DI ARY OF A ROOKIE RACER

Race three, East Fortune une

There comes a time in anyone's race career where they face the inevitability of going out on a wet track. Though Justin has done a few laps in damp conditions, nothing was going to prepare him for race three of the season. Held at East Fortune in Scotland on May 18 and 19, traditional British weather of heavy rain didn’t disappoint. Gone was the idea of going flat out now. Instead it was time for the steep learning curve of mastering wet conditions. This changes things dramatically, as it becomes a more level playing field, with the rider’s skill pushing the machine to the edge and taking over from out-and-out engine power. Due to the weather delaying events, there was no practice session and it was straight into qualifying. The more experienced members of the SRP team assured Justin to have belief in his wet-weather tyres, which were being used for the first time. He slowly got quicker over several laps as he gained confidence in the tyres and did a best lap time of 1.42 minutes. By the time of the last race on Sunday, this was down to 1.28 minutes. Not only that, but he knocked almost a full minute off the total race distance compared to the day before. With strong finishes moving him up the grid as well as getting much closer to the front runners, it hasn't gone unnoticed by other racers in the paddock. Quite rightly so, as some now see him as a real threat. From early season testing to this position has already shown that Justin has a natural talent. The talk now is just how far he can get to by the end on the season. Image courtesy of KRC Photography