(Friday) FP1 – This was the first time out on track and the weather wasn’t being very kind. It was absolutely throwing it down. Grant went out on track with his setting on his bike and he straight away felt very comfortable. The times throughout the session where changing all the time. Towards the end of the session Grant was feeling very happy so decided not to push any further as there was no need to. Grant finished the session in 10th position.
(Saturday Morning) Q1 – This session was meant to be on Friday afternoon but because of the terrible weather condition it was moved to the following day. Saturday was here and with work to do as the day looked like it was going to be dry; Grant knew 1st qualifying would be vital so he pushed on as usual. He put in a fast lap and then returned to the pits. Grant was around 7 – 8th position. He then went back out and got his head down for a couple of laps and latched onto another rider but unfortunately made a small mistake and crashed losing the front end of his motorcycle. This was session over for Grant and he unfortunately dropped down to 14th by the end of the session.
(Saturday Afternoon) Q2 – This was a very difficult session for Grant as he had to get up to speed very quickly and push on. Grant could not get into a good rhythm on track and was having a couple of problems. Grant returned to the pits to try and re-group then went back out. Grant continued to have problems and could not improve his lap time. He ended the session 19th which was very disappointing for Grant as he believed he was putting a lot of effort in and not reaping the rewards.
(Sunday) Race – Grant’s race was the last race of the day so it was a long wait for the 12 lap race. The race was here and the lights were ready to go out. Grant was back on row 5 and got a fantastic jump off the line. He jumped a row straight away into the first corner. Grant got up to 16th on the first lap. Grant made steady inroads up to half race distance but was suffering a little with the bike setup. With 5 laps to go a fellow rider ahead of Grant crashed just after Shell Oils Hairpin, Grant unfortunately found himself with nowhere to go and ran into the bike crossing the track. This was the end of Grant’s race and made all the work gained early on in the year a little hard to follow.
Grant would like to thank all the people who came to support him throughout the weekend, Christian from ADCL (Shell Oil Distributor UK), Jeremy & Ann from Economy Spares Ltd, Ben Potter, Andy & Mark Standen, Steve Jeanes, Jonathan Heaton, Tony & Tracy. Grant would like to say a special thank-you to his Mum, Sister and Dad for their ongoing support. Also a big shout out to J&S Accessories for supplying me with a new ‘Jonny Jacket’ to keep me dry over the weekend. Grant would like to once again thank all the loyal members of the 79 club.
Please feel free to make enquires to me regarding how our sponsor’s services may be of assistance to you. We would be happy to have you on board the #79 club.
Any help is greatly appreciated, so if you are in the position to help in any way, then please contact the team and see how Grant Whitaker Racing can benefit you and your business.
Winner of the raffle and to recieve 2 VIP tickets to Brands Hatch 20 – 22 July 2012 is: No. 17 Steve Jeanes.