1st trackday - 1st impressions...

[Nosher]

Always hankered after doing a track day - got the oppotunity today after my mate called me yesterday and asked if I wanted to have a go at Silverstone.

As it is right on my doorstep, so the ride there would be short, I agreed thinking that if the weather turned bad, we could just turn around and go home.....

......arrived at Silverstone at 07h50 with ICE (!) all over my leathers and all extremities of my body frozen with dense fog surrounding this historic race venue...

Did the prerace briefing and wolfed down a bacon jobby - I choked a little - not on the roll, but on the price!

The fog meant we didn't actually get out onot the track until 10h15, but still got 5x20 min sessions in....

...what a fantastic day - I put myself in the novice / inter class and although was overtaken many, many times, I had no 'scares'.....

....just exhilaration after each session.

Track was fantastic, organisation was great and met some great people who (like me) just love bikes and riding them....

Even got a piccy as a souvenier!!

Great day - great day - it will take a long time to come down from the cloud I am on at the moment...

R#?

 

[Centennial Man]

Thank god for pinlock inserts, eh c7u8 8ree! ??

Look good though.....

 

[stan the man]

and although was overtaken many, many times

that'll be because you ride a slow black bird then









































:} :} :}


well done though k1ap k1ap

 

[Adam Rickenberg]

Good one Nosher!!

Track days are my next 'thing' I have to do here in Dubai.... I have done the California Bike School and will sign up for level 3 this year. What a cool feeling - knowing you can corner the bird and feel confident doing so! Bloody brilliant fun!

Here's a pic of me going around the left handed 'bowl' on the Dubai FIA race circuit...

 

[Nosher]

Thank god for pinlock inserts, eh c7u8 8ree! ??

Look good though.....

Yep - the pinlock is a good design and did what it said on the tin....

 

[Nosher]

that'll be because you ride a slow black bird then

Not suprisingly, I was the only Bird on the track - nice in a way, as other rides came over during the day and asked how I was getting on with the bike......

.....I didn't do any of that knee down thingy though....left that to the posers.

I tell you what WAS funny - I went belting past a 1950/1960 Norton 500cc single on the approach to Stowe - and then found myself being overtaken on the next series of slower corners on the OUTSIDE!!

Was great fun!

 

[Codbasher]

I'm a trackday virgin................


Really must pluck up the guts to do one....


Looks fun

 

[Nosher]

oh yeah - forgot to mention.......

......it tore the Viper rear up pretty good - put 33 psi in front and back before I went out...

Put the round shaope back into the rear, though R#?

 

[Nosher]

I'm a trackday virgin................


Really must pluck up the guts to do one....


Looks fun

I ain't gonna pretend I know everything, but from a first timers perspective, I made some mental points to myself before I decided to do it:-

1) As I was going to ride my bike to the track and back, I did NOT want to bin it, so ensured I didn't do anything risky.

2) I wanted to have fun - didn't want to scare myself so rode accordingly.

3) Although I have seen Silverstone via various on board cameras and pc games, the thing that suprised me was the gradient changes - I thank god for the two sight laps we were given.

4) However fast I may think I am on the road, that means diddlysquat on a track - I ensured I was in the Novice group, and sod the pride...

5) It was a trackday - NOT a raceday. I did not race any other bike on the track. I passed a few, but that was because I was faster on certain places and slower on others. I was overtaken - so what - I just let whoever it was zoom off into the distance...I saw one guy come past me on the s/f straight, only to go wide at Copse....remember - Track day, not a race day.

6) I turned my wing mirrors in - I wanted to concentrate on the track ahead, NOT what was behind me. Most bikes had VERY loud exhausts - you didn't need mirrors...

7) Turned off my lights - I wanted to ensure that ANY bike behind could see quite clearly I was on the brakes

8) Stop when you are tired - although a further session was available to the novice group, I certainly had my moneys worth AND got change! I had finished on a high and had thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, concentrating for 20 minutes at a time and covering 30 miles or so round one of the fastest tracks in the UK, does take it out of you when grappling with a bike as heavy as the Bird.

When I got home, I was exhausted - my wrists were killing me - I could just muster the last small remaining strength when I was pulling in the clutch on the way home and mentally I was drained...

...you should have a go and enjoy yourself.

I think I may try Snetterton next..

Oh - and tipping through the Abbey curve at 120 was pretty awesome - slower than most of the bikes out there, but truly exhilarating!

