NEWS 4/01/06

Hi folks, well it's now 2006!  As you've probably read on my 2005 Diary I was offered a National Superstock ride with NY Racing which I accepted, so it's all official now.  Testing at Almeria in Spain was great, and the Yamaha R1 is ace.  We should be getting our new bike soon so we'll have two.  We are going testing again at Nogaro in February, so I'll give you the news after then.

Testing - Oulton Park 14/01/06

We decided to do a bit of testing at Oulton Park.  The bike's not in it's finished colours yet, and I was wearing last years leathers.  It had rained the night before so the track was very greasy in the morning, but it dried up in the afternoon.  Times weren't that important, it was mainly for me to get more time on the R1, but a good day was had by all.

Testing - Cadwell Park 21/01/06

We went to Cadwell Park, my favourite circuit, to do a bit more testing.  The weather was a bit cold so I couldn't really get up to speed, and the track was damp in the morning with some parts staying damp all day.  It gave me some more time on the bike because it's power range and handling are different to the Ducati and Kawasaki that I've raced recently.  The suspension set-up just needs a bit of fine tuning so I was trying different settings.  It wasn't too much of a problem at Almeria because the track is so flat, not like the undulating British circuits.  Will update you all with news as and when there is some.

Testing - Nogaro 

I'm back from testing at Nogaro now.  The circuit was quite twisty and bumpy, but it was OK, although I can't say it would be one of my favourites.  I was testing the new 06 Yamaha, which is a little bit different from the 04 one in that it's got a bit more mid range power and a slightly shorter swing arm.  I like the bike and testing went well, now I'm looking forward to racing in the Alamo/Mallory Trophy race on 5th March.  If you happen to be there please come along and say hello.  It should be fun as my cousin,  Michael Jackson, and my mechanic Rob Crombie are making their racing debuts.  Look out for us all on track!

Sorry there aren't any pictures from Nogaro, it's because my photographer couldn't go.

Mallory Park 5/03/06

Last year I did the EMRA Drayton Croft Mallory Park Trophy race and won it, so I decided to go back this year for a shakedown race.  It is now called the Alamo Racing Mallory Trophy.  I wasn't feeling too well with a heavy cold, but the day was sunny so I thought "give it a go".  Started OK in the first heat, I was soon in the lead, until the last lap when Mark Vernon on his Suzuki came by me going down Devil's Elbow, just beating me on the line.  Next time out it was the 1300cc race, and with the track a bit warmer I was able to go a bit faster.  On the first lap I slid up the inside of Mark at Edwina's, then pulled away to give me a good win.  Next was the main Trophy race, I was on the front row of the grid, got a good start and got the lead going along the back straight, but it was short lived.  After 2 laps the clutch started slipping and I had to pull in.  To say the least I was very disappointed!!

With the clutch fixed I went out for my last race, the second 1300cc.  Got a good start and the lead again on the first lap, but this time Alan Moreton on his Yamaha was right on my heels in second place.  Alan is a Mallory expert but I managed to stay in front and pull away a bit to win by 2 seconds in the end.  I suppose it was quite a good day under the circumstances.  Roll on the start of the BSB series.  Now I'd like to say thanks to the Ital Restaurant in Bradford who are helping us with some sponsorship, and to all our other sponsors.

Snetterton 18 - 19/03/06

We went to Snetterton, at the North Pole, I mean in Norfolk, though it felt more like the North Pole, it was so cold.  It was the BSB test weekend and I had to crawl out of a nice warm bed to go on track in the freezing cold at 9.0am both mornings.  Saturday was so cold I only did a few laps in the first session.  Second session I was pleased to end up as 7th fastest in the Superstocks.  I got a better lap time in the third session but so did a lot of others, and it left me in 11th place.

With a new rear tyre and some minor adjustments on Sunday I was able to up my lap times again and I was pleased to finish 6th fastest National Superstock rider overall for the weekend, with a time of 1.09.914, not far off my best time on a Superbike Cup Kawasaki last year.  Check out the pictures in the Gallery, hope you like my new "outfit", and it's a big thanks to Rick LLoyd of Tran Am for sponsoring me with leathers, gloves, boots and helmet.  Next weekend we get down to the real business of racing at Brands, see you all there.

