Jen Crosby's Racing Blog

Wednesday December 06, 2006

Last ride of 2006...Brands Hatch trackday

I did doubt my sanity a little when I booked up a trackday on December 3rd, but given it was both a weekend and cheap, I figured there wasn't much to lose.

The weather the night before was absolutely dreadful - gale force winds and driving rain, so we decided to stay at home and drive up in the morning rather than have the joy of sleeping in the van at the circuit.  The drive up was mental - the rain was absolutely throwing it down and the wind was blowing the van all over the motorway!  I had my doubts as to whether I'd be riding much!  On arrival at Brands I pulled the van right into the garage to unload to avoid getting drenched, although somehow I did anyway.   We were there pretty early, giving me loads of time to warm up with a cuppa, and get my wheels swapped for the wets once again.

Steve P and Aaron turned up a little while later, and everyone was pretty miffed with the weather.  I couldn't see how they could possibly let us out on track!  Somehow though, by the time we'd signed on and sat through the briefing, the rain had stopped and it seemed that it would be ok to go out.  I needed to run my engine in after it's rebuild, so was only able to run it up to 11k rpm for the first session, so the fact that everyone was riding so tentatively on the wet track actually suited me pretty well.  As expected the worst part of the track was the bottom of paddock hill, where there was a huge slippery looking puddle on the right hadn side of the track, but it wasn't too hard to avoid thankfully.

We had another wet session, and I still had to restrict the revs and throttle, but it was pretty easy going in the group.  I was dying to give the bike a bit of stick though and start working a bit harder!  The rain had well and truly stopped now, and in fact the sun had even come out!   Coupled with the wind still being fairly strong the track was drying out pretty quick - looking good for a dry afternoon!

 And sure enough the lunch break provided the perfect oppurtunity to change back to the dry wheels - there was a dry line all the way around the track now, and no more rain clouds in sight.  I decided that I'd probably done enough running in and got my head down a bit better for the next session - much more fun!!  The group seemed to be reasonably steady - I was doing loads of overtaking, and not being overtaken much (always good for the ego )

Next session and Steve offered to come out and follow me, to give me a bit of instruction and feedback.  It was a great session!   Watching Steve when he was ahead of me was quite an eye opener - he turns the bike so late, and so quickly, and is a million times better than me on the brakes.  I had to work really hard to try and keep up (and I still couldn't really - but it was fun trying!).  I tried to replicate what he was doing into turns, and sometimes I seemed to hook it up, but certainly not consistently, and even when I felt I'd done a corner better, I wasn't always sure why!  As always, more practice required.  Thanks for giving up a session to help me out though Steve, you're a star

By the time the next session came round - the final one of the day - I decided I'd had enough.  The last session had been hard work, and the sun was getting very low in the sky making it hard to see when turning into Surtees and Clearways.  I'd had a good day though and wanted to end on a good note!  Greg seemed to have had a good day too - he's slowly started to get over the demons from the previous crash and get more comfortable on the bike again.

So that's it for the year - I can't believe the bike won't be out again until mid-January   I'm definitely really missing the racing, it feels like a big part of my life is missing!  Next date will be 21st Jan at Brands where I'll be instructing with Focused Events - should be a great chance to start getting my head back in gear ready for next season.

( Dec 06 2006, 03:37:26 PM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink

Wednesday November 01, 2006

Track Day Report - Donington Park

I couldn't really turn this one down - £69 for a noisy day at Donington National is an absolute bargain.  It's the only track day I've done all year which hasn't been at a track I'm racing at, so for the first time it was a chance for me to just have some fun, and not be preoccupied with working on specific things in preparation for racing.

Greg and I stayed overnight at my sister's place in Coventry, so thankfully we only had a 45 minute drive in the morning to get to the circuit, and when we arrived Steve P had already sorted us a garage.  It had started to rain a little on the way, which I wasn't too chuffed about as I've had just about enough of changing my wheels for the time being!  Not to mention my wet tyres aren't exactly at their best now.  Luckily the rain didn't stay, and we had a dry track all day, with the sun even making an appearance in the afternoon.

I was a tiny bit apprehensive about riding a track I know so little - I'd ridden there once before, but it was over 2 years ago, back when I still had the CBR.  I don't tend to learn circuits too quick either, but the pressure was totally off, this was just for fun, so I wasn't overly worried as I knew I could just take my time.  Plus, I'd booked into the inters group, I think probably the right move in the end, as Donington really isn't a 400 circuit!  Three sighting laps later, and I was really surprised how quickly I got the hang of it - I managed to sort out what gear to be in where pretty quickly and was soon working on places to overtake   I guess, as Red suggested, that's something racing has taught me:  I'm now more skilled at being able to know (roughly) how to ride any corner - lines come more naturally than before.

