Tom Grimshaw: Full of ups and downs
By TMX Archives on 4th May 16
Highs and lows are part of everyones racing season but it is how you manage them that matters as so much negativity can come from this. So you take the punch and move on.
The first round of the British Youth Nationals was held at FatCat which I was looking forward to as I wanted to make a solid start to the championship. I qualified third which was a good start to the day but a crash in race one left me back in sixth. Then in race two while running fourth my clutch expired (the same problem I had in Holland a few weeks earlier)!
New clutch plates for day two and a motivational talk saw me bank a fifth but then in the last two motos the bike wouldn't get off the line - as the field was exiting turn two I was just entering turn one! However, two corners later the clutch kicked in and all was okay so I made a charge to third and fourth places.
In both those motos I was banging bars with American import Slade Tressler. We swapped positions several times in each moto which provided some great 125cc racing.
There was a two-week gap before round two of the BYN so the team was full-on to try and resolve the clutch issues I have been experiencing. A whole new clutch was installed with some upgraded parts such a Hinson Basket etc. We then had a weekend of testing the durability of what we had built so we headed to Blythburgh near Ipswich which is a very enjoyable track to ride with lots of top riders also putting in the laps there.
It was great to see Mel Pocock riding after his serious hand injury a year ago. His dad Big Mel was doing the pitboard and both were looking good. My bike was running sweet so it was fingers crossed for the following weekend.
Round two of the BYN was at Brampton which was new to me. I was excited when I saw the track and knew straight away it would suit me. I qualified first and won race one but a few mistakes in the other motos saw me record a 5-2-3-1 card for the overall win.
Race three was the best as yet again Slade Tressler and myself got locked into a titanic battle. It was hard racing but fair and we hit each other hard near the finish which put both of us off the track.
The overall result was great for my championship and I went from seventh to third in the points.
We then headed to Holland for round two of the Dutch Masters at the famous Mill circuit. After not qualifying at round one due to clutch issues my first goal on Sunday was to get into the top 40 out of 60 125cc riders.
Since switching to the Yamaha one question I do get asked is if I've had power valve issues and each time the answer has been a firm ‘no'! As I went out for qualification something was not right so on lap four I came in and swapped the bike and then posted a top-40 place. You guessed it - there was a power valve fault on the race bike.
My race pace was good for top 20 but I finished outside due to second row starts and the competition lapping similar lap times. I need to find two seconds off my lap times which will make a big difference.
My next call was a wildcard entry at the Acerbis Amateur Nationals at Hawkstone Park. I rode the 125cc class which was great fun but my weekend didn't start well when at the halfway stage in moto one my radiator hose came away from the head causing me to DNF.
Gate choice for the weekend is taken from your first race result which meant I was up against it but I was pleased with my riding as from mid-pack starts I netted a 6-2-2-2 scorecard. I really enjoyed the event which was extremely well run.
This weekend I'm having a break from racing but I will properly go out on my trials bike for a few hours of fun!
#Tom 61