Brands Hatch 26/03/06

What can I say about the first round at Brands Hatch ......a huge disappointment for me and the team.  Friday practice went OK, with me being 8th quickest in Group B, but I was suffering from lack of grip and the rear wheel spinning up coming out of corners right from the start.  We changed the set-up and gearing for Saturday's qualifying.   It was no better in the first session, and I was 15th, so we went back to more or less the original settings.  Then what happened.......it tipped it down with rain for the second session so I used my No 2 bike, taking it easy to finish 13th quickest in my group.  The way the organisers staggered the grid between the two groups, I ended up 29th on the grid.

We were out first for warm up on Sunday and the track was still very damp, so I used my No 2 bike again.  The race was dry, which meant I was going out on the No 1 bike with an untried set-up.  I didn't make a good start and I was in 32nd for a few laps.  Then I managed to start working my way through the field to finish 22nd, not exactly what I wanted or hoped for.  I could catch up going into corners, but I lost out with the rear wheel still spinning up coming out of the corners.  Now we'll just have to see how it goes at Donington!

Donington Park 9/04/06

When will I get some GOOD luck?  Things started OK on Friday in practice, when I was 14th quickest, before I nearly high-sided at Foggy's and twisted and pulled my right shoulder, which was really painful.  Not what I needed with first qualifying in the afternoon.  The medics gave me some pain painkillers which helped a little, but I was struggling with it, and added to that, lack of grip at times.  I improved my lap time, but still ended up down in 23rd place.  Saturday morning I had some physio from Charlie, which helped my shoulder, and Ginge, my technician, highered the bike a bit and we changed the gearing, which improved the handling.  At the end of second qualifying I was well happy to be 10th quickest, which put me 12th on the grid.

Sunday morning started OK when it was sunny, but I took it easy in warm up.  Then what happen.......it p***** it down for the race!!!  In pit lane we found the revs were too high.  After some frantic work to try and put it right I got out of pit lane just before it closed.  I was sliding around on my out lap in the wet conditions and with the bike revving high and the throttle sticking at high revs, not a good thing in the wet.  I made it onto the grid with only seconds to spare.  The rear tyre was stepping out everywhere, in the awful conditions, on the warm up lap, then finally let go coming out of Goddards, high siding me, and I slid into the mud.  I hit my right hand on the track pretty hard, and got a sore backside, the bike was OK though!  A bit of a s*** weekend really.  I could do with more than 3 days off before Thruxton, but I'll be there, ready to go again.

Thruxton 17/04/06

I was told on Tuesday that NY Racing had run out of cash, but as we own the 06 Yamaha I'm able to race on.  We had to make other arrangements for Thruxton, and Krystal Racing were good enough to offer us space in their race awning, so we ran in their colours for qualifying and the race.  It's looking likely that we may stay with them for the rest of the season, as they have sort of "adopted" us, which is really nice of them, so a thank you to team owner Tony Astle.

Now back to Thruxton, which didn't really go that well.  It rained for first practice, so I suppose you could call that more or less a "wash out".  Qualifying on Sunday didn't go that well, and I ended up 24th, on the 6th row of the grid, not where I wanted to be.  I didn't make that good a start, so I tried to ride round the outside, but ended up "grass tracking" at the first corner, and last.  I started to pick up places when the pace car came out and halted my progress for 3 laps.  I got up to 21st but the rear tyre started to go off and I lost a place, finishing 22nd.  I need to start getting in the points soon, but I'm not making any predictions for Oulton Park, just that I'll be there, so see you all then.

Oulton Park 1/05/06

Another weekend to forget!  There's not much I can really say about it.  It started with a crash in practice when I ran out of brakes, so end of that session.  The bike was down on power in the afternoon for first qualifying, so I ended up 27th.  Later we found out a bit of the airbox had cracked when I crashed, then it broke up and bits got sucked into the valves.  After the bike had been sorted, second qualifying went well and the bike was fast again.  I was 16th, but on the inside of the grid, which is where I like to be at Oulton.  I made a better start and was going well until the clutch failed on lap 3 and I had to retire.  I was gutted!!  I know I could have run the times of the top 10 and had a good result.

