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Oulton Park – Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship – 8th – 10th October 2010. For the final round of the championship we were again fortunate to share GR Motorsport’s giant awning. Free practice and both qualifying sessions were held on Friday making for a busy day. The track was beginning to dry as the first session commenced so Jon elected to go with dry tyres and ended 17th quickest.
In the first qualifier Jon immediately went quicker than he had done during the last visit to the circuit to end the session in 25th place. Changes to the set up were made for Q2 to improve stability under braking. Jon continued to improve his lap times to end qualifying in 23rd place with a time of 1m 41.886s which compared to a best of 1m 43.643s previously. Unfortunately the weekend was to be brought to an abrupt end when Jon lost the front end on the right hand approach to Cascades. Jon was fortunate not to get injured as he and the bike cart wheeled down the grass and across the track avoiding other riders on the way. The same could not be said for the unfortunate Sam Bishop who sustained multiple fractures in one leg and a fractured pelvis as a result of another rider running over him. Everyone in the team wish Sam a speedy and full recovery. Jon’s survival unscathed was testament to the quality of the HJC helmet, BohnBody Armor, Weise leathers and gloves, and Spyke boots.
The bike was too badly damaged to repair in time for the last remaining races and so ended the season. Jon “The final round of the championship at Oulton Park was again to be a good measure of my progress throughout the year following the first visit for round three of the championship. We also had a busy schedule with an extra race on Saturday afternoon, which was the re-run of Silverstone. Free Practice on Friday morning was held in damp conditions so it would be important to get into a good rhythm quickly come qualifying in the dry. I managed to get out at the front with the faster riders to get a tow. My times were improving with every lap and I equalled my previous best time early in the session. I came in for a tyre pressure check and then managed to knock almost a second off of my time in the remaining ten minutes, which left me in 25th position. Small changes were made to the bike to aid stability for the second qualifier. I was posting lap times consistently faster than the first session before entering the pits. Again I headed back out with around 10 minutes remaining. I was determined to get into the 1 minute 31’s, which I managed to achieve moving me up to 23rd on the grid for the race on Sunday. I was pleased with my performance but felt as though there was a bit more to come from my riding in the races. Unfortunately in warm-up on Saturday for the Silverstone re-run that afternoon I had a big off at Cascades, which I was fortunate to walk away from with only a few bumps and scrapes. The bike was a mess and beyond repair, which meant I would have to sit out the last two races of the season. As a result of my crash a couple of other riders went down and unfortunately Sam Bishop got hit by another bike, which resulted in his leg being badly broken. I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery. I was clearly disappointed to end the season like this but I am pleased with my performance this year and with the progress I have made. I would also like to say a big thanks to the team and all the sponsors who have given me so much support throughout the year. Role on 2011!!! “ Hopefully we can report on plans for next year in the near future.
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
Silverstone – Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship – 24th – 26th September 2010. We were fortunate to share a pit garage with GR Motorsport for Silverstone which made life a lot easier particularly as the weather was inclement for most of the weekend. Both free practice and the first qualifying session were held in wet to drying conditions and as usual Jon made good progress particularly in the wet. The second qualifier was dry therefore this would be the session that would determine the grid. Jon immediately improved on his previous best lap time to get below 2m 16s but with eight minutes to go the session was red flagged. At the restart Jon managed to get a tow which helped improve his lap time further to get below 2m 15s to finish 24th. Warm up on Sunday morning was damp and Jon did two cautious laps before returning to the garage. The race was scheduled for 5.25pm so there would be a long wait. Unfortunately as conditions deteriorated and races got delayed the race was eventually cancelled due to poor visibility.
Jon “I was looking forward to returning to Silverstone, as it would be another good test of the progress I have made this season. Unfortunately free practice and the first qualifier were held in wet to drying conditions, which meant no progress would be made as far as dry set up was concerned. The second qualifying session was held in dry conditions. I managed to get out on track early which allowed me to get a tow. I soon got down to my previous best time but struggled to go faster as I was getting held up by a couple of riders that had quicker bikes. Every time I got by they would pass me on the straights preventing me getting a clear lap so I slowed to get a clear run. Unfortunately the session was red flagged with around 8 minutes remaining. I again got out early with the pack and got a good tow for a couple of laps and posted a lap time of 2m14.9, which was good enough for 24th on the grid and was almost 2 seconds faster than I had gone previously. The warm-up was held in damp conditions, which prevented me from trying a few different lines and braking points in areas I had felt weakest during qualifying. The Superstock 1000 race was scheduled for 17:25 and was to be the last race of the day. Frustratingly as a result of the conditions and delays throughout the day our race was cancelled. It was a shame, as I was looking forward to the first proper wet race of the season. I am now looking forward to a double header (inc. Silverstone re-run) at Oulton Park, which is the Final round of the 2010 season.”
