JOE SMITH 1:06.41
What’s the point of riding against the clock?It gives you the opportunity to try riding different lines to see which are quickest. It also helps you get used to racing against the clock and helps with the nerves I get before a race.
Are you happy with your time?Not really, I didn’t make it down the track without making at least one mistake throughout the day.
How much room was there for error?None, the track was quite short and you needed to try and carry good speed all the way through. If you made any mistakes there was nowhere to make it back up.
Do you think there is a difference between wet and dry conditions in your ability to get up to maximum speed?I think it takes a bit longer to get up to maximum speed in wet conditions, as I tend to go a bit steadier to start with until I know the course quite well. In drier conditions you can sometimes go flat out from the word go, as you are more confident and take bigger risks.
Seventeen runs. Could you have done any more?I think I did that many runs as I was getting frustrated with making mistakes on each run. I would have liked to get a clean run in before we finished, but I don’t think it would have been any quicker as I was tired and sore from crashes.
Would it have made any difference if you’d done the times by yourself and not with rivals?I think it would have been harder to get up to speed, as we wouldn’t have been pushing it as much. It was good to have times to compare. However I think that the added pressure might have caused us to crash more, so we might have ended up with cleaner, faster runs. It’s hard to say.
Had a few off’s today. Part of it though?Yeah quite a few. I always tend to crash a lot when I’m practising, but that’s because we all want to win so we all push it to the limit.
What do you think the time difference is between wet and dry?Again it’s hard to say, but I think I could have gained at least three or four seconds in the dry as the course gets really greasy in the wet. Some of the corners were a bit unpredictable and it was hard to judge speed when coming into them.
Any tips on riding the 104 hill or any hill?I would definitely say try and walk a course before you ride it. I walked the course after about three runs and my times improved even though it started raining. I think it’s good to try and carry your speed on any track, so choosing the right lines for you are important.
Can Gee’s minute be beaten in the dry?Apparently they had perfect conditions, so if Dan and Gee both had longer to ride the 1.04 they would probably make it under the one minute mark. To beat their times the conditions would also have to be perfect.
You don’t think that some hills have a certain time?As bikes and riders improve track times will mostly get quicker.
What are your thoughts on Hill beating everyone by 15 seconds in Champery semi?I suppose the track suited his style of riding. The track was mainly corners and hardly any pedalling, which played to his strengths. His qualifying run had worse conditions than most of the podium finishers’ final runs and they didn’t even get close to his time then. It proves he’s the best on that type of track.