The only consolation of the weekend was we had a rather nice brolly girl, Michelle, for race day, check out the pictures in the gallery.

Mondello Park 21/05/06

What a washout and a big disappointment Mondello Park was, but the organisers made the right decision to cancel the meeting as the conditions were just too dangerous for racing.  Friday started with a dry practice session, but we were struggling a bit with the set-up and the brakes so I ended up in 21st place.  The afternoon session was wet, but nothing like Sunday.  We had a good wet set-up and I took it easy but still managed 13th place.  Then guess what.......Saturday morning first qualifying was wet, but it did start to dry up a bit near the end of the session when I set my fastest time, but still only managed to be 21st.  Second qualifying was nice and dry so I decided to really go for it.  I was in 15th place and trying for a faster time, maybe trying a bit too hard because I missed my braking point at Birannes and lost the front, ending up in the gravel.  I wasn't hurt and the bike wasn't too badly damaged.  I lost about the last 10 minutes of qualifying which dropped me down to 18th.

There's not a lot I can say about Sunday except it was disappointing not to be able to race, even more so because we had two races.  Let's hope they can reschedule them at MotoGP (as was mentioned) because that would be fantastic.

Snetterton 18/06/06 

Not a good weekend at Snetterton to say the least.  It started on Thursday when on the way there we had a "blow out" in one of the caravan tyres.  Friday practice wasn't good, I couldn't feel what the front end was doing and I slid off at Russell's, but I wasn't hurt and the bike wasn't that badly damaged.  First qualifying on Friday afternoon was another disaster, I nearly crashed again when I think water got onto the back tyre because the engine overheated and the oil light came on.  All that made me miss the last half of the session and I was down in 24th place.  Ginge (my technician) changed the engine to one we had out of a track day Yamaha R1.  This meant I went out in second qualifying on Saturday with an untried engine.  The bike seemed a bit down on power and I couldn't go as fast as I did on Friday.  I was trying really hard and then ended up loosing the front at the fast Sear Corner.  Ian Hutchinson was behind and had nowhere to go, and he ran over my arm, bringing him off as well.  It felt like I'd broken my arm and the Medical Centre sent me off to Norwich Hospital.

The X-rays showed I'd broken a couple of ribs and damaged muscles and ligaments in my shoulder and arm.  As I couldn't move my arm they thought I might have damaged nerves so they kept me in overnight.  I can now move my arm a bit more and I have to see a specialist.  I don't know when I'll be back racing but I will be back, hopefully at Knockhill, but I'll have to wait and see.  Now I'd like to send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to all the other riders who were injured over the weekend at Snetterton, and there were a few.

NEWS 19/07/06

I thought I'd bring you all up to date with what's happening.  As you all know I had to miss the Donington MotoGP Superstock double header round.  I was absolutely gutted by this, but I managed to get there for the day on the Saturday, which was so hot and I felt quite tired by the end of the day.  I was hoping to be back racing at Knockhill, but when I tried a track day on the Monday before, I was still hurting and knew I wouldn't be fit enough.  I tried riding again this week but I'm still not fit enough to race at Oulton, so the next target is Croft, which seems more realistic as it gives me another 3 weeks.  Although I can't wait to get back, as I'm missing so much, but there's no point in aggravating my injury and putting me out for even longer.  I need my shoulder to be really better to be able to muscle a 1000cc Superstock bike around a circuit, as it's hard work on the arms going from fast short straights to braking hard for slow corners.  I hope to be at Oulton for the day on Saturday to see how my friends and rivals are coping without me!!  Will give you more news when there is any.

NEWS 15/08/06

Hi folks, well I had to miss Croft!  Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Toby will pass me fit for Cadwell.  I desperately want to ride there as it's my favourite circuit, but this time I'll be on a Suzuki GSXR 1000.  I've done a few track days to keep my hand in, and during the 3 week break I went to Monza where the R1 blew up AGAIN.  I'd tried the Suzuki at a track day and liked it, so after Monza I decided to go with it.  I'll be at the Cadwell test day on Thursday (17th) so hope to see some of you there.