I must admit, I'd forgotton just how good Donington is.  It really flows and is great fun to ride.  Every lap I found places I could ride better, faster; I found instructing myself, so to speak, came relatively easily.  There were a couple of other 400s in the group, including Mick, from 400GreyBike who I had a bit of a play with throughout the day.  Although my bike was more powerful than his NC30, he showed my just how rubbish my braking is by outbraking me at the end of the straight quite a few times!  It was something I tried to work on as the day went on, but definitely still a big weak spot for me.

Despite an absolutely ridiculous number of red flag stoppages during the day, we somehow managed to squeeze in all 7 sessions, but by the end of the penultimate one I was so tired I was unsure as to whether I was going to go out for the final one.  In the end I did, and I'm glad as I had a really good session chasing down a 600.  It was hard work, but great fun - even though I didn't end up passing him!

I think all three of us had a good day - I really enjoyed just riding for fun, Greg was finding his feet again after his off at Brands, and seemed to go really well, and Steve was kicking arse in the fast group with some really good lap times.  All in all, I think I'd put it down as one of my best track days of the year!

And that'll be it, at least for a few weeks.  I'm dropping the bike down to Dynotech this afternoon for a much-needed engine refresh.  Who knows though, I might brave the winter weather and get out again before the year is up...

( Nov 01 2006, 10:39:24 AM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink

Friday September 22, 2006

Trackday Report - Brands Indy

It was a bit weird still being in the paddock after all the racers had left on Sunday night, but there was quite a few of us still there ready for the trackday on Monday, so it was at least pretty sociable. It had been quite a long and tiring weekend, so I was hoping I'd be fit and ready to ride in the morning, but thankfully when I woke up Monday morning I was raring to get out on the bike and put some work in.

The first two sessions out, novice and inters, both got red flagged in the first lap after someone put their bike in the gravel at Paddock Hill – not a good start. The fast group went a little better, making it to the chequered flag without any stoppages. I went out on a bit of a mission in the first session, possibly a little too hectic for the first one out, but I really just wanted to get my head down. It turned out to be a fairly steady group, I was really only overtaken by 3 or 4 riders, and I was overtaking a lot of other people. That's good for overtaking practice, but as they day went on it really stopped me from being able to put any proper flying laps in due to needing to overtake at least once a lap.

Second session, and I was trying to work a little on my body position which is still suffering from my aching shoulder a bit. After a few laps though I came flying round Druids only to catch sight of a bike down on the right down the hill and the red flags out. I got a quick glimpse, and was pretty sure that it was Greg that was down! I couldn't really turn around to get a good look to hurried back to the pits where Red confirmed it was him, and told me what had happened. Turns out an instructor with a pupil had tried to wave his pupil through before the corner, and had slowed right up in doing so, not realising Greg was so close behind him. Greg had to grab the brakes to avoid going into the back of him, and locked the front sending him to the ground. Thankfully, despite a big knock to the head and nasty cut on his knee, he was ok, and even the bike doesn't look too bad. Although being the bike it is I think it won't be too cheap to fix  I think Greg will fix up ok though

With all of that drama settled down, and in the knowledge that Greg would be ok I was ready to get back out and work on some more stuff. The next session was a good one – the bike felt great and I was feeling confident. My lap times were ok, a couple of seconds off my PB but I wasn't pushing outside of my comfort zone, so I was fairly happy. One of the other girls in the garage, Lesley, a possible Feisty recruit for next year was trying out both Red's ZXR400 and Moose's RVF400 as she intends to race in the C400 next year but wasn't sure of which bike to go for. She asked me if she could also try my ZXR as a comparison, so I agreed to swap bikes with her for the session after lunch. That was scary for several reasons – I had no problems with her riding my bike, but her bike is an old GSXR600 SRAD, and I've never ridden a 600 before!! I've also been really loathe to ride anyone else's bike this year as I really can't afford to crash and fix it and still be able to race. But, she convinced me to try it out, so I thought I may as well. I was really nervous though, and took it very very easy. I think I got overtaken by pretty much everyone that session – including my own bike with Lesley on it!! The bike had good power – it pulled beautifully when opened up, but the rear suspension was set incredibly soft and it just wallowed every time I opened the throttle. It didn't give me very much confidence in the bike at all! It's also much bigger and heavier than my ZXR, the tank is huge and it felt really difficult to move around on. I did about 8 laps, and decided I'd leave it there, I must admit I wasn't too enamoured with it! But big thanks to Lesley for finally allowing me to get onto a bigger bike!! I think it's probably about time