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
Cadwell park - Metzeler Superstock 1000 Championship – 28-30th August 2010 This was the second time the championship visited Cadwell Park and it would be a good test as far as progress was concerned for Jon. Free practice on Saturday was warm and dry and Jon steadily improved his lap times as the session progressed. However he came into the pits to report the bike had gone onto what appeared to be two cylinders. Unfortunately the problem was terminal and another engine would be required. Fortunately IN MOTO had a spare bike but it was 130 miles away in London. Jon would miss the first qualifying session due that afternoon. Colin was dispatched to collect the bike and left Cadwell Park at about 12.30pm. Jon his Dad and Simon spent the next few hours removing the engine which took about 2 hours. Colin returned with Roberto at 8.30pm. The next few hours were spent removing the engine from the spare bike and getting it ready to assemble in the race chassis. Luckily the second qualifier was not scheduled until Sunday afternoon which left plenty of time to install the engine. The only concern was the weather which was looking changeable. If it rained Jon would have no chance of qualifying. The engine was installed by 11.00am on Sunday morning and then run up before being put on the dyno to check the motor and have the fuelling mapped. Power output was the same as before at 166 bhp. The weather was still a concern as there were several showers as time went by. Conditions were not helped by high winds other than to say this would help dry out the track. The second qualifier began dry and Jon knew he had to get a quick lap in early, just to qualify. His second lap time was sufficient to make the grid so panic over. Not quite, as we were informed the transponder was not recording his lap times so Jon was brought in to check the connections. Unfortunately a transponder connection to the battery under the seat had not been fitted. Once fixed Jon went back out again to try and improve on his lap time. As it happened his times were taken manually therefore there was no need to panic! Jon continued to improve his lap times to qualify 24th, his best of the year with a time of 1m 33.4s a full second faster than he had done previously.
For the race on Monday Jon made a good start to complete the first lap in 22nd place which he held for several laps. Eventually he was overhauled by two other riders as his rear tyre began to lose grip. He did have the satisfaction of lapping faster than he had in qualifying which was a big improvement over his last visit to the circuit. All in all a good weekend despite missing the first qualifying session. A big thanks go to the team for the monumental effort to keep Jon racing. Jon “Overall I am pleased with the result in the race. Having missed the first qualifying session I was on the back foot but was determined to prevent it from affecting my performance over the weekend and to re-pay the effort that the team put in to get me back out on the bike. I was pleased with my time in qualifying having knocked a second off of my previous best lap around Cadwell. I felt as though this was my best qualifying performance of the year considering the circumstances. I got a good start in the race and was in a strong position for the first few laps. I was surprised by how quickly the rear tyre started to lose traction and was passed by a couple of riders in the part of the track where I felt less confident. Frustratingly I didn’t quite have the pace to run with them. Although I was pleased to have gone another half a second a lap faster than I had in qualifying, which was set early on whilst I had good grip. I am now looking forward to Croft where I hope to make further progress following the club meeting there in July.” Croft – Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship – 10th – 12th September 2010. Brent Gladwin team principal of GR Motorsport kindly offered the team use of their awning and hospitality for Croft. This would save bringing the IN MOTO lorry from Southampton. GRM run the other Aprilia RSV4 in the Superstock class ridden by Australian David Anthony. Having competed at Croft a few weeks ago we had some set up data and Jon put this to good use finishing free practice in 20th place with a time of 1m 26.9s almost a second quicker than he had gone before. A heavy shower an hour before the first qualifying session would make tyre choice difficult. As the session started wet tyres were definitely the right choice as those on dry tyres came in after a lap. Jon showed his usual skill in the wet to circulate in the top three. As the track dried it became clear dry tyres would be required. Jon came in after fifteen minutes to change to a dry rear tyre. Jon ended the session 24th with a lap several seconds slower than free practice. The second qualifier was held in dry conditions and following set up changes agreed after free practice Jon continued to improve his time with a 1m 26.0s lap to finish 23rd. Following further feedback changes were made to the suspension and tyre pressures which would be tried in warm-up. Jon immediately got below 1m 26s and would have been much quicker had he not taken to the grass as he exited the last corner onto the straight.
