document.write('29th April 2007
BSB-Super Stk Cup Round 3
Tilney St. Lawrence Motorcycle Racer Andrew Sennett had a nightmare finish to an otherwise fantastic weekend at round 3 of the National Superstock Championship held at Silverstone over the weekend when he was cruelly taken out of contention on the first lap of the race.
The 2.2 mile Silverstone International circuit was used for this round and the technically demanding nature of the track caused several upsets in free practice and qualifying with many of the front runners in the championship struggling to adapt to it.
Andrew coped extremely well from the first session and steadily improved over the course of his track sessions setting a personal best time for the lap and qualifying in 15th place out of the 47 competitors vying for the 40 grid slots for the race.
For a while on race day the weather was dull and overcast and there were fears that there would be rain but all stayed o.k. and conditions were near perfect as Andrew took to the grid for his race.
Andrew made a superb start to move up to 12th place by the first corner and was making swift progress when a rider who was unable to slow his machine down enough to take the hairpin at Abbey lost the front end which consequentially wiped out Andrew and also another rider who were taking the corner.
Luckily Andrew suffered no serious injury other than some cuts and bruises but the same cannot be said for his 1000cc Yamaha R1 and it will take a superhuman effort both financially and labour wise to get it ready for the next round which is at Oulton Park on the 5/6/7th May.
');document.write('15th April 2007
BSB-Super Stk Cup Round 2
Tilney St Lawrence Motorcycle Racer Andrew Sennett competed in Round 2 of the National Superstock Championship at Thruxton over the weekend.
Thruxton situated in Hampshire near to Andover is the fastest circuit in the BSB calendar and is a very severe test of both rider and machine.
Andrew had not ridden his 1000cc Yamaha R1 at this venue before and although he had competed there it was on his 125cc machine so he had to relearn the circuit.
During the two free practice sessions on Friday he steadily improved and experimented with suspension settings to get the best out of the bike to cope with the bumpy nature of the circuit.
On Saturday Andrew had two qualifying sessions to set a time that would give him his grid position for the race.
In session one he had some small problems and was placed midfield but in the second session held later in the day he set a lap time that gave him 12th position on the 3rd row of the grid. Only 10ths of a second separated him from a front row slot.
The superb weather that had been enjoyed for the practice and qualifying continued for race day with temperatures in the mid 20s and Andrew completed the morning warm up session with no problems.
The race was last on the programme but the conditions were ideal for racing.
Andrew made a reasonable start to hold his grid position at the end of the first lap but slipped down the order to 14th place by mid race distance. Unfortunately a slight mistake at the final chicane cost him dearly and he was relegated to 19th such was the closeness of the competition. With only a few laps left he was unable to make up any positions and crossed the line in that place. His fastest lap in the race was his quickest of the weekend and he is now looking forward to the next round which is to be held at Silverstone on the 27th, 28th, 29th April.
');document.write('9th April 2007
BSB-Super Stk Cup Round 1
Tilney St Lawrence Motorcycle Racer Andrew Sennett (24) started his 2007 challenge in the National Superstock Championship at the Kent Circuit of Brands Hatch over the weekend.
After his good pre-season testing performance at Snetterton Andrew was hoping to carry the form over to the first round of the series.
The free practice session was held on Saturday in excellent conditions and Andrew posted a lap time for the 2.30 mile Grand Prix circuit that was over a second quicker than his last visit to the venue so early indications were looking good.
Andrew’s first qualifying session was held later on Saturday and with new tyres fitted and ideal track conditions it was hoped that he could improve on his earlier time.
However with 55 riders vying for 40 grid positions it was difficult for Andrew to get a clear lap in and as such could only make a small improvement to secure 23rd place before he took a tumble on the last lap at the Druids hairpin whilst trying to put in a clear flying lap.
Luckily Andrew was unhurt and the damage to the 1000cc Yamaha was only relatively minor but it was still enough to give the team a few hours frantic activity to repair and clean the bike ready for the second session to be held on Sunday morning.
Andrew completed the second session unable to make any improvement on his first session times as the machine was not handling correctly and changes were needed to be made to the suspension.
On race day all classes get a 10 minute warm up session and Andrew tried some different settings on the bike and was pleased with the improvements that were made and looked forward to the race.
Starting the race from such a low grid position because of the qualifying problems meant Andrew faced and uphill struggle to carve his way through the traffic but was beginning to make progress when the Yamaha began to overheat and with only 2/3rds of the race run was forced to retire.
Andrew and his Team now look forward to the second round of the series to be held at the ultra fast Thruxton circuit this weekend.
');document.write('October 2005
End Of Season
We start this newsletter with an apology for the long gap between publications but there has been little to report on since the problems with the Superstock Team at round three of the British Championships brought a premature end to the season.
Still as the saying goes we have saved the best till last and Team Sennett sincerely hope that you will agree with us.
At the beginning of the year Andrew and all of the Team thought that this was really going to be the chance that we had all been waiting for. The chance to compete at British Championship level within a Team that had the experience to move Andrews career forward seemed like a dream come true.
All started well and the set up seemed good, the promise of a chance to ride in the National Superstock Cup with no pressure to perform miracles during the first year was terrific.
Andrew’s performances during the first two rounds were not outstanding but considering he had only ever ridden a 125cc machine and was now on a 1000cc superbike they were very creditable and with every outing on the bike his performance improved.
After the first round at Brands Hatch in March all members of Team Sennett could sense a change in the Team Manager’s attitude and from that moment on life began to become uncomfortable. The promise of no pressure was soon forgotten and Andrew’s performance was criticised every step of the way.
All came to a head at the third round in April when he seemed to lose all reason and the association ended.
It was a bitter blow for Andrew and his confidence was at an all time low after so much criticism being levelled at him for no real reason. We as a Team thanked our lucky stars that we were out of such a set up and were resolved to continue again as Team Andrew Sennett Racing.
Luckily the little 125 Honda was still in the garage as the opportunity to sell it hadn’t materialised so with the help of Andrew’s friend and engine tuner Ian it was quickly readied and we were off to the next round of the British Championship at Oulton Park. Andrew found it tough on the 125 as he had made the break to the bigger class and had to readapt all over again, he found it uncomfortable on the small machine but putting aside all these difficulties he qualified and the scene was set for the race. A torrential downpour a short while before the race made tyre selection a real headache and we made the wrong choice. Expecting it to dry Andrew took to the circuit on cut slick tyres, at the end of the warm-up lap we realised that we had made a big mistake and everyone else had gone for wets. Unable to keep with the pack in the wet conditions Andrew was cautious for the first half of the race until there was enough of a dry line for him to speed up. By this time it was impossible for him to catch up and although he was lapping quicker he did not have enough laps left to make up ground. Finishing the race was in itself an achievement but if Andrew was to do anymore rounds some practice on the bike was much needed.
And to this end the Team decided to enter a low key club meeting at the local Snetterton circuit.
The Team were fortunate that the New Era club had a meeting and an entry was accepted at short notice. This event was to be purely a practice exercise as Andrew needed to get to grips and be comfortable on the little Honda. He had plenty of track time during the course of the weekend and despite taking pole position and 4 race wins he was still not happy riding the 125 again. He had just physically outgrown it.