I was dying to get back out on my bike after that, just to make me feel a bit faster again! I managed to get my lap times down by another second from earlier in the day, so that felt good too. In the final session of the day Red and I decided to go out for a play together, both on the 400s. I was really looking forward to it, I knew it would be a good session! Being the last session of the day meant there were fewer bikes out, and Red and I spent a good few laps swapping places all over the track! I was grinning ear to ear as we tussled, it was absolutely brilliant fun! I was just lining her up again for a pass out of Paddock Hill when the bike lost power, and I managed to coast it up the hill and onto the grass at Druids – I'd stupidly run out of petrol!! Silly girl, I couldn't believe it!! Oh well, it was fantastic fun Red, we'll have to get out there again soon and fight it out for a whole session properly next time

So, all in all a pretty good day riding—wise, the bike is feeling great, and apart from a few confidence issues at Clearways where I crashed I'm feeling good and ready to race. In fact, I can't wait!  It was really good to have so many people I know there too - it was a great atmosphere.  Well done too to Toby for getting back out on the bike again - you did brilliantly!

A big get well soon to Red, who has since been knocked off her bike on the road  Glad it wasn't too bad chick!

( Sep 22 2006, 03:59:14 PM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink

Tuesday September 12, 2006

Trackday report - Instructing at Brands Hatch!  

Well, yesterday was a different take on a trackday for me! I went to Brands Hatch for the day, but this time to help with instructing! A few weeks ago, when Deb asked me if I'd be interested in doing it I was very hesitant – I've never done anything like that before, and was really worried I'd not be any good at it. But Deb persuaded me, so there I was, first thing Monday morning with and orange jacket on ready to go out and help!

The day was a special ladies/novice day, which is partly why they were looking for extra lady instructors. There were the usual three groups, but this time group one was for first-time trackdayers, group two for those who had done a few, and group three was a sort of inters group. I'd been briefed a little about what my 'duties' would entail by Deb and Red, so I had some idea of how things would go. We all got signed on, and went to the briefing, and then it was straight out for the sighting laps with group one. I made sure I wasn't the first instructor out, as I had no idea of the expected pace really, and I slotted in somewhere in the middle of the pack. The laps were very very slow – fair enough with the amount of first timers, but it feels really weird going around the circuit at that speed. I thought I was going to have to put my foot down at Druids at one stage!

With the sighting laps for each group completed, I had intended to go out immediately in session two with group one, just to get a feel for the group and pick up on anyone who looked like they might be struggling. I'd pulled up in pit lane after group three's sighting laps and switched the bike off while waiting for the remainder of the session to finish, but on trying to start her up again the battery died!! Luckily I'd thought ahead a little and brought a second charged battery – I had a horrible feeling I'd need it, with the bike running total loss. I managed to switch the batteries over, but ended up missing that groups' session 

Once I'd got myself sorted, a rider came up to me and asked whether I'd go out with him in the next session to do his sighting laps, as he'd missed the first session. He also asked whether he could have some instruction for the remainder of the session. My initial thoughts were – panic! I wasn't sure how doing sighting laps whilst in a regular session would go, and for a second I thought I'd better ask one of the experienced instructors to do it instead, but Mark, the organiser seemed happy for me to go and do it. I asked the guy whether it was his first trackday: no (phew) and whether it was his first time at Brands: no (excellent!), so at least he'd know his way around. Out we went, and the sighting laps were fine in amongst the other riders as the pace was still fairly slow. Once we'd completed the two laps I waved him by so I could follow and get an idea of his pace and his lines.

It's a really new thing for me to be riding around watching someone else so closely, and thinking about what they are doing, with a view to be able to both try and demonstrate on track, and also to be able to feedback on it back in the pits. While following, I'm having to break down aspects of their riding: track position, body position, braking and throttle control, and trying to remember what they're doing where so I can show or talk to them about it. At the same time I'm having to negotiate the track myself, and other riders, albeit not at a high speed. I also have to try and gauge their speed accurately enough so then when I'm leading I'm not going to fast or slow for their ability. That's one of the things I was most worried about going into the day, but it wasn't as bad as I'd expected. While leading, I'm having to concentrate on riding really exaggerated lines, so that it's clear what I'm trying to show. I tried to make it so that if there was a specific section of the track I wanted to demonstrate I overtook shortly before the section, and waved them by shortly afterwards, so it was clear which part I was trying to show. Having to take lines like that around the circuit was undoubtedly beneficial to me too, forcing me to be more accurate with apexes and reference points.

With this particular guy, it was pretty clear he's been to Brands before, and he was generally very good on most of the track in terms of lines, except for one section. I spent a few laps showing him that section, and sure enough, by the end of the session he had it nailed. We spoke about that, among other things on returning to the pits and he seemed to be happy with the session. I was really pleased he got to grips with what I'd been trying to show him, that was great! And for the next session with group two, his mate wanted to go and do the same thing – two sighting laps and then some instruction. That session went well too – it took him some time to settle in (well it was his first session of the day!) but by the end of the session with us swapping places a few times, he'd improved hugely!