Jon made a good start to hold position for the first lap and managed to hang on the group in front including David Anthony on the other RSV4, Chris Martin (Yamaha) and Sam Warren (BMW). For several laps these four were nose to tail. Unfortunately Sam Warren suddenly slowed which gave David Anthony the break he needed to get away. Once past Sam Warren, Jon spent the rest of the race chasing Chris Martin just missing out on the line by less than 2s to finish 19th. A big thanks to Brent and the GR Motorsport team for making us welcome, Roberto for making dinner for fourteen on Saturday night, Simon for helping with the bike and in the pits and Simon Taylor of Automoto Racing (based in Bellerby, North Yorkshire) who kindly provided tyres for the Croft meeting. Jon “I was pleased with my performance at Croft and feel as though I have made further progress following on from Cadwell Park. We made a few changes to the settings for qualifying, which improved the overall balance of the bike. My times were a big improvement over those set at the club meeting. Although I made a few mistakes and my ideal best time was almost half a second quicker so I knew what could be achieved. Following further changes particularly to tyre pressures I went a bit quicker in warm-up which set me up for the race. I got an average start off the line but I managed to pass a few riders around the outside into the first corner. This left me right behind the GR Aprilia of David Anthony. This bike has been my bench mark all season and I have been gradually been closing down the gap. I was feeling comfortable behind David and a couple of other riders and we circulated together for several laps. Unfortunately the group got split up and I lost touch with David but managed to hang on to Chris Martin. I didn’t quite have the pace in certain areas of the circuit to make a pass and crossed the line in 19th place after what was probably one of my best rides of the season so far. I am now looking forward to the next round at Silverstone, which is my favourite circuit on the calendar”.
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
Brands Hatch – Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship – 6th – 8th August 2010. Jon returned to a track he last raced at a year ago with no opportunity to test on the Aprilia RSV4 beforehand. Free practice went well and Jon finished 21st with a time of 1m 31.9s. Only a gearing change was required to the set up for the first qualifying session. Jon continued to improve his lap time to complete the session 25th with a 1m 31.0s lap. Jon was confident of improving his lap time further in the next qualifying session on Saturday. No further changes would be needed to the set up. Unfortunately Saturday began wet and therefore any improvement in lap times would be impossible unless the track dried out. As time went by the skies cleared and the track began to dry. It was decided to put dry tyres on in the hope the track would dry out. Jon completed two laps of the session before coming in to report the track was wet under the trees at Stirlings. It was decided to wait in the pits to avoid using the best of the rear tyre which would make it impossible to improve his lap time if the track dried out. Lap times were monitored to check progress of other riders and as soon as the front runners began to close on their best time Jon went back out with eight minutes of the session remaining. As lap times began to drop the flag came out and Jon finished Q2 in 26th place. A welcome and much appreciated surprise was provided by Roberto the Managing Director of InMoto who invited the team and guests to the Barry Sheene Memorial Dinner at the Thistle Hotel on Saturday Night. The event was hosted by Steve Parrish who interviewed many celebrities from the past and present and conducted the auction with proceeds going to Barry Sheene’s chosen children’s cancer charity – CLIC Sargent. Further details can be found on http://www.barrysheenechallenge.co.uk/id9.html
Warm up on race day went according to plan with a respectable lap time of 1m 31.6s with Jon expecting to break into the 1m 30s bracket in the race with new tyres. Jon made an average start to end the first lap in 25th position. The pace car came out after the first lap following an accident which took five laps to clear up. As the race continued it became clear Jon did not have the pace he had in practice and he crossed the line in 23rd position at the flag. Jon reported that rear grip from the restart of the race was poor and was unable to make the progress he expected. On investigation it was discovered that the rear tyre had spun on the rim 90 degrees which may well have caused the problem. Jon “On the whole I was pleased with the how the weekend went. I felt comfortable early on in free practice, which set me up for what should have been a good race. From the first session the RSV4 felt really good in the high speed corners which gave me the confidence to find the improvements needed to close on the front runners. I fully expected to improve on my best lap of 1m 31s but this was not to be because of the damp Q2 and tyre issue in the race. I will look to continue the progress at the next round at Cadwell Park”
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
Knockhill – Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship – 2nd – 4th July 2010. It was decided not to take either lorry to Knockhill to save time and fuel costs so Jon with his dad drove up in the van which along with an Ezi-up awning would provide shelter for the weekend. Roberto, Steve and Philipa flew up from London on Friday morning. Jon has always gone well at Knockhill having raced in all classes he has competed in at this circuit. Free practice was a stop start affair and fortunately Jon decided to do the last 10 minutes after the session had been delayed an hour and a half while the circuit was cleared following a crash which left oil on the track. With five minutes to go Jon came into the pits with a gear selection problem. With three hours to go before the first qualifier the team set about finding the problem which turned out to be a broken gear selector pin which had dropped onto the sump gasket which was recovered luckily without having to remove the sump. The main problem was removing the stud that had broken off in the crankcase. Despite all efforts the stud could not be extracted and it was decided to insert a Helicoil. To cut a long story short the bike was completed at 10.00pm. Needless to say Jon missed the qualifier. All thanks go to the team assisted by Brent Gladwin of GR Motorsport and Roy Armstrong of Italsport for their generous loan of tools and resources without whom Jon would