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    Rider Blog

    It has been a great two years, I have learnt a lot, and am ready for a new challenge

    Thursday, October 16th, 2008

    I headed to Brands knowing it was imperative to finish the season in style, and score a good result.
     
    FP1 went ok. I had a new bike as my number 1 bike was destroyed at Silverstone so I spent the session getting up to speed and getting the bike dialled in. I ended the session 8th which was ok.
     
    FP2 was slightly better. I managed to go 0.5 faster but stayed 8th. I felt I had the consistency for a good race, but just couldn’t find that little bit for a one off lap. We made a few changes with the chassis for saturday qualifying.
     
    Q1 was damp and I ended up 5th which was good. I did not push that hard knowing the afternoon qualifying would be the important one.
     
    Q2 would be very important, and I needed to be on the front two rows. Initially I felt really good, setting very consistent times and been in the top 5 for the first 20 minutes. As I came out the pits with new rubber I did 2 laps before the engine let go my session was over. I was very frustrated as I had no spare bike, or engine and I dropped down to 14th which was gutting. It looked doubtful I would be able to take my place on the grid but my two mechanics and Alan did a fantastic job of building a engine with what they had available and we were ready to go.
     
    Warm up was a nightmare. I had no quickshifter then I had a problem with the ecu cutting out. We managed to get it sorted and ended up 9th, after only doing one lap.
     
    I was very very motivated for the race. There was no way I was going to finish the season with a poor result. I was very relaxed and confident and decided I would push to the maximum but not take any silly risks. As the lights went out I got a fantastic start and ended lap 1 9th, then lap 2 8th. I knew I had done the hard work, but I still had no quickshifter and it took me a few laps to learn how to get the best out of the package.

    I closed down on Lowry, Cooper, Martin and Frost, before setting about making my way through. The race was not so much about speed, it was aggression and who wanted it the most. I passed Martin and Lowry, before having a battle with Cooper which I eventually came out on top of. I sat behind Rob frost looking for a way by when with 8 laps to go I realised there was oil everywhere, coming out the casings onto my foot, leg and footrests. I blocked it out and took the risks, eventually passing frost into paddock and tried to maintain 4th which I did. To finish 4th was fantastic after the weekend and the circumstances. I rode with my heart, as it was very important to get a result, especially considering what had gone on.
     
    I feel that was probably the best race so far. I rode the wheels off the bike, and no one was going to beat me in a out and out battle. I did close another 6 points on Lowry and got the gap down to ten points to 3rd. I have finished every race for the past two seasons, which is an incredible achievement, and am one of only two riders to have scored points in every round this year, Glen been the other. It has been a great two years, I have learnt a lot, and am ready to challenge for the British Supersport Championship in 2009. It is always sad to be leaving a team, but it is now time to move on, and I look forward to racing against Centurion Racing in the future and I wish them all the best.
     
    I would like to say well done to Glen Richards for winning the championship. He has been a class act and someone we can all look up to and learn off. Also well done to Dan for his best race in Supersport at Brands this season and last. 

    Finally I would like to say a big thank you to Centurion, Paul and Gary. To Barbara thank you for the support it means a lot. To Alan for building great bikes, it’s been an absolute pleasure and I will miss working with you. Kev and Spence from Wp. Mike from Data Spares, and Finally my mechanics my dad and Sim.

    I was excited and eager for a good result …

    Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

    Arriving at Knockhill I was excited and eager for a good result. The forecast looked a bit iffy for Saturday and Sunday so I knew any dry track time would be a bonus and could be very important. FP1 was was dry and straight away I was seriously fast. It felt strange as within a couple of laps I was p1 as I kept lowering my times from a 51.5 to a 50.6. It seemed pretty easy and I managed to consistently lap in the 50’s on old rubber which was good. I ended up fastest with a 50.6 with a 0.3 gap to 2nd place.
     
    The afternoon was again dry and I was looking for another good session. Straight away I went p1 and was in the 50’s and i worked on my race pace, until I got pipped by Glen Richards with about 15 minutes to go. The next lap I saw Glen down so I knew I was doing good times and consistently so I pushed a bit harder and ended up fastest again. It was a very nice feeling as the bike was working fantastic and I felt very much in control of the day’s proceedings. I had done many laps in the 50’s and my ideal split times was 0.2 faster which matched the lap record.
     
    Q1 was wet, and I settled into a nice rhythm and was comfortably inside the top 10. I was holding back a fair bit as I knew crashing in the first session would not do me much good, and the afternoon looked wet too. I ended up 6th which I was happy about.
     
