ASBK R2. Eastern Creek
The combination of a packed program, condensing the usual three day program into two, and the first ASBK meeting held under lights made for an electrifying meet.
The meeting Context
Tarbon
A lot going on at this meeting:
RACING UNDER LIGHTS - I could feel how excitable people were. Night racing was a totally different dynamic… and it was bit concerning in relation to some of the green riders.
A COMPRESSED PROGRAM - Smashing the usual 3-day program into 2 days made for 6am starts and midnight finishes. Racing didn’t finish until 10pm. The program meant little-to-no time to regroup, wind-down, eat, socialise, sleep…
LACK OF TRACK TIME - I’d managed to get some ground work in at the other tracks, but not here, and it was my first time riding on the track competitvely.
SUPPORT - As a part of a new team, BW Racing, I have more support and infrastructure than I’ve ever had; it was just mum and I going into many of last year’s ASBK rounds.
Sizzle reel, Thanks to the genius of Thomas Pappy!
Qualifying
Tarbon
I focussed on pushing early in the race weekend, and the results showed with great timings and significant improvements early on, and we made a big step forward every session.
In the first qualifying, I stepped up, building better times in the first three laps and in the fourth… I crashed, but I improved my lap time by 1.5 seconds — these kinds of steps forward are unheard of.
Business Takeaway
Cairo
I don’t mind crashing for this reason. It’s like the start-up growing (almost) too fast, beyond what they can keep up with — it’s a good problem to have.
The lessons for business can equally be applied on track:
Plan for scalability by carrying out scenario planning, and be ready to mobilise instantly based on the growth indicators.
Prioritise resource allocation, ensure resources are used efficiently, reallocate people to high-priority areas, and automate or relegate repetitive tasks to free up high-value resources.
Build a strong team that can handle the demands of rapid growth. This may involve bringing in new skills and experience or investing in upskilling — all underpinned by the right culture.
Learn from mistakes and use them as opportunities to improve — conduct post-mortems, and seek feedback from the team.I don’t mind crashing for this reason. It’s like the start-up growing (almost) too fast, beyond what they can keep up with — it’s a good problem to have.
In the garage
Tarbon
It was interesting from the point of view of me trying to stay off the tools. In the previous meeting, everything went pretty well, and nothing was to be gained from being on the tools, but at Eastern Creek, it was all hands on deck.
There was very little time between sessions, and we had to put the bike back together from a high side and deal with weather that couldn’t decide if it would be wet or dry.
Cairo’s OBSERVATion
Cairo
The mechanic’s job finishes at the race, but he’s on point until then.
The racer picks up 30 minutes out.
At race time, the mechanic’s job is done, and apart from a few numbers on a pit board, the racer rolls solo.
Straying outside of one’s lane erodes trust and spreads a person thin. The rider needs to be focused on doing the best of the job only they can do — RACE. Getting on the tools starts a rider thinking about what’s underneath rather than the race ahead, particularly when it gets frantic — that’s when mistakes get made.
Last 30 mins before racing — High-Level Tasks/ Short Time
On the media grid — Low-Level Tasks/ Very Short Time
It only takes one thing to get under or over-tightened to make things dangerous, especially when working with multiple people.At the 23-minute mark, instead of reminding everyone how little time there was, Tarbon told the team how much time they had. There was enough time to get the bike ready, but if there was stress, something might get missed or mistakes made unnecessarily.
Cairo’s BUSINESS TAKEAWAY
Stay in your lane. You might be the best at this thing another is charged with doing, but if you are doing their job and your own, something will suffer.
Give feedback with empathy (not sympathy), and think about what the other person needs to complete their task or role successfully.
Stick to the facts when delivering feedback and remove the emotion, particularly in high-pressure or emotionally charged situations.
Embrace the effort as a team; the ups and downs are felt acutely by every team member. Often in business, senior managers think they have the high ground when it comes to success. Still, every team member experiences the disappointments equally.
Play the short and long game, celebrate every step forward, and understand that when you start out on a new venture, you need to remember the long game because there are some hard lessons to learn. No matter what the individual experience, collectively, it’s not a veteran team, and they’re not settled.