Moody make his statement of intent with a fine win in the second race of the day
Fri, 22nd Feb – After an “adventurous” race day 2 weeks ago, Duseja Motos Triumph and Mahmoud Tannir were determined to get their championship retaining challenge back on track. Sadly there wasn’t enough time to assemble the necessary parts to rebuild the usual race engine and so a new head gasket was installed on the Duseja Motos Triumphs demo bike.
As the team woke in their respective accommodation, the sun was shining but there appeared to be a mist hanging over the lakes at the Springs and MotorCity. On closer inspection the mist was found to be smoke on the water which must have been a hangover from the Deep Purple concert the night before…..
Warm-up:
The team had a little discussion in the morning on what settings to put on the bike. It was decided to put the Nitron recommended settings + additional rear pre-load on the bike. The 10 minute session was used to scrub in the new tyres and setting the fastest time in class put the team in a great mood ahead of qualifying.
Qualifying:
Based upon the times from testing the previous day and the warm-up, the team new qualifying was going to be close. Mahmoud headed out early in the session and soon stuck the bike on class pole. After 10 minutes Mahmoud returned to the pits only to find out that he was now 4th in class. Talk about blinking and things change. Luckily there was just enough time for Mahmoud to head back out and grab 2nd place in class. Never in doubt!
Race 1:
A great start by Mahmoud saw him follow Joe into the first few turns. However before the end of the lap Joe either out braked himself or had a slight machine problem as he over shot a corner. Mahmoud took over the lead and built-up a 1 second lead over Rob Nicolas. With 4 laps to go Rob was right on the rear of Mahmouds bike, with 9 seconds before the 3rd place bike. Down the start finish straight and Rob drafts past Mahmoud and takes the lead. Mahmoud tried all he could on the lap to get back past Rob but a lapped rider blocked Mahmouds entry into the club link and cost him 2 seconds. Sadly the race was red flagged on lap 10 (of 12) as Joe had crashed.
The good news was that both the bike and rider were ok. Still Mahmouds 2nd place finish saw him take valuable points off his fellow championship contenders. Rob and Mahmoud were asked to run circuit provided fuel for race 2. Not an issue if they (a) tell you before you refuel your bike and (b) they give you enough time to put the tyre warmers on the required time afterwards. With that both bikes were taken for refueling (any excuse to ride the bike hey Ian!) and then a spot of lunch (any excuse to take the scooter out hey Ian!).
Moody breaks his recent bad luck with a return to form
Race 2:
During the post-race bike inspection a small oil weep was found, which ProBikes soon sorted out. Mahmoud got a brilliant start to take the class lead and soon built a 1 second lead over Rob. The only problem was that Nassir (on his 1000cc BMW) was quicker down the straights but slower round the corners. Mahmoud knew he could lap faster if he could get past Nassir and that the other riders would soon start to catch him up. A brave out braking maneuver saw Mahmoud past Nassir and extend his lead back to 1 second. Consistent mid 1.34 laps saw the lead remain ~1 second. With 2 laps to go Rob puts in a quite stunning 1:32.8 second lap which saw him again right on the tail of Mahmoud and drafted past him on the start finish line (again) to lead with 2 laps to go.
This time there were no lapped riders in front and so Mahmoud was able to keep the pressure on Rob, who out braked himself big time half was round the lap, this enables Mahmoud to retake the lead and for Surya to take second place. With 1 lap to go Mahmoud had a 3 seconds lead which he was never going to lose and so took the chequered flag much to his and the teams delight. The mojo had returned.
Moody exits the bowl on the last lap on his way back to the top step of the podium
With that the riders returned to the pits where there were much deserved congratulations between the riders and teams. With that it was time for the top step of the podium and interview time (about time too it; was heard to be mention by at least one team member)….
Reflections:
After another hectic race day, the team came away with a 2nd and 1st place finishes, a big bag of championship points and just as important, Mahmoud’s confidence in both himself and the bike is back. With 3 more rounds and 6 races to go, it is most definitely, Game On…
Report submitted by Ian Rodgers 🙂
