Latest News: 12th July 2008: Portishead She has a name! Well after a couple of months of getting used to the boat, getting very wet once (believe the correct term is stuffing it) and getting sunburned a few times, and deciding to put a different powerplant on her, it was also time to give her a name. After a lot of thought, a few random joke names (which I could never have really gone through with), I decided to go with AirWave - its not really that clever or ingenious, but thought was quite apt for the boat. At the same time as getting the graphics done, the engine has now been swapped to a 275Hp Supercharged Mercury Verado :) First shakedown shows that there is a lot more power, but the engine position needs a few tweaks as not quite getting the most out of it with regards to top end or revs - as well as there is enough of the housing in the water that not only is it causing drag, it's also trying to torque the boat so when not running at full tilt it's listing slightly - not a problem really, but a few changes in the right place and should settle down and start to absolutely fly! :) 9th February 2008: Portishead New Toy for 2008! HEHEHE - I know I know... but after moving to Portishead a couple of months ago, and now living at the Marina, I figured it was time to get something new for the summer :) Have been keeping an eye out for a while secretly now, and over the weekend Rich (brother) and I took a trip down to Southampton to take a look at the cat. Its absolutely stunning! Only one year old and absolutely impeccably maintained by an instructor with a true love for boats. I should have it delivered sometime over the next few weeks as there is a little bit of prep work which is still going on (rigging engine and antifoulign etc) but then I have a feeling its going to be a brilliant summer!!! Bring on the good weather for Champaigne on the water, biking in the sun, LeMans in a couple of months, and the Porsche for when I get bored! :) 21st April 2007: LeMans RideWeston.co.uk LeMans 24hr Moto Wow!!!! What a mental weekend. Have just got back from one of the most incredible events I've ever been to, and now seriously need some sleep. I think that Rich (brother) is going to put something up on the RW Forum about the event, so I will simply link there. RideWeston.co.uk - LeMans 1st April 2007: Weston Super Mare RideWeston.co.uk New Toy for 2007! After getting my foot, and my Ninja back together, I stumbled across this and had to have it! As much as I absolutely loved the Ninja and felt completely at home on the bike, this is the thing of dreams (mine at least) and oh my is it going to be a good summer!. Rich (brother) and I went up to Peterborough today to pick her up. 130HP, 17500RPM, 161Kg = much fun! :) 11th November 2006: Llandow - South Wales RideWeston.co.uk OK - That didnt quite go to plan... Well after a fantastic start to the day, the sun was out and when we got to the track the puddes were just about clearing. I think that everyone had a really enjoyable time before lunch - started building confidence (once I sorted out the tyre pressures) and enjoying the grip of the track as it became totally dry. After lunch, we openned the sessions to everyone so that it was just an open pitlane, and people were just going out for a play until they got knackered and then coming back in for a rest. Started having a bit of a play with Pete as both pretty similar paces, and as I decided to make a move onto the straight I tightened the corner... or meant to... but before I really managed to do anything more I was thrown into the sky at around 90mph I guess... Flying through the air completely upside down (apparently abotu 10ft off the ground) I can remember thinking "this is going to hurt quite a lot" - and I was right! Broke a shed load of bones in my left foot, right side is fairly sore but only think its bruises and in a strange way... being concerned about a few bumps and bruises is a good thing to show that there isnt anything really serious! Anyway - pics are now on the RideWeston Gallery, and when I get the bike back I will try to list whats damaged... or whats not (depending on what list is the shorter) lol Get well me! 24th July 2006: Donington GP RideWeston.co.uk Well it was another absolutely fantastic day organised by Focused Events! Arriving at the track for just gone 8 the weather was already looking sensational, dry, clear, sunny and warm :) Although there were a lot of incidents throughout the day and the first couple of sessions were paused because of other people binning the bikes, from mid-morning onward the sessions ran really smoothly, despite the occasional yellow flag (they were flagging some problems rather than stopping the session which is great). With the dry track, and clear sun tempting people to go faster than they really should, it was nice that by lunch everyone had seemed to have found a happy rhythm. Having said that I did get closer to a high-side than I would have liked coming out of the Melborne Loop! (then again, it was cool! hehe) Anyway, the photo's are on the RideWeston Gallery and there's I have put together a video which is also there. 