Friday Practice
Practice went pretty well, although I
was out on the Touchwood ZX10 first, I
would have preferred to have been out
on one of the other machines first. I
set a time, which got me twelfth place,
in the first group so happy enough with
that as I knew I could go faster. The
Ballygowan 250 was next up, and to say
it was an eventful session is an under
statement, first I made a mistake and
was right out of the seat up round by
Elders then I tried to get the power on
too soon out of the hairpin and almost
highsided. These slowed me a bit, but
a still qualified fifth and like the Superbike
I knew I could go faster. Last up was
the Investasure R6 and it was a relief
to have no worries about exclusion this
week as the Ulster Centre uses the correct
rules for 600cc racing for today’s
environment. I qualified eighth, but I
was less than three seconds down on pole
so was well pleased with my evening work
and how all the bikes were performing
around Clough.
Saturday Race Day
At last we got sun during an Ulster Centre
Road Race so I was really looking forward
to the days racing and that’s saying
something with my feelings towards this
place. I had not entered the non-championship
250 Race or the Challenge Race, but I
spoke to the organizers and they let me
start from the back of the C Group in
the Challenge Race so that I could get
more time on the Touchwood Consulting
Kawasaki. It was a worthwhile exercise
as I took three seconds of my practice
lap time and did my first 100+ lap on
the Superbike. I came home in 13th place
on corrected time, but most importantly
more time on the bike.
I made a terrific start in the Safety
Barrier Erectors Supersport Race and found
myself in fifth place at the end of the
opening lap just behind Ryan (Farquhar),
Guy (Martin), Adrian (Archibald) and Cameron
Donald. I was holding my own with the
others, but Ryan was beginning to clear
off at the front, as he does. By lap three
I was fourth and thought I was safe even
though I had lost a little ground on the
two just in front of me. On lap four I
messed up my braking and went up the slip
road at Dunbought and by the time I had
turned I had dropped back to something
like 11th or 12th. I was so angry with
myself, but I knuckled down again and
worked my way back to ninth by the time
the chequered flag came out.
It was another brilliant run in the Robert
Logan Hardware/Street Sweep 250 Race as
four of us battled for the lead before
the red flags came out. When they tried
to restart the flags came out again and
the result was then taken after the four
laps completed of the first part of the
race. This suited me, as that was one
of the laps that I was in second place
across the line. Second place to Ryan
(Farquhar) only half a second down can’t
be bad and the consolation of the fastest
lap of the race as well at 2:05.441, 101.565mph.
In the final race the Clough Glasgow
Rangers Supporters Club Open Race I had
worked my way up from twelfth on the grid
to seventh in the race and was having
a good scrap with the Aussie. He had got
ahead of me on the penultimate lap, but
I was confident I could get the drive
from the hairpin on the final lap, as
I was quicker than him down through the
jumps to the finish as I had passed him
there on an earlier lap. Unfortunately
the bike stepped out when I got the power
on a split second too early and that gave
him enough of a gap to hold me, which
meant I had to settle for 8th and my fastest
lap of the weekend at 2:02.438, over 104mph.
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pic : Stephen Wilson - www.realroadracing.com
pic : Martin Coard - www.realroadracing.com
pic : Martin Coard - www.realroadracing.com
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A happy Davy
commented, “It was a good weekend
apart from the mistake on the 600, I was
holding a solid fourth at the time and
Adrian (Archibald) hit problems late on,
which would have moved me up to the final
podium place. I was delighted to have
taken eight seconds of my lap times on
the Touchwood Superbike between practice
and my fastest lap during racing and a
second place finish on the Ballygowan
RRSC Honda ahead of Darren (Burns) consolidated
my position at the head of the championship.
Its now on to Dundrod, were I have not
ridden in four years due to my Manx commitments
and injuries, but I love the circuit so
it should be interesting.”
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