TwoWSB rounds down already for V’Chazzle!
Hi everyone, I guess you’ll know by know how I got on with the first two rounds? It’s been a good build up to the season, testing was productive but I also got the chance to relax too. We went snowboarding for my birthday, which I just love. Some say it’s a bit of a risk just prior to the racing kicking off, but so long as you’re smart all is well and it’s important to feel good within yourself before things get all serious.
After that we got to do a season preview type thing with TV channel S4C, which you can find if you have a look about the internet. It was nice to do, they came out to see me in Espana, have a bit of a chat and then filmme doing some off-roading. Yes, I know, plenty of racers injure themselves doing that in pre-season, too. But the same thing applies here – don’t go too nuts, use it as training (which is exactly what it is) and all should be fine.
Soon thereafter we were in Australia for our first race, which included a test prior to the race weekend. I think I was fastest in our first ever practice session, which felt good as we’d worked hard in the test. Phillip Island for us needs such a specific setup, and the setting we had for all the race wins last year isn’t suited to the place. The key is tyre life there, and we got the bike to a relatively happy place. You have the long game in mind and often don’t go flat out.
In fact, the first race of the year was an exceptional one in that regard. I didn’t want to lead, neither did Jonny or Marco, it was a really weird, slow race keeping our powder dry with nobody able or willing to break away. We also had a massive group going at it, too, throwing another factor into the mix.
At the end it was me and Jonny, but we were so close I had to try and get the run on him to the line. I had my crash from last year in mind a bit, but we didn’t quite make it. I think if I had led out of the last turn he could have pipped me, but we just lacked a little sliver of shove in fourth gear and above.
It was interesting starting race two from the third row, I think I kind of liked it! Race two was much faster but in the end it came down to me and the Kawasaki once again. I had managed to get past him with two laps to go, but he drafted right past me down the straight. I got an even better run out of the final turn but just couldn’t quite make it. It’s still the best I’ve ever come out of Oz though points-wise, so was positive overall. And on to Thailand soon after, to a track which hasn’t been great to us since we’ve been going there. Two years ago was really tough, last year a bit less so and this year better again. I pulled out a good result in the first race finishing second to Jonny again. He had managed to eke away in the early laps and by the time I got past Tom Skyes and Melandri, he was too far off.
I made a great start in race two and managed to get up behind Melandri in the lead quite quickly. But into the hairpin, Marco braked a bit harder and I went on the outside of him onto the more slippery part of the track. Our engine brake strategy is quite strong there, and on the right line it’s not an issue, but being wide I had to turn harder and it kept on locking. I tried to save it Supermoto style and the slide went on for ages. I was fine with it until I realised it wasn’t coming back – exactly the same thing that happened two years ago! Anyway, I got back on but the race was red-flagged, which was a relief.
But I had damaged the throttle without knowing it, and even though my guys replaced everything when I came out of the first turn after the restart from dead last, I knew something was wrong.
The delivery and throttle connection was weird and only got worse. I was a sitting duck, I couldn’t get off the turn and make passes and was lucky to come away with sixth place. Not ideal, but at the same time I’ve come out of these two opening rounds better than last year. So there are some positives and there’s much better tracks to come for us, plus Jonny isn’t out of sight in the points table, which he was at this point last year. So, it’s still game on!