sitting in the shed tonight trying not to ponder too much the missing engine saga, i idly picked up the rear hub i purchased last week, hmm, it's a heavy old thing for sure, get the scales out, 3.6kg, i'm sure i can lose some important unsprung weight from the casting without compromising the strength, i study the casting, select a 1/4" drill bit and get medieval on it....................

more photo's from sunday's bhr meeting, i took load's of photo's but while watching the bikes and scooter's out on the track i kept spotting stuff that i'd missed in the paddock, the range of different machines is awe inspiring at these meeting's, one thing that a photo doesn't convey though is the sound, the single cylinder manx's, the velo's, the booming vincent's, the scream of the stroker's and the howl of the triple's 'on the pipe' yep, the sound and the smell, the methanol, the castrol r, hot rubber and the sickly sweet synthetic two-stroke, a heady mix for sure.....

sunday see's me and the girl-child jessica heading down to mallory park for the first round of the british historic racing series, it's sunny but very cold as we stump up the fifteen quid entry fee, i've primed jess, eighteen in two month's time, [under fourteen's get in for nowt, she pulls the hood up on her sweatshirt and fane's teenage dis-interest], result, both in and a programme for less than a twenty-spot, jess's eye's open, 'dad, can we race a sidecar, it look's brilliant, i could do that' we watch a couple of races from the shaw's hairpin/bus-stop/devil's elbow area and make our way over the bridge and into the paddock, we watch the inaugral bear's race from the esse's, fifteen rider's going for it, jess look's at me, my daughter's big, baby blue eye's staring in disbelief, 'oh my god dad, their so fast!'............................................................

 i think the hardest thing for me is that i trusted a friend and they have let me down, i only want honesty, i'm a honest person myself, all i ask is to be told the truth, my engine was at the tuner's before christmas, 'yes mate, you'll have it back for the new year, no problem', 'yes mate, you'll deffo have your engine back before the test day in march', 'i've got the rabbit by the ear's mate, 'im just trying to pull it out of the hat, you'll be at mallory on sunday mate, no problem' i'm not going to be at mallory tomorrow, that's a fact, well, i will be at mallory, just not racing, i booked a week's annual leave, precious time-off, prepared to spend the week getting the bike ready, and, well, it's all just pie in the sky, i went up to see him yesterday, caught him off guard, 'right mate, let's have a look, where's my bit's, let's have a look where we stand', 'everything's at home, it's the only way i can get it done', i look him in the eye's, he's lying, 'i'll get it done for monday mate, no worries' too late, the racing start's tomorrow, monday's no good, what really bother's me is that someone i trusted has let me down, badly, i can't forgive him for that, i've paid a grand up front and all i have to show for it is two tyres and a front wheel, monday might prove 'interesting'...............