To that end we decided that the Team would advertise the bike whilst still competing at the BSB events and hope for a quick sale so that we could fund an R1 of our own.
The next round at Croft was in June and Andrew did very well in practice and qualifying and was looking forward to competing when the teams luck changed. An interested party who had looked at the 125 on the Saturday rang just before Andrew was do to go out for the race and agreed to purchase the bike. The decision was taken not to race in case of any incidents and although disappointed Andrew agreed and the team headed home.
The bike was duly collected and the majoritory of the kit parts were sold over the next weeks and the order was placed for a new Yamaha R1. As more items of 125 kit were sold the necessary tuning parts for the Yamaha were obtained and work began in earnest preparing our own Superstock machine.
The Team replaced the ageing van and caravan with a camper and a box trailer fitted with an awning and were finally ready to debut the bike in mid September.
Andrew felt that he would prefer to compete at a lower level of event than jump straight in at the BSB level before he was ready.
The Team entered the New Era meeting at Snetterton in mid September with a whole days practice on the Friday before.
Friday’s weather was not good but mostly dry and Andrew got on with the job of getting to grips with the 160bhp and 180mph bike.
In four races over the course of the weekend Andrew gained a 7th,a 6th,a 3rd and a 4th place against experienced riders on super bike spec machines on slick tyres where as his bike has to run treaded tyres in Superstock spec and standard engine. He was very happy with the test and had shown that he suited the big machine much better.
It was decided that as there were only two more rounds of the BSB series to go the Team would enter another club event at a local circuit for more practice instead.
Cadwell Park was to be the venue for the next outing and this was over the weekend of the 8th/9th October.
Once again a practice day was completed on the Friday before with Andrew completing over 150 miles round the 2.17 mile parkland circuit.
Andrew qualified on the front row for the races on Saturday and in his first outing finished in an amazing 2nd position once again against much more experienced competitors on much more tuned machinery. The Team thought that he had done enough and would be happy to call it a day as the weather had deteriorated but no he decided he would go out in the second race for some wet weather practice.
The rain was torrential but once again he turned in an amazing performance by coming home in 5th place against all the odds.
He now feels ready to get back into the National Superstock series next season if the Team can attract the backing to fund it.
The Team has the main components needed but requires help with the expenses incurred in mounting a 13 round series challenge.
Andrew and the rest of the Team would like to thank those mentioned below for their continued support.
Mick Culey Accident Repair Center, Pegasus Freightlines, Signtech UK, Quay Centre of Wisbech, T.W. Suiter, T.M Browne, Tower Fitness, Orchard Caravans, Steelemedia and Greenfield’s of Shropham.
Product support gratefully received from
Morris Lubricants, Wiz Racing Products, Arrow Race Fairings, SES Race Products, MW Leathers and Hayley Bearings
Look forward to seeing you all next year.
');document.write('May 2nd 2005
BSB - Oulton Park
And so to Oulton Park and Team Sennett operating as a family again without the aggravation that went with the Team Manager of THR.
It was a rush to get the Honda 125 ready and prepared for racing as it had been put away at the end of October 2004 and all but forgotten about. Luckily the rear shock front brake calliper and master cylinder had been sent away for servicing so it was only the engine that needed attention.
Thanks to the Teams good friend and engine tuner Ian all was soon rectified in that department and all that was needed now was for the BSB organisers to accept Andrews entry in the 125GP class.
There were no worries on that score with new passes issued immediately, so it was off to the magnificent parkland circuit of Oulton Park. The circuit is nearly three miles long and is near Tarporley in Cheshire. It combines a mixture of slow and fast corners and varying gradients.
Team members Dick and Jane travelled to the circuit on the Friday afternoon in order to get set up ready for the weekend event. Andrew travelled to Skipton to collect Vicki and arrived later in the evening. The weather forecast was correct in its predictions and heavy rain fell during the night causing several areas of the paddock to be flooded. The rain continued during the two free practice sessions in which Andrew struggling to adjust to the smaller two stroke machine recorded positions of 26th and 27th from the 45 strong line up.
At last the rain cleared and the first qualifying session was held late in the afternoon in dry conditions.
The quick-shift gear changer decided at this moment to cease functioning so Andrew’s task was made even more difficult but he still managed to put in a qualifying time equal to 32nd place. That session was to conclude Saturday’s proceedings and as Oulton Park has a strict noise policy there was to be no more sessions until after lunch on Sunday.
After the enforced silence on Sunday morning the afternoon got underway with the rest of the qualifying sessions. Andrew’s session was held mid afternoon .The weather was fine but Andrew struggled to improve on his first qualifying time and as a result his combined qualifying position was 38th on the grid.
There was time to fettle the bike in readiness for Monday’s warm up before the proceedings were brought to a halt for another day.
Mondays forecast was not good but the 10 minute warm up session was held in dry conditions and Andrew upped his time to finish 30th fastest out of the 45 competitors on track.
And so to the race, typically just before the start time of 16.35 there was a period of unsettled weather with some rain .The track quickly dried when the rain stopped but it was going to be a tough decision on which tyres to pick. All the indications said go for full wets but the Team gambled on it drying quickly and decided to send Andrew out on cut slicks. As he set off on his warm up lap the rain came down again and as he returned to take up his grid position it was obvious cuts were the wrong choice. He was the only one on the grid without wet tyres. No opportunity to change them now so he made the start and was forced to be extremely careful on the opening laps. He lost a huge amount of time on the field as he struggled to pick the narrow drying line but towards the latter stages of the race as the track dried more and more he was able to up his pace considerably. Unfortunately it came too late and the laps ran out before he could close in on those ahead. He finished the race in 25th place out of the 44 starters. Because of his physical size and weight Andrew is severely handicapped on the small 125 (he is 20 kilos over the minimum weight). He and the team are hopeful that as he had shown that he could handle the big Yamaha they would be able to get one of their own before too long.
For the time being however he will continue to ride his 125 at the BSB events.
');document.write('April 24th 2005
BSB - Mallory Park
By the time Andrew and the Team arrived at Mallory Park the atmosphere within the organisation of the Team had begun to change. Gone already were the promises of “this will be a learning year and there will be absolutely no pressure”. The Team Manager had started out on a campaign of threats of losing the ride if the performances didn’t improve.
This was to be Andrew’s third ride on the machine and he had already exceeded the expectations of anybody who knew what they were talking about with his performances so far. It became apparent that the main sponsor was not happy at the lack of track time that was available and the fact that the TV coverage did not extend to the Superstock Cup did not help but he was prepared to accept that Andrew could benefit from doing some Club events to give him the track time that he so needed.
This obviously did not go down well with Ted Hurst who embarked upon a series of impossible demands insisting that Andrew was not committed enough to the Team because he could not attend during the week. Andrew has like the majority of us have a job to hold down in order to make a living and as such only had free time at weekends and was using his holiday for the Fridays off.
Before the Mallory meeting began Hurst had said to Andrew if he did not perform to his required standard at the event that he would not be able to ride anymore. His talk of non-commitment was extended to the other members of the Team who were already finding it hard to put up with his manners. Team Sennett had been more than happy to integrate within team THR and had been involved from the start, as they would have been with their own Team.
Andrew completed the only free practice session that was held on Friday at 16.30 the last group out on track in 30th place. A remarkable achievement by anyone’s standards as he had never been round the demanding 1.35 mile Mallory circuit on the Yamaha before.
