Perhaps the extended winter and recent arctic weather made
the return to racing all the more appealing but, when the Dunlop Masters rounds
1,2 and 3 landed they definitely didn’t disappoint. If the sight of race bikes
appearing four abreast into turn 1 wasn’t enough to excite you, then the many
manufacturers and vendors setup in the paddock was there too.
A change in pre-race formation involved the riders getting
an out-lap before entering pit lane once more for any last minute changes,
before finally exiting to complete the two warm up laps took a while to get
used but, seemed to work well and take the congestion from pit lane. It still
needs tuning to make sure that everyone leaves the paddock at the same time
but, in essence it’s a good practice.
Most races ran to plan in the dry weather, but the track
temperature was deceptively cool and that didn’t help with a few red flags over
the weekend. Most incidents were relatively small and could be dealt with
quickly and locally. The first Superbike race on Sunday was restarted twice and
after consulting with the riders about re-running the race, the vast majority were
in agreement about declaring a result.
Grid positions changing from qualifying times also caused a
few raised eyebrows but, this also made the racing more interesting for both
riders and officials alike. Overall lap times were as expected given the conditions,
and should fall as riders get used to the warmer weather and the new controlled
tyres.
A change in the programme led to fewer races on the Sunday and
reduced pressure on fulfilling the card when incidents held up racing. Had last
year’s format been used, laps would definitely have been cut from the remaining
races, a situation everyone is keen to avoid.
With the added stunt riders and bike show, spectators
flocked to the paddock causing backlogs on the gate resulting in another gate
being opened. The bike car park beside the grandstand was overflowing with
machinery and drew as much attention as the racing such was the variety of
bikes parked up for the day. Overall a hugely successful 2 days racing in
Mondello and with no single rider dominating the big championships, this could
be a big crowd pleaser over the next 8 months of the Dunlop Masters.
Full weekends results available on the Speedhive app.
Words and images: Andy Quinn
No comments:
Write comments