Having agreed to volunteer for CDH Racing, I could not wait for the start of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike season! And fittingly, Round 1 at Silverstone kicked off on 7th April (Friday) - my 42nd birthday!
I was part of a three-person, social media team for the new campaign. Leo, a university student in his early 20s had in fact landed the gig with CDH a few months earlier in October 2022, so I deferred to him - I didn't want him to feel that just because of my age, I was just going to walk in and assume control. And to be fair to the lad, he'd invested a substantial amount of time and effort drawing up an action plan for us to use and refer to.
Ellie, another student but a teenager, was less than half my age!
Leo and I hit it off pretty much from the get-go, although he was coming into this with the desire to ultimately gain experience as a data technician. He made no bones about the fact that he wasn't really interested in social media; it was simply a means to an end, a necessary evil that team boss Dean insisted on for anyone joining his outfit - they needed to earn their stripes and prove themselves.
Whereas for Ellie and I, we actually wanted to do and learn more about the social media aspect of the role. Ellie was, and is, quite shy - she refused point blank to do any rider interviews, but even so, I felt towards the end of the season especially that she grew in confidence.
That first weekend was very much a familiarisation exercise. You're coming in cold, don't know any of the riders or team, and certainly don't want to get in anyone's way. Yet, the garage isn't exactly big and you DO have a job to do, and that involves being in and around the garage to capture photos and video.
First day at work! Round 1 BSB at Silverstone, April 7th (my birthday!)
For those first few rounds, I did feel like an outsider who just happened to be working for the team. Like in any workplace, you're going to meet people from all walks of life with differing personalities, mindsets and vibes - some you gravitate towards quickly, others will remain more distant and be less inclined to engage until they've got to know you a bit more.
One person who I befriended from the get-go was Chris 'Hixy' Hicks. Chris is Dean's brother-in-law (he married Dean's sister Ami) and up until recently was one of the team's main sponsors. As a Londoner, Chris for me is the quintessential Yorkshireman that I have in my mind's eye; opinionated, brash, loud and funny as fuck!
At first glance and to the uninitiated, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Chris cuts an imposing figure - a considerable 'unit' of a man, a full-sleeve tattoo that runs up to his chest and neck, skin-head and Cumberland sausage fingers. In short, not the kind of guy you'd want to get on the wrong side of!
But from that first day at Silverstone, we enjoyed a good friendship that started with 'Hixy' offering to take me to the car park from the pit garage on an electric moped (the walk is 15 minutes and with a laptop and camera gear to lug around, that's just no fun!). From that point on, Chris and I were cool and he was always very supportive and complimentary of my work for the team and the effort I was putting in.
But more about Chris later...
The major turning point, at least regarding the dynamic between myself and the team, was at Knockhill, Scotland. This was the first round (Round 4) that I worked alone on CDH's social media, as neither Leo or Ellie were able to attend. I decided (against my better judgement!) to take the train from London up to Edinburgh and back, and my Airbnb (the spare room of a couple's home) was a 20-minute drive from the track.
Next time, I'll definitely be driving, even if it means spending more time travelling - the train seatbacks felt like planks of wood and I'm not exactly blessed with layers of natural padding, if you know what I mean!
Leading up to Knockhill, Dean and others in the team were somewhat taken aback when I informed them I was making the long slog 'oop' north to deepest, darkest Scotland. Even Ellie - not that Ellie - but long-time CDH Racing brolly girl and as of more recent times tyre person, wasn't prepared to travel that far.
I think my commitment to the cause was properly acknowledged that weekend, and I detected a shift in the way the team interacted with me going forward. Not that any of them were off with me, far from it. Just that I felt I'd fully earnt their trust and respect, and that I was now considered a fully-fledged CDH squad member!
Some of the people in the team who I hadn't engaged with much up to that point were now more open to conversation, and from Knockhill onwards I was invited to team dinners, which further helped to strengthen my bond with everyone.
And it certainly helped that we scored our first point of the season when Jack Scott resisted the advances of ex-MotoGP star Héctor Barberá to cross the line 15th in Race 2! Sorry, can't help the journo/reporter in me!
Any nerves and reservations I had about going it alone on the socials were quickly quelled as I eased myself into proceedings. I knew the basic order of things and at that stage I was confident enough using Canva to throw together some elaborate designs for our Insta/FB posts. I'd also been writing the weekend race reports since Round 1, so I was fully in my element in that literary realm.
In fact, I was quite chuffed that throughout the season the official BSB Insta channel shared CDH's links to the weekend reports that I'd written on at least three or four occasions, which definitely validated the effort I put into writing them. Not to mention positive feedback from fans and team members alike :)
Something was obviously in the air at Knockhill because during the weekend I received a text from the TR54 Fan Club, explaining in a somewhat panicked tone that due to the Glastonbury festival, there was now a paucity of caravans/motorhomes, and the only ones available were in excess of £1,000 for the upcoming WorldSBK weekend at Donington Park...
For those not in the know, the TR54 Fan Club is the official club of the Turkish contingent in the WorldSBK paddock. At any given European round, there is a small hardcore group of fans who attend the races and know Toprak and co. personally. And if and when possible, the fan club wıll hire a motorhome and using the paddock pass of one of the Turkish riders (usually Toprak), they set up their 'base' in the paddock, located in and amongst the competitors and their motorhomes.
This in turn allows Toprak, Can, Bahattin and Kenan (on the occasions the latter attends) to sit down and enjoy some down-time with the fans over some Turkish çay (tea) and baklava after the day's action has come to an end...
Given I now worked for a race team, the fan club guys thought it made sense to ask me if I knew of anyone in the CDH Racing team who may be able to recommend us a motorhome rental firm who wouldn't charge silly money for a caravan over the WorldSBK weekend.
I knew Chris had his own RV so I asked him if he could recommend a company who could potentially help us out under the circumstances. He just looked me straight in the eye, and without a hint of irony replied: "Why don't you take my RV for the weekend? I can drive it down to you and collect it after the races on Sunday."
I thought he was on a wind-up: Chris's RV is a serious bit of kit, probably worth over £100K when it was new, and yet here he was offering it to me and the TR54 guys as if he were offering us a packet of crisps! I can't remember exactly how the conversation panned out verbatim, but I'm pretty sure I asked him multiple times if he was being serious.
And he really was!
After the day's track action was over, he even took me for a guided tour of his cherished mobile abode. For our needs, it was overkill - a palace on wheels, if you will - I could not believe my luck!
Chris doing "Hixy" things lol! Photos taken Knockhill, BSB Round 4
Bear in mind I'd known Chris for a little over two months, and he was offering his pride and joy to me and a group of people who he'd never met before - free of charge! Well, technically he asked if I could avail of two tickets for him and Jamie (one of his employees) for Donington WorldSBK, given my ties to the TR54 Fan Club, but he emphasised that the offer of the RV was not dependant on me sourcing him the tickets.
I informed Varol 'abi', one of the senior figures and elder statesman of the TR54 Fan Club, of the good news and he was as shocked as I was. And given the time-sensitive nature of our search for a motorhome, in a mixed state of disbelief and gratitude we accepted Chris' extraordinarily generous gesture...
Varol abi has been on the scene since the Kenan Sofuoğlu days. "Abi" by the way, is a colloquial term used in Turkish, primarily as a form of address or reference to an older brother, or more broadly, an older male figure.
So, by the skin of our teeth we secured Chris' RV in time for WSBK Donny! In the immortal words of Ali G, big up yourself Chris, aiiiiiiii!
More to come soon...