Hi Everyone.
Well what a weekend! If there was bad luck being handed out as a buy two get one free we certainly
got ten.
Starting on the ride up to Scarborough I had a major blowout on my back tyre, whist taxiing Garry
Dickinson and Darren Burns. Men do come in handy but does help when you"re carrying a Jack!!!!
Oops!
With a tyre that mirrored that of a bicycle , we carried on at less than 50mph to Olivers Mount.
On the morning of the race, Myself, Garry and Sponsor Doug Foster of Anslow Designs began our
day with a fab' breakfast, only to get in to a BMW that now resembled a robin reliant to Olivers
Mount.
ER where is the Olivers Mount . ????? Twenty minutes later we are at Jacobs Mount! I will add at
this point, you cant blame me I was in the back ,with two men at the wheel!!!! No rude comments
please!
We eventually arrived at the gate???
Where are the passes???? Enter Darren Burns! Still tucked up in is hotel room, passes in wallet, he
forgot to leave them in car!!!
I wonder has it ever taken anyone an hour to travel from The Royal Hotel, Scarborough to the
paddocks??
So team GDR Racing arrive. We are all buzzing and the atmosphere in the paddock was amazing.
With old friends like Paul Owen and Big John Crazy Blanket amongst others giving me their hugs
and the new team GDR their best wishes it was the family reunited for the new season.
With the Kawasaki and Honda looking fantastic, and at this point id like to say a big thank you to
Winston McAdoo for allowing us to race the Kawasaki in his colours we were ready, well we
thought we were...
Like the weather being damp dark and drizzly, at this point i felt our day was going to get very
stormy.
Sat on the grid , the Kawasaki wouldn't start as the battery had gone flat, Garry had to be given a
push start by a Marshall,
Then he was away, steady into the Esses whilst turning into the left , the back end came round and
low sided him, sliding the bike across the tarmac and grass, with the bike going one way and Garry
going straight towards the bales.
With Tony Copeland commentating, he informed us that Garry was off and his reliable taxi had
arrived.... the AMBULANCE!!! . After a half hour wait, the Kawasaki returned to scrutineering
like a bolting horse minus its rider. The bike looked a mess, but I was assured by Doug and Garry's
Dad, Ivor dickinson, that it was superficial but Doug Foster and his baby were hurting.
As we all began our hunt for Garry, and no he wasn't in the pub, out of the hedges he arrived
limping and steam coming out his ears. He was not a happy chappy. Niether was the hedge which
was still attached!
The team got together to rebuild the bike which was starting to look a bit like its rider... bionic!!
With sticky tape and pins, blue peter had nothing on us.!! Darren Burns and Doug Foster set to
work.
Having to start at the back of the grid due to problems in practice, Garry made a decent start and
made his way up to 6th position before the race was stopped on its 3rd lap due to an accident, Garry
arrived back in the paddock. He was buzzing. His debut race in eighteen months in the bag he was
flying so was the Honda.
Having to start at the back of the grid yet again, he made a much better start. After the first lap he
had made 7th position. Set about closing the gap on the group of five in front of him. As he
gradually picked one at a time, by mid way distance he was up to second position and then started
to close the gap on Chris Palmer's advantage.
This was a fantastic race, the circuit was buzzing, Garry Dickinson's name was being shouted and
urged on to the final lap. Like a hawk hunting its prey, and Garry leg hurting from the previous
accident, his sheer determination and will power fueled his ambitions to send his team out on high
after a bad weekend start,he certainly accomplished that.
He returned to the paddock on a high, the boy did good! The Come Back Kid was certainly back.
With his new season ahead of him, I can only hope that at the Northwest I have a jack and new tyre
for my car, we have standby batteries, the Kawasaki is out of bike hospital, Darren Burns does not
nick the passes and I take plenty of vodka because as the first lady in racing looms so did my blood
pressure and nerves.