Saturday hosted the first of the two qualifying sessions and Andrew who was still struggling to get to grips with the bike improved his time to 57.1 seconds but unfortunately dropped to 34th.
The second session was not held until 9.30 Sunday morning. The conditions although bright were much colder and Andrew was not able to improve on his time and ended in 37th place. Unfortunately Mallory only has spaces for 32 on the grid for a race and as such Andrew had failed to qualify. He had consistently improved his times on each outing but this was apparently not good enough and the relationship with THR came to an end.
This is when the real Ted Hurst came out and he became very unpleasant towards Andrew and the rest of Andrew’s family. Andrew had taken with him as personal sponsorship several items of equipment for use by the Team and naturally asked for them back in order that he could return them to the people they came from so that they may at least be sold and some recompense be made to these people. There was a flat refusal to return these products and together with this considerable abuse levelled at members of Andrew’s family. Not wishing to be drawn into a dispute that would bring Team Sennett down to that level they decided that they would just count their blessings that they were out of this before they were tarred with the same brush. Looking back they should have noticed the signs of un-professionalism early on with poor preparation of the machine and the general behaviour of THR people towards sponsors. Now it has ended others say “you are not the first” if only they had said this at the start.
Andrew is obviously very disappointed and his confidence has taken an enormous knock but he has shown that has the ability to make the change to the bigger classes and to this end TEAM SENNETT will do all they can to provide him with the opportunity. In the immediate future Andrew has asked to ride his 125 Honda that the team still has at the next round at Oulton Park. He knows that he is a bit race rusty but needs to regain his confidence and enthusiasm. He needs to do this as a challenge.
TEAM SENNETT would like to thank you all for your continued support of Andrew’s racing career and hope that you will continue to support him through this unfortunate stage.
');document.write('April 10th 2005
BSB - Thruxton
After Andrews first race on the 1000cc Yamaha R1 at Brands Hatch it was time to look forward to round 2. This was to be held at the ultra fast Thruxton circuit in Hampshire. The former airfield circuit is the fastest on the British calendar and would prove to be a daunting prospect on the 160bhp Yamaha compared to Andrew’s last outing there on his 125cc Honda.
The weekend started badly with Team Manager Ted Hurst in his hurry to erect the awning on his vehicle before the rest of the Team arrived losing the awning over the top of the lorry causing the awning to be considerably damaged. Another competitor kindly offered space in his awning and together with the awning on the side of the Team Sennett van the scene was set for the event.
This time the Superstock Cup event had two free practice sessions held on the Friday and Andrew had to use both of these to learn Thruxton’s fast corners on the Yamaha.
Andrew found it extremely hard to master the bumpy 2.35-mile circuit and sheer speed but completed both sessions without incident.
Saturday saw the first of the two qualifying sessions held just after lunchtime with the weather bright and dry. In the 25 minute timed session Andrew finished in 34th position with a lap time of 1.26.2. The second timed session was held at 17.40 and luckily the weather remained good. Andrew was beginning to get to grips with the bike and this time he improved his time to 1.24.5 to take him to a grid position of 27th only three seconds off the pole time.
Sunday morning was confined to all groups getting a 10minute warm up outing and once again the weather was good. In this outing Andrew improved his time to circulate the track in 1.24.1 the 21st fastest.
Andrew had steadily improved his times over the sessions and the Team waited for the race. This was the last event to be held and it wasn’t until 17.25. Andrew took his place on the grid for this his second only Superstock race and waited for the off.
When the flag dropped Andrew was swamped by the more experienced competitors again and was then facing an uphill battle to get back on terms. He finished the race in 29th place out of 38 starters and admitted that the start had completely fazed him and he needed more race practice to get used to the bike.
He had proved that he had made considerable moves forward with the bike in the short time that he had been on it and in qualifying when racing on his own he was rapidly improving but he needed to feel more in control of the bike to enable him to mix it with the more experienced riders.
');document.write('March 28th 2005
BSB - Brands Hatch (Indy)
With the Spanish testing all but forgotten about things began in earnest during March.
Following Andrews excellent showing on his first outings in Spain things came back to reality with the first test on English soil held at a very cold and dull Donington Park for the BSB Media day on Sunday the 13th.
Andrew had raced at Donington Park many times before but other than knowing which way the circuit went nothing from the past was any use to him .All his previous outings had been on his 125 Honda and the 1000cc four stroke Yamaha was totally different. Riding the Yamaha required a new approach to the corners and all his braking points and gear selection would be different.
There were two 25 minute sessions during the day and both were completed with mid field positions. There were to be no points gained for taking the bike home in pieces or hurting himself on this occasion in the bitingly cold conditions.
Moving on from Donington Team THR headed south for the first official BSB Test day. This was at Brands Hatch on Tuesday 15th March.
The weather for this test wasn’t much better than on Sunday but Andrews sessions were held on a dry track and although the day was cloudy he was able to take full advantage of the opportunity to try to get a set up for the Indy circuit which would be the venue for the first round of the championships.
There was to be no more opportunity to practice and Andrews next ride on the bike would be at the first race of the season over the Easter weekend.
And so to Andrews first National Superstock race meeting proper. Held over the Easter weekend at the Kent circuit of Brands Hatch. This time they were using the 1.2-mile Indy circuit. The Team arrived on Friday and set up ready. Saturday comprised scrutineering and the free practice session. As this wasn’t held until 17.15 there was a lot of free time. Unlike the 125 that Andrew has been so used to in the past the big 4 stroke Yamaha is not so labour intensive .The main area for adjustment is suspension and this is where efforts are concentrated on.
Andrew took to the track for the practice together with 44 other machines for the 25-minute session. He used the session to get as much track time as possible only calling in to the pit lane to make minor adjustments.
At the end of the allotted time Andrew had completed 33 laps and had posted a time that was 25th fastest. At this stage of the proceedings the times did not count towards anything only gave and indication of overall placing.
That took Fridays events to a close and overnight the bike was readied for the first of 2 qualifying sessions, which was to be held just after lunch on Saturday.
The skies were cloudy but it was dry as the first of the two 25 minutes qualifying sessions began. Starting off at a steady pace to give him time to warm up Andrew was showing that he was beginning to get to grips with the big Yamaha. At the half time point he was holding 4th position out of the 46 competitors and had posted a lap time of 50.17 for the 1.2-mile circuit.
Not totally happy with the handling Andrew called into pit lane and Ted carried out some adjustments to both the forks and rear shock to try and cure the problem.
It transpired that the adjustments made the problem worse and Andrew was unable to improve of his time in the final minutes. This unfortunately dropped him to 12th place in the table at the close. Even though he had been unable to improve on his time it had indeed been a remarkable first outing. Andrew jokingly remarked that this was the fastest that he had ever been round Brands but that it had taken him an extra 875cc to do it over the time of 50.3 that he had done on his 125 Honda.
With Sundays proceedings over and more adjustments made the next stage was to be the 2nd qualifying session to be held Monday morning at 9am.With this being the weekend that the clocks altered the thought was that the morning would be damp and that likelihood of any faster laps would be remote so as such no new tyres were fitted in order to save resources.
