My expenses 2009

Without listing everything individually which will be about 20 pages long!! I've grouped things together which makes it a lot easier to add it all up.

Bike......................................................................4300
Transit..................................................................2900
Insurances & Tax (bike & van).......................................390
Entry fees...............................................................1280
Memberships & Licences.............................................160
Diesel.....................................................................830
Petrol....................................................................377
Tyres (bike only).......................................................452
Tyres (van)..............................................................68
Nutrition (Energy drinks & Gel bars)................................104
Lubricants (WD40,chain lube,grease)...............................96
Jet washer.............................................................150
Cleaning solutions (pro clean,white spirit,parrafin)..............151
Maintenance of bike (pistons,clutch,grips,rad braces,footpegs,
plugs,bearings,chains,sprockets,levers,brake pads)..............1535
Plastics (Mudgaurds,side panels,hand gaurds,fork gaurds,headlight surround,.................................................................298
Coloured backgrounds.................................................24
Race kit (Trousers,gloves,boots,helmet,waterproofs,race shirts,
goggles,roll off films,body armour,camelbak,fast fill can)..........690
Launderette (when my kits too dirty for the washing machine)....36
Jet washing..............................................................24
Practice (mx track)......................................................80
Tools (various)..........................................................119
Oils for bike (pre mix,gear oil,brake fluid).........................308
Oil & filter for van.....................................................48

Total...................................................................14,420

End of the year thoughts 2009

Yes, It’s that time of the year again when I look back and reflect on what’s gone on in the last 12 months.

Well it’s been a hectic time for me this year racing my bike. I’ve done 30 events, loads of practice, endless hours cleaning, doing maintenance, and getting the bike ready, stacks of traveling, weekends away. I remember someone said to me at one event ‘ Do you wear a name tag at home so your girlfriend knows who you are’? Sometimes it felt that way, and a massive round of applause and kisses goes to Marie for putting up with it all.

This year I got myself a brand new bike (late last year actually) and decided to go down the ‘Gasser’ route, not many 125’s of those around so I had no idea on what they were like. The bikes been fantastic and I’ve had my best ever results with it, but wether that’s due to the sheer amount of riding I’ve done I don’t know, but it’s worked for me regardless and I ain’t going to complain.

This year I decided to concentrate on 2 championships, The South West champs and the Midwest series, one being 7 rounds and the other 8 rounds. That way I considered that even with a couple of bad results, you still could have a chance to gain some points back, so where I came at the end of it all would be a true reflection to see if I was good to actually win anything! Up until this year I hadn’t even won a race, and even though I’d won a sportsman championship back in 2007, the best I ever got in that was a 2nd in one of the races, and in fact, I’ve never even managed to get a ‘holeshot’, my, how things have changed this year for me.

All the other races that I did this year were basically to fill the time in and to keep me riding in order to remain ‘bike fit’, so when the championships that I wanted to do well in came round, I wouldn’t be rusty.

So the start of 2009 saw the 1st round of the SW champs, and with a couple of events under my belt already on the new bike, I was confident. A crap result at Greymare soon blew my new found confidence out of the window and saw me finish 8th, not good then, but still a long way to go yet.
February saw me go and travel to Norfolk for the 1st round of the British champs and to be put in amongst the big boys. I couldn’t believe I had to do a 22 mile lap in 73 mins! But I’ll tell you what, I gave it everything and only faltered later on in the event, and after 4 laps I finished over 20 mins down on time, but so chuffed to finish at all and it gave me so much confidence.

March was the 1st round of the Midwest series, not a good start with a 9th place, another poor result. April was better as I got a 2nd place in a SW champ round, things were looking up! And the month of May gave me a better result in the Midwest series with a 5th. This month also saw me rip the sump off my van whilst driving home from a race up in Surrey, Got home at 5am on Monday morning from that one!

June came round and the dreaded ‘Nancemellion’ round of the SW champs, I’ve never done well there and today would be no different, a 6th place, and not happy. My aspirations of winning this series weren’t going well. Confidence was restored a week later when I had a 3rd at the Midwest race, so felt a bit better after that. Also 2 weeks later I had a 2nd place at a SCEC event, so maybe I thought things were beginning to ’click’ for me?