I spent the next session out just stretching my legs a little in group 3, without instructing anyone. It was nice to get a bit of speed up and clear the cobwebs – after all it was my first time back at Brands since breaking my collarbone. It being the format of trackday it was, the group wasn't very fast, so I came across a fair bit of traffic, and as a result didn't get many flying laps, but I had some good sections, and it was nice to go out with no pressure. For some reason (I guess he was there with Superbike magazine, who were also in attendance) a british supersport rider Cal Crutchlow was also out – he must have felt a bit out of place at that speed! I managed to overtake him on the inside at Clearways though (ok, so he was touring, but there's no fun in telling that part...!)

I went out in another of the group three sessions and had a play with a few of the other instructors, but didn't get approached for more instruction until later in the day. The penultimate group three session I suggested to one of the girls, Lesley, that I go out with her. She'd been doing roughly 60 second laps all day, and was determined to get sub-minute. I was positive I'd be able to drag her round to reach her target. Both of us had cold tyres, and her front tyre needed scrubbing in too, so we agreed that I'd follow her for 5 or so laps, and then overtake her so she could follow. I did that, did a few laps, and then slowed down for her to overtake me again, but she wasn't there!! I spent the next few laps looking for her, but didn't spot her – it turned out that her front wheel had been balanced incorrectly when the tyre was fitted, and it was making the bike really unstable! So we didn't get a chance to get out together again, but huge credit to her – in the last session she managed to put in a superb 57 second lap, and incredible achievement for her first ever time at Brands! Get yourself a race license girl, I expect to see you out there next year!

For the final session of the day Trix had asked me to go out with her and help. We'd already talked about a few things to try during the day, and she'd been out with another instructor in the morning. Before we went out she told me a few places where she'd had problems, so I was all set to go out and work on a few things. As it turned out, the places she thought she was weak were actually really good – all the hard work on those in the previous sessions had clearly paid off! I spent some time trying to demonstrate Paddock Hill and Druids, and our discussion on the return to the pits was really good: I explained the areas where she was good and why, and how she could use those skills in other corners which were weaker – hopefully I've managed to give her some good advice!

I have to admit, I was absolutely shattered at the end of it all! It took lots of concentration and just the sheer amount of time on track really took it out of me. I'm so stiff and sore today too! But, I really enjoyed myself! So much so, that's I'd really like to do some more instructing, and I've asked Focused Events if I can join them on some more track days. I can't wait to get out again – I found it really satisfying and engaging.

( Sep 12 2006, 05:45:34 PM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink

Sunday June 25, 2006

Pembrey trackday - my bike is broken!!! :o(

It's been a bit of a week of bad luck really. With only a few days to go until our two-dayer at Pembrey, our cat fell ill, meaning he needed frequent trips to the vet as well as needing antibiotics twice a day. Ultimately this meant that one of us would have to stay at home, for at least one of the days, possibly both. Greg arrived back from a working week in Paris on Thursday afternoon, and we decided that I would go to Pembrey, leaving him to look after the cat. I wasn't very happy about leaving him behind, but reluctantly we packed up and I set off on the long drive west.

Friday morning, at least the sun is shining, but I wasn't really 'feeling it' for some reason. I got signed on and briefed, and got myself ready to go out for the first session. In the same way as Cadwell a few weeks previously, Pembrey is somewhere I haven't been for a couple of years – in fact the last time I was there it was only my second ever track day, so going out was almost like riding the circuit for the first time again. The three sighting laps were very slow – although I needed to have a few no-pressure laps to get used to it, they were a bit too slow in my opinion – it made getting round the incredibly sharp hairpin very difficult! With the sighting laps over, the first session proper started, and I took it pretty easy, trying to get my lines and gears sorted out as soon as possible.

The first session for the fast group (I was in inters) continued the run of bad luck for our group. In the first lap after the sighting laps their session was red flagged – Conrad had crashed after his brakes stuck on. He was thankfully unhurt, but the bike wasn't so lucky. A bent left fork and a few other broken bits meant that was the end of the weekend's riding for him.

By the third session although I was slowly getting to grips with things, I was still feeling pretty low for some reason, just not really getting into it. The session after lunch was even worse – my concentration levels were low, and I even ended up having a bit of grass tracking on the exit of the hairpin (scary moment – I thought I was ending up on the floor!). After that, I gave myself a bit of a talking to. It seemed pointless to be just trailing round the track, with my head not really in it – it was time to get it together and put some effort in. So with a better attitude, out I went again, and really started to get my head down. It was feeling lots better; I knew what and where I needed to work on, and could feel my focus coming back. Then, about half way through the session, the bike started to make a loud tapping noise. I was half expecting the engine to seize, and slowed down lots, clutch to the ready, but nothing happened – although the noise remained. I cruised round the remainder of the lap, and pulled back into the paddock. Once I got my lid off I could hear, as could everyone else, that the engine was sounding less than healthy  I don't know what the problem is, but it didn't sound good, and I didn't want to do any more damage than might already have occurred, so that was that really. No more riding for me for the weekend.

I called Dynotech, my tuner, to let them know I'd be bringing it in to them on Monday – I have to have the bike sorted ready for my next race in two weeks time. I must admit, I'm really glad it's happened now, and not at the Cadwell practice day which would have been it's next outing on track had I not gone to Pembrey. If it had happened at Cadwell I think I probably would have missed all of my races of the weekend – so I guess that's some small blessing.

The bad luck of our group didn't stop there. Towards the end of the day Loz pulled in after her bike lost power. Suspecting the carbs her and Nige spent some time stripping them down looking for problems. Loz resigned herself to no more riding for the day, but intended to go out for the sighting laps the next day to see if their work had improved things.

There was still a chance that Greg might be able to ride his SP2 up to get some track time on Saturday, so I didn't pack up and just spent the rest of the day relaxing. Around 5 o'clock the vet gave the cat the all clear and let him come home after an overnight stay in the animal hospital, so Greg decided to hop on the bike and ride over. I was really pleased – I'd felt so bad that he'd had to give up two days of track time, while I'd got to go. At least we both got one day on track in the end!

So Saturday morning I decided to give the bike a bit of a clean, and also take the front calipers off to give them a clean and check over. I've discovered that I have a piston sticking on each of the calipers! That might explain why my brakes aren't as good as they ought to be  So that's another job for this week – strip, clean and put new seals in the calipers. It would have been good if I could have done the work at the track, while I had lots of time to kill, but I didn't have the right parts to hand. Oh well...

Greg ended up having a really good day riding the SP2, as did Nige on his ZXR and Rich on his ZX10. Not such a brilliant day for Loz, Conrad and I, but I guess it can't be good all the time. So far for me I've had very few problems with my bike, so I guess I'm due some. So tomorrow it's off to Dynotech to get the bike fixed and sorted again before the racing at Cadwell. I'm a bit gutted – it's never a good time to get a big repair bill.

I'll update again soon, once I know what's wrong with my engine...

( Jun 25 2006, 02:29:33 PM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink

Monday June 12, 2006

Snetterton PACE day - 8th June Just a quick entry about this one.  Loz and I were on our own for this one, no boys with us!  It was scorching hot all day, and pretty hard work, but I think both of us mostly enjoyed ourselves.   Loz managed to beat her previous race time on the ZXR - top job for a trackday!  And I managed to knock 5 seconds off my previous best race time, so I'm pretty pleased with that to say the least!! 

It was an incredibly fast day - quite a few R6 cup and British suprstock riders as well as lots of 600 and litre bikes from Bemsee/MRO classes.  I must admit it wasn't doing my confidence the world of good at the time, but seeing the laptimes has made me feel much better!!

( Jun 12 2006, 09:21:42 AM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink

Monday June 05, 2006

Two days at Cadwell - trackday report.

I think it's been nearing 2 years since the last time I went to Cadwell Park for a trackday. It seems like a lifetime ago in terms of how things are now – in my riding, my bike, my attitude, everything. My lasting memory of riding Cadwell previously was of absolutely pouring down rain, and riding very slowly round the track. Despite that, I had a good day, and I fully intended to ride there again. But it took until now for me to get round to it...

With a race weekend looming, Cadwell is the circuit I've had by far the least track time on, so I jumped at the chance of 2 consecutive days at the circuit a few weeks before the race. With so many complex corners I need all the practice I can get! Even better was that Loz and Nige were coming along, so I'd be able to ask for advice and tips.

We rolled up to the circuit only a short while after Loz and Nige, and set up with their big awning for the bikes, and our little awning as the food/social area behind it. Dinner and an early night, and I woke up feeling fresh, but oddly nervous. In fact, I felt kind of like it was a race weekend! I guess knowing how much work I'd need to get done to learn the track was a little daunting. Although I'd had the pleasure of riding all that time ago in the soaking conditions, this time was different – it felt to me like I'd almost be learning the circuit for the first time, as my approach now is so different to what it would have been then. Not to mention a different bike, a faster and more confident rider, and a total lack of torrential rain! The sun was well and truly out and forecast to stay that way all weekend – superb!

I was out in the inters group, as I didn't really want the pressure of the fast group while I was trying to learn the circuit. We went out for 3 incredibly slow, but useful in terms of remembering the track sighting laps, before getting out for our first session proper. And wow. What a tricky circuit!! I must admit I was fully ready for my usual strop at my lack of ability which usually lasts for the first two sessions of the morning, but I actually didn't feel too bad at all. I rode back to the paddock pretty much knowing where and what I wanted to work on, and feeling like I knew how to at least start with improving around the track. After completing two sessions I decided it would probably be a good move to get some instruction, so collared Phil, who I know from 400GreyBike and several other track days to show me round for a session. I followed him for 3 or four laps, and immediately picked up on some of the sections I wasn't doing right. He waved me by and followed for the rest of the session, and we pulled in for a debrief at the end. With lots of good pointers, and 3 or 4 key areas to work on, I was keen to get back out and try it all.

I'm getting much better at using track sessions to work on specific things – in the past I've found it really difficult to go out and concentrate on one thing – it always seemed to hard not to go out and just try and go fast everywhere, as stupid as that sounds. The first corner at Cadwell is a steep uphill left hander, which requires no braking, only a shift down to 5^th gear before tipping the bike in and driving it up the hill. I'd spent all morning braking for that corner, and I knew I'd have to brave it, and go in faster at some point. Oddly enough, it wasn't so much the corner entry speed that was bothering me. In my head changing down a gear is something you usually do while braking, so I was finding it unreasonably difficult to de-couple the two things and just kick it down into gear without touching the brakes. After a couple of 'settling in' laps in the whatever session it was I was out in, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and just do it. So with a wide open throttle in top gear I kicked it down and threw it into the corner. It stuck, although I missed the apex by miles, but I'd done it!! Grinning in my lid I just wanted to get round the rest of the lap to try it again!

I think I made a fair amount of improvement over the day Friday, and as the day drew to a close I knew what I wanted to work on the next day. Greg and I went for a walk round the track with Loz and Nige, and got some really excellent tips from them on the way round. It was very very helpful the next day when I got back out on track – thanks guys! James and Toby also turned up in the evening ready to ride the next day.

Saturday morning I was ready to get out there again. The nice thing about two days on the trot is that all that settling in time has been done the day before, so right from the first session I was ready to get out and on it, without having to work my way into a faster pace. I had another set of specific things I wanted to work on, which I did, and I definitely improved on them, although my lap times weren't really very good :o\ Having said that, I'd knocked off 4 seconds from the previous day, so at least I'd achieved something, but I'm still way off the pace I'd like to be for the race.

Half way through the morning, after a chat with James, I decided to go try out the suspension service, and see if he could dial out some of the problems I was having with front end judder under braking. He made quite a few adjustments, and showed me the difference in the front end which was quite amazing! It would appear I need some new fork internals ideally though, as the springs are pretty soft. I was looking forward to getting out and trying the new settings. They definitely improved the front under heavy braking although I was feeling like the back was skipping around a bit, so I went back to get him to tweak it again before the next outing. I wouldn't say it transformed my riding or anything, but the bike did feel more planted in places, and certainly steadier on the brakes. I'd say it was worth doing. It'll be interesting to see how it feels at Snetterton on Thursday, as there's some pretty hefty braking there too!

For many of the sessions I found myself in traffic – I wasn't the fastest in the group by any stretch but I certainly wasn't the slowest either. Knowing the best way to get past other riders when you don't know the circuit so well isn't too easy – even more so when the bike you're trying to get past is a 600 or 1000 bike! I went out for another session with Phil, the instructor, in the afternoon too, and he gave me some more very good tips which I tried to put into good effect in the last few sessions.

Greg had a good time too – he's finally starting to get to grips with his new SP2 and really starting to enjoy it. He was also helped by changing to a new set of tyres too which he liked a lot! Loz and Nige seemed to struggle with a lot of traffic in their group, which often stopped them from being able to put in the kind of laps they'd have liked. Although Loz managed to match her race pace in one of the sessions – great work there Loz, bodes really well for your race there!!

All in all it was a great couple of days with some good improvement – even if it wasn't as much as I'd have liked. It was great having some of the guys I race with there, and quite a few other 400s out on track too. I think I'm going to have to work very hard in the practice day before the race if I'm going to be where I want to be in the race though...

( Jun 05 2006, 09:58:58 AM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink

Sunday May 07, 2006

Trackday report - Brands Hatch Indy

Well Wednesday, the day before the trackday didn't start so well. I woke up feeling nauseous and dizzy and ended up spending the day at home off work feeling horribly unwell with a stomach bug  After sleeping pretty much all day, and not managing to eat anything, I crawled out of bed to help Greg load up to van, and we made our way to the Brands Thistle Hotel for the night, ready to be track side first thing. I was just praying I'd feel well enough to ride...

Thursday morning I managed to hold down some breakfast, but I still wasn't feeling too great, and very weak and feeble! Armed with lucozade and bottles of water we headed down to the track to get set up and meet up with everyone else. There was lots of us there this time - the first time in ages we've all been on track together: Loz, Nige, Conrad, Rob, Greg and I, and also Mav, Alex, Trix and Chris O'Donnell were all out for some fun. Even at 7.30 it was starting to get warm and the sun was shining - it was set to be a good day (even if I did feel rubbish!).

Out for the first session and I was feeling reasonably comfortable, my energy levels were very low though, and I was finding it particularly difficult hauling the bike about for the left-right of Surtees and McLaren. I kept getting my toes down everywhere too - which was just me not hanging off properly, I think just down to being being tired. I came back in after about 15 minutes, pretty exhausted already and absolutely boiling from the heat! I decided straight off that the thing that would need immediate work would be body position, or I'd end up on my arse. So next session out I did just that - kept the pace steady, but concentrated on hanging off, and without too many issues I got that sorted and was sailing round with only my knee on the deck.

So onto the next problem - my clutch was slipping  It was only doing it in 3rd or 4th and at around about 12k revs, but very annoying when trying to out-drive the big bikes out of clearways! I could kind of ride around it by shifting up early, but it was really annoying. Not a lot I could do about it at the circuit though, that will be what I'll be up to this weekend... Also my brakes seem to be having problems - no matter how much I bleed them they just won't seem to firm up at the lever. Rob spotted a kink in one of the braided hoses which might be the culprit, but again nothing I could do at the track, I'd need to spend some time sorting those out before next weekends races.

Naturally I got overtaken by Loz and Nige, along with Rob and Conrad - my plan had I been feeling a little better would have been to tag on the back and try my hardest to keep up. The few times the opportunity arrived early enough in the session for me to have enough energy to try I kept getting mugged by other traffic, making it difficult to carve my way though to stick to the back of them. Still, I had great fun trying, and had some good laps as a result. With Greg timing me for one of the sessions before lunch I managed to knock another 0.5 seconds off my best ever lap time around Brands! I was pretty surprised to be honest, I didn't feel like I was pushing or riding particularly well - but I think that's a good thing in a way - it didn't feel like it took a lot of effort, so I'm positive if I'd been pushing harder I could have done better. In the race even more so - I'm looking to shave off at least another second in the races next weekend.

As for everyone else? Well Greg was out on his SP2 for the first time – almost literally, apart from his ride home from the shop where he bought it! It was a very steep learning curve for him – a completely different engine configuration from the Blade and totally different characteristics all round, much better brakes and suspension, and a totally different seating position. He did really well though – it's a beast of a bike, I would have been far too scared to go out and ride something like that! He even managed to get his knee down for the first time!! Nice one!!  He also had some good battles out on track with Trix who was out on her SV650 – think they both had fun trying to catch each other!

Loz and Nige were both flying as usual, and any attempts by me to tag on the back of either of them failed miserably  I did get to watch some amusing battles between them both and Rob a couple of times though...made me chuckle! Rob was having a brilliant day – after fettling the suspension during the Mallory meeting he was finding the bike really planted and stable, and he came in from each session feeling more and more confident. Top stuff, and bodes really well for next weekends racing too! Conrad as well looked to be going really well – well, at least the few times I saw him momentarily after passing me and the disappearing off into the distance

All in all I think every one of us had a good day, even despite a few niggles with health, bikes and laps. There were smiles and laughs all round, beautiful weather, and a big bunch of mates doing something we all love doing, topped off by a drink in the bar before setting off home. It doesn't get much better than that.

( May 07 2006, 11:42:42 AM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink Comments [1]

Monday August 01, 2005

Snetterton – July 30^th 2005

Me, Greg, Loz, Nige, Conrad and Martyn

Pictures are online here

Friday night rush hour traffic on the M25, as expected, wasoutrageously slow, and it took us in the region of 3.5 hours to getto our hotel, about 5 minutes drive from the circuit. We'd given Nige a lift in the van, and we were the last to arrive, so we went straight to the restaurant to meet the others on arrival, where wetucked into a very welcome meal. Fed, watered and chattered out, wefound our way to our very small, but adequate rooms (or is that“bijou” ) and set the alarm for an early start.

Greg and I made it to the track for around 7am, and managed to bag a double garage for us all, unloaded the van and put the kettle on for a cuppa. Signed on, briefed, and just my luck, the inters group,which I'm in, is first out. Focused Events have started running 3 sighting laps for each group, so 3 laps out behind the instructor,and then back into the pits for the next group to do the same. I can sort of see why they do this, but for me, it meant that I had 3 laps out, then only maybe 10 minutes before I was out for my first session proper, meaning there was little point in putting the tyre warmers back on, and I went out on the session with cold tyres. I guess that probably wasn't the end of the world, given that I couldn't really remember a great deal about the circuit, and the sighting laps were too slow to get an idea of what gear to be in, and where to brake etc. So I spent the session finding my feet, trying to work it all out again. I overtook a few bikes, a few overtook me (only on the straights I might add , generally a pretty good outing. I found out that Martyn had been timing me on that session – but he wouldn't tell me my laptimes! I asked him whether I'd managed to beatmy times from last year – a best of 1:44...he justlaughed...that would be a yes then! Turns out I'd also already managed to hit my target for the day of 1:35. I found out later that I'd got a 1:33 – not bad for my first session, I was well pleased! I had to come up with a new target, so I plumped for 1:30s...