not have been racing. Jon “We hadn’t made any changes to the bike since the last round at Silverstone so it was going to be interesting to see how the bike would handle on a completely different circuit. Free practice was held in dry conditions and I wanted to get out on track with some of the other riders to get a tow. I was running in 14th place before returning to the pits. Having made a few checks I went back out to try and better my time and understand how the bike was handling. Unfortunately the session was stopped a few minutes later following a big crash, which left the circuit in a dangerous state. This meant that the session would have to be delayed for an hour and a half whilst the marshals and circuit staff washed the circuit! Once the circuit had been cleared I headed back out for the final ten minutes of the session. Having only completed a few laps I experienced a gear selection problem changing down for the first corner. I managed to get back to the pits but there was no quick fix to overcome the problem which prevented me making the first qualifier the same afternoon. Fortunately the weather was dry for the second qualifier on Saturday although there was a fair wind blowing across the track. I wanted to complete a good number of laps to make up for the loss of track time. I went almost a second faster than I had in free practice which was only good enough for 26th on the grid but I couldn’t be too disappointed bearing in mind that I had missed the first session. The weather forecast for Race day was looking wet, which, in some ways, was going to benefit me. The rain really came down in the morning which delayed the warm-up sessions but when we eventually got out I felt comfortable in the wet conditions. With further heavy rain showers there were further delays throughout the morning and into the afternoon which inevitably affected the race schedule. The first Superbike race was red-flagged twice due to the conditions and a crash, which didn’t help matters. The weather was changing all the time, which made tyre choice difficult. I arrived at the grid with a full wet set-up but having completed the sighting lap I thought a dry set-up would be best. We did what we could changing to a dry rear tyre and dry suspension set-up. Unfortunately there was no time to change the front tyre. We had two warm-up laps to get up to speed in the conditions. I got a good start and moved through to 21st but found it difficult to push early on, not knowing how hard to push the front. I lost a couple of places but tried hard to stay in touch with the group in front. I made up a few places and tagged onto the back of Dan Stewart but found it hard to make a move. A few riders fell which moved me up the order but I couldn’t find a way past Dan. I crossed the line in 18th, which I was fairly pleased with following a difficult weekend. I am now looking forward to riding at Snetterton as it is one of my local tracks and there are things I want to try in order to improve the set-up. Hopefully I can make progress and get my best result of the year to date”. Snetterton – Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship – 16th – 18h July 2010. Jon was looking forward to racing at one of his local race tracks which he is very familiar with having competed in several endurance races on the Ducks Cross Racing’s Yamaha R6. Progress over the weekend was unfortunately frustrated by gearbox gremlins. The team worked tirelessly to resolve the problems which enabled Jon to complete a trouble free practice on Saturday afternoon which took the place of the second qualifier which was cancelled due to delays repairing the track.
Jon “While free practice was shortened due to the gearbox problems the set up and gearing felt right so no changes were made for the first qualifier. Unfortunately after about 15 minutes into the session I again began to miss gears. Rather than risk any damage I aborted the session having qualified 28th. The team did well to resolve the gearbox problems once again for free practice which replaced the second qualifier. This time there were no gearbox problems and I was able to improve on my lap time set earlier finishing 24th. We made a few changes for warm-up on Sunday morning and I equalled my time from qualifying and ended up 20th, which gave me confidence for the race. I knew that if I wanted to get a good result I needed to get a good start from 28th. As the lights went out I got a good drive off the start and made up a few places on the run to Riches. There was a collision ahead and a few people sat up so I made my move up the inside to move through to 15th heading onto the back straight. I lost three of places along the Revett Straight heading towards the Esses. I remained in 18th position until the red flags came out on lap 4. For the re-run I made another good start from 18th on the grid. I got embroiled in a battle with Rob Hoyles and Sam Bishop expecting to pull clear until the gear selection problems returned. With such close company I decided to retire on lap 10. This was a real shame after a promising start to the race. There are many positives to come from the weekend so I am now looking forward to a club meeting at Croft next weekend in preparation for the BSB round there later in the year”. Croft – Club meeting – 24th July 2010 The purpose of entering a club meeting at Croft was to get some valuable set up information for the BSB event in September and ensure the gearbox was now OK. Due to restrictions at the circuit there are very few track days. Jon had not raced there for two years so the track time would be useful. He entered the Open 1000 race which catered for Powerbikes with slick tyres, Superstock 1000’s and 600’s and Supersport bikes. Several BSB regulars were entered. One free practice and a timed qualifier were scheduled in the morning with two 8 lap races in the afternoon. Free practice went without drama only being 4 laps long. Jon ended the 7 lap qualifier 9th from 40 entered. Taller gearing was installed for the races as Jon was hitting the rev limiter on the back straight. In the first race Jon made an excellent start to end the first lap in 6th place but the race was red flagged at the end of the second lap. At the restart Jon made an even better start to end the lap in 5th place. He eventually got pegged back by one of the Powerbikes and Josh Day on his 600 Yamaha to finish 8th and 3rd Superstock 1000. Unfortunately the second race was cancelled as they had run out of time. Even though only 19 laps were completed Jon came away with valuable information which will help when he next returns to the circuit. Also he now has complete confidence in the gearbox which was faultless.