I think I really got it together after I finished another round of the British champs at the knighton enduro in Wales. 55 miles laps in pissing rain in a welsh forest which saw me soaked to the bone on the Saturday after over 6 hours worth of riding. I remember hanging all the gear up In the back of the Transit to dry and kipping In the front of the van, falling asleep at 9pm and hoping all my kit would be ok to put on the next day. Of course it wasn’t, and there’s nothing worse than doing another 3 ½ hours racing in soggy kit, silly me I didn’t take any spare race clothing did I? And another thing, all I had was 2 gel bars before riding that day because I got to the catering van too late to have any breakfast. Still, I finished both days and was as pleased as punch and was now starting to ride the bike with a huge amount of confidence.

July was undoubtedly my best month, and I had back to back wins in both the SW round and the Midwest races. The Midwest race was probably the best I’ve ever ridden, the conditions were awful, everybody was struggling, but I won by an extra lap and beat all the bigger bikes as well.
August, Another SW round came around quickly and I was going for a hat trick of wins!!! But it wasn’t to be, and whilst lying in 2nd place my clutch went, still ended up in 5th that day so not a bad result. The Dawn to Dusk event was now only a couple of weeks away and I have to be honest and say that I’d targeted it all year and only a win would do, nothing else, end of story. This month also saw another race held by the Xmoor club, bloody nora what luck I’ve had in those this year! The 1st event of theirs my radiator burst and didn‘t even get the chance to race, the 2nd event I got injured, and in the 3rd one I had a DNF as well due to me hitting a tree and displacing a rad hose which promptly emptied all my coolant all over the woods!

So round came the Dawn to Dusk, I really was riding well now and I entered the 12 hour race in the vets class. I knew that some of the vets were expert class riders, but I was so fit at that time what with my training and riding, I knew that my stamina would carry me through and to be honest I thought ‘bring it on’ and lets see if you can keep your pace up for 12 hours lads! This was to be my biggest disappointment ever since I’ve started riding motorbikes as I had to retire whilst in 3rd only 6 mins off the lead, and still with 6 hours to go. Absolutely gutted as I knew that I could have kept my pace up all day long while others were tiring. Never mind, always next year!

September was all about the ups and downs of racing. I got another 1st place in a SW round (in awful conditions), but had to miss a Midwest race as they both clashed on the day. I also picked up the injury to my elbow at an SCEC event and from this point onwards I had no choice but to ride with it as both the championships I was doing well in still had races left, and everything was still to play for.

The month of October brought mixed feelings as Marie my girlfiend was very ill, and Although I didn’t say too much to anyone, it certainly affected my riding and to be honest all I wanted to do was stay at home with her and my little girl. I managed a 4th in the last round of the SW champs and that was after coming off 4 times on the special tests! And even though I’d won the clubman E1 championship, it just felt a bit tainted at the time due to things back at home.

So to November and with the injury to my elbow getting worse, it was a trip up to Bath for the last round of the Midwest series. I lasted about 20 mins before I had to retire with the pain being just too much, my elbow had finally had enough and gave up on me altogether. My girlfriend at the time was still very ill, and I remember getting in the van with some 3 ½ hours still to travel home thinking ’my arms f*cking killing me, I’m freezing cold, Marie’s ill, I should be at home!’ and to be honest I was going to jack it all in there and then. Thankfully things have now turned out for the better, and my girlfriend is ok, so everything’s back to normal.

So it’s been quite an eventful year, A 1st overall in one championship, and a 3rd in another, a few race wins, and plenty of holeshots. I’ve never rode so much in my entire life as I’ve done this year, and I’ve enjoyed every bloody minute of it (apart from the injuries), I’ve met so many people, had a great laugh, and made loads of new friends. Cheers to everyone, and a big thanks to all of you that’s helped me in one way or another. Also a round of applause to everybody whose supplied with me with the photos’ so that I can stick them on the blog , that is apart from a certain Jack Stringer from the Midwest series who wouldn’t send me any, and that was after I offered to pay for them as well, what the hells up with him then? Miserable git!