12th March 2006: Silverstone RideWeston.co.uk Well another fantastic day at Silverstone, despite the fact it was freezing and actually started snowing while we were on the track - it can be a little bit scary when youre trying to get your knee down around some of the corners and you know that there is no grip with the tyres, but all in all it made for an interesting day! The full story and a load more photos are online at the RideWeston site. 24th January 2006: Weston Super Mare RideWeston.co.uk The new site we are getting together for bikers around Weston Super Mare has been started and fully launched. Since racing is looking a little expensive for a complete championship this year I think biking is going to be the new hobby to keep me on track. Keep an eye open on our antics here! 14th September 2005: Llandow - South Wales Llandow Trackday! Went to my first trackday today (for bikes), and it was absolutely incredible! A group of 10 of us had access to the track from 10:00 til 5:00 and although the day started early, wet, and cold... it turned out to be perfect. For the first couple of hours the track was fully wet, there were a number of puddles through the corners and I really wasnt keen on the idea of going out. After only a couple of laps I completely changed my mind! I was expecting the track to offer more grip, but the real enjoyment came from the extra feedback it provided. It wasnt long before I was steering with the throttle coming onto the straights and it felt completely natural and safe to do so. Although the tyres were giving slightly and allowing the bike to slide, it didnt feel that it was ever going to simply give-up without warning and really encouraged you to just enjoy the sensation of drifting the bike! Getting your knee down in the wet's a strangely enjoyable experience too! The sun came out over lunch and broke the day almost perfectly into a wet and dry session. After starting to get the bike drifting in the wet with very smooth throttle control, the dry was just something else. Every corner of every lap was forcing the bike to corner as fast as it could. Getting the back spinning up ever so slightly didnt seem even remotely scary because it was simply part of the ride. It seemed that you were so focussed on getting the most out of the bike through the corners and so determied to get to the next corner that 10th of a second earlier, that if the bike started moving about a little, it simply didnt matter - it was just part of the ride but the bike could take care of itself (to a point of course!). Im putting together a DVD for all the guys who came along, and have posted the compilation video online too! 14th August 2005: Bridgewater Left Knee Down! Today Rich and I went out for a bit of a play with the new bikes. We both upgraded a couple of months ago, me to a 2005 B2H Kawasaki 636, and Rich ended up getting a Repsol-Rep Fireblade (I dunno, less than 6 months of a license and a bike with 170BHP!). Both been doing a reasonable amount of riding over the summer, going to the World Superbikes at Silverstone, and a horribly wet MotoGP at Donington. I've instantly got comfortable to the new sportier stance of the 636. It's taken me a while to get my left knee down though (cant exactly cone off a roundabout and go the wrong way round just to get a touchdown!) but managed to give it a bit of a scrape today and even had the camera with us. As always... all of the bike photo's are kept at my personal site SedGoose.co.uk rather than on the racing part. 16th April 2005: Bridgewater What a fantastic day! The weather's been cracking for a few days and it's time to get some pics of us lot on the bikes! Found a couple of cracking corners on a quiet road so figured it would be rude not to make use of them. 30th January 2005: Weston Super Mare Well... it is Weston Super Mare! 6th November 2004: Silverstone What a day! After all the build up and worries about getting into a race before the end of the year (for licensing reasons) and then having the Stowe meeting rained off, this has definitely made up for it. When we first got to the track the air was damp and there was moisture on the surface but we had heard that the weather was meant to break. An hour or so before qualifying the clouds started to thin and the track dried completely - finally, a chance to push the car on a dry surface! In the eternity between arriving at the track to sign in, and first going out and doing some laps, we managed to fit and test the camera so there is now also some footage to go with the photos (currently about 80Meg but I will re-encode it soon to bring the size down) After 5 minutes of qualifying there were a couple of yellow flags and I was expecting to be called in feeling that I hadn't got a clean lap and almost pre-empting the frustration, but then it just seemed to go on and on. Yellow after yellow occurred and they were still letting us stay out. Eventually I got a couple of clean laps and came into the pits feeling happy with myself. I had out qualified all the other Zeus class and managed to sneak in front of a Van-Diemen. The first race was great, I made what I thought to be a good start (keeping up with a couple of the Van-Diemens off the line) but then got held out slightly by one of them allowing a Zeus to slip up the inside into Copse. After a couple of laps of watching the Zeus sideways in front of me through most corners (which was great to see someone else pushing like that... although I would have preferred to have raced against him before to truly trust whether or not I could dive up the inside while he was doing so) we got into a really enjoyable battle and a lap before the end I took the lead for the final time. The race win was a very strange one for me though, watching the video I don't seem to react at all to it because I was so focussed on finishing and getting the all important signature for my International license, that I think I forgot about the actual importance of winning a race. Starting the second race in the same position I again made what I thought to be a good start, then was overtaken into the first corner (got to sort that out!)