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
Silverstone – Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship – 18th – 20th June 2010. Jon “Having tested at the new Arena GP circuit we would at least have some set up information for the longest circuit on the calendar. There was a big entry of 50 riders with the fastest 44 going through to the races after qualifying. Several wild cards were entered from the superbike championship grid including Josh Brookes, Simon Andrews, Ian Lowry, Peter Hickman, Martin Jessop and Michael Rutter. Free Practice was at midday on Friday held in overcast but dry conditions. With so much room even with 55 riders on track it felt empty; it was difficult to find a tow. The bike felt good and the gearing was spot on. I finished 31st improving my lap time over the track day by 2 seconds. There was scope for further improvement with so many corners on this long technical 6km track  Photo courtesy of Nick Railton Both qualifying sessions were scheduled for Friday afternoon and the skies darkened further following free practice. Eventually the rain came and wets were installed for the first qualifying session along with adjustments to the suspension. As my confidence grew the lap times were coming down I managed to improve my position over free practice to finish 24th although I had a moment when the rear let go. The second qualifier was also wet so further suspension adjustments were made to find more grip for the rear tyre. Lap times tumbled and were improving every lap as the track was beginning to dry. Going into the last lap of the session I was running in the top 20 and I expected to improve my lap time and position still further but this was not to be. I was held up by a slower rider going through Becketts which affectively killed the lap. This also allowed other riders to out qualify me which dropped me to 26th. The races were scheduled late in the day on Saturday and Sunday and the weather forecast promised fine weather. A full grid of 1000cc Superstock machines lined up for the first ever race on the new Arena circuit in fine sunny conditions. I made a poor start getting out dragged from Copse to the end of the hanger straight to finish the first lap in 37th position. With plenty to do I got my head down lapping a further 2s quicker than I had in free practice managing to catch and overtake a few riders to finish the race in 23rd position. In the second race held in similar conditions to the first, I made a good start making up places into the first corner. Unfortunately any gain was lost as I missed a gear going up to Becketts which along with a few other mistakes limited my progress to end the race in 27th place. Overall I was pleased with my performance particularly in qualifying and look forward to the next meeting at Knockhill”.
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
Silverstone –Test Day 10th May 2010 Jon “I was looking forward to testing at the new Silverstone Arena GP circuit. There is a real mix of corners with one corner leading into the next. It is especially important to get to grips with the circuit not only because it is new but there are three point scoring Superstock races to be held at the circuit this season, with two races supporting the MotoGP and one race at the BSB meeting there in September. There were plenty of sessions to dial myself into the circuit although the number of laps I could complete were limited by the length of the circuit. It is by some distance the longest circuit on the calendar at nearly 6km and a 2 minute plus lap.  I started to feel comfortable after the first few sessions but it was difficult to get into a rhythm with the amount of traffic. My lap times were improving every session and the set-up wasn’t far away. We wanted to make sure that the gearing was spot on, as this will be key to getting the most from the bike. The last session was the most valuable as a lot of the other riders had decided to call it a day, which meant I almost had clear track for the whole session. Inevitably I set my best time of the day in the last session and started to finds some good reference points around the track. There is still time to be found and I am confident that I have identified the areas of the circuit where I can improve.” Cadwell Park – Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship – 21st – 23rd May 2010. Jon “Having tested at Cadwell twice this year on the Aprilia RSV4 I hoped for a strong showing at the first of two visits the Superstock class makes to the circuit. Initially I found it hard to produce the lap times I had in testing. We reversed the changes we made to the settings at Oulton, which improved the balance of the bike enabling me to go faster than I had on the test day in second qualifying. Again I would have to battle it out in the Shoot-out race to qualify for the feature race. I got into a good rhythm straight away and got up to 5th. Unfortunately I dropped back to7th before following another rider through into 6th on the second to last corner but got out dragged to the line. I was happy with the way the bike was handling but couldn’t exploit this as it was very hard to pass in the sections where I was strong.