    Q2 was again wet the same as the morning but this time I wanted to be on the front row. The times were really close and I was again comfortably in the top 10. With 20 minutes remaining we started changing the ride height of the bike to get some more rear grip and we found something that really worked. I pitted for a new rear and I ended up 2nd, which I was pleased about. It was my first front row start and my best ever qualifying position in the wet.
     
    Warm up started damp and was drying pretty quickly. I went out on inters but I didnt gel with them to be honest and had a bad session with traffic. I was still 3rd fastest which was encouraging.
     
    I knew my best chance of winning was to do it from the front. I was really nervous and hoping the rain clouds would stay away. In situations like these I am more nervous than normal as I was expecting a podium, nothing else and it was all down to me. I got a good start and took my first holeshot which I was peaking about! (It had been a while since I last had led a race, too long in-fact!!!) Glen came past me into Carlube on Lap 1 which I was surprised about as he had started from 7th I think so he had a good start. I tried to settle in behind him but before I knew it Lowry and Webb were by and I was 4th. That was not in the plan and I had to settle down, compose myself and get back to doing the times I was on Friday. I managed to outbrake Webb into the hairpin and straight away I was on the back of Glen before passing him into the final corner on the brakes. Lowry had just over a second and I managed to get that back to 0.5 but I just didn’t have enough time or speed to pass him. On Lap 22 the red flags came out due to rain and a result was declared.
     
    Obviously I was happy with 2nd but I need to sort my first lap or two out and maybe I could have had a good battle with Ian for the win. Fair play to him he didn’t put a foot wrong in the race and rode really well. I was really happy to be back on the box, also with how I had rode all weekend in whatever conditions and both my Centurion Hondas were a pleasure to ride this weekend. It really was a good weekend, and I would like to say a big thank you to the whole team, Paul and Gary, Alan for putting a winning bike under me, Sim and Dad my mechanics, Mike our data man, friends and family and anyone else who has made it possible for me to be on the podium. I am now up to 4th place in the championship with 4 rounds to go, 39 points behind 3rd which is not going to be easy, but never say never.

    We now head for Cadwell,my home circuit and a place I have had pole positions, wins and lap records. Please come and get behind me at my home round, It would mean the world to win there.
     
    Thank you
     James

    Arriving at Oulton Park I was looking on improving upon my result at Mallory and having a good points scoring weekend.

    Monday, July 21st, 2008

    FP1 started wet and I initially did a outlap before returning to my garage to sort a problem with my quickshifter. I completed one flying lap which put me fastest and came in as the track was drying a lot and i wanted to save my wet tyres. With around 15 minutes remaining I went out with a dry set up and went 8th. I was not over the moon with how it had gone but it had got the weekend underway!
     
    FP2 was again wet but quickly drying up. I went out onto the circuit with around 20 minutes remaining and steadily built into a nice rhythm. It became apparent we were struggling for a good dry set up and I was loosing a lot of time on corner entry. I ended up 10th which was pretty dissapointing but confident for the remainder of the weekend.
     
    Q1 was really wet and straight away I felt very confident. I never used to be much of a wet rider but now I love the conditions which is funny! I was in or around the top 6 all session and then went 3rd with 6 minutes remaining before pitting to make a slight change to the bike. It was drying slightly and everyone else made there last laps count and I dropped down to 14th. I was really annoyed as that was not a true indication to how fast I was in the session.
     
    Q2 was dry and I knew I had to find something special. The dry set up was a lot better than friday and I was very confident of a front row grid position. I was consistantly doing mid to low 40’s and on my last lap i managed a 39.9 despite a few mistakes and traffic. I went 4th but got shuffled back to 5th after the flag went out. I was happy with my time but slightly annoyed at the mistakes I made and the position.
     
    Warm up was damp and i again enjoyed riding in those conditions and ended up 2nd.
     
    I knew I had to get a good start and get away with the front few guys. I made a decent start and settled in 6th but straight away I was been dropped and then made a mistake into Hizzys on lap 1. I run the inside curb and folded the front but saved it on my knee and it unsettled my rhythm and I dropped to 8th. I settled down and was lapping in the mid 40’s fighting for 5th when Plater retired. I managed to get the better of Paul Young and I tried to pass James Webb on the final lap but I came up short and finished 6th. I was pretty upset after the race because I didnt have the feeling in the first few laps which let the leaders get away. I was expecting my race pace to be about half a second faster and I certainly wasnt expecting the leaders to go as fast as they did. I had not gone into the race expecting to be 20 seconds down at the finish line. I have taken the positives away from the weekend though, like im still 5th in the championship and very much in the fight for 4th. Also I had qualified a second faster than back in May and gone a second faster in the race too which is a massive chunk of time and serious progress in just 5 rounds. Another second next year and we will be on top of the box!!! Oulton has always been one of my Bogey tracks for the past 3 years and I guess we just didn’t put it all together in the race for one reason or another.
     
    We now have a test coming up at Cadwell later this week, Im going to Knuckle down to some training and get in good shape for Knockhill were I have some great memories with a podium in 2005 and race win and lap record in 2006. I will be aiming to be back on the box in 3 weeks time.
     
    Finally a big thank you to all the team, sponsors and my mechanics, my dad and Sim.

    Following my debut podium at Snetterton I headed to Mallory full of confidence and looking for a good solid result.

    Monday, June 30th, 2008

    FP1 was dry and straight away I showed that Snetterton was no fluke, by going fastest and doing a 58.1. I was really happy with the bike and myself and looking forward to the rest of the weekend.
     
    FP2 was wet and I started the session steady and gradually got faster and faster. I finished the session 3rd which I was happy about and was happy with the way the bike worked in the conditions. It was a nice feeling ending the day with the fastest time.
     
    Q1 and I was looking for a good solid performance to start from the front row of the grid. I was consistantly fast all session, and topped the time sheets for a part of the 40 minutes before been shuffled down to 3rd. I was not too fussed as it was the front row and I had made a few mistakes on my fastest lap.
     
    Q2 and I knew everyone around me would be going faster. I struggled throughout the session with traffic and getting into any kind of rhythm but did manage to improve my mornings time to a 57.6 but got knocked off the front row with seconds to go and ended up 5th. I was happier 5th than 4th because I wanted to be on the outside going into gerrards, But the front row would have been nice if you get me! I was however happy because I felt race pace wise we were right there, but just didnt have that last little bit to go for pole but it was another great day.
     
    Warm up went well, I didn’t do anything silly just put some more laps on race tyres and went 4th with a 58.0. I was happy heading into the race.
     
    As we were ready on the grid the rain came down and delayed the start of the race. I was pretty gutted as I felt we had a better overall package in the dry than the wet but it didnt phase me as we swapped bikes on the grid. I got a good start and held my own on the first lap and settled in 7th but it was soon apparent I didnt have the confidence so early on and lost vital seconds to the podium group. It took me 6-7 laps to get down to a good pace which by that time they had gone. I had a big gap infront and behind so I rode a lonely race reading my pitboard to a good solid 6th place. I was catching Glen for 5th towards the end but I wanted 6th and 10 points instead of putting everything on the line for another point. I was happy with the result as it has moved me up to 5th in the championship on a day that could have easily have rewarded us with nothing.
     
    The weekend was another great success, been inside the top 6 all weekend, topping FP1 and been competetive in the wet or dry.

    Once again we were the top Honda all weekend which is a great boost for myself and the team. I kept it pretty quiet how much I dislike Mallory and how it doesn’t suit me as a rider and my style, so to score such good points is a real bonus. I feel we have got some real momentum and consistancy at the present minute, and I’m looking foward to Oulton and fighting for the podium again. I would just like to thank all the Centurion team , and my two mechanics my dad and Sim.
     
    Thanks
     
    James

    Podium spot … absolutley brilliant !

    Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

    After the test at Mallory I could not wait to get to Snetterton and challenge for a good result. It felt like something had really clicked and I was full of confidence.

    Fp1 went very well, I spent the first 20 minutes sorting my gearing and then started finding my way around. I was very comfortable out on track and my time and position backed it up. I did the same time as last year in the race after just 10 laps or so, which put me 3rd!
     
    FP2 and we changed the bike slightly which was a step in the right direction. I was consistantly in the 1,08’s and felt fantastic with how I was riding. I ended the session6th but only 0.2 off the fastest time. I was a bit gutted as I felt my position didnt do me justice to how we had performed.
     
    Q1 was once again dry with rain threatening for the afternoon I knew I had to make the morning count. I was pretty fast straight away and was never out the top 4. My race pace was excellent and I was doing low 8’s pretty easily lap after lap on old rubber too. I came in for my new rear tyre and shot up to 2nd with minutes remaining, before been pushed back to 5th. My final 3 laps had to count, and I put my head down to claim my debut front row and maybe even pole. On my first I went pink in the first split, then hit traffic through the bombhole and lost my lap. The 2nd I looked for some clear track for my final push. The 3rd I once again went pink through the first split but had a small problem and couldnt finish my lap. I was happy with 5th but I had the pace for pole. I had to smile though I knew I had the pace to be on the rostrum.

