Assen Round 4
Hi Guys,
Really difficult weekend in Assen which is a shame because I was feeling really feeling confident heading into round 4, I knew the track reasonably well having been there in 2009-2010.
Friday practice was fully wet conditions which I am usually strong in these conditions but we couldn't seem to find a good setting with the bike and it was also first time using Pirelli tyre which was a handful in itself to get my head around.
Saturday practice was wet we made some good improvements. Leading into superpole the track was 80% dry, my choice was to go out on full slick tyres, the team decided against my decision and sent me out on intermediates, I did the out lap and then pitted because the track was dry its impossible to make the lap time on the intermediate tyre in the dry condition, I pitted and the team changed to slick, I went out and only had time for 2 laps.I was very disappointed in the teams decision and not to go with what I wanted, This cost me valuable dry track time which we needed leading into race 1, this was my first dry session in Assen and being superpole it is only 15 minutes so it was important to make as many laps as possible, which didn't happen.
Race 1 was difficult, not having a dry setting or dry track time so I lost alot of time at the start of the race, learning different things about the circuit, braking markers etc. As the race went on I got a lot faster but ran into some set up issues along the way preventing me from pushing 100%. Finishing the race in 16th.
Sunday warm up we took what we learnt from Race 1 and made a big change in the right direction and went much faster first thing. Towards the end of the session I got taken out by another rider, lucky for me I walked away from that one without any damage, can't say the same for the bike though.
Race 2, I was kitted up all ready to go, the pit lane was open and the mechanics were just doing the final once over on the bike after repairing it from warm up crash, Final step was to get the WSBK chief scrutineer to sign off on the bike so I could ride, He came straight and and looked at the bike and could see that the chassis was really bent so it would be impossible for me to ride the bike for safety reasons.
Very disappointing weekend for me with a little bad luck. Imola in a couple weeks and im hoping I can get some good results on the board for myself, fans and sponsors.
keep an eye on my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook for updates thanks
JH16
Aragon WSBK
Hi guys,
I have arrived in my new home in Andorra, great little spot in the hills of La Massana, perfect spot for training, the high altitude is a huge advantage to be training in.
Myself and ruben Xaus traveled over to aragon together, Once we arrived at the circuit we went straight to medical centre to get a clearance from the doctor to race, we got the go ahead to ride although my injury still isn't 100%.
First things first Ruben and i did a track walk, First time for me in Aragon so I had a lot to lean, only have 1 day with the new bike and team at Phillip Island before breaking my shoulder, so it was a massive learning curve for us. The main goal for us this weekend was to get as much mileage as possible and try to adapt and feel comfortable in my new environment.
First impression with the track was great, the up and downs and series of slow and fast corners was a great feeling. Unfortunately my injury stopped me from being able to push for a good lap time, being only four and a half weeks from the incident, I didn't have any strength at all in the shoulder so from that point we just tried to build strength and get familiar with the bike.
The race was super hard, I tried to push in the early stages of the race but the bike was to hard to ride with the new tyre, a lot heavier and required more energy and strength to do the lap time. Once the grip went away it was a lot easier for me to ride but even still the pain and lack of strength was to much to handle. I managed to do 13 laps in both races before being forced to retire, this is not the way id like to start my wsbk debut but its one of those things. Onwards and upwards for round 4 in Assen next week.
Im back home in Andorra now, training the house down to ensure we are much stronger for Assen and can fight for a good result. I will continue to push and make up for the lost ground.
Massive thanks to my sponsors for their ongoing support, Bell Helmets, Australian Brewery, Alpinestars, Throwr, Shotz nutrition, Browns Grafix, Adina Watches and all fans and supporters.
JH16