Cadwell Park Test Day 17/08/06

Much to my relief Toby passed me fit to ride at the test day, which in the end proved to be a big "wash out".  The morning session was dry, but as I hadn't ridden the Suzuki much and I needed to get back in the groove I took it easy, and we had a few suspension problems.  We changed to a harder rear spring but then it rained so we had to change wheels as well.  I went out for a few laps just to try the Suzuki in the wet.  Not long after that we had a big thunderstorm and it p***ed it down, so we decided to pack up and give the last session a miss.  Now I'm looking forward to actually racing again at Cadwell, my favourite circuit.

Cadwell Park 28/08/06 

Not really much to say about the Cadwell Superstock round, except in the end I decided not to race.  I went out in all 3 practice and qualifying sessions on my new Suzuki GSXR 1000 K5, but because the shoulder injury is still giving me trouble I couldn't string together more than a few laps, so it seemed pointless to try to race for 15 laps.  I've decided to give Silverstone a miss and rest the shoulder, but I'll be at Brands and will race if I can.  There's a few pics from practice on the Gallery.

My cousin, Michael Jackson, joined me at Cadwell to race in Superstock Cup.  He was going really well until he crashed in first qualifying, after only 9 laps, injuring his ankle, but he still managed to hang on to 9th place.  So that's two of us "crocked up" now.

NEWS 25/09/06

I've been using my time since Cadwell to do some training to strengthen my injured shoulder and arm, and it seems to be working as my arm is getting stronger.  I hope my arm will last race distant at Brands.  Any of my friends and fans who are at Brands please cheer me on, and come and say "hello", you'll find me at Krystal Racing.  Jacko, my cousin, is also hoping to be fit enough to race in Superstock Cup at Brands.

Brands Hatch 1/10/06

Well, what can I say about Brands, except that I tried my best.  I went out in practice on Friday morning and did a few laps.  Then I decided to see how many laps I could do on the run and managed to fit in 10 before the end of the session, but my arm was hurting.  Then afternoon qualifying was a bit wet on track to start with.  I saw Adam Jenkinson and decided to follow him, but I went into Sheene curve a bit too fast and lost the front end, and also most of the session which left me in last place.  Well someone has to be last, but I didn't really want it to be me.  The Suzuki was working well but my shoulder injury was still playing up, although I managed to qualify on Saturday, but down in 29th place.

I made a good start in the race for a change and was up to 25th place on lap 1, but then I dropped right back so I decided to pull in, it wasn't worth struggling round for 16 laps to finish well down the field.  It wasn't the way I wanted my season to end, but it seems to have been a nightmare from beginning to end this year.  What with NY Racing running out of cash after only 2 rounds, then the crash at Snetterton which effectively put me out of racing for the rest of the season.  I really don't want another season like this one again, and I'm not sure what I'll be doing next season, I'll just have to wait and see what happens over the winter.  Any news will be on here as soon as there is any.

Now I'd like to thank all my family and friends who have stood by me through the difficult times, and thank you to my sponsors, who, I suppose haven't really had their money's worth, but these things happen in racing, although you never expect it to be you!  Also thanks go to all the marshals, medical staff and officials who make the racing possible, and to the fans who attend in all weathers.  Thanks and bye for now.  Michael.

NEWS 20/11/06

Just a bit of news.  All I can say at the moment is that I will be on the National Superstock grid next year.  There are still a few minor details to be ironed out before I can make a final announcement.  If there is anyone out there who would like to help me out with a bit of sponsorship, then please contact me, (click on "Contact" above).  I would be pleased to accept and appreciate any amount on offer, and we can offer you tickets, advertising, promotion, refreshments, etc in return.  Thanks.

NEWS 25/11/06

It's now official that I'll be racing the new 1098 Ducati in Superstock for 2007.  After such a disastrous season this year, with injury etc, I was ready to call it a day and maybe just do the odd race.  But after talking to Billy at WLRacing, and with his help, I've decided to do a full season on the new Ducati, which seems to be a good package.  I like Ducatis so I'm really looking forward to racing it, and to an enjoyable season.  See you all next year and good luck to everyone.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR