudd

After a good start I was looking to improve my lap times and final position. Unfortunately, I suffered a piston failure at the end of lap 1 causing me to retire. Further investigation revealed that the piston edges had broken up. So much for the optimism after Saturday!!

#74 Heggs 

The track was as dry as it was going to be this weekend and I was determined to put Rudd behind me this time. He was going very well this weekend so was a worthwhile target for me to aim for.

I must have started better this time as only one of the faster classics was between me and Rudd as we tore up to corner two, Montreal hairpin. I followed the pair of them into the hairpin, careful not to touch the bike in front with my front wheel as we traversed the apex of the corner. As the bikes stood to enter Chapman and onto the back straight, I could see the pair of them pulling away, I was still too deep in the turn to open up and my (clearly rubbish) line brought me onto a wide damp patch so I was cautious of winding the power on as I hit the straight. This set me back but a slightly brave entry into Brundle brought them closer and I had the pace on them through the Bomb Hole and Corams. As I entered Murray I knew I had to make it through with plenty of pace, I lined my bike up with Rudd and opened up the little Yamaha’s engine aiming to overtake him up the inside of the kink just before the pit wall. By the time we were level with the pit entrance however I could see Rudd was having some trouble so I switched to his left side as his hand shot up to indicate he had an issue. I dispatched the remaining bikes immediately in front into Riche,s but by now the fast group had broken away and I could not close on them.

Another lonely finish for me.

     

#157 Woodward.

Felt a lot better in the slightly dryer conditions and managed to lead for most of the lap before fast John got in his stride and broke away at the front. This left me battling away for second with the 2 Suzukis (sigh) of Jerry Longland and Graeme Acott. Leading round the last corner (Corums), on the last lap, I thought I had it in the bag, but Graeme’s committed move round the outside made me alter my body position slightly and that was enough for the front wheel to wash out and I went down like a sack of spuds. After the distant scenery turned from blue (more like grey) to green and back again several times I finally stopped tumbling and realised that I don’t bounce as well as I used to do. I also missed the following race which was the 500 race.

Race 4

#14 Green

Very cold and wet, I played it safe and made a cup of tea and watched from the pit wall...

#15 Dickinson

After spotting an exhaust was hanging off I retired due to lack of welding equipment before the race began. It definitely had nothing to do with the cold and wet weather!

#74 Heggs 

Drizzle was coming down again and those with machines left to ride simply opted not to play this time. With my average performance today I decided to make the most of my investment and headed out to the track again. A previously ignored overflow from the carbs however proved to be more problematic than I had hoped and some hurried work was needed before I could get out (thank you again to the team).

I had made it but the racers had already paraded so I had to start from the pit lane, something I had not done before. The bike was cold and groggy so I had to be gentle to begin with. I joined the back of the group and struggled along trying to claw back into the field. On the back straight the bike seemed to lose power at full throttle, I initially thought it might be the bike cold seizing but rolling off seemed to remedy the issue. This was repeated on the start finish straight indicating a throttle issue which I would just need to live with. I managed to pick off a couple of slower machines but before I knew it; the race was over. At least I wasn't lapped.

#157 Woodward.

Due to the damage to the bike I failed to make it to the stat of this race.

In Closing

#14 Green

I am getting back into racing and feeling more comfortable on the bike, but still not a fan of the wet though. An outing on the 350 has got me realising I need to get a couple of track days in on the bike. Looking forward to having it out at Oulton park next meeting. I will be back in the garage to address the few little jobs.

#15 Dickinson

After finishing last season feeling like I had some decent pace, Pembrey’s crash and the winter off season has clearly had an effect. During the  last race at Snetterton, I was starting to feel like the bike was more familiar and I could start to push again. Hopefully with a bit more track study and decent weather, I will get back towards some racing with the other guys. However, with over 70 crashes during the weekend I am pretty pleased I didn’t come off...I’ve just got a new helmet!!

#71 Rudd

While the weekend ended with a little disappointment, the engine and exhaust changes made for Snetterton proved to be a success. A potential root cause of the repeated piston failures has been identified which a small amount of machining will hopefully fix. So the optimism continues for Oulton Park in a few weeks time.

#74 Heggs 

Not the best meeting but I still found things to enjoy. One thing is for sure and that is: sleeping in the back of a van and riding a bike in the rain all weekend does nothing to help you combat a cold. I am really chuffed the VFR performed as well as it did and look forward to its next performance. This is not a machine I will ride all the time as it is expensive to run two machines but I really did enjoy the big Honda Superstock machine. The sound of the V4's gear driven cams screaming as the Kerker can pops and crackles on the overrun is just intoxicating. Something I hope more and more Superstock riders will get to enjoy from behind me.

#157 Woodward.

Well that was a weekend to forget, it had so much potential but failed to materialise. Part of the Teams mishaps could be my fault as I stood outside of the Gazebos Saturday night and pointed out that all of the bikes were in one piece, even Rudd’s Suzuki. The development of the bikes was paying dividends and it had been an uneventful day except for Hegg’s minor mishap.  Little did I know that we would all make up for it on the Sunday.

Finally special thanks go to the companies who continue to support us: EBC brakes UK, Talon Engineering, Stahlwille UK, Forcefield body armour, MCA Leicester,   NGK spark plugs UK, Royal Air Force Motorsports Association, Royal Air Force Central Fund, Spencer Racing, Tony Salt Tyres, Witham group Motul, Speedbikepics, Sports pics, R-Tech Welding and individual sponsor for Symon Woodward: Mick Abbey tuning.