I had nothing to loose in the main race so I wanted to make as much progress as possible. I made a good start passing a couple of riders. I felt comfortable and was determined to close on the riders in front. Unfortunately I made a small mistake into the chicane and had to go straight on, which resulted in me losing 2 places. I struggled to get back into my rhythm and held my position to the line. It was my best result of the year but I was gifted a number of places as a result of many riders falling. I would have liked to have had more pace over the weekend but this is something I will try to find when we return to the circuit later in the year. I am now looking forward to support races at the MotoGP at Silverstone in a month’s time.”
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
Thruxton – Metzeler Superstock 1000 Championship 16th – 18th April 2010 With the prospect of good weather all weekend Jon and the team were looking forward to some positive results from Thruxton. Unfortunately Roberto was unable to attend the meeting as he was stranded in Italy due to the restriction on flying as a result of the volcanic ash grounding all flights. Steve Hamilton and family took over the reigns as head chef and did a great job in feeding the team. Colin again provided satellite TV and helped with bike preparation along with Simon from Aprilia. Thanks also to Felipa who travelled all the way from London on here 675 Triumph to hold the umbrella for Jon on the start line.
Free practice went according to plan with Jon completing 19 laps of the demanding Thruxton circuit. Due to the fast undulating nature of the circuit bike set up and physical strength of the rider are particularly important. After the first practice many rider were complaining of “arm pump” as riding a lap of Thruxton is more like riding a bucking bronco than a motorcycle. Taller gearing and new tyres were installed for the first qualifying session. Also adjustments were made to the rear suspension to try and calm down the rear end over the bumpy sections of the circuit. Jon improved his lap time by nearly a second to finish 36th out of 53 just pipped to 35th by none other than Michael Dunlop who specialises in the major road events such as the Isle of Man TT races and North West 200. As Jon’s lap times increased further gearing changes would be needed as he was hitting the rev limiter through several corners. He was also complaining about rear tyre grip which was spinning up on several high speed corners although he did say this was a characteristic of all the bikes he was following. In the second qualifying session Jon improved his lap time again as did most other riders getting used to the circuit. He ended qualifying 37th which is taken from the combined times of both sessions. With the top 30 automatically going into the main race Jon would need to qualify in the top ten from the shoot out race to go through. Further adjustments were made to the suspension to try and improve rear grip and turn in for the shoot out race.
From 7th on the grid Jon made a good start to end the first lap in 5th place however the race was red flagged after two laps due to an accident. At the restart of the now shortened 6 lap race Jon was down to 8th after the first two laps but then proceeded to pick off riders one by one to end the race on the podium in third place with a further improvement in lap time over his best in qualifying. Jon reported that the set up changes had improved traction to the extent that he was able to drive by other riders in the fast sections as they were spinning up and losing grip. Jon started the main race in 33rd position. Making a good start initially Jon got pushed back to 39th having been out paced through the fast sections of the track at the back of the circuit. He knew that as the race progressed the In Moto Corse Aprilia would come into its own as the other riders tyres began to go off and begin spinning up. As expected as the race wore on Jon made progress and eventually finished 28th. Jon is looking forward to testing the bike at Cadwell Park where further improvements to the bike and more track time will help improve results at future meetings. Jon – “I am pleased with the result this weekend as we have made good progress and reduced the gap to the front runners. I felt more comfortable on the bike in every session and the changes we made to the set-up improved the overall balance of the bike. Thruxton has a very abrasive surface and the majority of the circuit is spent on the side of the tyre. This causes abnormal levels of tyre wear causing the rear tyre to break traction. We worked on increasing rear grip and turn-in along with gearing changes to avoid hitting the rev limiter in some of the key corners. During both the shoot-out and main races I found that the set up delayed loss of traction which allowed me to move forward as the race progressed. I am looking forward to the test day at Cadwell Park where I hope to progress further since my last visit to the circuit in preparation for the next round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship at Oulton Park. Also we should be able to set the gearing for the Cadwell Park round which follows Oulton Park. ”
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
Brands Hatch –
