Go-Star Racers in attendance were,

• Ian Porter, GSXR 1000 Powerbikes
• Barry Lukehurst, GSXR 600 Clubman/Supersport 600's
• William Gabrielli, RS250-Rookie 400's
• Chris Martin, CBR 600-Supersport 600's
• David Daws - Suzuki SZ650 Minitwins
• Gavin Wheeler Yamaha R6 – Rookie 600 and 600 clubman races
• Franklyn Carter Yamaha R6 – Rookie 600 and 600 clubman races

Go-Star Supporters in attendance were,

• Rodders (reporter),
• Gavin's Son Kieran
• Franklyn's family
• Chris M family
• Sean O (Saturday)
• Matt T (Saturday)
• Philippe G (Saturday)
• Junior G (Saturday)
• Ivan P (Saturday)
• Chris P  (Saturday)
• Rob R (Saturday)
• Andy W (Saturday)

Thursday 1st May

We arrived at about 3:00pm,expecting to see a certain Mr Roberts and his race team to find the track deserted !!!!Apparently the bike was not up to scratch and the test day was cancelled .

The wind was howling across the open fields round the track, which made the tent setting up a rather interesting affair , to say the least !!!!!!!We got the tents up eventually and started to arrange the garages for the days testing on the Friday. A few beers and a good meal, and some catching up with people as they arrived, it was time to turn in for the night.

Friday 2nd May

We woke up to pouring rain, first thing Friday morning ,there were rivers running through the paddock. There was much discussion as to what tyres to use, as by 8:30 am it was a light rain, about midday clear skies appeared over the horizon. It was wets all round for the first of the morning session's. Barry and Gab's (William), tiptoed out on their chosen tyres for the first sessions.

Gab's successfully completed the days practise, putting in some increasingly quicker times ,as the rain cleared and the tyres were changed for dry one's. Barry on the other hand had a less than trouble free day. In the second session of the day ,on wet tyres, Barry was going up the straight by the pit wall, when he came into his breaking area ,he applied the brakes and went straight down on to the black stuff, shoulder first. His bike collected another rider on it's solo maiden voyage, ending not only Barry's day but the other guy's as well, sorry we did not get his name (just as well really !!!! he was less than impressed !!!!!!!).The damage was fairly comprehensive, snapped clip-on, broken exhaust bracket, twisted rear sub-frame, broken screen, bent footrest ,bent steering damper and not a body panel unscathed !!!!The repair job started at about 11am Friday and did not finish until 3am Saturday !!!!!With still a few minor adjustments to be reckoned with over the remaining days of the weekend.

Ian had the record for the most tyre changes in the paddock that day easily, as i counted 5 separate changes. So if any of the race teams read this we have someone in our midst who is up there on times!!!!!!!!Like Gab's, Ian had a good days testing even with all the decisions to make concerning the tyres, putting in some good times to build upon for the Saturday and Sunday.

Chris Martin was out on his CBR all day ,and as far as i know he had a good day with no real complaints to make, apart from the awful weather !!! It was a pleasure to meet Chris and his family, this view was expressed by Barry, Gab's and myself , its always good to meet the people who you only see as an e-mail address !!

Saturday 3rd May

The day started well with all the racers going through scrutineering without a hitch. It was a glorious day ,with not a cloud in the sky. Sean and some of the other Go-Star members from in and around London came up for a visit which was good .We met a lot of new people and it was a very friendly atmosphere indeed. It is always nice to see members at these events ,although we do need to get some of you there in the evening's for the crack round the "camp fire", as the beers flow freely and a good time is had by all, although the next morning sorts the men from the boy's !!!!!!
Gab's set out on his 10 minute practise, and did not appear until the end of the session. The bike gave up the ghost going down the back straight .He came back on the back of the recovery truck looking down in the dumps, as it appeared that the engine had blown up !!!!His worst fears were confirmed under closer inspection ,with parts of the piston found in the exhaust !!!!So unfortunately this was to be the end of his weekend, with the damage being to much to repair at the track. I have spoken to him since and the bill so far is over £500 and climbing !!!!He should be back with any luck at the nationwide round at Brand's Hatch .

Ian was out in race three of the day, he had a good race and managed to cross the line in 25th overall .In the second race of the day Ian had a good start and fought his way to 26th at the chequered flag. He wanted to break 1:15's over the weekend , having posted consistent 1:17's through the two days races, but that was the only real complaints that i heard.

Barry competed in race eight of the day ,supersport 600's,he had a reasonable race even though the bike "still was not quite right" in his words. This problem would not be rectified until the Sunday night with more fine tuning for the Monday's races. He placed 32nd and 33rd in both of these races during the day. In clubman 600's it was a bit better story with a 23rd.

Sunday 4th May

Again on the Sunday it was a pleasant day and no sign of the rain that was forecast . Ian was the first out of the two racers left .He had a very good race breaking the 1:17 barrier, with a 1:16:23 so was not far of his goal at all, he placed 24th in this race. In his second and final race of the weekend he made an improvement on his finishing position with a very well deserved 21st.
Barry was next up in the first of his two supersport 600 races. He was still complaining of the bike not being the same as it was ,with the main problem being brakes and the front end. He managed 36th and 33rd respectively in these races. In the clubman 600's it was a better showing with a 19th by the time the chequered flag was reached.
The day was finished by some more fettling by Barry on the "Gixer", to get it back to original condition. We also had to say good bye to Ian as he had to get back to London.

Monday 4th May

We were blessed again with excellent weather all day, the complete opposite to what was predicted by the weather man. Barry was the the only person left facing the starting grid ,with the usual two supersport races and a clubman race . The bike was back to normal, or as close as it could get after it's excursion .There were still a few niggling problems with the brakes ,but they were bearable. In his two supersport races he managed to place 19th and 17th respectively ,which he was fairly happy with after all the problems he had encountered. The clubman race was a pretty good outing for Barry with a 19th position.

As I mentioned previously, it would be nice to see some of you guys there for the evening drinking session's. Myself and good friend Dave (Ginger) managed a 16 hour session on the beer, it was hard going but we feel we gave a good account of ourselves !!! Here are a few pictures to have a giggle at .Please do come and join us at Brand's, for a repeat of this.

With regards Rodder's (unofficial Go-Star reporter ).

In addition to Rod's write-up of the weekend their were also other Go Star racers taking part that weekend that were working from other garages on pit lane. We also had David Daws, Gavin Wheeler and the latest member Franklyn Carter who joined Go Star within the last week or so.

Such were the numbers that weekend that we could be found within 3 different garages. During wet practise on Friday I came past David on the way into sears onto the back straight on such a tight line that I ran out onto the edge of the track. Unaware that I was on the white line I lit the back end up about 6 feet of of line with a big front end lock to lock and narrowly missed a near highside. Thanks to David for missing me during this manoeuvre.

A special mention must go to Gavin and Franklyn. Gavin knocked an incredible amount of time of his laps due to some suspension tweaks and advise from Chris Martin and also a determined focus from a good nights sleep and reflection over Saturday night.

Frank was a revelation, a man truly hungry and motivated for success and eventually achieved a mid 1min 18secs during the course of the weekend. He also got into the top ten of the rookie 600 and is currently lying 9th in the king of clubs rookie 600 championship.

A good weekends racing by all.

Ian.P
Go Star racer

Race Report