The morning dawned and could not have been better, instead of the damp misty conditions of the previous two days the sun was beginning to burn through.
Andrew went out for the session but was unable to improve on his time in the first session and unfortunately dropped three places to end up 15th on the grid for the race.
Despite his disappointment at 15th place it was still an extremely good result.
There was nothing to do after the qualifying but to check over the bike and wait for the race to be called. This was scheduled to begin at 17.15 and would conclude the meeting.
Andrew took his 4th row grid position ready for the start, this was to be the first time that he had been on the starting grid proper ready to start a race. With no practice at getting the machine off the line in close company with the other competitors he did well not to lose too many positions as the lights went out and was mid field as the pack charged into the notorious Paddock Hill bend. Unfortunately another rider clipped Andrews front brake lever and knocked it out of adjustment, the brake would still work but the lever was out of comfortable reach of his hand. This proved to be quite a handicap and severely hampered his progress. At the end of the 22 laps Andrew took the chequered flag in 26th place.
');document.write('October 31st 2004
New Era Club Championship - Mallory Park
This event was not on the original fixture list for the season but as Andrew really liked the 1.39-mile Leicestershire circuit it was decided at the last minute to go and see if he could get a late entry and race. Hoping for a pressure free day the Team set off early on Sunday morning for Mallory with just the van instead of going overnight with the caravan.
Arriving at the circuit all seemed well as the bike was scruitineered and Andrew signed on. Then things started to go wrong, Andrew managed one lap of practice as the 125 Honda detonated very badly and would not rev over 12,000 without misfiring. Hasty adjustments were made but as Andrew went out on the track for the warm up lap for race 1 it was apparent the problem was still there and he returned to the paddock. All were now wishing that they hadn’t come. More adjustments were tried and after careful thought Andrew decided to isolate the quick shifter as a last resort. The organisers were kind enough to allow Andrew on track at the rear of another classes warm up just to try the changes. They seemed to work and Andrew finally made the start for race two .He was forced to start from the rear of the grid but made a lightning start and was quickly through the main body of the pack and chasing down the leader. At the end of the second lap he took the lead and was not headed again as he powered towards what might be the final race of his 125 career in winning style.
From 22 starts Andrew achieved the following:
8 wins, 3 seconds, 2 thirds, 4 fourths, 3 fifths, 1 sixth and 1 seventh.
Andrew and the Team are now looking at the options available for 2005. The 125 class has become the domain of thirteen and fourteen year old competitors who with their lightweight have made it difficult for the older and heavier riders to remain competitive. It is time for a change if Andrew is to move forwards and that means switching classes and possible even moving up to the British Championships.
');document.write('October 23/24th 2005
MRO Championship Round 10 - Brands Hatch (Indy)
Andrew decided that he would forego the test day on Friday as he wasn’t happy with the mixed classes that had caused him problems in previous such events. He opted to do the 2 races that were part of the Nationwide club series instead so that he would at least be out on the circuit with bikes of a similar nature to his and hopefully use these races as his testing. What a mistake to make, Fridays weather was dry and bright and Saturday was awful, torrential rain and strong winds put paid to any serious testing and all Andrew could do was familiarize himself with the Indy circuit at the Kent venue.
After Saturdays waste of time Andrew had it all to do on Sunday. The free practice session in the morning was wet again but luckily by the time the qualifying session was due the track had dried slightly and things began to look better. Tyre choice was difficult with it too dry to use wets and with damp patches it was too risky to go out on slicks so Andrew took a gamble and used tyres with a slight pattern hand cut into them for his 15 minutes out on circuit .He used this time on track to try some of the things he had wanted to sort on Saturday and by posting a time that gave him 4th slot on the grid he was much happier with the set-up.
There was a lot of activity at the circuit as James Toseland the new World Superbike Champion had been invited to do some demo laps on his Ducati and as such Andrew’s race was one of the last on the programme. The weather was good with the occasional flash of sunshine but dark clouds were ever threatening. Luck must have been on our side because as the 125 race was finally called to the line at 3.50pm it was still dry.
Andrews’s start was absolutely dreadful as the machine bogged down off the start line and he lost any advantage he should have had from his front row grid slot. At the end of the first lap he was well down the field but beginning to claw back places. Left with an impossible task to catch the leaders he made steady progress through the field taking a very well deserved 4th place at the chequered flag.
With double points awarded at this round Andrews tally secured him third place overall in the championship.
');document.write('October 9/10th 2004
MRO Championship Round 9 - Lydden Hill
After all the problems the Team had with transport during September the offer of a caravan from Orchard Caravans of Wells to use for the remaining two rounds was a real blessing.
With the MRO POWERBIKE TOUR nearing the end Andrew needed two good results to lift him from his current fourth position in the series to finish in the top three.
Lydden Hill Circuit is just about as far south as you can get before you end up in the English Channel at Dover and was to be run over the weekend with qualifying on the Saturday and the race on Sunday. Because of strict noise regulations and local bylaws the circuit was not allowed to run a test day on the Friday before and consequently there was a lot to pack in.
The Team set off on Friday to make the 180-mile journey to Kent a trip that would take some four hours. Arriving at the venue early was essential as the amenities are not the best in the world and the paddock is rather small.
After getting set up all was ready for the Practice and qualifying sessions the next day. The weather was windy but stayed dry at the right times and practice went reasonably well and after a short gap Andrew took to the 1.0 mile circuit for the 15 minute qualifying session. The circuit is ideal for the smaller capacity bikes such as Andrew’s 125 Honda and offers all round viewing for the spectators. Andrew set a time that gave him 5th position on the start grid for Sunday’s event.
At the end of the qualifying sessions there was a sprint race for all the classes as a bit of extra track time and Andrew used his time on the track in this to try some settings that he hoped would help. He had a good outing in this event and took 4th position after a race long duel with the competitor who finished 3rd. Just 2/100th separated them at the flag.
The scene was now set for Sunday’s main events. Because of the close proximity of a church Sunday’s proceedings could not commence until after 12.30 and then it was all go to the finish.
Andrew made a reasonable start from his second row slot but had to contend with another fast starting rider on his row who got away just in front of him. He struggled for a few laps to get by as the nature of the circuit made for few passing places. He swarmed over the other rider until he managed to effect a pass. Once by he quickly opened a considerable gap to close on the four riders from the front row who had been able to get away. In his pursuit he set the fastest lap at that time and looked set to take more positions. However all was not well in the engine department and the tiny two-stroke motor began to detonate badly due to the wrong choice of needle in the carburettor. Andrew was forced to ease the pace and dropped back eventually to finish in 5th place. He scored 11 points for this, which kept him in 4th place in the championship. with one round to go.
And so on to the last round of the championship, this time it was back to Kent again only this time it was to Brands Hatch.
');document.write('September 26th 2004
MRO Championship Round 8 - Silverstone
With everything all loaded into the vehicle the journey began for Silverstone at lunchtime on Thursday. With only a few miles of the ninety-mile trip under way it was noticed that all was not well with the lorry and a closer inspection revealed a rather disturbing diesel fuel leak. Obviously it was impossible to continue and alternatives had to be found. With luck another of Andrew’s friends came forward with the offer of a camper to use. The lorry with the leak was quickly unloaded and returned and the journey to collect the other began. By the time all this had been completed it was early evening before the Team arrived to begin unloading all over again.
