Next up we caught up with fellow club member Stephen Tobin who will also be competing in the Cookstown 100 this weekend.
1) What machines and classes will you be competing in?
I’m hoping to ride my Yamaha FZR400 RRSP in the lightweight super sport class and my Kawasaki ZX6r in the super sport, open and grand final races.
2) What preparation went into this weekend?
Tricky one this.
I high sided the 600 in Mondello last September. Did a lot of damage to the bike.
More than I thought at first. Over the winter, Gashy and The fox have replaced the frame, swinging arm, and wheels. All bent in the crash.
Gashy patched the fairings. It’s still a little ropey looking. We’re working on new fairings for her. The bike is in Tralee at the moment. We’ve an electrical issue that is keeping an injector on. We’re hoping that this is sorted since last night. Hoping to pick her up tonight and gave her back together for the weekend.
The 400 pulled threads in the fork leg for the front spindle last weekend out so that’s still stripped and fox is trying to sort that also….
Once I get them both back , they’ll get fresh oil and filters
3) What are your thoughts on the Cookstown 100 track?
Cookstown is a fun track. Short. It can be slippy out the back section but if you get the jumps right it feels mega.
4) Have you competed in any race days or pre season testing already this year?
We tested the 400 in Kirkistown last month and We raced in Kirkistown Easter weekend. It was a mixed bag as we didn’t have the 600.
We raced the 400 in the pre-injection 600/1000 class. It was fun and I wasn’t last which I was happy about. We started the 400 race in 5th and got to the lead before the hailstone brought out the red flags.
The race was re-run. I didn’t start as we had bearing issues with our wet wheels. So that was us for the weekend.
5) What are your thoughts in the MCUI insurance in the South?
The insurance situation is a balls sure. It’s a bit sad for us all. The likes of me who needs the practice as I’m hoping to do the Manx GP.
Youngsters, to keep them interested and newcomers to help them along. It affects every one and it’s not good enough. If this was affecting other sports that are more mainstream, I feel there is no way it would be tolerated and government would have stepped in long before now to mediate and sort it.
It’s totally unfair to competitors and teams that have put huge amounts of money and time into machinery and PPE and not have any racing in the south.
We wish Stephen and all other riders competing in the Cookstown 100 tomorrow and Saturday the best of luck! Keep your eyes peeled for a couple more Cookstown 100 previews which will be coming shortly!