Round 1 - 2020 Ducati Tri Options Cup

Round 1 - 2020 Ducati Tri Options Cup

Hi Everyone,

 

I hope you are all remaining safe in this current climate. What a strange year it’s been, whether your in Australia, England or somewhere else, no doubt Covid 19 has effected your life in some way.

 

Katie and I bought a house in a small village on the outskirts of Ipswich in the UK last September, and I started a new job in the UK for my good friend Del at Sublime Designs, doing motorcycle wraps, helmet wraps, race patches and so on. I really enjoy my work there and it’s something I’m super passionate about.

 

It was looking unlikely that we would get any racing in this year, due to the Covid 19 situation. But it all came together and we finally got to go back racing last weekend at Donington Park. After finishing 9th in SuperStock 1000 last year, and top rookie for the year, we had hoped to get another opportunity in that class. For one reason or another it didn’t work out, as happens in racing, but we were given the opportunity to race the new Ducati V2 in the Ducati Tri Options Cup. I have always got on well with the Ducati’s and my riding style seems to suit them well. It was also good to see TT legend John McGuinness lining up on the grid for this year too, really cool to share the track with such a legend!

 

In the Ducati Tri Options class, we get 2 sets of tires, to be used in qualifying and two races. So we need to prepare for keeping the tires in the best condition possible for the races. If you do the entire qualifying session, your tires are then more worn out for the races. So in qualifying we try to limit our laps that we will do. Our aim is that if we can get on the front two rows on the grid, then that is good for the races. I felt really comfortable on the new V2 on the Donington National circuit, and was sitting in P2 for most of the session. A couple of other riders stayed out for longer and dropped me down to 5th in the closing minutes of the session. But we were glad to be on the front two rows.

 

I got away in Race 1 with the pack for our 15 lap race around Donington National. There was 5 of us all doing very similar lap times and I sat in 4th, taking a look at what the couple in front of me were doing. By lap 8 we started to lap some riders, and Josh Day, who was leading managed to just create a bit of a gap. By lap 12 I managed to work my way through to 2nd place where I would remain until the chequered flag. It was so good to get a race done and dusted and end up on the podium! It has been such a long time coming in the strange climate we are in, in felt great to have some sort of normality back, to be out racing bikes and having that adrenaline rush back again!

 

I would start race 2 in 3rd position, but I dropped down to 5th off the start. I worked my way back to 4th but felt I had good pace and I could go with Josh Day at the front. On lap 4, I attempted an overtake which unfortunately didn’t quite work out, and I clipped the back wheel of Elliot Pinson. I ran off track doing 80mph in to the gravel. The rule at BSB is that if you fall from your machine, no matter how small in incident, you cannot rejoin the race. I was yelling at my self inside my helmet as I was skating over the gravel, heading for the air fence. I knew my chances of a podium was over, and I knew we had the pace to fight for the win that day. The margins for error are always so small, that you have to go for a gap sometimes, and it may not always work in your favour!  I managed to still be on the bike, but I was getting closer and closer to the wall. I don’t really know how, but I managed to turn it and keep the bike upright, right at the last minute. Then I found a new problem. With bikes now running traction control, when the back wheel is spinning faster than the front wheel, the engine cuts the power of the bike. Of course trying to accelerate out of the gravel, the back wheel was just spinning like crazy, and bogging down every time I tried to drive out. It took what felt like another complete lock down period to get it out of the gravel, and I rejoined in 31st position. I had 11 laps left to salvage any sort of result, and after something like that, you’ve just got to get your head down and do your best for your team, I never want to let them down. I was lapping as fast as the leaders which meant I was catching everyone else, from 3rd place onwards. I got up to 12th place at the end of the race, which meant bagging a couple more points, which was better than I had expected after paddling it through the gravel at snails pace 11 laps prior!

 

The 2nd and 12th place puts me in 3rd position in the current standings, after the first round. We have 4 remaining rounds, which is great that we will get 5 rounds in this shortened year. We are back out again at Snetterton in two weeks time, which I’m really looking forward too.

 

I would like to thank Mike and Maddie from Boast Plumbing Supplies (BPS Racing) for the support this year, along with AJN Steelstock and Bathgate. Without these people we wouldn’t be racing and I have so much gratitude for these amazing people and businesses. And to Darren, Nigel, Paul, George and Paul Chandler and Steve for their help with the preparation of the bike during and before the race weekends!

 

Also to our sponsors:

  • Rock Oil
  • Sublime Designs
  • Nolan Helmets
  • Motogear UK
  • RST
  • PDQ Precision Engineering

 

Photos Credit Cami Pix Photography

Thanks to everyone for the support and stay safe :-)

 

Levi Day #57