When all the loading was complete the journey began again but by now it was nearly 11 o clock. At the bottom of the drive leaving the house was a pair of newly installed electrically operated gates, not a problem if you are in a car but in the truck travelling very slowly as you get acclimatised it is. When the front of the lorry went through the gates it activated a beam which began to close the gates and before the rear of the lorry was through the gates closed on it and caused both damage to the gates and the back of the vehicle. Now the very weary team members wondered what else could go wrong as they once again set off.
By the time they reached Silverstone it was the early hours of the morning so they pulled up outside and grabbed a couple of hours sleep before entering the circuit when it opened in the morning.
Even this exercise went wrong because they arrived so late in the queue all the garages had been taken and although the lorry had an awning it would be difficult to erect as it was so large .The team parked up in the outer paddock and luckily were able to plug into the circuits electricity supply which made life a little easier. Another competitor had a freestanding awning that we could share with him so he parked next to the lorry and all seemed ok. As we were sharing his facilities it was only fair that we allowed him to connect into our electricity supply, this was 3 phases and not everybody had a converter so he was very happy. That was until the next disaster.
His lead had been duly plugged in to the supply but he had forgotten to disconnect his tyre warmers at the connector and very soon one began to smoke badly as it overheated on the floor where it had been put when he went out for his session. It seemed that the weekend was going to be doomed and the Team wondered what else could go wrong. They didn’t have to wait long as the next problem arose. The tailift on the lorry had been bent in the collision with the gates and would not come down smoothly and to compound this further had developed a hydraulic fluid leak as well.
It was no wonder that practice and the races on Saturday did not go as well as expected with all of the above going on but Andrew and the rest of the Team got through it all and looked forward to the main event on Sunday.
Free practice and qualifying went reasonably well with Andrew posting a time to get him on the second row of the grid in 6th place. He had tried several different suspension settings over the weekend but still could not find the ideal set-up he liked and as a result was struggling with the handling.
The Race
Andrew made a reasonable start from his second row grid but the riders on the front row with a clear track in front of them had made a break straight from the off.
Andrew became involved in a tussle with another competitor and as these two swapped places the front 4 gradually eased away. At the end of the 15 laps of the Silverstone National circuit he just lost out to the other rider to finish in 6th place.
There is still some way to go to find the right setting for the bike as the handling was far from correct but after the weekend that the Team had suffered at least Andrew had a result. This finish had given him enough points to lift him from 5th to 4th in the championship standings with two rounds to go.
At last it was time to go home, Andrew who had been working in Hull for the previous week and would be again during the next one was staying with his girlfriend at her home in Skipton so they left in his car for their journey North leaving the rest of the Team to travel home in the lorry.
Arriving back at Terrington to unload the truck before returning it, it seemed that nothing else could go wrong now.
That’s what you think. Where were the keys for the house? SKIPTON!
');document.write('September 5th 2004
EMRA Club Championship - Mallory Park
After the Cadwell MRO Round in August Andrew was still not completely happy with the handling of the 125 Honda and as the next MRO was not until the end of September he was keen to go testing to try and find the answers.
With work commitments dictating that he could not test mid-week it was decided that he would enter a round of the EMRA Club Championship at Mallory Park. As Mallory was the last circuit he rode at before the frame had extensive repairs it was hoped that this would give a fair indication whether we were going in the right direction.
Andrew and the Team set off for the Leicestershire circuit on Saturday hoping that the weather would stay fine and that he would get the opportunity to compare his lap times to those he had previously recorded round the 1.37 mile track.
Sunday dawned and the weather was perfect. Andrew was scheduled for two races during the day and after a short practice session was completed all was ready.
RACE 1.
As Andrew had not competed in any of the previous rounds he was forced to start from the rear of the grid. Making a lightning start Andrew was soon in the midst of the field and setting about chasing down the leaders. The race only being 6 laps duration made it very difficult as he had to carefully pick his way through slower traffic but he managed to take the lead on the last lap only to be baulked by a back marker and to lose it again insight of the flag with no opportunity to regain it. Still as much as it is nice to win today was about testing and Andrew had lapped nearly as quick as his best but was still not confident with the feel of the bike. Some adjustments were made in readiness for race two.
RACE 2
This outing mirrored Race 1 but this time Andrew carved through the field earlier and took the lead with 2 laps to go and then was never headed this time the changes had appeared to work slightly but there was still a lot of work to do.
However the bike was soon to be only a small problem within Team Sennett as it was noticed that the Team Caravan had started to come apart with the body separating from the chassis. After taking expert advice from Andrew’s long time sponsor Orchard Caravans it was learnt that the caravan would be unsafe to use and although it could be repaired it was a labour intensive exercise and at this moment time was not available.
With the next round of the MRO at Silverstone in less than two weeks time the hunt was on for some alternative accommodation. The caravan formed an integral part of the Teams set up, as space in the awning on the van was limited.
It was very difficult to find anything at this time of the season as the majority of people would have normally been only too willing to assist with the loan of a caravan or race truck were still using them their selves.
Just when the Team thought that they would have to cancel the next outing the offer of a truck came through as a competitor offered the use of his lorry for the weekend.
Thinking that this was going to be the start of the worst weekend in history was furthest from each of the team member’s minds as they loaded the lorry for Silverstone.
The lorry was collected Wednesday afternoon and the long hard task of emptying all of the people’s belongings and replacing them with Andrews began.
');document.write('August 22nd 2004
MRO Championship Round 7 - Cadwell Park
It was an early start on Sunday morning with preparations for the day’s event. Currently in fifth position in the Championship after his early season problems and the Pembrey crash Andrew was hoping for some better luck at the 2.17 mile parkland circuit.
Warm up was at 9.15am and 30 minutes later Andrew was out on track for his timed qualifying. Things did not go as well as hoped for and he struggled with the set up of the machine for the circuit and ended with a time that only gave him 16th position on the grid for the afternoon’s race.
The nature of the circuit differed so much from the flat layout of Castle Combe that yesterdays good results could not be repeated. Andrew made some adjustments to the gearing and the suspension settings in the hope that it would cure the problems. Making a good start from his fourth row position Andrew gradually pulled up through the field and with the demise of some of the front runners soon found himself in a battle for 7th,unfortunately he was too far adrift of the riders in front to make any impression on the leading group and had to settle for 7th at the flag. The adjustments had helped but he was still far from happy with the handling and it is hoped that some more adjustments and testing can be fitted in before the next round at Silverstone in September. This result has maintained his 5th position in the series.
');document.write('August 21st 2004
New Era Club Special Event - Castle Combe
Although not in the original plans for the season this event was put in the calendar as Andrew likes the 1.85 mile Wiltshire circuit very much and because of a date clash with the Silverstone round of the MRO Powerbike Tour would not be able to compete in the September round to be held there.
The bike was completed at the eleventh hour and the Team set off for the circuit on Friday .The journey to Castle Combe took 5 hours to complete and the Team were greeted with heavy rain on arrival but by the time Saturday morning dawned the sun was shining and all had dried out.
This event was a New ERA MCC Club Special and with a limited entry the grid was again made up of both 125 and 250 machines. Practice was timed to set grid positions for the following 2 races. Andrew posted a lap to give him 2nd position on the grid.
