This was it...the first day of reckoning on the new race bike but first I had to qualify from a list of 52 entrants and only 38 places available on the grid. I also have never launched the bike from the lights and I was feeling good and confident that I could push the barriers and break into the 51 seconds on this superstock bike.

One thing is for sure and that is I will never tune this bike until the big backers come along to help out Go Star. I believe I can really get to the 50's with suspension work, a quick action throttle and maybe a quick shifter if I can sort the money. It would be real trick to beat the trick powerbikes with standard engine. That is the aim.

Anyway qualifying was a mess of red flag after red flag and I never did more than 4 laps at any given time during the interrupted 18 minute qualifying session. It was the same for everyone and everyone was going mad as soon as we were let out after each restart in order to bang in a lap. Every first lap out were crashers in a haste to bang a lap in and before you knew it....red flag again.

Basically I did a number of 53's during these stoppages and the best was 53.44 I was only a few 10ths of a sec from qualifying and just missed it by a real narrow margin. Regardless of this, I had one of the most fun days I have had in years with the crew and others with our garage. Mark Parchment another Go Star racer qualified 27 in the Supersport 600 in 52.60 on a standard R6, so we know we have the ability. A few off the new members also turned up to give support such as Celeste and Pete and Joe & Tony other Go star racers who will be doing their stuff in the Bemsee Southern championship. I however felt that I never got the chance to really produce what I know I could on the day but that's life.

This year will be a good relaxed year where I enjoy everything about racing again come what may. If you are not winning but still don't enjoy it, then what's the point. Regardless of how much you spend on racing it's still for fun, that's all it is, until you have a contract with some factory. So I'm putting the fun back into my racing this year regardless of outcome, money, position or anything. BACK to Basics! (True - ed)