24/10/2023
Sunflower debrief
Made the pilgrimage up to Northern Ireland again for the last event of the season. Goal for the event was to leave with a podium finish. Up early Friday morning to get the bike through scrutiny, using the van to ferry the bike through the newly formed sea which engulfed the back of the paddock due to heavy rainfall. Friday was looking very bleak with heavy rain and strong winds. Fair play to the organisers for postponing the event. Definitely wasn’t safe to race in my opinion with plenty of standing water on the track. We bounced back on Saturday for day 1 of the event. The track was still damp in places.
Qualifying.
I saw a lot of competitors choosing to run wets but I thought I’d be able to manage a slick rear and wet front for qualifying. Qualifying went reasonably well. I was a little annoyed with a few of the top boys in the supertwin class who were coasting around on the racing line during the final lap of qualifying. I was attempting to set a time and got stuck being a few of the top boys doing a cool down lap. I know im on a production twin with a high viz, im the last thing they were thinking of. But for anyone reading this. Just be mindful of some bikes pushing for a quick lap while you’re doing your cool down. Have a wee peek behind is all. I qualified 4th in class so I was happy enough with that. The sun soon came out and it was time for the slick front to join the battle.
Race 1
Got an alright start in the race. I lost the leading pack early on and found myself lying on my own in 4th. Had a small battle with a few supertwins so still had a bit of craic with them. Had a moment out of fairways one with the rear tyre touching the grass on the outside, but sure nothing like a bit of adrenaline to wake you up. Finished the race in 4th.
Race 2
Back on the Sunday for race 2. Got a few laps in for morning warm up. Got to practice a few new lines ect. Started the race In 4th. Had an average start but I was beaten into turn 1 by Lewis grove. Had a good first lap battle with Lewis I had to make a few desperate lunges hoping one would stick. Unfortunately I ran in too deep into the last turn on the first lap and Lewis and Christopher Connolly had pulled a tidy gap on me. I kept the head down none the less and tried to put in some good laps to catch them and keep the podium dream alive. I think I was making up time but on about the 4th lap I lost the rear coming out of the final turn. I managed to save it but after that I had no hope of catching the lads to fight for 3rd. Ended the race in 5th and bet my personal best by 3 seconds to get me to a 1:19.4. I was absolutely delighted with that as I proved I did have the pace that I was working to achieve since July
I’d like to thank my trusted helpers / mechanics / headaches
🟢Gavin bird
🟢Jack Mc daid
🟢Darragh Mullins
🟢Adam McCauley
🟢Gareth McCauley
🟢my father Liam
Also like to thank my sponsors for helping to get the bike out this weekend. I really appreciate all the help
Dalriada Gas
Precision Personal Training
Fuchs Industrial Lubricants
Mactex Oil Ltd Agri
The trusty sv will be up for sale in the coming weeks. If you want any information on the bike feel free to send me a message
Will announce my plans for next year early in the new year