He was surprised that when the first race was called to the line there was to be a mass start and he shared the front row with 3 other 250 machines instead of their being a split grid and a staggered start. The 250 bikes with in excess of 80bhp compared to Andrews 47 left him behind when the flag dropped but he was soon in third position on the road and chasing the leading two 250’s.These three soon left the rest of the field behind and Andrew continued to worry the 250 riders although whenever he effected a pass either under braking or cornering he was quickly passed again on the next straight .At the flag Andrew was in third place only a split second behind the first and second riders and some 20 seconds ahead of the next 125 machine. To add to the Teams delight Andrew had also set the overall fastest lap in a time that set a new club lap record.
Race two was almost a carbon copy but for an incident on lap 1 when two of the larger machines crashed at the first chicane and pushed Andrew onto the grass off the circuit. He was lucky to avoid a crash and when he rejoined the circuit he was at the rear of the field. He put in an amazing succession of laps to get up to third place in the race but had lost too much time to be able to catch the two leading machines but again set the fastest lap.
Almost immediately the second race was finished the bike was loaded into the van and the Team set off for Cadwell Park.
The journey to the Lincolnshire venue was to take an agonising 6 hours and it was nearly 11pm when the tired and weary crew members reached Cadwell Park and set up for the second time.
');document.write('August 1st 2004
New Era Club Championship - Mallory Park
The month started off with Andrew taking part in the New Era MCC meeting at Mallory Park, which included the Gary Walker Trophy. This event formed a round of the club championships but is one that Team Sennett has traditionally taken part in, with Andrew having been the winner of the Trophy previously.
It was hoped that this event would give Andrew some extra tracktime as there would be a long gap between the MRO meetings. After the big crash at Pembrey there were issues with the 125 Honda that Andrew was keen to try and sort out .The last meeting at Brands Hatch had highlighted some more problems that had remained undetected
during the rebuild and could only be tested on the track.
The weather for race day at the 1.37 mile Leicestershire Circuit was perfect after early morning mist had soon cleared. Andrew soon noticed that there was a problem with the new quickshift gear changing unit that had been fitted and the overall handling of the bike during his first outing in practice and took the opportunity to make changes prior to his first race.
As he was not a regular championship contender Andrew was not given a good grid position and was forced to start from the back of the grid The race comprised both 125 and 250 machines with the larger capacity bikes starting some 20 seconds before the 125’s. Andrew made a good start and by the first corner had already taken the lead. Lapping consistently he soon left the 125 field behind and began challenging the larger bikes. At the end of the 8 laps he had caught and passed all but four of the 250’s and finished in 5th place on the track some 15 seconds clear of the next 125. His best laptime was faster than the quickest 250.
For his efforts Andrew was awarded the Stephen Lee Cup.
Race 2 was a carbon copy of the first with Andrew again leading from the first lap eventually finishing in 4th position overall and well ahead of the 125 field.
At the end of the meeting Andrew was also pleased to receive the Man of the Meeting Award.
Although he had taken two convincing wins Andrew was still not comfortable with the handling of the bike and before the next scheduled event the Team would be taking steps to get the frame geometry checked and corrected if necessary.
After the handling problems encountered at Mallory the bike was completely stripped and the frame sent to specialist engineers who could test the geometry on a jig. This was duly carried out and it was found that the frame was indeed not as it should be and it was necessary to weld the headstock and rebore it out to the correct angle.
');document.write('July 11th 2004
MRO Championship Round 6-Brands Hatch
This month saw Andrew Sennett return to the track at Brands Hatch just two weeks after having had a major crash at Pembrey in the last round of the MRO Powerbike Tour Series. The extent of the damage to the machine nearly forced the end of the season for Andrew and his Team and it was touch and go if the bike would be ready for the next round as several parts proved difficult to obtain at short notice and funds were stretched to the limit.
With much midnight oil burnt the RS125 Honda was finally completed on Friday and the Team set off to Brands Hatch on Saturday. It was hoped that everything would be ok as there had been no opportunity to test on the track.
Sundays event began and the first of the problems surfaced during the free practice session with the quickshift gear change mechanism not working properly and complicating the situation even more by causing a misfire. The unit had obviously suffered damage as a result of the Pembrey crash although nothing showed up during the rebuilding process.
With no replacement Andrew was forced to isolate the unit from the ignition system in order to cure the misfire but was left with the problem of taking to the track for the qualifying session learning to ride without the shifter after using one for the last four years. The ability to change gear without shutting the throttle saves time but in spite of the problem Andrew still managed to qualify in fifth place for the race.
Andrew made a good start to hold 3rd position behind the current series leader Rob Guiver and another fast starter Joel Morris at the end of lap 1. These two began to eke out a small advantage over Andrew in 3rd place who was fighting off a challenge from Alex Lowes and Chris Jones when the race was stopped because of an incident at the end of Lap 7 of the scheduled 16.
The decision was made to make the race a two-part event with an aggregate result. The riders were formed up on the grid in their finishing position after the first part and were started again to do another 7 laps.
This time Andrew made another good start but the battling duo of Guiver and Morris took off at the front with Andrew in 3rd. This time Andrew struggled with rear grip and was forced to ease the pace slightly and was passed in the closing stages by Chris Jones. Unfortunately the aggregate result gave him 4th place overall by a fraction of a second.
Obviously disappointed Andrew was at least pleased that he had been able to give the machine a good track test after such extensive damage and other than the quick shifter no other problems had shown up.
The Team now have to fix or replace the problem shifter prior to the next round at Cadwell Park in August.
');document.write('June 27th 2004
MRO Championship Round 5-Pembrey
Pembrey circuit is situated near to Llanelli in South Wales and it took a mammoth seven hours to cover the 292 miles from home in Terrington St Clement to reach the track.
Andrew hadn’t raced at Pembrey since 2002 but liked the layout of the 1.45-mile circuit and was looking forward to competing there again.
The Team took the opportunity to book a circuit test day on the Friday prior to the event and as such travelled down on Thursday. With the weather forecast for Friday looking good Andrew was hopeful that he could find a good setting for the 125 Honda. This season has seen Andrew struggle with the handling of the 2001 bike and his lack of testing has been reflected in the results todate.
The forecast was correct and the day was blessed with superb weather conditions. Andrew had six 15 minute sessions spread out over the day and although three of those were shortened by incidents in the time he had available he made big moves forward with the machine and was soon lapping at record pace.
Although there was a round of the Nationwide Championship to be held on the Saturday Andrew and the Team decided not to enter this but to prepare the machine for the MRO race on Sunday. This proved to be a very wise decision as the weather on Saturday was awful with heavy rain all day.
Sunday dawned and the sun came back out again. Free practice was used to run in the new engine parts that had been fitted then it was straight into the 15 minute qualifying session.
Andrew was on the pace immediately and was circulating faster than ever. Having just set pole position for the race at about three quarters into the session he unfortunately was caught out on a long sweeping left hand bend and was highsided from the machine.
Luckily Andrew slid down the track and suffered no injuries other than to his protective clothing, which did its job perfectly, but the bike continued upright straight into the tyre wall where it stopped dead. According to the data retrieved from the onboard telemetry system the impact speed was 113kph.