... by the time we had got through Maggots though I was in the lead and would stay there to the end. Unfortunately the second race was slightly dull, I was really looking forward to having another battle and being able to enjoy the racing without thinking about the license, but ended up 15 seconds behind the last Van-Diemen and the same in front of the following Zeus - it was more like a practice session than a race. After the meeting had finished we were invited into the BRDC clubhouse for a drink - its absolutely gorgeous in there, pictures and trophies from virtually every driver you admire, and an enormous sensation of pride even just by being invited in for a drink. 3rd November 2004: Weston Super Mare Well, after almost a year I have finally had my suit repaired. I know I was leaving it a little late asking Jays to mend the damage caused by the crash, especially as I posted the suit on Saturday and was wanting to race the following weekend, but John did an absolutely cracking job and I cant thank him enough! To anyone who's looking at getting suits made up, go to www.JaysRaceWear.co.uk and get as many as you can afford! Not only because they go out of their way to help you, but their suits are absolutely superb and look fantastic! Anyway, racing this weekend so come back soon. 23rd October 2004: Silverstone 11 months have passed since the Brands Hatch incident and I have returned to Silverstone to take part in my first race this year. After several months of waiting for my doctor to sign me off as fit to race, while also trying to find the time and money to get back into a car, it seemed only fitting that the weekend I made a return was rained off after practice. The race was part of Silverstone's internal Championship and although Stowe is far from a world class circuit, its still good for what I was wanting. The day started quite late and by mid-day and the weather had turned. With a wet track and now constant rain, we set out for a preliminary warm up session. I was semi-nervous of embarrassing myself, or the more likely event of being frustrated in how bad I had become, but with the track slippery and the cars delicate I used it as a gentle session building speed. After two 10 minute practice sessions the organisers requested a 30min break to see if the weather would relent, and just after lunch it was declared too wet to continue. Richard (my brother) recently bought a digital camcorder and external pencil cam which we wanted to test this weekend. We mounted it for the practice session with the intention of making sure that it worked ok for the race. Luckily this at least means that I now have a little onboard coverage (even if it is from a very tame and very wet practice session) which will be online shortly. With the end of the year approaching rapidly, I have arranged to race again on the 27th/28th November in the hope that this is not rained off. Needing one more signature to obtain my International race license it would be frustrating not to get the chance. 16th October 2004: Weston Super Mare While getting ready for the week ahead (I have been working in Birmingham a lot recently and this week I will be back up there) the sun came through an overcast sky and I couldn't resist taking the bike out for a play. I got all leathered up, polished my helmet (aye-aye) and started the 'Ninja Death-Machine' (as it's been named by a couple of mates). With the intention of going for a short ride to the sea-front to see who was about and then maybe a run over to Cheddar, I got a little distracted by roundabouts. After spending probably 30 minutes bouncing between two roundabouts and trying to get the bike over as far as I could I decided just to go home. I had my toe sliders on the floor for 3 complete roundabouts and my knee was out as far as my legs would allow. Looking at the tyres when I got back I have taken the nobble's off the right-hand-side so the bike was definitely leaned over enough, I think I just need to get some bigger sliders :o) 13th September 2004: Weston Super Mare HORRAY! I have passed my DAS bike test and am now allowed to be a public menace on a bike as well! 9th September 2004: Weston Super Mare Garage... meet your new friend I have just bought what I think is an absolutely gorgeous bike. Its a 2002 ZX6R Ninja :o) From what I have been told (and what I choose to believe) its meant to be one of the more forgiving supersports, and with the twin headlight setup I think it looks pretty sexy too! 18th June 2004: Donington Over the past several months I have been a little quite online. Apologies for this but I have been focusing my time and energies in talks and meetings trying to get a new race team off the ground, Team Spirit Racing. In September of last year I was approached by Matthew Sillifant who came to me with a great idea and asked if I would be interested in being part of it. Matthew would be the team principal of a team which was offering something no-one else could. As their number 1 race