Hello all,
already before the last race of this season we started with planning for the next season. Mikael has started training sessions with Joonas Saloniemi who was racing until 2 years ago with his brother. Joonas finished his house building project and wanted to pick up racing again. He purchased a VMC-Zabel and was looking for a new passenger because his brother switched to the GP-series.
For Mikael this is a great opportunity to get to an higher level of racing than to continue with me in the back of the pack. For this moment he's adapting to the differences this transfer entails. Not only Joonas is driving faster but also the brutal character of the large two-stroke Zabel engine demands a different way of acting as a passenger. He's inspired and the change makes him motivated for the job.
In the meantime I'm not lying on the coach either. With Mikael's old school friend Markko Styrmann I've found replacement. Markko has tried last year some laps already and was interested to step in Mikael's place. We've started our training sessions too and in the beginning it's always hard for a new passenger. But Markko made quickly progress and we did more laps already than I expected.
I hope the arrival of the Winter will wait for some time so we will be able to get as many laps as possible behind our wheels. Both teams will need this. I'll continue with the same hack for now and I'm planning to get spiked tires to continue training sessions during the Winter.
Greetings,
Stephan
EML - HUSABERG - AYR
Sunday, 7 October 2012
Results of our season 2012
Hi again,
this wasn't a season to be proud of, our results are not what we expected. Last year we participated at 22 races and had only at the first races some minor problems like flat tires. This year technical problems started already during the training sessions before the first races; I had to rebuild the engine 3 times in 3 weeks time. And as a reward the engine failed again at the first race.
When I finished our new larger engine the carburettor didn't fit anymore and the hack was shipped to the AYR workshop for modifications.
Then the problems with the van started; hydraulic pump, belts and spanner, water hoses and at least the water pump. Now I can say I've some experience with fixing Ford Transits. At least we got the hack back from Estonia and we finished it quickly to make it to the next event.
With the settings from suspension and carburettor we were way of and it took some additional weeks to sort them all out. Only a few races during the Summer months and most of the time we were riding training sessions. When everything was getting better it was to late to sign up for the Baltic GP's. With so many races missed I thought to compensate and get more time racing. After the Summer only 5 races left and even then we had to cancel one.
We planned for 14 races and optionally the 2 Baltic GP's but did participate only 9 times. A huge difference with the 2011 season. At the end the bike was better than the crew, that's the only positive thing. For next year there will be changes but these in a different post later. Here are the final results from our season 2012:
Finnish championship 4th
Estonian championship 22nd
Latvian championship 32nd
Latvian Veterans championship 7th
Greetings,
Stephan
this wasn't a season to be proud of, our results are not what we expected. Last year we participated at 22 races and had only at the first races some minor problems like flat tires. This year technical problems started already during the training sessions before the first races; I had to rebuild the engine 3 times in 3 weeks time. And as a reward the engine failed again at the first race.
When I finished our new larger engine the carburettor didn't fit anymore and the hack was shipped to the AYR workshop for modifications.
Then the problems with the van started; hydraulic pump, belts and spanner, water hoses and at least the water pump. Now I can say I've some experience with fixing Ford Transits. At least we got the hack back from Estonia and we finished it quickly to make it to the next event.
With the settings from suspension and carburettor we were way of and it took some additional weeks to sort them all out. Only a few races during the Summer months and most of the time we were riding training sessions. When everything was getting better it was to late to sign up for the Baltic GP's. With so many races missed I thought to compensate and get more time racing. After the Summer only 5 races left and even then we had to cancel one.
We planned for 14 races and optionally the 2 Baltic GP's but did participate only 9 times. A huge difference with the 2011 season. At the end the bike was better than the crew, that's the only positive thing. For next year there will be changes but these in a different post later. Here are the final results from our season 2012:
Finnish championship 4th
Estonian championship 22nd
Latvian championship 32nd
Latvian Veterans championship 7th
Greetings,
Stephan
Dobele, Latvia 9.9.2012
Hello,
I'm a late again with updating this blog, maybe I need a secretary ;-). Dobele was already the last race of this season for us. The weekend before we should have been riding in Vaabina, Estonia, but Mikael had to move to an other apartment suddenly and we had to blow the trip of. Instead of riding gear we had furniture in the van that weekend.
We took the midday ferry to Tallinn accompanied by Maria who wanted to make some pictures of this last event. Our hotel was located in Jelgava and when driving through this city we saw this huge palace, the Jelgava Palace. It's dimensions are an enormous contrast with the surrounding buildings. It's huge!
During the night I woke up due to some noise outside and when I looked out of the window, we had the van on the parking lot, I saw a car with its front wheels hanging in a pit made during construction work at the road in front of the hotel. The streetlights are not always in working order and the markers of this pit were good as non-existing. A taxi helped them back on the road again.
In the morning we continued with the last 30 kilometers to Dobele. In spite of the many rain showers we had the last weeks, the track was in a very good condition. It was hard packed clay and the surface damp so that dust wouldn't be a problem. It was a fast and technical track, choosing good lines and really hanging on was the message. I thought we did very bad during practice but still had the 12th position with 15 entries.
Our start didn't work out as planned and by crossing the lines from behind to the inside of the first corner we still could pass 2 teams in the first corners.The first laps weren't bad and at the 13th position we tried to get the team in front of us. But then I already started to get tired and with a fast track that means loosing ground rapidly. Last place was the result.
The start of the 2nd heat was the same but now I pushed more and at the 3rd lap we were on the 10th position. But again I became tired and we saw our competitors passing one by one. When I'm not able to ride regularly I'm always having difficulties to get my rhythm back quickly and without rhythm it's like a fight against odds.
2 last places was not the way I would have ended our season but it was what it was. We stayed overnight at Baltezers and I was so exhausted that I slept the same moment I saw my bed. The next day I had fever rising and had to stay in bed for the rest of the week. With the 16:30 ferry back to Helsinki.
A link to Maria's pictures: http://crossiacrossia.blogspot.fi/
Till soon,
Stephan
Trip to Dobele: map
Results: Mylaps (BV = sidecars)
I'm a late again with updating this blog, maybe I need a secretary ;-). Dobele was already the last race of this season for us. The weekend before we should have been riding in Vaabina, Estonia, but Mikael had to move to an other apartment suddenly and we had to blow the trip of. Instead of riding gear we had furniture in the van that weekend.
During the night I woke up due to some noise outside and when I looked out of the window, we had the van on the parking lot, I saw a car with its front wheels hanging in a pit made during construction work at the road in front of the hotel. The streetlights are not always in working order and the markers of this pit were good as non-existing. A taxi helped them back on the road again.
In the morning we continued with the last 30 kilometers to Dobele. In spite of the many rain showers we had the last weeks, the track was in a very good condition. It was hard packed clay and the surface damp so that dust wouldn't be a problem. It was a fast and technical track, choosing good lines and really hanging on was the message. I thought we did very bad during practice but still had the 12th position with 15 entries.
The start of the 2nd heat was the same but now I pushed more and at the 3rd lap we were on the 10th position. But again I became tired and we saw our competitors passing one by one. When I'm not able to ride regularly I'm always having difficulties to get my rhythm back quickly and without rhythm it's like a fight against odds.
2 last places was not the way I would have ended our season but it was what it was. We stayed overnight at Baltezers and I was so exhausted that I slept the same moment I saw my bed. The next day I had fever rising and had to stay in bed for the rest of the week. With the 16:30 ferry back to Helsinki.
A link to Maria's pictures: http://crossiacrossia.blogspot.fi/
Till soon,
Stephan
Trip to Dobele: map
Results: Mylaps (BV = sidecars)
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