Unfortunately this resulted in major damage to the machine and although there were offers of help from fellow competitors the Team were still short of parts and time available to rebuild it for the race.
Unable to start has dropped Andrew down the points table but if the machine can be prepared in time for the next round at Brands he still has a chance as the series leader did not race and second place crashed out in the race and did not score any points.
The majority of the parts have been sourced at the time of writing this newsletter but have considerably drained the already strained financial resources of the Team and it is hoped that there is no further damage found when the machine is ready for assembly.
');document.write('May 31st 2004
MRO Championship Round 4-Brands Hatch (GP)
Round 4 of the MRO series was held on the full grandprix circuit at the Kent venue but there was no practice day held prior to this event. Having only ridden at this 2.60mile track once before Andrew was keen to get some tracktime to relearn the demanding course.
The club event held on the Saturday and Sunday was full to capacity with championship regulars and there was no room for Andrew and some of the other MRO competitors. The organisers found space for these riders in The Champion of Brands event on the Sunday with one qualifying race and a race proper. With this being better than no practice at all Andrew accepted the entry and took to the track for race 1.This event was a mixture of all sizes of bikes from Andrew’s125 as the smallest to 1000cc superbikes. Andrew started from the back row of the grid for the qualifier and was soon mixing it with some of the larger faster machines to finish with a qualifying position of 24th from the 36 strong grids.
Andrew expressed his concerns about the race as he found it very daunting to be on circuit racing with such large and considerably faster machines whose characteristics are so completely different and as such do not mix well with the smaller faster cornering 125s.
The race proper took place at the end of the programme and Andrew still desperate to try things took to the line. This time he set a better lap time but did not cross the finish line when the race was cut short after 4 laps but chose to pull in rather than wait to see if there was a restart as he was eager to strip and prepare the machine ready for Monday’s MRO.
Working overnight Andrew and the Team prepared everything for Monday and retired reasonably happy with everything although he would have preferred to have had more time to experiment with gear ratios and try some other suspension settings
Monday morning dawned bright as Sunday had been but the forecast was for rain spreading from the west by late afternoon and should reach the Kent circuit. As the 125 Race was to be last on the programme there were fears that it would turn out to be another wet one.
The 3 laps free practice passed without incident and all was ready for timed qualifying. Andrew took to the circuit for the session and although he posted a time quicker than he had been previously he was still having problems with the front end feeling vague. He ended the timed session in 6th place on the second row for the race.
The weather held and the race was called to the line in beautiful sunshine.
Andrew took up position on his grid position ready for the start but when the lights changed the 125 did not want to get off the line and he was left languishing mid field as the pack headed off to the first corner .He managed to pull himself up to 12th position by the end of lap 1 and set about chasing the pack. He continued to make good progress but when he caught up to the back of the next group he was held up and all the time the leaders were making their escape. At the end of the 12 lap race he was in 5th position with the 4th fastest lap to his credit. Unfortunately he did not get enough points for 5th and as such has dropped to 4th overall in the championship but with the next outing at the Pembrey circuit in Wales Andrew is confident that he will be able to pull these back as he has a good knowledge of that circuit.
');document.write('May 8th 2004
MRO Championship Round 3-Oulton Park
This was round 3 of the MRO Series and as the Team travelled north to the Cheshire circuit for the practice day on Friday it was hoped that this time we would get some better weather so that Andrew could get in some proper testing. So far this year the conditions had been very bad and as such he has struggled to find the correct settings for his 125 Honda that will enable him to get back the form that he had at the end of last season.
With a 3rd place at Snetterton and a 5th at Croft he was currently in third place in the championship and badly needed some good points to keep in touch at the top.
As the Team set up at the 2.70 mile Parkland circuit in Cheshire the weather changed for the worse again and heavy rain fell all night. Andrews fears proved to be unfounded though as Friday morning dawned dry and he managed to log some dry sessions during the day which gave him the opportunity to try to get some of the problems ironed out. The fitting of revised suspension threw up handling problems but at the end of the day considerable progress had been made. This season’s engine has been fitted with internals that have also altered the characteristics and have to be adjusted too.
Andrew felt confident of a good position in Saturday’s race but the rain came back during Friday night and set the scene for yet another wet race.
Andrews fifteen minute qualifying session was held in torrential conditions but went very well with him posting a lap time to give him third place on the grid for the race later in the day. The forecast was for the rain to clear during the afternoon but it did not and the conditions were still atrocious when racing started after the lunch break. Andrews race was to be number 7 on the programme so it was going to be late in the afternoon anyway but nearly every race prior to his was halted because of incidents and accidents and by the time he was called to the line it was late and the race distance was shortened to enable the programme to be completed.
The rain had finally eased and the track was slowly beginning to dry but all the riders had taken to the grid on full wet tyres because of the still damp sections. Andrew made a good start to hold 3rd position at the end of the first lap and the scene looked set for a good race until he made a mistake at the last corner on lap 2 and ran straight on into the gravel trap. Luckily he was able to get the machine back on the track but by the time he rejoined the race he had dropped to ninth position. With the bit between his teeth he managed to pull himself back up to 4th by the chequered flag to earn another 13 points towards the championship and keep 3rd place overall.
');document.write('April 4th 2004
MRO Championship Round 2-Croft
With his third place at the Snetterton round still fresh in his mind Andrew was hoping for some better weather so that he could get in some serious testing to iron out some of the problems he had with the 125 Honda since acquiring it half way through 2003.
The Team booked the test day at the circuit on the Friday and Andrew entered the club event on the Saturday as well as the MRO in the hope of more track time.
Arriving at the circuit during Thursday the Team set up ready for Fridays testing.
The forecast wasn’t good and early Friday the conditions at the 2.12 mile circuit were very bad with once again rain and very high winds.
Andrew did manage to get in 3 sessions during the day and managed to have some useful wet weather practice, only the last session of the day proved to be dry.
Saturday was to be a full day with the two club races held and qualifying for Sundays MRO as well.
Taking to the line for the first race Andrew took a gamble by fitting slick tyres on a damp but drying track when the conditions favoured wets. From his 3 rd row grid he made a good start but had to be very careful to pick his lines for the first few laps and as such was left behind by the Snetterton round winner Chris Jones who had opted for wet tyres. By mid part of the race it looked as if the gamble hadn’t paid off as the leader had opened a substantial gap. However with only 2 laps remaining Andrew was beginning to make a charge to catch the leader and at the start of the last lap was within reach. Passing the youngster on the fastest part of the track Andrew rapidly pulled away to take the win and the fastest lap of the race.
There was no gambling on tyres for the second race, as the conditions were definitely wet. Andrew made a good start from his front row grid position as winner of the first race to lead into the first corner but was nearly knocked from his machine in a dangerous move by a chasing rider and briefly lost momentum. Although he regained his composure and set of in pursuit he was unable to make up the entire deficit. He closed on the only two remaining riders ahead of him and was about to pass second placed Chris Jones when the young rider crashed right in front of him. This lost more time and made it impossible to catch the leader in the laps remaining. This time he was forced to settle for second place at the flag.
Qualifying for Sundays MRO took place during the early evening again held in less than perfect conditions but Andrew set a lap time that would give him 3rd spot on the grid for Sundays event.
