First trackday on the Falco - Saturday 16-06
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:31 pm
Well... the weather was sh*te - infact it started raining just as we pulled into the paddock area at Donnington. Somewhat wisely, I decided to rent a trailer on Thursday as the weather forecast for the area (and Manchester) was decidedly dodgy!
Well, I guess I did the right thing, because I arrived dry and fresh, whereas most who rode to the track started wet. Not nice.
Arriving at Donnington, I was somewhat alarmed, as most of the world's best racers would be arriving in the same paddock this week. Boy - what a dump. Looked like I was driving into a council tip. Anyhow, that's a different topic.
After a bacon buttie and copious mugs of tea, we had our riders briefing, who told us that the novices group (us) would be first out at 08:45. So off to the garages to unload the bike and fettle. Get changed. Get loosened up. Then nothing. It rained, and rained some more. We were told at 10:00 that they would make a decision at 10:30. At 11:00 they told us they would make a decision at 11:30. At 11:45 they told us to take an early lunch and check at 12:45. And it kept on raining.
At 1:00 we were told to line up in the pit lane for our sighting lap. Out we went in the pissing rain.
I did two sighting laps, and one further lap and came in, deeming it too dangerous. Everybody else came in on the next lap as there were a number of casualties (bikes in the gravel). Anyhow, they carried on with the next groups.
Many people decided not to risk their machines (one guy in our garage with a particularly tasy RSVR with tyre warmers and custom everything, didn't want to risk his bike) and went home.
Then the sun came out, track dried, result... half the number of track day-ers on a shit-hot track, so I really enjoyed it in the end. Not enough laps, but brilliant fun. No photographs to take home, I didn't break my knee-down cherry (mainly because I'm too old to get it down), but the Falco did well and I did manage to pass other bikes on the track.
Can't wait for the next one!!!!
[/i]
Well, I guess I did the right thing, because I arrived dry and fresh, whereas most who rode to the track started wet. Not nice.
Arriving at Donnington, I was somewhat alarmed, as most of the world's best racers would be arriving in the same paddock this week. Boy - what a dump. Looked like I was driving into a council tip. Anyhow, that's a different topic.
After a bacon buttie and copious mugs of tea, we had our riders briefing, who told us that the novices group (us) would be first out at 08:45. So off to the garages to unload the bike and fettle. Get changed. Get loosened up. Then nothing. It rained, and rained some more. We were told at 10:00 that they would make a decision at 10:30. At 11:00 they told us they would make a decision at 11:30. At 11:45 they told us to take an early lunch and check at 12:45. And it kept on raining.
At 1:00 we were told to line up in the pit lane for our sighting lap. Out we went in the pissing rain.
I did two sighting laps, and one further lap and came in, deeming it too dangerous. Everybody else came in on the next lap as there were a number of casualties (bikes in the gravel). Anyhow, they carried on with the next groups.
Many people decided not to risk their machines (one guy in our garage with a particularly tasy RSVR with tyre warmers and custom everything, didn't want to risk his bike) and went home.
Then the sun came out, track dried, result... half the number of track day-ers on a shit-hot track, so I really enjoyed it in the end. Not enough laps, but brilliant fun. No photographs to take home, I didn't break my knee-down cherry (mainly because I'm too old to get it down), but the Falco did well and I did manage to pass other bikes on the track.
Can't wait for the next one!!!!
[/i]