driver I would have a large role to play in the direction of the team, as well as their results. The team will be racing in the 2005 Radical SR3 Championship and financed through a series of team-building events which will include running the team during the championship weekends. Team Spirit Racing is now truly active. We have secured offices, have an agreement with Donington Park and a hospitality suite fully liveried at Redgate corner. All the brochure’s and branded paperwork have been printed, and I finished the website a couple of weeks ago. With one client already signed up, and another few in the pipe-line, the excitement is mounting and the reward of our hard work is growing daily. Even sitting in meetings gets a smile when all you can see out of the window is a race-track! Expect regular updates and news about the team, how were getting on with gaining clients, and any testing or races we sign up for. I am hoping to do a few races this year but am unsure yet whether it will be in an SR3 or single-seater of some kind. 2nd March 2004: Brands Hatch Further to last weekend’s conversations I was provided with the chance to join Radical at a test day in Brands Hatch. This was the first time I returned to the cockpit since my crash in November and ironically would see me at the same location. After being driven by a Radical employee for a couple of laps I was given the car for a 25 minute open session. This allowed me to get a feeling for the car without needing to push everything to the limit. The car was beautiful to drive, incredibly quick at both the acceleration and cornering speeds, but controllable with it. Leaning on the car through some of the faster corners I was at no time afraid that the car might snap, but it gave more of a comfortable drift. 21st February 2004: Radical HQ I was invited to visit the Radical factory in Peterborough to have a factory tour. This provided me the opportunity to see their outfit, take some publicity photos for sponsorship and look at the SR3 prototype which had recently taken the outright lap record at the Nurburgring track. 9th January 2004: Autosport Show I was invited to the BRDC Annual Awards to collect my championship trophy today. This was held at the Autosport International Show in the NEC. The luncheon was for invited guests of the BRDC and selected championship winners and it was a great privilege to be there. Martin Brundle, Mark Blundell and Johnny Herbert were there along with several other well established racers, who I had the chance to speak with after the meal and presentations. The event was incredible and easily the most extravagant setting I have ever been to. Being surrounded by childhood heros and motor-racing legends, and having the chance to speak with them about my racing, as just another driver, was fantastic. After the drinks and silverware had ended, Rich and myself headed back to the show planning to talk with the Silverstone crew. There was a slight problem with this idea… we hadn’t realised how many attractive women there were all wanting to see my trophy (these pictures are also in the gallery) 24th & 25th December 2003: My Birthday and Christmas All seems to be going well with my recovery, I am now off my painkillers and moving about without too much difficulty. I have now placed the photos online here and got a couple from the team which show the nosecone in the cockpit. I will be at my parents over the Christmas period so apologise if not able to reply to emails as quickly as I would like - I'm gonna be too busy showing my bruising to my nephew and playing with presents :o) Hope everyone's Christmas is fantastic and you all have a great New Years! 23rd/27th November 2003: Brands Hatch > Hospital The build up to the final round of the Formula Ford Winter Series had gone very well. Although the conditions were far from perfect, both the testing and the races would be held in wet conditions. Friday held four practice sessions allowing me to increase my wet-weather experience and reduce the gap in lap-time to the rest of the field. Coming to the track with the same good feelings that I had when I left Snetterton, I found the confidence needed through some of the faster corners and ended the day only 0.4seconds off. Sunday came and the weather had got considerably worse, there were puddles filling the track and streams running randomly through the corners. Qualifying left down the me further down field than I had hoped as I was never given the opportunity to push myself. With the conditions so much worse than Friday and qualifying being the first session on track, I had been trying to find my feet for the first 10 minutes but a crash caused the session to be stopped and never re-started. Starting 12th on the Grid I made a great start and gained a two positions by the end of the first lap. The spray and streams made for an exciting start as it was virtually impossible to see where the track went, it was purely a case of following the little red lights in front. After making my way into 8th place I was caught by a stream and spun through ‘Surtees’, keeping my focus and ensuring that I was not collected by a car for the second time, I controlled the 360 and came out of it under power only dropping 1 position but being followed closely by Matt Harris (a fellow driver from the BRDC Single Seater Championship). After a couple of looks into ‘Druids’ Matt got his breaking point wrong and had no-where to go but into me, taking us both into the gravel and out of the race. Starting the second race at the back of the grid I managed to get another good start which launched two positions by the exit of ‘Paddock’, gaining another two by going round the outside of ‘Druids’. Accelerating through from the exit of ‘Graham Hill Bend’ a car several places ahead started spinning and the field took evasive action to miss it. I was placed sideways after being clipped by a car to the right of me, and while slowing down approaching the barrier had a massive impact from the side. A car which had stuck the me side-on at almost racing speed, the nosecone penetrating my cockpit and pinning me into the car. When everything had come to a standstill I realised that I was in trouble as I could not release the belts, and due to an obvious injury was unable to breathe in. Struggling with the release mechanism which had been twisted into my leg, but realising that the marshals could not get to me in time, I managed to twist my body and free my chest so I could start gasping for oxygen until I was helped my the medics. The doctor arrived onsite after a few seconds and I was removed from the car and taken straight to the medical centre. Still unable to breathe I remember having oxygen forced into my lungs as they rushed me into the Ambulance heading for the nearby hospital. On arrival I was greeted by a team of between 15 and 20 doctors all looking concerned. Hearing that the crash team had been put on standby and spotting the jump-leads warming up by my bed I was a little unsure what the outcome would be as I lay struggling for breath, cold and shaking. After 6 x-rays, 2 CT scans, several drips and a welcomed hit of morphine, it was found that I had a fractured chest with possible ruptured spleen. Knowing than any internal damage would require instant major surgery I was relieved when it was found to only be mild internal bleeding. Waking up on Monday with nothing more than a slight temperature, increased heart-rate, and a few broken ribs I have felt very luck to come away from this so lightly. The few ribs which have been broken, are broken in two places allowing my chest cavity to ‘float’ but no surgery will be needed. A simple case of pain-killers and bed rest should see them heal in a matter of months. Remaining in high spirits throughout the weekend I have not allowed this to put me off racing. The crash was simply one of those things that never happens. The string of events which led to the crash, along with the circumstances allowing the nosecone to enter the cockpit, were just unlucky. I am out of hospital now, and have returned to my parents for a few weeks of bed-rest and 15 pills-a-day. I hope to be getting some photos of the weekend online soon and have asked that the team take a couple of photos of the car so I can show everyone just how far through my body the other car went ;-) Thanks go out to everyone who has shown their support both toward myself and family, and to the medics who’s names were too many to remember at Brands Hatch and the Queen Mary’s Hospital. 9th November 2003: Snetterton My first race weekend in the National Formula Ford winter series was one of mixed emotions. Spending Friday and Saturday testing, it soon became apparent that I was up against some very established racers. The field contained drivers who had done several seasons in Formula Ford, Formula Renault and multiple other disciplines. Both days saw improvement with my lap-times but I felt there was still a lack of commitment and confidence into some of the corners. This obviously hurt my lap-times when compared to the top guys but was compounded by my unfamiliarity with setting up the car. By the end of the test days I had managed to reduce the lap time difference to 1 second. Knowing that this would put me around the middle of the field in qualifying I was still quite pleased with my performance, after all, it was my first event. Sunday held Qualifying and both Races making for a packed day. Qualifying 14th I was realistic about my race performance and hoped to finish somewhere in the top 11 or 12. We continued to make changes to the car trying to find handling characteristics which agreed with my driving style and headed for the grid. With a clean start I held position into the first corner and after a couple of laps managed to leap a couple of cars into 12th position. After trying for several laps to pass 11th I eventually got a run onto the back straight and managed to get along side. Unfortunately, Formula Ford is much more aggressive than I had been used to, and I soon found myself being pushed onto the grass at 140mph and ended up spinning out of the race. Starting 18th, and last, for the second race, I was beginning to get a little downhearted. Not only was I aware that I was uncomfortable throwing the car into the corner, but I also knew that the weekend was going to cost me much more than I could afford. Taking time to clear my mind while waiting in the paddock I made my way onto the grid thinking of nothing but the race. I made a good start and was alongside 16th by the first corner. Keeping my momentum and now enjoying the feel of the car I could fight with the pack. Finally being prepared to launch the car into corners in the knowledge that it would stay with me, I fought my way up to 12th and ended the race only feet behind 11th place. I left the track exhausted but happy. Ok, I have a large bill soon to be posted, but I finally found the car! I’m now really looking forward to Brands Hatch in two weeks time and its nice knowing that I have some points in the Formula Ford Championship Table. 