    The 2nd session it rained and the track was not dry enough to improve my time so I didnt go out. In warm up we tried a small adjustment with the bike and it didnt really work so I just concentrated on been smooth and consistant and went 4th. I did a low 8 on tyres that had done 35 plus laps!!!
     
    Before the race I was seriosuly nervous, and for me that is normally a good sign!! I got some great coverage on the grid before the race which made me chill out a little bit.

    The lights went out and I made a good start when it mattered most and was p2 into turn 1 before running wide and dropping to 4th. I took the first lap pretty steady as I didnt want to make a mistake and then I started to settle down into a rhythm. I was behind Steve Plater and at first I started looking for a way by, but I knew where my bike was strong and were I could pass so I had to bide my time.

    As I was lining him up he did Hudson and kind of messed me up as my little plan went out the window!! I re grouped and passed Hudson were I had planned to do Steve a few laps earlier. I was 3rd and right with Glen and Steve. My bike was working well in first sector and through the bomb hole and Coram, and I thought I could have had a go and then and go for the win but the red flags came out and that was it.

    At first I was not sure how many laps were left, or wether it was a result or a 5 lap dash or something silly, but as i rolled down pit lane I saw thumbs up and a marshal directing everyone to park ferme, that was it. At last my podium…
     
    The weekend was fantastic, I have been in the top 6 all weekend, the top Honda all weekend which is nice, and gained my first podium for myself and also Centurion’s first podium in 3 years of trying. The race was amazing and I felt so good and smooth throughout and to run with such experienced people and push them for the win it was fantastic and full credit must go to my team.

    To Gary and Paul for the opportunity to prove myself in Supersport, Alan for building a fantastic bike, Kev from WP for giving me a faultless handling bike which was a pleasure to ride. Mike our data man, and my two mechanics, my dad and Sim.

    They do a fantastic job of preparing my bike on a weekend and i must thank them. Also to Jonny and Lenny, two close friends whose support is amazing and there a pleasure to have around. A big thanks to my family and friends.

    Lets hope its the first of many.
     
    Thank you
    James #27

    Brand’s second time round, was a corker! Westy flew, with the fastest track time

    Monday, May 12th, 2008

    Race Report Brands Hatch, Take 2!

    After a difficult result the previous week at Oulton I headed to Brands Hatch, one of my favourite tracks on the British Superbike calendar slightly nervous but full of confidence knowing how much I needed a result.

    Saturday morning didn’t go so well, I ran the hard rear tyre and it didn’t work in the hot conditions. I struggled with corner entry really badly and ended up 14th. I was slightly annoyed but I felt really good on the bike.

    In the afternoon I went a lot faster straight away, I was up to 4th by mid session and I worked on my race pace consistently in the 30’s and low 31’s which I was happy with. On my last lap I did a 30.5 with a tyre that had done 16 laps so it was smiles all round. I ended the session 3rd which was a good boost ready for Sunday.

    Warm up didn’t start in the best way possible! I had an electrical problem and lost the first 6 minutes of the session. I managed to do 2 flying laps, my first one put me in the top ten, the 2nd put me 3rd. I got shuffled down a place in the final seconds but I got in the 30’s again on a tyre that had done 22 laps. I knew I had the pace to do well.

    Before the race I was really nervous, slightly more so than normal. I knew I couldn’t afford to mess up after the bad first two rounds. Everything was working well and I had the package to finish on the podium. I got an ok start, nothing special but held my own, despite some elbows at Paddock and Druids!  Before the end of the first lap the safety car came out and when we returned to normal racing conditions I was 12th and spent a few laps settling down. I slowly starting to make my way through the pack, I was really surprised how fast I was through the fast corners out the back and how well my bike was working. I got up to 6th with 6 laps to go when the safety car came out again. The car stopped out two laps and I messed up on the restart I just wasn’t ready coming out of Sheene curve. I rode hard for 2 laps and with 2 to go I found myself back on the fight for the final podium position and I wanted it so bad. I passed Fitzpatrick into Paddock then did the same to BJ on the final lap, but he came back at me. I passed him hard but fair into Dingle dell and with 2 corners to go, Brogan run wide and was right there but I couldn’t do anything into Clearways or over the line. I was happy with 4th but to miss out on 3rd by 0.06 was hard to take. I was really happy considering where I started and that has given me the boost I needed to get my season started. I got the 3rd fastest lap of the race, I think a podium was obviously possible, but Glen and Hudson rode really well and lets hope we can bridge the Gap in 2 weeks time.