Metzeler Superstock 1000 Championship The team headed off to the first round of the Metzeler Superstock 1000 Championship at Brands Hatch armed with useful information following the meeting at the same circuit two weeks ago. We met up with Roberto, Steve and Colin and set up the In Moto Corse hospitality and workshop facility which would be invaluable for the long weekend ahead. Following free practice on the Friday held in dry conditions we made best use of Dynojets mobile dyno to improve the fuel mapping as the map copied from Rich Austin’s RFV4 showed further improvements were possible. After fine tuning the horsepower figure improved by 3 BHP making a total of 15 BHP over standard. Much of the credit for this significant gain is attributable to the Austin Racing exhaust system with the added bonus of the awesome sound which was the talk of the paddock. Further changes were made to the gearing for the first qualifying run on Saturday. Unfortunately the weather for both qualifying sessions was changeable making tyre choice difficult. In the first session a rear dry tyre fitted halfway through the session would have improved lap times. In the second the front dry tyre could have been changed earlier which would also have resulted in an improved lap time. This put Jon 37th on the grid out of 50 entrants. The first 28 went through to the main race with the remaining 10 being decided from the shoot out race which took place on Sunday afternoon. Jon lined up 9th on the grid for the dry shoot out race. Making a good start Jon completed the first lap in 5th place. He dropped back to 9th after the 3rd lap but managed to hang on to the group in front lapping consistently quicker than he had done before. He managed to recover a place at the flag to finish 8th with a best lap of 49.3s. Again after discussion further
changes were made to the gearing and wheelbase which would be
tested in warm up on Monday morning. Jon completed warm up in
27th position with a best lap of 49.1s a further improvement
over the shoot out race using old rubber. The target of
achieving a 48s lap was now in reach. As expected the pace proved to be extremely fast with 14 riders going under the existing lap record. Again Jon lapped faster than he had done before and managed to break the 48s lap barrier on the 16th lap to finish 30th overall. Jon “After the difficulties in qualifying I managed to achieve one of my targets which was to break the 48s lap barrier. I must thank the whole team for their efforts over the weekend particularly Roberto for the fantastic hospitality and Simon Neal of Aprilia for technical assistance. The next round at the fast and flowing Thruxton circuit will provide a new challenge but has the advantage that no one can test there beforehand.”
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Brands Hatch – 19th – 21st March 2010 Unfortunately the hope for dry test day on Friday ended wet all day which prevented any progress with a dry set up. This would affect the gearing and suspension settings following the weekend’s race meeting. The front suspension air gap was reduced following Jon’s feedback from Cadwell Park
Jon “The NG Road Racing Club meeting at Brands Hatch promised to be a great opportunity to find a good base setting for the RSV4 in preparation for the first round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship in a couple of weeks. The Test day on the Friday turned out to be wet with very limited track time. This meant that we made little progress in terms of the dry settings for the bike. All I was able to do was dial myself into the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit having not ridden there for a while and to get a feel for the bike in the damp conditions. On Saturday the weather deteriorated which meant I would get a good feel for the bike in full wet weather conditions in a race situation. The suspension was backed off from the dry set up we used at Cadwell Park. With the grid positions for the ‘Qualifying’ race being issued by the organisers I had to start from 19th on the grid. I made a poor start and had to recover from around 25th. I made progress quickly and gradually picked riders off but with the race being only 6 laps it was always going to be difficult to make up many places. I managed to finish 11th which I wasn’t too disappointed with considering the circumstances. This meant that I would start from 11th for the second race giving me a much better chance of getting up the front. Again the race would be short 8 lap sprint. I made a better start and held my position before moving through to 7th at the finish. I was pleased with the days racing as I felt comfortable in the conditions and my times were not far off the leaders. The In Moto Corse Aprilia is so easy to drive in these conditions with smooth power delivery right through the rev range. Fortunately the weather on Sunday was much improved. Free practise was held in damp conditions and I managed to finish 3rd quickest in this session. Both races were held in dry conditions, which meant we would at least get some dry track time. I would again have to start from 19th on the grid for the first race. We had adjusted the slack on the clutch lever, which felt much better and allowed me to get a good start. I managed to make my way through to 11th at half race distance and I managed to hold the riders behind off right up until the last lap. Unfortunately I made a mistake going into Paddock Hill bend and ran wide which allowed two riders through. I crossed the finish line in 13th. I was feeling confident going into the second race with the benefit of starting a few positions higher up the grid. I made a great start and moved through to 9th on the first lap. I was trying to hold onto the group in front for the first few laps but it soon became clear that I didn’t have the pace. I started getting overtaken and I was trying hard not to allow any others through. I slipped back to 14th almost taking back a position on the line. Unfortunately the races were of little use as far as set up goes as I needed to concentrate on the racing rather than bike set up which was more important, to improve lap times. I was disappointed with this result as I expected more but with a better idea for the gearing and suspension adjustments I expect to improve my lap times in the dry for the first round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship.”
