It was suggested a few weeks back that a few of us meet up and go to Santa Pod, and watch our mate Rob run his Suzuki GSX 1300 Hayabusa down the 1/4 mile drag strip. Weather permitting it was decided this weekend of the 13th Sept 2008 being a RWYB (run what ya brung or as we refer to it break what ya brought) meeting at the Pod was the one we would attend.

After the usual umming and aaahing, and last minute decisions it was decided I would meet the gang at 8:45 near Newport Pagnall. As the rest of the gang have to come from various places such as Ascot (the not so posh part), Farnbrough (the decidedly rough part) and Maidenhead (well someone has to live there right big gay Al?) and Hanworth (lets just say Hanworth and be done) and all meet up on the M25 to come up the M1 to jct 14 to get to the pod, and Milton Keynes (the new city) is the main reason for junction 14 it made sense.

So I got up on Saturday morning, surveyed the grey skies and wet roads, and almost cancelled. But the trusty weather people did say it would be brighter during the day so I held off. I pulled the cover off the Z750 and wheeled the bike out of the drive and onto the road for the first time in a while. Got my biking gear on, received a phonecal from Dazza to say they were on their way having met up with Rob, Big Gay Al and Steve.

Two kicks and the Kawasaki 750 twin fired up. I checked the fuel gauge (read stuck a screwdriver in the tank to dip the level) and begged for some petrol money, and entrance fee from the long suffering Sue. I set off for Newport Pagnall, filling up along the way, or as close to filling up as a fiver gets these days. I waited a short time in the layby and within a few minutes the motley crew arrived. Late by a minute, but that was better than my estimates of them had been based on past experience.

We rode the A509 to Bozeat, stopping for Rob to fill the ‘Busa on the way, then through the old routes to Santa Pod at a steady (Z750 twin) pace. The roads were damp, and a little slick in places and I took the stick for being cautious when we all arrived (safely obviously due to the very caution I was berated for). We all paid to get in, and parked in the compound

In the picture above you can see Steve admiring his own bike (very nice Blue and Yellow Suzuki something) next to the star of the show (yes I do mean the Kawasaki Z750 twin) which has Dazzas Kawasaki ZZR 1100 to the right. Als 1200 (bum) Bandit is on the far left. This was taken just at the finish line of Santa Pods 1/4 mile.

Here is another view of Steve and the bikes, notice the devolution from the classic lines of the Z750 Twin to the ZZr of Dazza next to it, still I suppose Kawasaki designers thought they were going forward to reach that (deluded fools). To the right you can see Robs Hayabusa just sneaking onto the picture, I was trying to avoid having too many Suzukis in any one shot but never mind.

As we waited for the track to dry out, Dazza and Rob went down to sign on and scrutineer for the days drag racing, and we looked around the pits at the other bikes (pics to come when Big Gay Al sends them to me). There was a fantastic looking Kawasaki Z1000 and a Z900 both of which raced against each other later in the day. I think the Z1000 done a 10 second 1/4 mile if memory serves. While we were looking around, I saw that of all the 5 bikes we had arrived on, one was being looked over, and admired. Yep some guy was wandering around basking in the glory of the Z750 twin, ignoring the ZZR, Bandit, Hayabusa and that other Suzuki.

Soon the sun appeared, and racing started. A scant 3 hours after we first arrived, Dazza and Rob got their turns on the drag strip. Unfortunately they were against other opponents, not each other. Both lost out, in both cases it was lost at the start line with poor reaction times. Both were catching up their opponents all the way up the 1/4 mile though, they said so, so it must be true.

A short while later (2 hours is not long to wait to see such legends) Dazza and Rob pulled around to the staging area for their second runs, and they would be racing each other in the grudge match of the decade (I have to make this sound interesting now, you’ll see why). The bikes in front of them staged and took off, then the right hand lane rider had a chain malfunction and left bits down the strip. Cue a clean up, and Dazza and Rob waiting (im)patiently near the start line.

Then it was on, the tannoy announced “in the left hand lane Darren on his ZZR 1100 currently no. 1 in the 11.3 second class with an 11.30 in the first round, and in the Right hand lane Rob on the Suzuki Hayabusa in the 10.30 class with an 11.2 on his first run”. Tension ran high (or probably didn’t but that’s how we writers of history are supposed to put some pizzaz into it) the staging lights came on, the christmas tree counted down to green. Two green lights, a mere 4 tenths of a second and Dazza was away, and just a half a second after that Rob finished his fag, and followed.

Okay, reaction times were off a bit, Dazza took the win courtesy of his 0.4 to Robs 0.9 and only a tenth of a second separated their 1/4 mile times. Dazza’s ZZR an 11.2, Robs Busa an 11.1. See the race in all its glory here now.

It now being late afternoon, and little chance of a third run for the 2 drag racing duellists we made a group decision to head home. I’m sure I heard a gasp of apprciation from all present when the Z750’s twin cylinders burst into life with one kick, unless it was just me gasping for breath with the exertion, you draw your own conclusions.

We all stopped just before the boys went down to the M1, and I carried on across the top of Milton Keynes for a final bit of ribbing. I was criticised for my riding technique, until I pointed out that at least I could get my bike pulled away the same day I was intending to, and not have to be sent a letter in advance that a light was going to go green and I could move when it did as we’d seen from some people that day.

A good fun day all in all, and was good to meet up with the old friends, even if they were jealous of the Z750, I can understand that after all.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 14th, 2008 at 8:41 am and is filed under Ride Outs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.