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IT was another weekend of learning for Mount Gambier motorcycle racer Levi Day.
Day lined up for Round 3 of the British Superstock Championship at Brands Hatch and improved as the weekend played out.
In his first season on the 1000cc Suzuki and in the category, Day had no bike setup data for the track.
“Our first season on the Suzuki we are learning and improving each and every time on the bike,” he said.
It has also been a busier than usual time for Day, with he and wife Katie welcoming a daughter – Darcie – into the world just five days earlier.
Friday was set down for practice and a chance to set the bike up.
“We made quite a few changes throughout the day, building our knowledge on which directions we can go with the bike,” Day said.
“I ended the day P14, 0.9 of a second off the quickest time for the day.”
Saturday threw a curve ball, with overnight rain providing a damp, but drying track.
Add to that an exhaust issue mid-session, with the whole, hot system replaced and the Day was up against it.
“I went out with five minutes to go in qualifying and I was down in 25th,” Day said.
“We had wets on and it was a damp, but not fully wet.
“It was very difficult to gauge the conditions and I only got two flying laps, but we managed to get back up to 11th position, which was a really strong end to the session considering the drama that had gone on in the middle of the session.”
In the afternoon Day lined up for the first race of the weekend, but a poor start and first lap saw him down in 17th as he crossed the start-finish line for the first time.
However, after settling in, Day finished the race in 11th position.
“I was pleased with this result, after the tough battling we had to do after getting beaten up on the first lap,” he said.
The grid for race two on Sunday was set from lap times from race one, which saw Day start in 13th on the grid.
“I got a much better start on Sunday and a heaps stronger first lap, which saw me go from 13th to 11th, then to ninth on the second lap,” he said.
“I was feeling really good on the bike and I got up to seventh at half race distance.
“In the final stages of the race Tom Neave on the Factory Honda and Ex Superstock 1000 champion Keith Farmer got the better of me, but I crossed the finish line in ninth position.
“I felt that Sunday was a really strong race and I’m stoked with the result.
“I can’t thank my crew enough for all their hard work over the weekend.
“We made plenty of changes to the bike and I really found some good confidence.
“Thank you to AJN Steelstock and Powerslide Motorcycles as this season would not be possible without them.”
Day now prepares for the next round at Thruxton this weekend.