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PREPARATION The bike is beginning to take shape with the first run on the dyno and preparing the chassis for racing. The dyno was used to get a base setting for the standard bike along with runs using a link pipe and Austin Racing and Akrapovic end cans. The Austin Racing system gave the biggest gain of over 8 bhp nearly two more than the Akrapovic. The second stage engine development after the first track day will be to fit the Austin Racing Inconel headers, racing air filter and power Commander V with a custom map which are expected to deliver another 10 bhp based on development work carried out by Austin Racing and Dynojet.
The chassis mods included reducing steering lock, moving the ignition switch to avoid damage in a crash, fitting racing fairing and seat unit, SES clip-ons and footrests and SBS Duel Carbon brake pads supplied by Auto Moto Racing. MCT resprung and re-shimmed the front forks and resprung the rear shock
Before the second test day an Ohlins TTX race shock will be fitted again set up by MCT and a 520 chain conversion. The bodywork will also be painted by Raptor Superpaints. FIRST TEST DAY – Snetterton - 27th February 2010 The day dawned wet and cold, so wet weather tyres were fitted to the bike and suspension softened to cope with the conditions. Jon could not wait to get out on to the track after the long winter break. The last time he rode a bike was last November at Snetterton on Roy Armstrong’s 1098S Ducati in similar conditions. The bike sounded awesome even with a DB killer installed with many spectators commenting how quick Jon was in the wet conditions.
Jon takes up the events of the day - “Considering the weather and limited track time my first impressions of the Aprilia RSV4 Factory are positive. The purpose of the test was to blow out the cobwebs and familiarise myself with the bike. Fortunately I felt comfortable immediately and it didn’t take me long to get back into the groove despite the tricky conditions. The bike did everything I wanted it to and has a lot of potential. The Metzeler rain tyres had plenty of grip even though I had been used to Dunlop wets used on the KTM RC8 last year. It has the handling of a 600 but with more power. I am now looking forward to the next test day at Cadwell Park and putting the RSV4 through its paces in the dry! The bike should also have added performance with the developments taking place over the next two weeks. This will give us a good idea of how the bike is going to perform compared to the opposition.” Photos courtesy of Barry Clay
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
The 2010 Season – It seems to have been an extremely long winter but the wait is almost over! I have been working hard to maintain and improve my fitness over the winter in preparation for the coming season. I am pleased to announce that I will be riding in the National Superstock 1000 Championship for IN MOTO Corse Aprilia this season. In Moto are a family run motorcycle dealer based in Croydon founded in 1999 headed up by Roberto Ingignoli. The dealership is a main agent for Aprilia, KTM, Vespa, Gilera and Piaggio. IN MOTO Corse ran Kelvin Reilly and Pauli Pekannen in the KTM RC8 Supercup championship last year.
This is a great opportunity for me to progress and develop my riding in what promises to be an extremely competitive class. I will be up against ex-Superbike riders such as Karl Harris, Steve Plater and Glen Richards as well as a TT lap record holder in the shape of John McGuinness. I cannot wait to ride the Aprilia RSV4 Factory! It is an awesome looking and sounding motorcycle not to mention that it should be really competitive. With adjustments to the chassis available as standard it will be a steep learning curve to understand how the changes that can be made affect the performance. I am looking forward to testing the bike for the first time at Snetterton on 27th February 2010 weather permitting. We hope to be able to fit in further test days and a race meeting in March to get everything prepared before the first BSB event which is to be held over the Easter weekend at Brands Hatch. Having collected the bike just over a week ago preparation is well under way to get the bike race ready. Much of the engine development has already been done by Austin Racing with particular regard to the exhaust system and mapping using a prototype Power Commander V. The exhaust system sounds awesome just like a Moto GP bike. Well worth a visit to the Austin Racing website for a listen where there is a YouTube link. http://www.austinracing.info//mall/infopageviewer.cfm/AustinRacing/VIDSOUNDCLIPS Austin Racing specialise in all things Aprilia RSV4 from full race exhaust systems to carbon fibre fairings.
Aprilia RSV4 with Austin Racing exhaust and carbon fibre body kit. Carbon fibre unfortunately not allowed in the Superstock class. Auto Moto Racing based in Bellerby near Leyburn, North Yorkshire are supplying brake pads and sprockets. AMR provide a range of services for the motorcyclist including servicing, MOT’s and dyno work. They also supply and fit tyres for cars and motorcycles. AGIP will be providing lubrication for the Aprilia RSV4 through their sole UK distributor Moto World (UK) Ltd. AGIP manufacture a full range of quality products for motorcycles and cars.
Our partners for the 2010 season include:
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