MOTORBIKE rider Phil Guillou has successfully completed his first qualifying session on one of the world’s fastest road-race circuits. ‘It was very windy but dry. We started qualifying at 8.25pm and there was a lot of sun dazzle. You could not see for about a mile of the track as it was blinding you,’ he said from Northern Ireland.
Guillou believed he would have a better idea of his chances after the first qualifying session against 38 other 250cc challengers. He finished in 17th place after working his way up to 14th on Wednesday night but believed he could yet gain three or four more places in second qualifying.
‘We had a massive mistake in the gearing - it would not rev enough in sixth gear and we were thousands of revs down.
‘That is all being rectified now in preparation for [second qualifying].’
The second qualifying practice in Ireland’s largest outdoor event, the International North-West 200, was due to take place last night. Both sessions are in preparation for the big five-lap race tomorrow and conditions have been windy.
‘Hopefully it will stay dry.
‘We will use qualifying to get used to the track and make sure everything is well with the bike.’
Most of the world’s top riders were in Ireland for the event, he said.
Last month he walked away without serious injury from a 95mph crash at Brands Hatch on his £35,000 Yamaha machine during the MotorStar British 250 Grand Prix Championship.
But, undeterred, he was back on his bike at the weekend for testing at Snetterton.
‘Snetterton went well and I was up at the front for most of the time. Everything was running perfect.
‘I reached 150mph in testing. It was good practice for the North-West because we were doing very high-speed testing.’
Article posted on 11th May, 2007 - 12.00am
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