2024 BSSO race season: Ben Readings #65 Darley moor | RACING

Intro
The sun rises over a damp, but no longer raining, Darley Moor. Looking at the weather forecast leading up to this weekend it was looking miserable, however waking up and having an ‘al fresco’ morning wee without any rain disrupting me, filled me with the hope that we might get a little bit of dry racing this weekend. I had spent the past few days in the usual last-minute panic of realising that the bike was not as ready as I thought it was, but by the skin of my teeth I had managed to get it together and it was ready to go.

Stock qualifying
As always just getting reacquainted with the track. I was pushing on, feeling pretty good, hopefully making good time. Mr Balcomb got past me on the straight and then put me off a little bit going into the last corner. Qualifying 11th overall, not terrible.

Supers qualifying
Another session just finding the track again. Trying a few different lines, and trying to watch other people on the track to learn from what they’re doing. I think Shane might want some knobbly tyres on his scooter, I was flat-out heading towards the chicane and Shane shoots past me, over the grass narrowly missing two posts and back on the track. I’m beginning to think he’s doing it purposely as he did very similar on the first chicane too, haha.

First Stock Race

I couldn’t see the start lights, so I just went as everyone else went, not giving me a huge advantage. A pretty intense battle with Gary in front of me. Me using my straight-line speed to get past, but him getting me back on the corners. My front brake feeling much, much better than it did in qualifying. I had renewed a lot of the bearings on the front end and hadn’t put it back together perfectly. The link for the anti-dive needs to be a very specific length and I had got it wrong. Myself and Mr Bristow corrected it and it now feels much, much better. Much more confidence-inspiring. It’s pretty crazy how much difference that link being just 2mm too short made. A 4th place finish for me, almost stolen across the line by Jon Holt. I really need to carry more speed through that last corner. Am I on the wrong line? Am I just braking too soon? I’m not sure.

First Supers race 
I still can’t see the bloody lights, so another slow start reaction. A long battle between myself, Gary and Shane. Gary leading us for the majority of the race, but Shane and I very close on his tail. Shane took a bit of a risk and managed to get past Gary during the far chicane. I then used my straight-line advantage to get past Gary. It was then me and Shane battling it out. Both carrying similar speed on the straights, it was the corners that I was going to take the lead. I’m right on his tail, almost flat out through the far chicane but then Shane seemingly overcooks it and just cuts the corner over the grass, narrowly avoiding the fence posts. Giving him a bit more space from me. I was just slowly creeping up along the straight. As we both take the last corner, I take the inside line and Shane takes the outside. However, John Balcomb was just rejoining the track as we were on that corner, I think we made him jump, his scooter threw him off, I made a conscious effort to look away. Shane crossed the line, then I crossed the line. Just a quarter of a second between us.

Missing races
Unfortunately, there was a major accident a race or so before ours. Two sidecars had crashed and all of the track’s ambulances had to leave the track stopping our play. The second Stock Race and the Second Supers races were called off and we were to run the Sunday as normal.

Bloody rain! 
Sunday was the day that I had been dreading all week, the weather forecast had been awful and it was looking pretty certain to have some terrible weather. A few bouts of torrential rain made the choice to change to wet tyres pretty easy. Possibly the wettest conditions we’ve had yet, but we were ready to go.

First Sunday Stock Race

Very, very, very wet race. That tyre change was definitely a good idea, it was most probably the wettest race of my life. It took me a few laps to get the confidence in the tyres and to feel out how the brakes were working in the wet. I first had Shane in front, I could tell he was not enjoying the rain, taking corners much slower than yesterday. Still completely flat-out on the straights despite the heavy rain. I came into the last right-hander neck and neck with Shane, I took the inside line and he took the outside. I just managed to cut him off and get in front. It was then Gary and Adie in front. I managed to out-accelerate Gary into the far chicane, I then crept up to Adie on the straight, we came out of the last corner neck and neck, and I didn’t back out going into the first chicane. Adie backed off. Just the last lap to keep the lead. Across the line and I had taken that victory. A fourth-place finish for me. However, I pull off the track to see Adie pushing his now very much crashed bike. Fuck, he obviously wasn’t on my tail, for that last lap. He had made his way through that chicane but then clipped a curb and slipped off. Luckily Adie was okay, it took a little while to fix the bike, get it through scrutineering and get the medical done, so he missed one race but was back out for the one after.

First Sunday Supers race
This race was awful, I was convinced I had an issue with the wet tyres on a rapidly drying-out track. Every corner felt like I had absolutely zero grip. I was trying to hold on to the battle between Gary and Shane ahead of me. I did somehow, manage to keep ahead of John Woods on his Zip. Once back at the paddock, I decided to change back to the dry tyres as things were seemingly drying out. That’s when I found what the actual problem was, the two front hub nuts were loose. Funny how that made the back end feel strange, glad I found that before going out on it again.

Second Sunday Stock Race
The rain had cleared completely and we were back on dry tyres. A good start, now I could actually see the start lights and confidence in the conditions put me in a good place. Another battle between myself, Gary and Shane. I was on a good flow but then the red flags were shown. Jim McNally had a total front brake failure causing him to hit a tyre wall, somersaulting both him and his scooter over the wall. We were all called back to the start to get ready to restart, and that’s when the rain started again. We have really been ripped off with the weather this summer. We then lined up ready to race, that’s when the hail started, a full-on hail storm, and us all on dry tyres, nervously looking around at each other. Fortunately, the race was called off and we were sent back to the paddock. The current positions were taken as the finishing positions, putting me in 5th, with Gary then Shane ahead. If only Jim had fallen off a lap before, I’d have walked away with the 3rd place. Hope you’re alright Jim!

Last Race
Feeling like I’ve lost a bit of motivation for it. Not the best start left me in dead last place, and I really just wasn’t feeling it. I was pushing in the straights but being too much of a gentleman to even attempt to take a place if the opportunity wasn’t perfect. Gaining a little distance but then losing all that work on the hairpin, that I just don’t feel quick on. After seeing both Jon Holt and Adie Horrocks come a cropper on that hairpin I was absolutely crawling around it. I managed to get past John Woods and that gave me a little bit of motivation, it was just Gary and Shane ahead once again. I was starting to feel my mojo again, catching up with Gary. I managed to just sneak into the far chicane before Gary and was just beginning to reel in Shane but the chequered flag appeared before I could even get close. A mixed bag of a weekend, finished by a mixed bag of a last race.

A mixed bag of a weekend
Some race meets are just better than others, this one, was not great. The weather conditions were all over the place, which made it almost impossible to be confident in what tyres to change to. With conditions changing midrace that was a battle we just couldn’t win. However, that forced me to come to terms and face my fears of wet racing. My best result of the weekend also being the wettest race I have ever done. It’s given me a lot more faith in the wet tyres, which will calm my nerves in the future. Even with the terrible weather and the mixed results, I’m still reminded just how great racing is. To me, the off-track events are just as brilliant as the on-track. Seeing Adie getting into the swing of things and even having a bit of a battle with me, to seeing the delight in George’s face to have completed another race meeting. It really is the people that make these weekends, and sometimes the shitty weather highlights that even more.

Now the excitement builds for the always incredible Anglesey Circuit! But maybe I’ll give the scooter a once over a bit quicker this time.

Ben Readings #65

Race images: Kevin Gunstone