Christian Iddon
A top six finish for Iddon scores him some much needed championship points.
Finally, the 2019 BSB season is under way! I know it didn’t start any later than planned but to me it feels like it did after our pre-season no-bike plight. Anyone reading my columns knows the deal as I’ve bleated on about it but it really was a situation I had never been in before.
The first time I hit the track with the rest of my BSB competitors was free practice 1, round 1 at Silverstone. The rest of the guys had a test there just one week earlier so undoubtedly we would be in at the deep end. Just before I started my first flying lap, Josh Brookes (one of the title favourites on one of the best reputed bikes) came through and I just figured I may as well commit to the job. I tucked in behind and my first lap of the 2019 season was just 0.4 off the best lap of the entire test the week previously. That went better than I thought, that’s for sure!
Having no idea how we would compare, it was a more than pleasant surprise. The new BMW has an amazing ability to actually feel slow and that was my main worry because riding around circuits on your own over in Northern Ireland meant it’s all but impossible to have an idea of performance, but that one lap behind Brookes proved we were just fine – my absolutely stock BMW sat beautifully in his slipstream! Sure, I didn’t make time on him but it bodes well for when we finally getting some upgrades which are all in the pipeline.
So far we have had two rounds of BSB and I’ve been feeling really great on the new BMW. Sadly a technical issue held us back in two of the four races so that has hurt me in terms of grabbing championship points, but I’m absolutely loving riding the bike. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed my riding this much.
However, in all the race excitement there was a moment at Oulton Park that brought everything down with the most almighty bump possible. It was FP1 and for whatever reason, the session had been marred by red flags. On my outlap following yet another stoppage, I came over Clay Hill at more than 140mph to find a track full of bikes and bits. It turned out to be the debris of just one rider (Fraser Rogers) but there were bits
everywhere, the two bikes ahead of me darted to the right and across the grass at which point I saw Fraser, who was still barrelling down the road ahead of me.
All of this was within a split second but I was hard on the brakes and still trying to clear all the debris, but now, most of all, it was Fraser himself that I was trying to miss. Ultimately I didn’t manage it. At the last moment Fraser stopped and was on all fours looking back up the track directly at me. We both had dark visors on but I swear we looked each other straight in the eyes before I hit him clean on the bottom fork leg. I knew instantly the ultimate price had been paid. There was zero doubt in my mind.
I wanted to look around but didn’t dare. I wanted to stop but didn’t have the heart to do it. Red flags immediately halted the session and I made my way, so slowly back to the garage, by now in floods of tears. I got off the bike and went immediately into the back of the truck just to be alone. The team of course had no idea where I went or why. I don’t know how long I was even in there for but a team member eventually found me. I had to explain what I had done.
Thankfully Fraser was okay. A member of BSB had been informed of where I was by now and came to find me to tell me Fraser had suffered an arm injury but nothing more severe. I burst into tears once again on hearing it the amazing news.
The relief was indescribable.
So much brovado and testosterone is banded about a race paddock but when something like that happens it truly brings everything back to zero. I don’t doubt that I made the best possible decision at the time in that split second but then
I think I was the only one that hit him so could I have avoided him? Who knows. Thankfully Fraser will be back racing soon but the thrill we get from racing can and only does come from the element of danger. It’s what we thrive on and yet it’s what we fear. The rest of that weekend was difficult to keep concentration but it’s done and all involved were thankfully okay. Racing is incredibly epic and I love all and everything I’ve ever had from it. Despite the danger, despite everything. Now to move on and look forward!