Donnington
Donnington
Anyone at Donnington park next monday (9th), first track day in a long long time so no doubt I will have to endure total humiliation.
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
Picture the scene.........
Thrashing out of Goddards along the start finish straight some tw@ on a ZXR12 comes past you through sheer grunt so you think I'll stuff him on the brakes.
Leave the braking as late as possible get to the bit where the pit lane joins the track and hammer on the anchors, dropping it throught the gearbox like a crazed fool. And then you find the point where the forks lock up and the back wheel locks............ OH F*&k springs to mind.
The choices are hit the ZXR or head for the kitty litter..... hmmm a healthy dislike for Kawasaki's apart and discretion being the better part of valour kitty litter it was.
Managed to hold up right until the very last minute going through the gravel and in a moment of sheer heroism I managed to put myself between the bike and the gravel (who needs crash mushrooms).
Got away very lightly but pride shattered. Bring on the next track day!!!!!!
Thrashing out of Goddards along the start finish straight some tw@ on a ZXR12 comes past you through sheer grunt so you think I'll stuff him on the brakes.
Leave the braking as late as possible get to the bit where the pit lane joins the track and hammer on the anchors, dropping it throught the gearbox like a crazed fool. And then you find the point where the forks lock up and the back wheel locks............ OH F*&k springs to mind.
The choices are hit the ZXR or head for the kitty litter..... hmmm a healthy dislike for Kawasaki's apart and discretion being the better part of valour kitty litter it was.
Managed to hold up right until the very last minute going through the gravel and in a moment of sheer heroism I managed to put myself between the bike and the gravel (who needs crash mushrooms).
Got away very lightly but pride shattered. Bring on the next track day!!!!!!
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."
Hard luck Iggy. At least the bike is okay ! I would have given the Kawaski a nudge myself. I did my first trackday at Donington last month and had a great day. I suffered down the start finish straight as you did. At the end of the day most of the bikes there would have a higher top speed than the storm so it was no surprise that they were getting past. The annoying thing was they would then pull in front of me on my line and brake 50 feet before I wanted to !!! After a while I started staying in the middle of the track which is completely the wrong line for the corner, but it meant I would outbrake all of the missiles that had passed me down the straight and even though I then had to go slower through Redgate I was in front so it didn't matter. Clear off through the twisty bits and go and catch some more straight line heros !
Great fun. So much so I have booked for the evening session on June 30 and the full day on July 21. It would be good to have some more Storms there.
Great fun. So much so I have booked for the evening session on June 30 and the full day on July 21. It would be good to have some more Storms there.
LOOPY
Did the track day at Donington yesterday. I had spent all of last week running in my SP2. Got 1000 miles on it in a week, got it serviced, adjusted the suspension to suit my 15 stone and aggresive riding style and then........ It p*ssed it down for 24 hours. 3 o'clock Monday afternoon and I am staring up at the heavens but to no avail. I was distraught. Either I wasted the £90 for the tarckday or I took my pristine brand new SP2 around a soaking wet, slippy Donington. Then the answer came to me. Sod the SP2, take the KTM 640 Supermoto !!! This sounded like a great idea until I arrived at the track and saw all of the usual R1's R6's and numerous race bikes complete with full wets and tyre warmers. Gulp !!
Went out in the intermediate group and had a hoot. All of these superbikes with race cans and special tyres and my little KTM was the fastest bike on the track. It was hilarious. I was riding around the outside of them as they wobbled around the apex of the corners, I was slamming on the front brake as they all used engine braking. The condiotions were appalling and got the better of a few bikes. Superb fun. Every bike flew past me down the straights as the KTM doesn't like to go over 90mph, but the KTM easily out braked them and was so much quicker down Craner Curves and the Old Hairpin that they would not even get onto the next straight before I had got to the end of it.
There was one bike that was faster than me and eveyone else. But it was Leon Haslam testing his new 998 Ducati so I did not feel to bad.
The few spectators found it hilarious to see the KTM circulating faster than the sports bikes.
So the evening wasn't ruined by the rain. It was still a shame that I didn't get the chance to use the SP2, but there is plenty of time for that. In fact 3 weeks to be precise. Anyone else doing Donington on Monday July 21 with Speed Freaks.
PS.
Yes I will be on the KTM if it rains again !
Went out in the intermediate group and had a hoot. All of these superbikes with race cans and special tyres and my little KTM was the fastest bike on the track. It was hilarious. I was riding around the outside of them as they wobbled around the apex of the corners, I was slamming on the front brake as they all used engine braking. The condiotions were appalling and got the better of a few bikes. Superb fun. Every bike flew past me down the straights as the KTM doesn't like to go over 90mph, but the KTM easily out braked them and was so much quicker down Craner Curves and the Old Hairpin that they would not even get onto the next straight before I had got to the end of it.
There was one bike that was faster than me and eveyone else. But it was Leon Haslam testing his new 998 Ducati so I did not feel to bad.
The few spectators found it hilarious to see the KTM circulating faster than the sports bikes.
So the evening wasn't ruined by the rain. It was still a shame that I didn't get the chance to use the SP2, but there is plenty of time for that. In fact 3 weeks to be precise. Anyone else doing Donington on Monday July 21 with Speed Freaks.
PS.
Yes I will be on the KTM if it rains again !
LOOPY
just as well
just aswell really cos some cockey git would have passed ya on every bend on a KTM, then you'd feel stupid.
Del.
Del.