From nothing to World Superbike in 12 months

That's the question I¹ve been asking myself for the last few weeks.

I only started racing a year ago! How can you go from nothing to WSB in 12 months? It's so surreal.

I've not raced my Suzuki TLR1000cc Sound of Thunder race bike since June. I was leading the novice championship (novice is your first year racing) until the Pembrey meeting in south Wales when I was taken off by a Super moto and broke my arm and the bike.

I had to miss the next 3 rounds and had dropped to 3rd in the novice championship. The next race I could enter was Donington in August, so after repairing the bike and prepping it for Donington I only managed 1 lap of practice as the front brakes went faulty and stuck on!

The crash at Pembrey must have damaged the front master cylinder and with nowhere to test out the bike I didn't realise until it was too late.

Luckily I had bought a Honda CB500 a few weeks earlier to race on the Sunday or else I wouldn¹t have had any racing that weekend!

Well after the problems with my brakes on the TLR I was pretty downas as it had cost me over a £1000 to fix the bike. I had run out of money, I still needed parts, and had to miss the next race at Brands Hatch.

So after looking at the points sheets I was still in 3rd place and I couldn¹t catch the second place guy. Better still none could catch me up to third place as there wasn¹t enough races left.

What I needed to do is to look to next year now and see if I can get some sponsorship but how the hell is anyone going to sponsor me? And why should they? Well I did get sponsorship and I did get to go to the ball!!! And this is how.

A few weeks ago I was on the phone to Thundersport GB (another race club and all there races are televised on Motors TV). I was looking to race with them in 2009 but as I was leading the novice championship with my current club it would be mad to move mid season. During the phone call Bernadette (club secretary) told me that the Sound of Thunder race in a couple of weeks time would be at Donington and at the World Superbike meeting.

"Wow", I said, "I would love to race that meeting". But I was told: "Sorry but your not a member, it wouldn't be fair on the club members". I agreed, but she would put my name down on a reserve list in case anyone dropped out.

Well at least I was on a list. That mad me smile. Well if only!! 5 days before the meeting I got a phone call: Could I race at the WSB meeting in the Sound of Thunder support race as another rider had to drop out!!! You bet I can!

So for the rest of that week I was on a real high and really nervous.

But I had parts to buy for the bike, it needed a service exhaust cans and the brakes sorting plus I had no money.

It¹s funny how confidence takes over. I thought: 'I'm going to get some sponsorship.'

I called and called and called companies that worked with motorbikes in some capacity all day long and explained the situation and didn't beg.

"I'm racing at the world superbike meeting at Donington and I really need some help".

Two companies helped me out: Blue Flame Exhausts and Morris Lubricants. So new exhaust cans arrived next day and a full pallet of oil and consumables the day after.

Wow! So now I can sort the bike, race and be on telly too.

Friday Well we arrived last night with the bike and the sun was out although today it's chucking it down. All the top race teams are on the tarmac paddock area and we are in 1917 the trenches.

It was terrible, wet and miserable, but the other riders and I had a smile from ear to ear all weekend.

Well it got to 5pm and it was our turn to qualify. We were last but we didn't care.

Look at the spectators there, must be 10,000 all watching us in the rain. I set off from pit lane in front of Max Biaggis garage and his mechanics look on at me and the rest of us.

I'm on full race wets and the first thing I notice is no grip bike is slipping and sliding all over the place.

A guy comes past me on a ZX10 Kawasaki at what seems like 50mph faster than me. Oops there he goes into the gravel right in front of me!

It's no time to be a hero out here, there have been many offs all days due to the weather and as much as the track marshals have tried to clear the oil it on most corners.

I get round a lap and another 2 are off, then my front brakes start to nip up again oh no I thought I had them all sorted out. I just know if I touch them again they could seize on.

What do I do? It's like an ice rink. I cant touch my back brake as it will lock the back wheel and can't touch the front as they are binding and will stick on!

I have to get 3 laps in to qualify for the race of my life.

I decide to do 3 laps and not to use any brakes at all. I was Mr Super-Smooth I was telling myself really smooth. I actually did 20 mins like this and not one other rider overtook me!

I had come off I finished the whole qualifying 30mins with little or no brakes at all and I didn't qualify last either!

Saturday Well rain again all day, it's a real buzz here in the trenches. We watch top riders battle it out and rub shoulders with them. Tom Sykes nods at me as we pass each other in the pits.

Well tea time again and we are out in the first race of the weekend for everyone. I had sorted the brakes overnight and I was ready to go for it but the rain kept me in last place all race long.

In fact, I get lapped.I just don't care though. I didn¹t fall off as 10 others did in this race.

I finish last, but I finish. The crowed are pointing at me and giving me the thumbs up. I feel like a star. I wave like I have won the race. I'm so happy to have raced and not fallen off.

Sunday This is the feature race day.The WSB boys are out on track and Tom Sykes is leading with Troy Corser in second place. It's a great race as I watch from the Melborne loop.

I do a little work on the bike this afternoon and set it up a little better for the race at teatime. Its been sunny and dry then rain and wind all afternoon and I just don¹t know what tyres im going to need.

50 mins to the race I decide to use wets as the track has rivers of water running across on some parts. I would rather go out on wet tyres on a drying track than drys on a damp track so I get to the start line and the track is more or less dry all the way round.

I have 30 mins of racing on wet tyres. I just hope they last and don't have me off as they will just melt.

I have a real go at overtaking in the first two corners but every time I get the bike hooked up on the power I just get slides and wheel spin from the back wet tyre.

I ease off and just circulate and finish last, 12 seconds off the next guy, but I have finished all my races and I hadn¹t fallen off. The crowd cheered so loud for me at the end: photos being taken, thumbs up, marshals waving, VIP suite balconies filled with people waving at me.

I have a little cry into my helmet. This is what life is about. I may have lost but in doing so I have given it my best shot and that's all I care about. I must be the Eddie the Eagle of bike racing, so that would be Ady the Eagle!!

Well one last race weekend to go Donington on the 18th and Mallory (race of champions) on the 19th of October.