With strict noise control in force at Croft on Sundays the proceedings were not able to start until 12 noon. Saturday night’s weather was terrible with a thunder and lightning storm resembling a fireworks display but Sunday dawned bright and sunny although the wind was strong and keen.
In the five minute warm up Andrew signalled his attentions in the dry conditions with some blistering laps and the scene was set for a cracking race.
Things did not go strictly to plan though as the first two races of the day were both halted because of accidents and the bright sunshine began to fade and be replaced by ever darkening clouds.
As the 125 race was called to the line nearly an hour later than scheduled the rain came down and soaked the track. Given ten minutes to change tyres the competitors resumed their positions on the grid. Andrew again made a good start and lead into the first corner. In the very wet conditions he suffered a huge two wheel slide which knocked him back somewhat and indicated just how treacherous the conditions were.
Settling down he set off but having been unable to alter the machine settings to suit the conditions in the short time allowed to change wheels the bike did not handle at its best and he was not able to circulate at the pace he wanted. Settling for a damage limitation ride Andrew finished fifth to take more points and put himself in third place after this round.
');document.write('March 21st 3004
MRO Championship Round 1-Snetterton
Sunday mornings weather was slightly improved and after early morning warm up was completed Andrew took part in a 15 minute timed qualifying session to set grid positions. Although times were considerably down due to the conditions Andrew posted a lap of 1m18.5sec to gain second position on the start line for the afternoon’s race.
There were worries that as the wind abated it would rain but luck was in and it stayed dry as the race came to the line.
From his front row grid position Andrew made a cracking start to lead the field into the first corner and onto the fast Snetterton back straight. Completing the first lap in second place after having lost the lead at the esses when the machine faltered slightly the scene looked set for an exiting race. During the next few laps Andrew lost two more places as the misfire continued and by midrace distance he was circulating in 4th place. Fortunately the fault cleared and he was able to make back some lost ground to take third place and set about regaining second. He was making considerable inroads into the lead of the rider in front when the race was halted after 12 of the scheduled 15 laps and his attempt was in vain.
Although disappointed the 3rd place earned him 16 points to start off the 10 round series.
');document.write('March 20th 2004
Testing-Bemsee Nationwide Championship
The new for 2003 RS125 Honda proved to be much more difficult to manage than the tried and tested 1996 model that had given Andrew good service for such a long time.
Even with his impressive record of achievement and the teams determined efforts to find a title sponsor to enable the break into the British Championship none came forward.
Without a major backer British Championship racing was not possible and the decision was made to concentrate on the 10 round MRO Series, with the help of Andrews loyal supporters, once again on board.
With his last ride on the bike way back in the middle of September at Silverstone Andrew was keen to get started as early as possible and plans were made to test at Snetterton on the 12th March followed by another practice day on the following Friday.
On the day of the test the weather was terrible with the maximum temperature reached during the day of just 3 degrees. This together with the rain made serious testing out of the question. Every session of the day was red flagged because of accidents and Andrew only managed a handful of laps, which was of little use.
The following Fridays practice was to be a warm up for the first round of the MRO Powerbike Tour to take place on the Sunday and as an extra warm up Andrew entered the round of the Bemsee Club Championship on the Saturday as well.
The Team arrived at the circuit on Thursday evening in order to set up camp for the weekends activities but immediately the weather changed from pleasant to wet and windy. Friday dawned very damp and with strong winds. Accordingly practice was again less than productive with the conditions verging on dangerous. Once again Andrew could only manage a handful of laps.
The Team were pleased that Andrew had an entry for Saturdays two events and it was hoped that the weather would be better. It transpired that Saturday was even worse than Friday with again rain and gale force winds. Andrew did only 2 laps in free practice as the conditions were too bad and although he started in Race one he completed only half race distance before pulling in not wishing to be blown from his machine as several of his fellow competitors were as the strong winds played havoc with the lightweight 125cc bikes.
After the lunch period the conditions got increasingly worse and when the circuit fencing began to be blown down the meeting was abandoned.
During Saturday night the wind was horrendous and it was all the team could do to keep the awning from blowing away. Several of the Teams at the meeting were less lucky and did lose awnings etc.
');document.write('
End of Season Results
Andrew & the Team would like to thank you all for your continued support and hopefully look forward to continuing our relationship during 2004 when Andrew would like to fulfil his ambition to race at British Level.
Results 2003
Starts – 17
Pole Positions – 4
Wins – 7
2nds – 2
3rds – 3
4ths – 2
6ths – 1
DNFs – 2
');document.write('September 14th 2003
MRO Championship Round 9-Silverstone
Having struggled to find to a good base set up for his new RS125 Honda since the team acquired it earlier in the season, Andrew booked in for the practise day on Friday in order to try out some different settings. This was the organising clubs first visit to the Northamptonshire circuit since the inclusion of a new chicane and there were no lap times to compare for the 1.6 Mile national circuit but Andrew used the practice day to the full and at the end of the sessions was happy with his results.
With no racing on the Saturday the bike was checked over and readied for Sundays event. In the fifteen minute qualifying session Andrew was in pole position until the dying moments when he was just beaten but was happy with second place on the front row. The four riders on the front row all made good starts and it soon developed into a battle between these riders as they pulled away from the rest of the field. Last years Championship winner John Anderton, this years first and second placed men and Andrew all swapped places as they circulated the track covered by a fraction of a second. Unfortunately with only five laps run Anderton crashed at the first corner just in front of Andrew who was forced off the track to avoid hitting him. The race was stopped and Andrew was able to bring his machine to the line for the restart.
This time there were only three on the front row but the battle began again. With the lap times tumbling lap after lap the three circulated as one and although Andrew was slightly down on top speed took a fine second place at the flag. Adding the 20 points to his tally has lifted Andrew to fourth in the Championship even though he has only competed in a few of the rounds due to early season problems.
With the problems besetting the team earlier in the season and the resultant unexpected expenditure to replace engine parts, this looks as if this will be the end of the season for Andrew Sennett Racing.
');document.write('August 25th 2003
NEW ERA Superclub-Donington Park
With no championship pressure on him Andrew was hoping he could use this meeting as a base to gain set up ready for the final round of the British Championship to be held at the Leicestershire track. This series featured a combined 125 and 250 qualifying session and two races.
From the outset Andrew made his intention clear and set a qualifying time that put him in third place on the grid with a time only 0.4 seconds off the best 250 lap time.
Race 1. 125 and 250 machines although both of GP origin have totally different characteristics and as such do not mix well on the track. With a 125 producing 40+ BHP and a 250 over 90 BHP Andrew knew he would be up against it at the combined start.
By the time he reached the first corner the more powerful twin cylinder machines had relegated him from third to fifteenth. With his superior corner speed he moved himself through the pack to put himself up to sixth but the 250s held him up in the corners and then sped away down the straights. He finally finished in 12th place on the road and 1st 125 some 7 seconds ahead of the second placeman.
Race 2. This was virtually a carbon copy of race 1 but this time the 250s held Andrew up really badly. He led for all but the last lap when he was forced wide by a slower 250 and the second placed rider slipped by.
Andrew had put in lap times quicker than his last visit to Donington but was still not happy with the handling which held him back from going faster. More work is necessary however track time is limited both by time and cost. It is hoped to take in the practise day at Silverstone prior to the next round of the MRO Powerbike Tour.
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