A few memories from this year…………………………..
Having a litre of saline fluid flushed through my left eye in the ambulance at Dawn to Dusk.
Gary ‘nothing gets in my way’ Mcoy running over my bike at an Xmoor event which put a hole in my petrol tank.
Seeing Adam Blake frozen solid in the shape of an ’armchair’ and trying to get off his bike after the 6 hour race at the Dawn to Dusk.
Sh*tting myself as Knight, Edmonson, and all the top fellas passed me with just inches to spare at about 80 mph on a fast stretch at the Muntjac enduro.
Going flat out on a fire road in a welsh forest in the relentless rain that was falling down on me, it felt like a load of needles being shoved into your face as the rain hit you.
Having a fantastic battle with both James Hull and Francis Banfield at the Woolborough Barton event. Me and Francis were ‘glued’ together for about 1hr and 40mins going hammer and tongs at each other.
Phil Harris ‘mooning’ at me whilst I was on a special test at the Dunmere enduro.
Doing a lap of the Dorset police event and coming round to swipe my transponder only to find I bloody well left it in the van.
Running out of fuel on my last lap at a TnT race, not content with doing it once, I did it again at another race as well.
Seeing ‘mad’ Jack Twentyman laying on the floor for about 20 mins being sick and unable to move after giving it his all at a TnT event. Tough lad is Jack!
Saying to Steve Jose at Rifton Barton, ‘follow me’, so he did and I promptly got stuck on the smallest log you could ever imagine right in front of him, embarrassing that!
Going over the bars and planting myself face first in the little river section at Rifton Barton, I did exactly the same thing in exactly the same place the year before!
Taking the wrong turning at the Knighton enduro, I went for miles up this fire road looking for some orange arrows only to find that I was traveling completely in the wrong direction after seeing cars coming the other way!

See you all next year……………………………….......

Out and about- 13th December 2009

So it was off for a short drive just a couple of miles down the road to watch the Xmas cracker run by Camel Vale. This is always a good event with a great atmosphere and a decent course. I rode it last year and really enjoyed it, so you could say I was a wee bit pee’d off about not being able to join in this time around.

Being the sort of bloke I am with not much ‘blubber’ set around my frame, I wore 2 pairs of trousers, a t shirt, shirt, jumper, tracksuit top, a coat, a hat, and 2 pairs of socks in order to keep warm in the near freezing conditions. Felt a bit like a Michelin man with all that bloody gear on!
As soon as I arrived and got out of the van I clapped eyes on just about every bloody rider who’d done the South West champs this year, so I wasn’t short of a conversation or two. I suppose the good thing was, I had plenty of time on my hands because I wasn’t racing, and when you’re the other side of the fence as it were, there’s not much rushing about to get ready for the start so you can talk away to your hearts content!

I headed straight for the infamous ’whoops’ section that caused a few problems to most riders last year in order to see a bit of action and help out (albeit with one good arm) in case any body got in a bit of bother. Soon enough as the 1st lot of riders came through, the ‘whoops’ took there toll with several coming unstuck, and along with Mike Roose and Colin treleaven amongst others, we all dug in and helped everybody get back on their feet and on their way again. Shame Sue Pitman wasn’t there taking pics at this point of the course as she would of got a nice one of me picking up her other half John off the floor when he decided to do a bit of showboating by planting his ‘Husky’ and himself face first onto the forest floor!

Steve Jose and Adam Blake turned up, and after watching a few laps on the tricky ‘whoops‘, and with everything quietening down a bit, we decided to go walkabout and explore the rest of the course. What a cracking track it was too, and I must admit that I was a tad jealous of everybody riding, but me thinks there’s gonna be quite a bit of that to come yet as I won’t be able to do much for a while.

After it was all over I stayed around for a bit having a chat and asking everybody how they got on. Made a nice change to watch an event from start to finish, but my god, for enjoyment it doesn’t come anywhere near than actually riding yourself does it?