Sounds like a primary school homework project!!!!?????
...and judging by my ability - should be!!!!
Nah - actually I had an awesome time
Drove up the night before with R1FAN and the girls, through driving rain, bravely thinking it wasn't gonna be that bad in the wet!
I have blanked out the previous few hours - where I was frantically trying to get my ZXR400 trackworthy!!!
Had been working on it with Mad Mat (Well....he worked...I watched!!!) for the past few days.... and one hour before we were due to go....put on the tank....fired it up....to he sound of gushing petrol....huge hole in the tank!!!
A few SOS calls to Mat.....some trusty Liquid Metal and a Bolt....and hole fixed.... put tank back on.....fuel tap diaphram leaking!!!!.....tank off....managed to fix it (sort of!) with about 5 mins to spare.
R1FAN saw the fuel trail from my bike and told me they wouldn't let it on the track....I threw my teddies in a corner...and R1FAN let me put both my bikes on his trailer!!!!
Anyways.... met up with 52K, Ghostie, Laura, Guy (and his ASBO's) and Westy11 at the hotel for a late night drinking session in the bar.... Ghostie making an excellent barman!!!!
Early start and a short drive to the track....which found the Pit Garages full of AWOL riders who had got there bright and early!!! We parked up in the paddock and got the bikes unloaded.
Briefing was over breakfast - and I was feeling a bit nervous about the trackday... and the fact that I hadn't seen my bike actually move yet!!!!
Mad Mat came to the rescue again and took it out in the first (fast group) session.... came back in with a huge grin on his face....saying that he had just dusted up a geezer on an R7.... had his knee down everywhere....and that the bike had now been officially tested!!!!
I was a bit freaked at the first session as I had never ridden the bike before....or in fact anything smaller than a 1000 for about 15 years!!!!.... and have never been on a track before!
The first novice session was a short "no overtaking" session - which I really appreciated....as I could see where the bigger bikes were faster....and where I could catch up.....getting used to the fact I had brakes for once....and the engine braking etc....
2nd Session.... my bike wouldn't start..... Jon Stamps came to the rescue and bumped it for me..... and I had a great time on the track....taking it very easy (that means slow!!!!) and trying to work out where all the engine breaking had gone!!!! (not like the 1100!!!)... and trying to learn the circuit...which is hard when you have a memory and attention span like mine!!!!
3rd Session..... my bike wouldn't start....bumped it (cheers Jon!).... but noticed in the pit lane that it was pissing fuel again from the carbs..... Mat suggested I drain the carbs (cheers Bro!)...and Ghostie, Madbiker and Fredy acted as pit crew for me getting the carbs sorted!!! (Cheers guys!)..... missed the first lap - which was red flagged.... but managed to get out after the re-start..... almost made it to the end of the session.....came up to the hairpin..... went a bit wide to avoid a slower rider (think it was the only slower rider out there!!!!)....then for some bizarre reason...started thinking about lunch....must have tapped the front brake (not a good idea)..... and found myself "testing" the Tarmac (yep....I confirmed it was hard!!!!)
Got a taxi back in the ambulance.....and when I came outa the medical unit...was excellent to see evryone waiting there to see how I was... a real "family" day..... got up to the pit garages to have my bike delivered by MadBiker (cheers Bro!)
Went out for the session after lunch.... and then decided to call it a day.....
...I had achieved everything I set out to do.....and didn't want to spoil it by being over-tired (mentally!! - Not Hard!!!) and ditching the bike again
Was really surprised with the amount of concentration it takes out there!!
Had a brilliant day....was excellent to be amongst so many friends.... and was great to see how everone supported each other so much....from fixing bikes....to looking after each other....was a really "safe" feeling.
Thanks to Mat, R1FAN, 52K, Mad Biker, Westy11 and Alex for looking after me
I am now totally hooked on track days....can't wait for the next one
Have posted a "personal" day gallery in the Public Gallery section
Thats great! i'm really proud of you! you had a full day race expirience! ing,witout the qualify, starting grid and ................ but you had a brolly babe and a mechanic, you ve been intructed and you ve met everyone inclusive marshals and doctors..........was good for you i saw i smile in your face when you falled off! good publicity to keep your phylosophy!!!!!
me day is great!!!!! starting by staples corner at 5 15. was me and the seagals from the dump next door. was it seagals? anyway then sparky arrived, then viny arrived.............then the problems started, apparrently a group left already by 5 15 and there was no way to know that till we had waited to exactly 5 45 and we left.motorway.......... cold wet dump a mess really but not for me or for sparky, vinny forgot his keys somewhere that looks his waterproofs somewhere, i said, let;s go vinny the rain is just in london out side is sunny and beautifull like a summers day. there we go, on the way vinny stops at a gas station and tell me that hes fucking freezing he needs a break. he realised that hes pillion seat was gone, at the same moment that vinny stoped sparky passed trough. i said vinny you have a break and i will go and stop sparky and we meet a couple miles i the hard sholder. Till i told vinny that sparky was miles in front already....................... but i got him yes i really trottled around 155 with my ass and license on the line, i normally don't go over 100 on the motoways i got six points already. anyway me and sparky waiting for vinny arrive. vinny arrived and told me he needs petrol, i look to him in disbelive, and didn't want to worse things by saying haven't you just left a petrol station? anyway just a mile after that we saw a van downloading a bike in the hard sholder couldn't belive my eyes but had to be awols , then panny pass us like a rocked and we got really piss off with him showing off like that on hes dark vaider gixer and me and sparky went after him and lost vinny...........................we got to the track and few minutes after vinny arrived giving me the bollox for not waiting for him even tho i gave my jumper to him and he left on a cone outside , not mentioning that i was the lucky one that found his bike keys by the bar
he din't even knew he lost yet, i saved the hard attack....anyway i love vinny but that they he shold got out of bed and now i really feel guilty for not telling him that in the morning.anyway first session loved the track style small but fast, went across the grass at the s's but no harm done, second session was even better really tyre scraband feeling the grip better, miss third session for a trip to the village where there was this girl............but thats another story...... fourth session start to get really confident on gerrards and getting fast, byt he end of the day i was crusing at 1m9s a lap, and thats not bad indeed as sparky was on a fire blade 1m5s and he was fast, i had a greatday till the end when we need to go home, panny was like a girl on her period, LES GO FREDY LETSGO FREDY , fredy was too slow for panny and panny fecked off alone
anyway at the motorway we meet panny in a gas station and we kissed and got better, went to the ace for dinned was harley davison night with loads of harley chicks (LESBOS) not all of them and now i feel great except my stiff kneck, groin pain, margerine rists can't even hold my dick to pee,nah just joking but i know someone that feels that way Thanks to all that put this together....... and special thanks