It was a big day for Loz too – she was trying out her new ZXR for the first time!  It's the orange older sibling of my ZXR, having both been bought from the same guy who used to race in the NG Road Racing Club.  It was great to see another bike just like mine whizzing round   I must admit, it looks fab, and very very fast out there!  Nice one Loz!  Conrad was also out for the first time since having the frame on the R6 straightened – that all seems to be a lot better with no complaints on the lefts now.  All good!

Being in the inters group turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. Ifound myself struggling to find space on the track – there were far too many straight line warriors who were ridiculously slow into the corners who would constantly be holding me up. If  I managed to overtake it became very difficult to make it stick as they'd just flypast on the power down the back straight. It's so frustrating!! I kept having to back off to let the guys holding me upget further ahead so I wouldn't keep running into them in the corners. That just made my laptimes slower and slower...it was rare to get a clear enough lap to put a proper flyer in. I had 2 sessions like that – in one of which I even managed my first ever stoppie due to people being so crap on brakes! I was getting seriously annoyed though, and was beginning to wonder if Ishould even bother going out. I made the decision to move up into the fast group, figuring that although I wasn't as fast as most of the riders, at least when they overtook me they'd do it and then be gone,rather than getting me on the straight and then just get in my way at the next corner.

Before my first session out in the fast group, in a very unfortunate turn of events, Nige managed to come off his bike after it started spewing out oil.  Thankfully the engine appears to be ok – or at least, it didn't blow up –but it's leaking from somewhere, and managed to spit him off after getting on the rear tyre.  Luckily he crashed at the slowest corner on the circuit, and he's fine, and the bike doesn't look too bad, cosmetically at least.  Greg and Martyn seemed to both be having a good day – Greg managed to get some great clear track in his group as it started to thin out in the afternoon, and he put in someblinding times in the low 1:30s!  Nice one Greg!  I did attempt to get some laptimes for Martyn, but my phone died – sorry mate :oS  

As well as finally giving me some clear track to work in, moving into the fast group gave me the chance to go out on track with Conrad, who kindly offered to follow me and give some instruction. He followed me for the first couple of laps, which I managed to carry out very raggedly ...! (not feeling the pressure at all then He then overtook me, and I followed his lines round for a few laps, then he waved me by to follow me....before he overtook again...and so on till the end of the session.  It was a great session!  I felt much more consistent, and Conrad managed to point out some areas I was going wrong actually while we were out on circuit, giving me a chance to try new lines out straight away.  When we came back in, we sat down and went through each corner in turn, and he pointed out places where I needed to improve and helped me understand how to achieve that.  My weakest spot, with most room for improvement was the Bombhole, where my line was well off, and, as Loz has pointed out to me before, I'm just notusing the whole track.  A few missed apexes on various corners round the track was also hindering me.  So, armed with some new info to take back out, I went out for my final session.  It would appear that I did in fact listen to what he was saying (I was certainly trying toget it right!), as Loz followed me for a lap or so, and said my line looked much better!  When I got home I wrote a load of stuff down to try and remember it for next time...I had so much good advice, I don't want to forget it!

So, laptimes then.  Thanks to everyone who timed me – I really appreciate it, and I'm sorry I wasn't better at returning the favour.  In the end I was putting in consistent 1:30s with a few 1:29s in as well.  So, I managed to hit my target!    Those laptimes put me in reasonably good stead for racing I think – looking at this year's rookie times I would have been top 10 in all 4 races (having said that the race there wasin March, was bloomin' freezing, and it was the first race of the year, but it gives me a rough idea).  If I can finish in the points I'd be absolutely ecstatic, so I'm certainly not disappointed in my performance.  It's only my second time on the circuit ever, and first on the ZXR, so there's loads of room and time for further improvement.

So as usual, thanks everyone for your help, especially Conrad for all your patience   Aside from anything else I had a great time – it's so cool being on a trackday with loads of mates.  Let's hope we can do it again soon!

( Aug 01 2005, 09:04:20 AM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink Comments [1]

Tuesday July 19, 2005

Trackday report - Brands Indy July 18th 2005 I've finally finished my trackday writeup - if you fancy a look, click here

( Jul 19 2005, 02:04:57 PM GMT+00:00 )

Permalink Comments [0]