Hi to all PaddockGossip.com readers. Well its been one of those months to forget on the racing front with a lot of ups and downs but this month more downs with being on my arse than anything else!

It all started at Croft at the beginning of the month. Croft is one of the circuits that I raced last season and was the first time I raced a 1000 in anger. I managed to crash twice in one weekend, so not much had changed this time! Friday morning soon came after arriving at the circuit again at 3am, thanks go to Big G for driving and letting me get my head down in the back of the truck on the drive over from Heysham.

I headed out from pit lane at the front of the pack, one steady lap to blow the sleep from my eyes, then I started to wind her up. Coming into the Complex for the second time and I had wound her up a little too much, big hand full of front brake, bang…. front tucked!! Disaster. I wobbled back to pit lane, JK and Marko checked the bike over, nothing damaged, just a couple of grass sods to pull out of the fairing. I managed to do a few more laps but my head was battered so I pulled in and went straight back to the truck finishing the session 19th with a 1.29.83.

The next two qualifying sessions went like a dream, I really got into the circuit. We changed the gearing (the first time this season) and I ended the first session 5th on a 1.26.35. I was struggling with the change of direction in the fast corners, so keeping the same gearing we shortened the chain which made the wheel base shorter which really made the bike flick from one direction to the other. Gaining in confidence the second session came and went without a hitch and I ended up 4th on a 1.25.95, happy days front row! 4th on the grid here at Croft I think is better than pole as you are on the inside of the track and with a really sharp right turn at the end of the start finish straight you can just out brake everybody, park it mid corner, then squirt it out of the corner in the lead, easy! Thats just what I did at the start of the race and found myself leading from lap one. Martin Jowett and myself made a small gap from the chasing three. Martin showed his nose a couple of times but couldnt get past. The laps were rolling by and I just kept riding to my pit board until lap ten whilst still in the lead I tipped into sunny 1 where theres some really bad bumps on the inside on the corner that you should stay clear of….for nine laps I had. Just as I tipped in I thought sh**, the bumps and before I could do anything about it I was scooting down the track on my arse with the k7 doing some double flik flak half twists behind me! Gutted isnt the word, it was a lonely old walk back to the truck, devastated, annoyed with myself, gutted for the team and completely fooked off! Thats racing as they say. We got the late boat home that night but stayed for a farewell drink with Scott Young who is emigrating to Canada with his wife Lynn. They have a son Ben who has just started racing 125s so watch this space for the name.

Once off the boat we headed straight for the Manx Grand Prix paddock to set up team MBR HQ for the fortnight ahead. Three awnings needed setting up and washing as they hadnt been cleaned by our so called TT superstars who are clearly above a bit of grime and shine….dig dig! Bring your ajax and marigolds next time lads! 4 hours set up later it was back to the garage to start work on the K7 jigsaw. The ingredients looked something like a full fairing set, front bracket, clip-on, clutch lever, footpeg, rear sets, and 2 end cans. There was many a late night on the run up to Cadwell Park just 12 days later in getting the bike sorted but it all came together at lastminute.com.

The day the Manx Grand Prix started was Dawn and Juans Big Day Out. She managed to tie him down at long last and got him up the aisle - tell this was written by a bloke! It was a proper Laxey day out, married in Laxey and reception in Laxey and full of mad Laxey people! Local Laxey Hero and IOM Gimp Robbie Black made a comic appearance but did stagger off early, too much too soon! JK managed to have the only crash of the day as he went top to bottom down the stairs in his Manx Skirt. He reckoned he slipped on his untied shoe lace but really he was pissed on half a babysham! Good job he wasnt wearing the Manx tartan the traditional way!

Cadwell Park was soon here and because the truck was set up in the Manx Grand Prix paddock we had no transport, so in stepped Mark Cringle and his dad John with their Mercedes Sprinter as transport - many thanks. We set off on Friday morning on the SeaDog and arrived at Cadwell late afternoon and set up. Ive never been to Cadwell before, and I wish I had never gone, so managed to walk the track then off too roost for the night in the back of the van just like a proper club racer so Im told! Been spoilt they reckon! I had two races at Cadwell, one on Sunday night and one first thing on Monday morning. Saturday morning arrived and the disasters started to happen. Free practice and we forgot to put the transponder on, doh! First qualifying on the third lap and still being clueless as to what direction the track went, I ran a little hot into Charlies, panicked a little bit, hand full of front brake and down I went, three laps into the session. The bike was hardly touched apart from a brake lever which was soon fixed. Qualifying two: I managed to complete the full session and ended the session 38th, struggled to get the hang of this track. First race on Sunday night went ok from 38th I managed to work my way through to 21st and was starting to get a little more feel of where I was going. Monday mornings race I got a great start and after the first lap I was 14th. The pace car came out on lap two which bunched us all together, happy days I was in touch again with the leading bunch. The Pace Car went at the end of the second lap and I set about making my way through the pack. Progress was good until lap 5 I tried a little too hard coming round Chriss Curves and the rear let go, gripped and up in the air I went. I was that high I had snow on my boots by the time I hit the deck and then ended up in a heap in the tyre wall, winded and dazed! The bike actually cleared the tyre wall, proper crash. We soon packed up and headed for Liverpool, totally pixxed off and down, two meetings, nil points and a very smashed bike. Sorry MB…again.

Well that was August, September just has to get better. Its time for me to regroup and finish the season strong. I need to wrap the IOM centre championship up then back across the pond to Donington for the penultimate round of the BSB, followed maybe by Anglesey Grand if the bank balance allows. Wish me luck!

Until the next time, Gav.