Round Six -   Tattershall Lincolnshire 29th August 1998

Preview

The holiday weekend was a combination of races that counted for the National Series as well as the European Race Series as part of the UK round. Six races in all. The course is situated in the Eastern part of the country in park land largely given over to water/motor sport - jet ski, water ski, grass track racing and us all in one weekend.

The course is adjacent to a military airfield that also is a base for old aircraft so we had aerobatic displays of WW2 Spitfires and Hurricanes, low level flying of Lancaster and Wellington (I think)  whilst taking off and landing and a fly past by a B17 (WW2 USA bomber)

Practice

The course was longer and faster than the other courses we have used this year. It consisted of two slow transitions to water - between stretches of high speed swoops through gentle curves. Not a great deal of water on this course. The very slow 180 degree hairpin and transition to water which was at the end of a half mile flat out curving stretch of track and kink (which was just tight enough to mean the craft beginning to lift on its side and obscure the entrance to the hairpin)  was a challenge to get the slow down right at the corner approach, particularly when a stiff tailwind was blowing. It was nicknamed by the Bridgwater Team as "Carnage Corner".

We finally have found the cause of the mystery intermittent power loss that has dogged us all season. A break in the wiring within a sealed rubber moulded plug connector in the competition ignition system we use would connect / disconnect one cylinder only at speed when the airflow in the craft was great enough to move the wiring harness. Static tests at full power never showed the fault as it needed the speed of the craft to create sufficient disturbance inside the cockpit to affect the wiring.

Race 1

This race was complete chaos for me. Luke got away off the grid in front and on the first transition back to land had a huge "flyer". He jumped on the front of the craft to stop it flipping backwards and dived so far forward he pulled the lanyard cut-out which stopped the engine. Having been gifted the lead I then promptly overdid it on the bends to the second transition and had it right up on its side, it landed very heavily and I promptly fell out!! By the time I got the craft going again Luke was charging through to the front. After this episode the craft had a misfire which when I had time to turn round and check the engine I noticed a plug lead loose which I pushed back on with my wet glove using the connector which had most of the insulation stripped away (to fit past the engine frame). The belt of electricity I got made me jump big time - yes - I jumped enough to pull the lanyard off and had to restart the engine again !!! I finished fourth and very cross with myself!

Race 2

Ouch - this race hurt. Due to a failing powervalve the engine was down on power and would not pick up cleanly. I was finding it difficult to hold second place and was having to drive hard to compensate.

On the last lap the engine wouldn't pick up above 7,000 revs so I got stuck on a mound of mud on "carnage corner" just on the transition to water, Bridgewater A team (Simon Kearle) following also drifted wide and had no where to go except into the side of my craft. As his craft was still on land and higher it rode over the side of mine into the cockpit and the edge of his craft drove in-between my crash helmet and shoulders. He left paint marks on my craft two thirds of the way up the side of the duct and on my neck muscles !!!

I was stunned but after looking to my right and finding him looking at me in horror I picked the front of his craft up and pushed him away. He could of beaten me that race but because he realised I was injured he kindly stayed behind. I was holding my neck and my dad thought I was saying this is slow so I finished the race and went straight to the ambulance (rather than upset my Dad) where Simon met me very concerned.  

The St. Johns Ambulance medics gave me a check over and suggested I take it easy for the rest of the day. Having been tipped out of the craft, electrocuted and run over all in one day, I agreed !!! 

Race 3

After the chaos of the few races this one was much less eventful. The engine was very down on power and at times I was struggling to keep ahead of, to start with, Mark Coles and then Simon K. I managed to get a fair distance ahead of them by driving hard and the finishing positions were more or less as we had started the race, with Luke pulling away right the way through the race. All the weekend there were races going further down the field and it proved good racing.

Race 4

Fitted different carbs. This did make the engine seem more peaky and the engine wasn't flooding. I still had this loss of power and dad and I were both baffled as to what it could be. After this race we decided to swap out the engine. Subsequent examination has shown that the connecting pins that lock together the two halves of the power valve on the back cylinder had sheared so when the computer activated the servo to roll the power valve shutter across the exhaust ports when revs got above 6500 only half of the shutter worked with consequent lack off power at our normal speeds of 10,000 rpm plus.

Race 5

Great - back to decent performance for the first time in a while. The engine swap and change to different carburettors made a big difference. Luke and I were having a great battle and I was all over him but I didn't have enough to pass him. We were having real fun as we both enjoy close racing whether it's competitive or not. At the same time there were individual battles going on all through the field. As far as I could see the last day of the weekend was an interesting one where everybody had great fun. I wish I could report in more detail but being involved in the race makes it difficult to know what is happening elsewhere.

Race 6

Fine tuning of some experimental carburettor's we are playing with got even more power out of the engine and Luke and I had the race we have been looking forward to since Gang Warily !!! - we both finished the race neck and neck after changing places many times. If you can listen to Russell Pullen's commentary it will give you some idea of how exciting the race was. Back in the paddock after the race we were both hyped up and grinning!! - big fun.

Luke and Simon K on the approach to "Carnage Corner" The apex of the hairpin is just out of picture to the left. Luke is lifting the craft to get the speed from the fast straight scrubbed off. At this point both craft are travelling mainly backwards towards the catch fencing in the foreground having turned through 150 degrees on the approach to the corner

Being just a little too quick into the corner meant going wide and being tangled in the catch fence or beached on a mound of earth on the outside of the transition - either way the risk of being trampled on was real - as here as Simon K punts Luke wide into the pond.

Carnage corner again with Simon K and I at the apex of the bend - exit to the corner is to the left of the photo after dropping onto water.

The exit from the first pond was quite tight in the canal and overtaking was nerve racking.

As here where I squeezed between two craft, one being the new comer Michaela Kendall

This incident earned Luke and I a protest from a spectator for trying too hard !?!. Here Luke has come off the straight at "Carnage" to find "Junior" in Team Slaps borrowed craft mostly blocking the track as he swung sideways (in a borrowed craft that had been restricted in performance). Luke decided on going straight on and doing an emergency stop. I steamed round the kink to find now two near stationary craft in front!

The only option for me was to keep going and try to squeeze around the inside of the corner which nearly succeeded, but I just clipped "Junior" with the back end and punted him into the netting leaving the track nice and clear for Luke to resume the chase.

Mark Coles craft in the last race had the entire planing surface rip away and had to be recovered. This affected his points and positioning for the weekend.

Results

1st Luke Sedzikowski - Python Kawasaki

2nd Edward Hurn - Eagle Yamaha

3rd Team Wilson - Alien Yamaha

4th Mark Coles - Self Yamaha

5th Simon Kearle Bridgwater A - Eagle Yamaha

6th "Junior" - Fenland Yamaha

7th Ben Bridgwater B - Vortex Honda

8th Simon Oakley - Self Kohler

9th Rural Racers - Eagle Yamaha

10th Ashford Youth - F25