| It�s finally here � the May Bank Holiday weekend, and I�m going to Oulton Park to watch the fourth round of the British Superbike Championship. I�m so excited � 15 years get knocked off my life, and I�m a giddy schoolgirl once again! My mission, to get as many photos as possible of the riders, and some really good bike action shots with my new zoom lens camera. The day starts at 4:45 am, just so we can get there early to park up in the spot we want at Knickerbrook. I�m lucky enough to have a brother who owns a big transit van, which is handy when the crowds build, as I can get a fantastic view without anyone getting in my way. Being surrounded by 6ft men in leather, while I am only 5ft 3inch, isn�t the best combination to guarantee a good view! Arriving so early means that there is now a couple of hours before the action starts, so I decided to go to the Paddock area and see who I can bump into. The first person I see is Steve Hislop, he�s so friendly, and he�s always got a smile. I want Steve to win the championship this year, he deserves it, and he really is a hero in my eyes. I still have the image of his horrific crash he suffered as a wildcard at Brands Hatch at the World Superbike Championship meeting. He also crashed heavily at Rockingham last year, putting an end to his title fight with John Reynolds. In my mind, for Steve to even consider throwing his leg back over the bike fills me with awe, admiration and respect for the man. I wish I could express this to him, but the best I can do is to point my camera at him, say thank you and walk off. My next mission was to get a good photo of John Reynolds, who, to be fair, is usually pretty miserable. John keeps well away from the crowds, and is really hard to meet, but my luck was in. I caught him on his scooter, shouted his name, and would you believe it, he looked up and smiled � honest, and I have the photo to prove it! I also managed to get photos of Karl Harris, Sean �Shakey� Byrne, Paul �Marra� Brown, Michael Rutter, Sean Emmett, John Crockford, John McGuinness and Steve Plater. Now I attempted to get some action shots, walking around the track snapping away. By now, the crowds were growing, with rows and rows of bikes � fantastic! It is an amazing sight to see literally hundreds of bikes parked up together � all of them looking much flashier than mine! After fighting my way through the crowd, I arrive back at the van. It is a shame that the crowds only start to build up for the Superbike races, as the support events deserve as much support as the main race. With the crowd now three or four deep, the roof of the van is the only choice! The atmosphere is building with excitement and anticipation, as we wait for the start of the first Superbike race. You just don�t get the same feeling sat in front of your TV. With the warm-up lap completed the race is about to start, and there�s a strange calm. Then it�s GO, and the sound of hordes of bikes flying down The Avenue, Dentons and Cascades for the first time, fills the air. They all disappear down to Shell Oils corner as we wait, straining our ears to pick up the commentary, and then the bikes are back, flying over Hill Top. But who�s in front? It�s Steve Hislop, go on Steve, I clench my fists and bit my lip. The sight and sound of the bikes as they fly passed is fantastic. They all stream into Knickerbrook, back off the power then bang, back on the throttle, head down, body tucked in and blast over Clay Hill and out of my sight. Clay Hill is one of the most awesome parts of any circuit in this country, both for the spectators and the riders. It gives me goose-bumps just watching, what can only be described as completely insane bike riders winding in on and trying to keep the front wheel on the tarmac as the monster up the hill. Seeing them do this is absolutely amazing, but then to do the same thing two or three abreast, fighting for position, scares the life out of me! How do they do it? I just can�t get my head around it! I don�t want to talk through the race, but one superb battle I picked up on involved Shane Byrne, Steve Plater and Karl Harris. Shane was out front, but Plater was gradually closing in. I picked it up as they flew down Dentons, glued together. I waited as they raced out of sight, then they reappeared, still racing as one over Hill Top. They arrived at Knickerbrook, nose to tail, with about 2 inches separating them as they blast up Clay Hill. I could see Plater looking to make a move on Shane, but didn�t expect him to make it at Clay Hill, three abreast at over 120mph. Plater went right, and then pulled left and tried to squeeze up the inside of Byrne. After my initial shouts of �Go on Steve�, I closed my eyes and listened to the speakers. Plater hadn�t made it stick, but at least they were all still on their bikes! After seeing that, I didn�t care where Plater finished, I just wanted him to stay on that bike! I don�t know Steve Plater personally, but if I did, I would have told him off big style after seeing that!! In the end, Steve Hislop claimed the win, with Michael Rutter in second and Sean Emmett in third. To be honest, watching racing thrill and spills is all part of the entertainment, as long as the rider walks away. In the second race, John Reynolds� engine seized taking four or five bikes behind it down too. All the riders aside from Karl Harris walked away from the carnage, but Karl was hurt and needed the attention of the medical crews. Eventually he was stretchered into the back on an Ambulance and was whisked away. The atmosphere had changed, and people began to leave. The organisers decide not to restart to race, while the 125 event is cancelled due to the amount of oil on the track. Of course there was disappointment, but my mind was on Karl. After a slow, frustrating drive home, I logged on to the Internet to learn that it his fall had looked a lot worse than it actually was, with Karl suffering from a broken nose, collarbone and wrists. It was good to hear that Karl was not as badly hurt as he looked, and I hope he will mend soon. Maria Salt |
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| Steve Plater at Lodge |
| Steve Hislop |
| The post race burn-out! |
| BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND 4 - OULTON PARK, MAY 4/5/6 MARIA SALT TAKES IN THE ACTION AND EXCITEMENT OF THE BRITISH SUPERBIKE ROUND AT OULTON PARK, IN HER FIRST ATTEMPT AT A RACE REPORT. |
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