Crackin' the virginity and gettin' a third

So. Arrive at Gellerasen, get the tent up, gear out and go and get Elsie through scrutineering.
Everyfin ok.
Get the Guiness out, shoot shit with the class mates and Kjell, and get in the mood before kippin' time. I realize I'm pretty much beat already lookin' at my Elsie and comparing with the others. Elsie is pretty much stock - just ported cylinders, 28 carbs and louder pipes (stock suspension, stock anti-lock disc and single pot caliper e t c).
A great thanks to the two stars that had to discuss lifes less important things in load voices at 5 am...
Free practice/qualifying practice - same thing this time. Elsie fires up. Slight agony as the 9 plugs are in and it takes a while longer before she sings.
Pit lane. Waiting to go out. I see the scrap wagon pulls out to pick a couple of guys up from the heat before. Turn Elsie off. Get off her and leans her up against a big garbage bin. Turn around and walk towards a couple of my class mates when they start waiving like hell. Yup. Elsie's flopped it... Takes another bit of agony before she's on song again as petrol's been pissin out of her.
Finally. Off we go. I set to get into position on the bike (I've hardly ridden her before, due to readings you can do below) and also find my way around the track. I'm quite familliar with Gellerasen, but it's been a while since last time and I really fokkin hate the new part at Troesen! Two laps of that and trying to find a fair way to put the gears and also warm the tyres. Set out to go a bit quicker. Elsie won't rev over 7 - 8 thou'. She just Buuuuuueeeeuuuuuu. I slip the clutch and force down the gear box. Nothin' helps. Slip into pit lane and rev her a bit there. Go out again. Good for two corners and then same again. I pull off, fairly pissed off...
Experts (and Grabo-Lasse who's turned up now) been seeing smoke from one of the pipes all the way round. New plugs and start her up. Experts say the crankshaft must be sippin' oil through to the crankcase. So, can I really have a go on her without shootin' the engine again then? Yeah, I should be able to they tell me.
During lunch I agonize together with Lasse over wether I should go or not in the afternoon race. Lasse convinces me, and feck it, I'm here anyway aren't I.
Race 1. A little bit of butterflies before we go on the out lap/warm up lap. I'm sitting in 16th position out of 19 due to my 3 great timed laps... On the line I try to rev her like Adrian Archibald and fekk me, it works!!! I pass a whole bunch of guys down to the first corner. As the first lap goes I'm trying to take it fairly easy on the cold tyres and I see the guys in front of me dissapear. But no-one has come past me.
And that's the story the whole race. No passes me, and after that great start I don't pass anyone else either.
I'm super chuffed as I see the checkered flag in a race for the first time in my life!!! Virginity good bye!!! No real pain involved, but as you have been able to read earlier aswell, a LOT OF AGONY.
After the race I found out that class mate Nisse's been nippin' at my heels all race long...
I end up fourth (out of six in my class) and eigth in total in the race (two classes racing at the same time). I'm quite happy with that! Elsie woulnd't rev over 9 thou and the brakes and suspension don't do us too many favours either. The front end gets the shudders in a lot of places as I try to push it.
Sit and watch the rest of the races with Lasse. Great weather. Great day after all. Beers out. BBQ out. Piss up time.
Sunday I sit out the morning free practice as I don't want to touch Elsie and get her cranky again. Seems she's got quite a temper and appetite for plugs. I don't have any more 9's with me either so...
Race 2. Starter holds us a bit longer and my bleedin' visor is misting up. Not fully concentrated as the flag goes and miss the start a bit. Still get a few guys down to the first corner anyway. This is actually a bit more fun as I get to work on my passing manouvers a bit the next few laps. As I've gone through to the front of my group and I think, pulled a bit of gap, the next guy is a loooong way in front of me. But I keep on pulling closer and closer. And he starts looking over his shoulder when I'm only 30 metres behind. I realise it's my norwegian camping neighbour on his beautiful Ducati. On the penultimate lap I get him on the brakes to Eje's, but I can feel and hear he sits right on my tailpipe.
Elsie's been kickin out of gear in a few places and especially dropping from fourth to third on the start-and finish straight. On the last lap I give it my best in Depaa-kurvan and the bitch kicks out of fourth not once but twice down the straight. I'm thinking this is it, Herman will pip me on the line now, but I cut it!
I'm sixth in total and BLOODY 'ELL, I'm third in class. I really thought I'd be fourth, same as yesterday, but Arne congratulates me right after I come in from the track. Works out that Uffe didn't get his beauty goin', stalled at pit lane. Well, that's racing and I take my cups anyway they come... :-)
I'm quite pleased with the race again. I feel I pushed as hard as i dared. Front end shudders en masse and I almost dropped her twice with nice two wheel skidders. I'm a bit surprised I'm only a second quicker than Saturday, but I think I was lapping consistently faster. Without the gear problems (and if the girl would've revved as she should) maybe it could have been another tad quicker, but, ahhhh, I'm happy enough with the weekend as it turned out well over my expectations. I know what I have to look for over winter now anyway.
Super nice lads to race with and shoot shit with aswell. Can't be said nuff times Classic Racing is a superb place to be. Maybe especially as a newcomer to the sport.

How will this end?

Well. Fock me!!! I'm sweating like a bleedin pig and I haven't even got on my way yet. Yes, it's the last classic race of the year at Gellerasen in Karlskoga.
Arne, my main mechanic man, sorted Elsie out already a couple of weeks ago. So, just to make sure everyfin is ok, I try to start her up this morning after having filled water into the water closet of hers.
Brrrrreeeeeuuuuuu, ding, brrrrrreeeeeuuuu, ding-ding - and so on.
She just won't start properly. And when she's good you only have to take two, three strides before she pings along.
I get her running on one cylinder basically, after running like a fekkin lunatic up and down the car park.
Out with the plugs. Wet like a virgin on prom night! New ones in. Same fekkin charade again.
Go and buy some more 8 plugs in case the 9's are to much for her to start on.
Same, same.
At this stage I'm beginning to get really pissed off. (Not getting any better by having had a bleedin argument with a fekker in a car that was pointing fingers at me - but it was actually he that chased me down after I flicked him the bird...).
Anyway. I suddenly come to think of that I twiddled a little bit with the setting of the carbs, getting them both synced on and off the throttle. So I set the one that wasn't quite ok back to approx were it was, just a tad off, and ding-ding-riiiiiiiiing-ding-ding - Elsie shakes to life.
Sweat pouring. Smiley face.
Just pack the rest of my shite, and me and Elsie are off.

Yellow One - bye, bye

The Yellow One moved out a week and a half ago. She found her new home in Vimmerby with a supermotard competitor who's planning to get into supermono racing.
If all plans succeed she will be wearing a KTM engine next season and be lapping at the front of the field. Hopefully.

God luck, we say!!!