 

[stan the man]

Not suprisingly, I was the only Bird on the track - nice in a way, as other rides came over during the day and asked how I was getting on with the bike......

.....I didn't do any of that knee down thingy though....left that to the posers.

I tell you what WAS funny - I went belting past a 1950/1960 Norton 500cc single on the approach to Stowe - and then found myself being overtaken on the next series of slower corners on the OUTSIDE!!

Was great fun!

know what you mean...did an RSID with buzz[allan]last may,and although there were quite a few birds there[mostly from these forums]the majority were sports bikes as you'd expect.1200 pete was there doing suspension set ups for peeps,and also did a few laps on his bird.....whooping everyone's arse inc all the wannabe track gods on their sports bikes :bow: .having said that...there was an instructor on a CB 500 who was going around the outside of almost everybody...fair play.
blumeeni has done 3 cali superbike school days with him being the only blackbird on track....point being that no one expects to see a big lardy barge on a racing circuit,although i bet they get a suprise when one comes past them.

 

[D.S.]

blackbird on track....point being that no one expects to see a big lardy barge on a racing circuit,although i bet they get a suprise when one comes past them.

yet to have one pass me on track & I'm shite, so yeah it would be a surprise! :} Seriously though, I've seen all sorts on track including Harley's and GS's and nothing surprises me anymore.
Interesting comments Nosher and you're right, Snetters would be a nice circuit for the barge. Here's me at the infamous Mallory track day when poor Pete had his incident at Edwina's.

 

[stan the man]

yet to have one pass me on track & I'm shite, so yeah it would be a surprise! :}
Interesting comments Nosher and you're right, Snetters would be a nice circuit for the barge. Here's me at the infamous Mallory track day when poor Pete had his incident at Edwina's.

your avatar says it all DS :bow:

 

[D.S.]

your avatar says it all DS :bow:

The 750 is enough for me mate, anything larger is simply underused.

Its good to read Noshers comments and it kinda takes me back. My biggest piece of advice to any novice would be to ride at your own pace, don't try and mix it, don't try to keep up with ya mates and once you've done a few TD's get some proper tuition; priceless.
And one last thought, however fast you may think you are in TD Fast Group, it means diddlysquat in a race!

 

[stan the man]

good advice DS....only done the RSID last year,and was hoping to do level one of cali superbike school on april 4th with blu but the SWMBO has two appointments in st thomas's hospital,london on the 3rd and 4th april so maybe another time :cry:

 

[marcella]

The 750 is enough for me mate, anything larger is simply underused.

Its good to read Noshers comments and it kinda takes me back. My biggest piece of advice to any novice would be to ride at your own pace, don't try and mix it, don't try to keep up with ya mates and once you've done a few TD's get some proper tuition; priceless.
And one last thought, however fast you may think you are in TD Fast Group, it means diddlysquat in a race!

i'd love to to a td but theres no real opening here barr knockhill (i think) i'll just have to settle with being a crap rider but looking excellent! (you should see my reflection in tescos big front window!) i am a god,,,,,,,, well done nosher by the way, different gravy mate:bow:

 

[Chunky Monkey]

Nosher, who was the organiser of the TD mate ?

 

[Nosher]

The firm was called Hottrax - recommended by a friend that has done a LOT of TD and competed for two years in some racing season on an R1.

Here is their webpage:-

http://www.hottrax.co.uk/

And just had an email from one of the guys we shared a garage with, speak fluent German and is deffo up for the Nurgurgring this summer (another one of my dreams 'to do').....

...shame he was on a Ducati 748 though..

 

[Chunky Monkey]

The firm was called Hottrax - recommended by a friend that has done a LOT of TD and competed for two years in some racing season on an R1.

Here is their webpage:-

http://www.hottrax.co.uk/

And just had an email from one of the guys we shared a garage with, speak fluent German and is deffo up for the Nurgurgring this summer (another one of my dreams 'to do').....

...shame he was on a Ducati 748 though..

thought so, did you see the guy on the tyre truck from pirelli ?
he`s a close mate of mine

 

[Nosher]

thought so, did you see the guy on the tyre truck from pirelli ?
he`s a close mate of mine

Nope - stayed well away from the tyre truck!

....now, if there had been an AVON truck, that may have been different

 

[xblader]

hi lads did my first track day at brands hatch, biggest learning curve in my life:yo: