The second time I got caught cheating went very differently. This time I was about 20, racing in the British Superstock Championship. I was racing for quite a big team with quite a big sponsor. It was a sponsor that I had originally brought to the paddock, and one that was, at the time, ploughing serious sums of money into the BSB paddock. I?m talking six figures.

It was fairly early on in the season at Oulton Park and I?d finished the race in the top six so I was pretty happy as that was quite good for me at the time. During the post-race parc ferme the scrutineers took the bike off me to weigh it. There was nothing abnormal about that. They would routinely check various things on various bikes after every race or qualifying session. One weekend they?d want the bike on the dyno, the next they might take a sample of the fuel to test. I wasn?t overly concerned.
On this occasion though, I should have been. Because when they weighed the bike, it was deemed to be underweight. I can?t remember the numbers but I think the bike was a kilo or two under the legal weight limit. It looked like I was going to get disqualified. I should have been disqualified.

If I?m being honest, I wasn?t too upset about it. I felt like I?d rode well, and I didn?t feel too responsible for the ?technical infringement? because I hadn?t built the bike. I was just gutted about the fact that I?d lose some decent points.

Cheats sometimes prosper

But rather than lose the points, what happen...