What I needed was for either Paul Robertson or Nick Jones NOT to turn up; both were present and correct on the strartline so I knew I was 'only' fighting for fourth in the championship and even that was not a foregone conclusion.
At the hooter I got an excellent start and soon moved into 4th place on the track, following Matt Barrett, Jones and Robertson. Their pace was just too hot for me, so I settled down for a long chase with Lee Goodman in very close attendance. We were just still just within sight of the leaders at the end of the first lap. Goodman's bike was equipped with semi-slicks so he was just able to cruise behind me as we gently moved away from Jason Hucklesby in 6th.
Disaster, I lost a brake pad at the start of lap 3, the front brake lever came right back to the 'bars as I braked for the start-finish complex. Goodman had just moved past me for 4th, so I fought hard for the next lap with just a back brake but I was bleeding places all the time, Hucklesby came past and I 'retired' at the end of the lap. Upon inspection of my brakes it appeared that the pad material had fallen off the backing plate, still leaving me something to use for retardation. Back into the race then, excellent.
By this time several other riders had come past so now it was real damage limitation time. Brakes sqealing like a herd of strangled pigs and rubbing like a chuffing steam-train down the straights, I threw everything in passing Carl Dyson, Mike Cowland and Josh Ibett within the last two laps. Thus I was 7th across the line, not improving my points tally but not for the want of trying. It turned out I was just half a minute shy of Phil Hughes who was riding a 1991 Salsa (his usual Scott Strike having developed a fault in it's swing-arm), a good ride from him on an utter retro rig.
Fourth overall in the points table then, getting the nod over Goodman on 'count-back'. At the start of the series I was aiming for "top 10 - POSSIBLY top 5", so fourth is more than I could have hoped for. I was forced, through family illness, to miss a couple of races mid-season, and suspend training completely at the same time. Also I reckon I'm one of the oldest, if not the oldest rider in the top 10 and hitting 39 next year it'll be my last year as a senior.
See you next year dudes.