6th November 2003: Weston Super Mare We have just finished spraying my new helmet and it looks fantastic. Following the same basic design idea as my current lid we have tried to add a little more detail when up close and added some silver. 31st October 2003: Brands Hatch (Indy) After spending Thursday night driving to Brands Hatch in what can only be described as the worst conditions I have ever been in, I was pleasantly surprised to see the sun shining on Friday morning. The first of the six 30 minute sessions was on a wet track and fully treaded tyres were a must. This was the first time I had been on the Indy track so it was another massive learning curve, having to find the levels of grip in the Van-Diemen on a wet track I was not used to. At the end of the first session I was slightly disappointed with my performance. Although I had been able to stay with a couple of guys, I was passed easily by other Formula Ford racers and knew that there was a lack of commitment through the corners from me. Treating this as a purely learning exercise I took as much advice as I could from the driver coaches and team mate and knew I had to improve throughout the day. The second session started on a track with a drying line. Leaving the pits with slicks instantly helped build my speed and confidence. It also reduced my lap time and the number of times I was overtaken. Unfortunately the third session saw me take a trip into one of the many gravel traps. Causing a red flag I was towed back to the pits where I tried to explain my errors to the mechanics and myself. The afternoon saw continued improvements with my times finishing still off the pace but within a reachable distance. I realise that I will not be able to have the same entry to Formula Ford as I managed with the BRDC Single Seaters, but am trying to give myself as much of a chance as possible to get close to some of the more established racers. 24th October 2003: Silverstone National Today saw the first chance for me to sit in the car. I arrived at Silverstone for 8:30, suited up, and climbed into the car in order to have my seat made. This was something I’d never done, and it surprised me how awkward it was. Initially the seat fitting seemed simple… I sat in the car, found a position which was comfortable, gave access to the pedals, allowed visibility to the track, and kept my head away from the air intake. Finding a way to support myself in this position without touching the car got a little trickier. Once I had wedged my arms through some of the nearby framework, I had to lever my body an inch from the base and keep it there while expanding foam was pushed in around me and allowed to set. The first test was on a damp track, but had dry line emerging. As this was the first time I was going to drive the car, it was decided that wets would be put on until I was more comfortable with the conditions and the car. Although this meant that the initial speed of the car was no-where near its potential, it allowed me to get used to the handling characteristics of the car in a safer, and more controlled, environment. With the engineering of the car being superior in every way, braking, cornering, acceleration, and top speed, were all much improved compared to what I had been driving. The introduction of a telemetry system was also very helpful as it allowed me to view the differences between my lap with a previously logged time from another racer. Using this historic data as a shadow reference, I was able to make changes with my driving style and racing lines to gain tenth’s through some simple areas and I finished the second session only 0.13 seconds away. The session was only an introduction to Formula Ford, and I am trying not to build too much from today. None the less, I have been left with a feeling of excitement and anticipation to my next test at Brands in a week’s time. 19th October 2003: Brands Hatch I was invited to the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. The day at the track was great, not only was the racing enjoyable to watch but it offered the chance to meet with Medina. The car looks fantastic, so highly engineered compared to what I had been driving and leaves you feeling excited at the concept of climbing in. 28th September 2003: Brands Hatch After an 8 week break I approached the day at Brands Hatch knowing that all I needed to do was finish the race. With this in mind I gave myself boundaries and margins which kept the car running but kept me from ever challenging for the win. Qualifying saw Ben Elliott take pole, instantly giving me the Championship and relieving any chance of mechanical failiures throughout the race causing a problem. When the race started I had tried to change my mentality as much as I could, accepting the fact that I could enjoy the race and try for the win I was in second place when the race was unfortunately red-flagged two laps short. Due to the red flag, the ceremony was delayed by a couple of hours while finishing positions were being checked. Because of a lack of light the final awards were moved to the Kentagon social rooms where we, unfortunately, could not spray the champagne... it still tasted the same though.