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Overall we managed to complete around 5 decent laps in qualifying and
considering all factors finished respectable 11th out of 30 on the 3rd row
with a time of 1:50.63, four seconds off Lee Dickinson's pole time
1:46.45. I was confident I could make up time in the race but knew it
would take more track time to get on the pace of the front runners.
Preparations for the race were relatively easy, we were cautious and put
plenty of fuel in, kept the gearing the same (not enough track time to
evaluate fully) and made a small repair to one exhaust. I managed to get
some rest and had a nutritious lunch (cold Macaroni Cheese, bread and
orange juice!). I was moderately focussed/pumped for the race but
made sure I kept an element of realism in my conditioning to accommodate
the lack of track time and difference in pace between the front 2 and
myself during qualifying.
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I gained some confidence during the warm up lap when comparing the TZ's
performance to others which was pretty good in addition to focussing on
the good starts I've had previously this season on the TZ. As pictured I
had a responsive start when the lights went out and aimed for the gap two
rows in front. I led all of the riders on the 3rd row and passed most of
the 2nd row, keeping a tough line into the 1st corner in 6th place. Due to
the lack of track familiarity the radius of the corner caught me out
slightly and I ran wide on the rumble strip, unfortunately dropping one
place, but I was determined not to loose any more places and applied full
power as quickly as possible and dived into turn 2. I quickly caught the
rider in 6th place and after the second lap saw 1:48 on the lap timer
which I was pleased with. I needed another lap or so to gain more
confidence at the faster pace before I overtook coming out of Foulstons
chicane.
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