Snetterton Track Day

Well nobody crashed, well not any of us anyway and Porl managed to avoid
getting run over this time. Surprisingly I wasn't the slowest which was
a bonus, but by eck those TZ250's can't half go round corners. I can
really see the appeal of track days now, cracking fun even on a lardy
old sports tourer.

And if anybody's interested in photos of me looking like I'm off to the
shops....

http://churchstone.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=snetterton

 

Cool Thankfully I leant my bike further [1] then you so I can save some
embarressment.


[1] http://www.dwboylett.com/gsxr/snet_16802/dsc_5202.jpg

 

Why? He might be easing off the brakes into the apex like them proper racers
do.

 

heh, but not as bad as

http://churchstone.com/gallery/view_photo.php?
set_albumName=snetterton&id=Dsc_9668

 

I know who I'd put money on in a race between the pair of you.

 

dwb says...

I like the way the Fazer rider is lining himself up for the overtake.

 

ohhh... i didn't know about the track day. i'd have come out to watch.

 

Why is everything a competition?

 

Surely you can answer your own question Mr "Thankfully I leant my bike
further [1] then you..." ?

 

you.

No, I can't - that's why I'm asking.

 

Insecurity?

 

You could be right.

Thin line between competiveness and insecurity.

Or something.

So how did you find getting back on the track?

 

If you've got a sports bike then suddenly you have to look like you're using
it properly to distance yourself from accusations of "power ranger"ness. I
don't think Bandit and Fazer owners feel the same pressure.

1st session : very scary; 2nd scary; 3rd quite scary; 4th, slightly less
scary. By the end I was starting to feel a little more confident that the
bike wasn't going to slide away as soon as I attempted to turn and having
Mups go past me made me pull my socks up a bit. That was the only session I
think Darsy didn't overtake me. Didn't get around to really pushing it
because I wanted to put at least one complete track day between crashes.

Have to say my mate Steve did very well. First track day for him on a gixxer
thou he bought 2 weeks ago and he was carving through 75% of the novices
like the proverbial hot knife.

 

I was going to say that dragging the front brake into bends can help
scrub off speed without unduly unsettling the bike but that looks like
Russells and I [1] wouldn't do it there.

[1] Checks pictures taken a Russells just incase I put my foot in it.
http://www.mollyg.net/intro2molly/r1snetc.jpg no brake, good.


--

Molly
"Kneesliders Sponsored by Cane"
"Gower School" By Appointment".
GSX-R1000 (sick), Triumph Thunderbird, GS500, GHPOTHUF#27
TGF, UKRMFBC#7, Two#24, BOTAFOF#11, YTC#9, GYASB#1. SbS#23.
DFWAG#2, DS#2, DIAABTCOD#20. remove "thisbit" in the reply
http://www.mollyg.net (our own endurance team) http://Team-ukrm.com
"Nemo repente fuit turpissimus"

 

Porl says...

Didn't take you long to get past again mind.

He was a bit quick wasn't he and all the more impressive with his yellow
bib blowing in the wind as he sailed round the outside of people.

 

Molly says...

It was. TBH I couldn't get that corner right, 1st was to low 2nd to high
and I seemed to take a different line each time so I just sort of wobbled
through.

Humm I don't think I'll take up racing just yet.

 

here are mine - these are the "best" of a crap bunch.

http://www.spinwards.com/snet/

I /was/ doing better at points not shown in these pics (no really),
including one little knee-downlet on the red-and-white bit at the edge
of the track (what is that called?) at the apex of the corner leading
onto the back straight.

Very enjoyable day - first track day I've done where hardly anyone
overtook me - in fact, only the loon on the TZ250 who didn't slow down
for corners, the guy on the ZX7R track bike, and porl's mate on his
Gixer[1] did manage to pass me all day.

I found it *amazingly* easy to out-brake 2-4 bikes at a time coming to
the two corners at the end of the two straights - people brake
*crazily* early. Especially the right-hander at the end of the front
straight - that corner is easily negotiably with an entry speed around
80 and an exit speed of 95 or so, but people seemed to be slowing to
about 50 for it.


Anyway, view and laugh.

[1] quite simply, he's good, and the Gixer is much faster than my
'blade in a straight line.

 

What's with the yellow bib thing - saw you had one on in your photos - did
they make newbies wear them or something?

 

simonk says...

You don't have to but they recommend them for first timers so that
everybody else can point and laugh and hopefully give you a bit more
room.

 

they offered them, not compulsory - they perform the same function as
"P" plates on cars, effectively i.e. "I'm new at this, watch out".

Although it was my first trackday in nearly 3 years, I was very
impressed with the professionalism and organisation[1] of Focused
Events - I don't knew whether they're an exception or whether the
whole game has matured, but they definitely seemed more on the ball
generally than the last lot I used.

The instructors also seemed a *lot* more approachable/less prima-donna
than the other days I've done - I'll probably use F.E. again.

[1] even if the main guy did have a whiff of the David Brent about
him.