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OK folks, unfortunately due to the prolonged bad weather the committee have made a decision to cancel this Saturdays Club race meeting. We made an inspection of the track last night and the entire track is still covered in sheet ice and extremely doubtful whether it will thaw before Saturday.
We will however endeavour to run gate practice or some kind of session between 3pm and 6pm on Saturday. Hope to see all riders there on Saturday especially all those bound for Belgium next week.
Cal Strickland, Pete Hosker, Andy Drelincourt, Roger Wilbraham Valerie Zebrokova and Rooster will be making the trip with up to 100 other British riders to take on the best Belgian riders and French and Dutch racers too.
The Kortrijk race is just one of several indoor races that take part each winter, giving riders the chance to compete when the weather has shut down outdoor tracks.
A report and pics will follow!
Ross Gill
Age; 26
Race category; 25-29 20”
How long have you been racing? 6 Months.
How did you get started? I needed a break from park riding, being the son of a racing driver I’ve always had a competitive edge but didn’t realize it was so easy to get involved in racing.
I also have to say thanks to my Girlfriend Angela for giving me a kick-start and telling me that I need to stop worrying about my tail-whips and make a go of it.
What has been your best memory from racing? Best memory so far from racing? Seeing as I only have very limited experience so far it’s not a straight forward question to answer. I’ve had some ok results; winning a moto at Preston and taking 2nd in the B Final that day, but my aim is to make A Finals consistently.
Which racers do you admire? Shaun Palmer; probably the best all round action sportsman ever! He said no to lycra skin suits in the 90’s, turning up on a hammerited Intense with jeans and a t-shirt on and smokes everyone. Valentino Rossi; greatest of all time Laguna seca 2008 the corkscrew Nuf said! Steve McQueen ”Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting.” David Gill (my dad) raced karts and rode observed trials in the 70’s and 80’s and showed me that bikes and racing were cool. Finally Manchester’s Rooster for his constant optimism it’s dangerously contagious
What are your racing aims? Compete at Regional level and National level and podium at a national within 4 years
What has been the best advice you’ve been given in racing? All of the advice I have been given has been good advice probably everything MatthewGlynn.co.uk has told me so far and the immortal words of Joe Davenport; “GET YOUR KNEE DOWN AND BLEEDIN’ HAVE IT!!!”
What advice would you give to riders new to racing? Get a bike get on the track and ride you’ll have fun and who knows you might surprise yourself and be faster than you think
The Rig
Although the pic shows a slightly earlier incarnation of the bike, you can see Ross demonstrating his skills!
Frame: S&M .38 Special 21″ TT
Forks: Primo Kamikaze
Wheels: Rear - Profile Hub (Ti driver) Sun Envy Rim, Double Butted spokes. Front - Demolition Anorexia Hub, Demolition Zero Rim, Double Butted spokes.
Bars: S&M Race XLT
Pedals: Easton Flatboy
Cranks: Profile
Gearing: 37/14
Stem: Thomson
With 160 riders braving the cold, there was plenty of exciting action; in 12 Boys, the performance of the day was Spencer McLeod, finishing an excellent 2nd behind Preston’s Euan Hunt. Riccardo Mellor got 7th and Brandan Nolan got 8th making it a great day out for the young guns of Manchester.
Valerie Zebrokova has been duelling it out with the boys in 13 Boys and got a solid 6th in Coppull, all good experience for the Summer seaon in 2010.
Matthew “Factory” Saunders got 5th in 14 Boys, with his usual display of super smooth riding. When he actually hits 14, he’ll have more power to go along with the skills he has plenty of, but by then he’ll also probably be riding up too….
16+ has been the biggest class at these Regionals, with just shy of 40 riders having competed in at least one round. Coppull saw Manchester and Redline’s Jacob Roberts make it look all too easy taking a very impressive win in the A Final. Joe Davenport was also in good form but a crash put paid to his chances of making the A, so he settled for taking the B Final. To make it a clean sweep of finals, Ross Gill won the C.
Payback saw Pete Hosker recover from a crash to take some well earned points, but he’ll be disappointed to have taken a dirt shower. Cal Strickland took all his motos by a mile but come final time lost out to fellow Elite rider Luke Tamblyn by the narrowist of margins.
In 30-39 Cruiser, Andy Drelincourt put in another great performance to keep him on top of the standings for the Series.