    I must say a massive thank you to the whole Centurion team, Paul, Gary and Alan, To Mike our data logging man, Kev from WP, and my two mechanics, my dad and Sim. Also all my friends and family who were watching at home thank you for all your messages of support. We will get there. Im sorry It wasn’t mine and Centurions first podium but heading into Donington, my favourite circuit with so much confidence and my bike working so well, I say bring it on…..…

    Thank you

    James

    High hopes … but not quite to plan

    Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

    After a difficult meeting at Thruxton I headed to Oulton with high hopes of a good result and to get my championship on track. Saturday morning went ok, I had a new engine fitted in my number one dry bike and I instantly liked it. It had so much more power and drive out of the corners than before and I was very optimistic for the weekend. I ended the first session in 10th which I was fairly happy about.
     
    FP2 got underway and straight away i went faster than the morning, I run in the top 8 for the whole session before been shuffled down to 11th in the final minutes. I was reasonably happy with the days work but not estatic. I felt I was lacking about a second in race pace and needed to find that for qualifying.
     
    Q1 was wet, and I was hoping to do well. The times were really close but I only finished 14 which I was annoyed about but I didnt push all that hard as I knew we would go faster in the afternoon. It was a shame I didnt pit for a new rear at the end as I think I could have jumped up a fair few places.
     
    Q2 and the track was dry. I knew it was very important to gain a good starting position and lower my race pace. I bedded myself in during the 35 minute session, and with 12 minutes to go I pulled the pin and was consistantly in the low 41’s before dropping into the 40’s on my last lap. That was good enough for 8th and the 2nd row which I was chuffed about. It was a nice feeling as it was the first time I have shown promise on the Pirellis and I feel im really getting there. I was pleased with myself as I took 0.7 off what I did last season on a Dunlop qualifying tyre in race trim with Pirellis.
     
    Warm up again went well. I wanted to put some more laps on the soft tyres to make sure they would do race distant and we were very fast in race trim. After qualifying I felt we had found a good rhythm. After 20 laps on a soft rear I was still doing mid 41’s and thats in warm up so as you would imagine I was very confident for the race. Those times put me 4th and this was a good boost. Unfortuantly after the session ended I did a practice start and the engine I had been so confident with all weekend failed, leaving me distraught.
     
    My two mechancs and Alan did a fantastic job of building me a race bike out of two bikes, during the morning and I must say a huge thanks to them for there effort. The race got underway under on a drying track with rain still slightly falling and I choose to go with hard wets. I got a good initial run into turn one and settled in around about 8th or 9th. I had a massive highside at Lodge at the end of lap one but I managed to save it but dropped a few places.

    As I settled down and started making headway the race was red flagged due to a incident.
     
    For the re run I was slightly nervous about tyre choice and I chose a inter front. I thought this might give me a advantage early on but little was I to know! I got another good start but got boxed in on the way to turn 1, and lost a few positions. I was pretty annoyed how the first part of the race turned out but I got my head down and started making progress. Now it had dried it was obvious the new engine wasnt as strong as the previous one, and I had a few niggling problems with it during the race. I got up to 10th and was catching the pack infront when I run on at the chichane and dropped to 13th. I was

    absoluteky gutted as i was riding so well. I lost about 4 seconds just on that lap and it screwed my race. Although I was only 10th I thought I could have got on the back of the 2nd group of riders and gained a position or two. I struggled through the last 6 laps with the front tyre folding everywhere as my inter destroyed itself. I hung on for 11th but this really wasnt the result I was looking for after Qualifying and warm up.
     
    Basically I was really frustrated with myself, firstly for going with a inter front then running on at the chichane. I couldnt help the engine problem but it was annoying as I think if all had been well I could have finished 5th.It was a great opportunity to score good points and climb up the championship leaderboard. I have totally put the day behind me now and its history, I was over that by 6pm monday night! I now look forward to Brands and Donington,

    where I am 100% confident in getting the results I believed we should have had at Oulton. The one positive thing is that we were fast, Brands is one of my favourite tracks, and then again so is Donington. In 4 days time we will start to put the job right at Brands and look for a very good result on Sunday afternoon. Im ready!
     
