Cartagena Test 2009
February for 5 days in the sun to get to know the Honda RS125 that I'll be racing in the Relentless GP125 British Championship.
Honda RS125
is being provided by Kinpac Racing.
The Story So Far...
Stuff from Superteens, Metrakit and Minimotos.
Cartagena Test 2009
We set off to test the Kinpac Honda RS125 for a full 5 days at Cartagena. It was my first real opportunity to get to know the bike and to try different engine and suspension settings.
On Day 1 the focus was to go out in every session and get a feel for the Honda. The only change we made was to the gearing so that I could concentrate on my lines and re-learn the track. I was quite happy with my progress by the end of the afternoon.
The track conditions improved for Day 2 and I steadily reduced my lap times. I still felt that I was learning to ride the bike (and the track) so we didn't change any settings. The engine was jetted conservatively to keep things safe so that I could clock up the miles. The track is quite abrasive and I started to slide in the afternoon so we fitted a new set of tyres before the final session. The bike was giving me some minor problems on fast corners where it would drift wide. It was also fish-tailing under braking going into slower corners. The static sag was measured and the rear shock was adjusted to lower the ride height in an effort to improve the handling. I also had a problem with the quick shifter that could not be diagnosed so a new one was fitted.
Day 3 was frustrating to say the least. As the bike was being warmed up for the first session of the day it sprung a water leak from the barrel. The barrel was duly changed but a number of other problems were noticed as the bike was checked over so I only made it out in two sessions but I was able to notice an improvement in the suspension settings which I was pleased with.
On Day 4 I had the misfortune of highsiding out of the hairpin. I just remember getting on the power and the revs suddenly rising before I was launched into the air. I noticed a blue flash while I was tumbling but didn't think anything of it until about an hour later when the adrenaline was gone and my leg started hurting. It turned out that I was run over by Nicole McAleer who was right behind me. She came over to see if I was ok which was really nice of her. I spent the rest of the day helping to repair the bike. It looked as if the chain adjuster had sheered causing the chain to jump off and lock up my back wheel so I didn't really have any warning before I was uncerimoniously dumped onto the tarmac.
On Day 5 I was determined to make up for lost time and really try to quicken the pace. The track conditions were not ideal as it was much cooler in the morning after some overnight rain. I was going well during the first session when I noticed some spots of rain on my visor. A number of riders pulled in but my confidence was high and I decided to stay out for another lap. The rain spots were what I consider 'mental rain' and I was really enjoying being out on the track when suddenly I lost the rear at a fast left hander. I must have been doing about 100mph. My line was slightly off the racing line and I think I hit a cold or slippery part of the track. Both myself and the bike were somewhat beaten up and it was game over for the rest of the day.
I really enjoyed the week's testing in spite of the crashes and technical problems which reduced the possible milage that I could have achieved. The Kinpac Team kept my spirits high and I am starting to understand the methodical and detailed analysis you have to perform to get the best from the bike and of course yours truly....