    I would like to say a big thanks to my Dad,Sim and Alan and the rest of the Centurion team, and a big thanks to my friends and family. We will see you all at Brands Hatch later this week.

    Cheer, Westy #27

    Its Friday … and the seasons started …

    Friday, April 4th, 2008

    It’s Friday and the sunny is shining at Brands Hatch, as the 2008 season kicks off.

    Practice day looks set to be a good one … especially after the limited track time due to weather.  Although the weather is set to turn, making life a little interesting.

    But today, the sun is out and is should be a goodun!

    Good to be back … testing in Spain

    Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

    Cartegena Testing report.

    Leading up to Cartegena I was excited and a little nervous. I had been off my race bike for 5 months, and thats one hell of a long time!!! We also had the new Pirelli control tyre to deal with but I was nervous to how it would feel having been with Dunlop so long. I also had two new mechanics to work with, and Kevin from Wp was working alongside me plus Andy our new Data log man so we had had to settle in and get to know one another.

    I was first out on track the first morning, just to blow the cob webs out and get the first few laps out the way. It made me laugh because the bike felt so fast, I thought I was on Stoners Ducati for a few seconds until my brain got up to speed!!! The first day went ok, I just did plenty of laps and got back into the swing of things. On the second day, I ran my new 2008 Centurion Honda. Obviously there was a few teething problems but the day went well, and the bike seemed good straight away. We made some positive Chassis improvements and the day ended well. We tested for the following morning trying a few things and a race distance before packing up to leave for Guadix.
     
    Guadix Testing report.
     
    It had been two years since I had last been to Guadix and the track looked awesome. The track had changed in two ares and they have done a great job and the weather wasnt bad either! I always enjoy going there as its a friendly atmosphere and your made to feel welcome.
     
    I headed out onto track about 11am to get a feel for the place and it was awesome to ride. Straight away I noticed everything was working a lot better than Cartegena and the tyres were amazing. I honestly think they are close to been the best tyres I’ve riden on. We spent the day getting up to speed and straight away we were doing respectable times. We didnt change too much just spent the day getting track time. One of the things I made sure, was I was doing 10-14 laps at a time, so I could fully understand the tyres and how they work.
     
    The second day and we decided to up our game. I did a lot of laps to understand the tyres and to be fair I enjoyed riding on them. We made a few changes to the chassis and late morning I got to follow Steve Brogan and it was nice to be able to sit behind him comfortably doing good times too. We never used any softer compound tyres I just used harder ones and the times we were doing were still good and in the ball park. Before the day finished I did a race run and did my fastest lap on lap 17 of 17 and the consistancy was mega. I think one of the things this year is going to be saving the tyres and getting the best out of them later in the race. I was very happy with the 5 days testing and where we were at. You may see I havent mentioned times, well at this stage im not too bothered. The object of the test was to get the feel back and get used to the tyres and the new team personal. I was not firing soft tyres in, or going for a mega fast lap,just getting up to speed and once Brands comes and the flag drops, what do they say? The b******t stops!!!!
     
    I was mega happy with the way the team worked together after such a long lay off. We still have a few areas to work on with the bike before the next test at Snett which will improve the overall package and get the 08 bike on the pace. Im happy with myself and how I rode and cant wait to get to Brands. I would just like to say a massive thank you to Paul and Gary, Allan for building the new bikes,  I know he’s had some work to do and my two new mechanics for doing a mega job . Also Kev and Andy, It was like a breath of fresh air having them in the team and I would like to welcome them to the team and look forward to working with them through out the season.
     
    Here’s to a good season, Full Gas all year.
     
    James

    Happy New Year …

    Saturday, January 12th, 2008

    WestyIt’s nice that Christmas is out the way and we’re heading back towards the racing season. I had a quiet Christmas at home with my family, and new year at my best mate linnys house which was a good laugh. We went skiing …although it was only indoor but great fun! I’m busy at the minute training hard and counting down the days till we’re testing! The boys are busy working on building the bikes, and I can’t wait to see what changes have been made from last year. I’m away at the Excel show for a few days at the end of jan so please pop in and say hello if your about.
     
    I got one of my new helmets through before Christmas and its mega, rich-art have really done a great job spraying it. We’re changing a few things on the next one but you will hardly notice. I’m dead chuffed with it! Apart from that its pretty steady, i’m ready for testing and getting back on the case. As one of mechanics sim text me at new year saying, “we’ve got to be on it this year kid!!!”

    Speak to you soon…….

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