Going Racing

[Fast Eddie]

That is the first practice done and I was getting faster each lap although nowhere near the front, still this is my first ever road race and I want to be at the Beezumph next weekend (sorry Nigel). The practice wasn't without incident, it was red flagged because somebody came to grief at one of the chicanes, he was on his hands and knees when I went past so not too bad.

So that is it, 5 laps of practice and then at 13:00 tomorrow my first race on a 4.5 Km closed public road, doesn't seem enough practice to me but that is how it is over here.

More later.

Indeed Ralph, 5 laps ain’t a lot !

Here’s something for you, do with it what you wish. I was gonna do the IOM at one time and my sponsor / mentor, Dave Degens offered this advice:
Focus on remembering and learning the slow corners.
Sounds counter intuitive right?
His logic was that the faster bits kinda take care of themselves cos you go as fast as you can. It’s the sudden change of pace for the slow bits that can catch you out.
I never did the IOM in the end (chickened out) so can’t vouch for the above advice !
And fly the THC flag at Beezumph for us mate...

 

[Chris]

Hi Ralph
I am with Eddie. Don't try & race. Ie go fast. Concentrate on the corners learn the course build up your knowledge. Most of all enjoy. Coming unstuck is not an option.

Chris

 

[acotrel]

Winton Raceway has 12 corners and 3 moderately long straights in 3 Km, if you are using the extended circuit. Right over the back of the circuit there are three corners which lead into a very tight hairpin bend. If you can get around the hairpin bend very fast, the rest of the circuit is a soda. All you need to do is practise braking up to the corners from high speed and getting on the gas earlier coming out, and you will be fast everywhere. On that circuit, I only have to look at a corner as I approach it, and I know immediately whether I can get around safely. It is not rocket science. You will find that as you race more, you will become more relaxed and the speeds will seem slower. Phillip Island is different - it is a big circuit and your bike winds up forever. It feels lovely, but any crash is a real biggie. So my advice is to stick with the small stuff for a while.

 

[acotrel]

About your 5 laps of practice. I raced fairly regularly for about 12 years when I was a kid. These days it takes me about 5 laps of Winton Raceway to get up to about 90 % of race speed. To get the other 10% would take me a 3 day race meeting with three rides and two practice sessions. Speed is relative - on long straights, my brain goes into neutral. On a modern bike, that would probably be different, but the corners are always the same. Nigel's comment about coming down from high speed is correct. Where most guys crash is when braking into a corner. If you get into a corner too hot, always remember other guys have gone around there faster.

 

[Moto55UK]

Hi Ralph, I know its a bit late and any sensible racer is well tucked up in bed by now, but your post reminds me of some advice I was given years ago when contemplating the Manx GP a friend of Mine ,and TT rider said " Dont worry about it, ride it like your late for work!"
whether that helps you or not is up to you ,but he did win the Chimay 200 back in 83.
Have a good nights rest and tomorrow give it your best and have fun.
P.S is that house with the red light to the front just down the road from the paddock still there?

 

[acotrel]

Riding in traffic on public roads when late for work, is worse than any road race situation. I am never afraid when road racing.

 

[storm42]

Thanks guys, all sage advice.

Al, definitely No.1 If you look at the track on the Chimay Classic website you would think it is just 4 drag strips, I now know thinking like that is wrong. The first corner is OK and logical, the first chicane (the one on the left isn't used) on the right up the long straight was a traffic jam and I hope that doesn't happen in the race, the next corner is a blind right and if your braking isn't done and you are lent over before you see it then the field there looks very close very quick (don't ask how i know that) a short straight leads into another chicane which isn't too bad and out of there it is into a right that I am not sure if I could take it flat, this is followed by another sweeping right and I am fairly sure I will not need to roll it off there, it is then down hill to the worst chicane on the track, in is bumpy and out is just crap. It is then flat round the next left and right and down to my favourite corner a 90 left that is cambered and drops onto the start-finish straight.

Nigel, it looks like today is a qualifying day, the tannoy is mostly French or Flemish and inaudible most of the time so I am just winging it.

Dave was right I think, it is the entry to the slower corners where I will gain most of my time.

I have been riding this bike every weekend for about a month now and although it still doesn't feel like my bike yet I am learning, hopefully the Tridents won't know what has hit them



Chris, the roads are where I wanted to be so the enjoyment is natural and you are right coming unstuck is definitely not an option, I am videoing it and will post some when I get a WiFi connection, the track is lined with armco.

Mike, obviously I will answer the important question first, I haven't seen any red lights on the houses round here.

I did read this last night just after you had posted, I am a bit of a night owl, my first outing today is after lunch so the late night was not a problem.

Late for work!!!! how about late for the pub, wouldn't that be quicker?

Bugger, just starting to rain.

 

[trident sam]

I have been riding this bike every weekend for about a month now and although it still doesn't feel like my bike yet I am learning, hopefully the Tridents won't know what has hit them

Hmmmn

 

[Fast Eddie]

I have been riding this bike every weekend for about a month now and although it still doesn't feel like my bike yet I am learning, hopefully the Tridents won't know what has hit them

Don’t forget Ralph, there’ll be quite a few of them-there pesky Tridents at Cadwell matey. Beware their group formation tactics... surround you and blind you with thick smokescreen...

Sorry I can’t be there to be your wing man... maybe next year...

 

[storm42]

Hmmmn

Are you going to the Beezumph ?

 

[storm42]

Don’t forget Ralph, there’ll be quite a few of them-there pesky Tridents at Cadwell matey. Beware their group formation tactics... surround you and blind you with thick smokescreen...

Sorry I can’t be there to be your wing man... maybe next year...

There was a couple of real quick ones last year in Wales, they were playing with a KTM and an R1.

 

[storm42]

That’s qualifying over and although I have knocked another 4 seconds off, I am still way down in 27th.

Another red flag stopped us and probably just as well, a Moto Martin thing passed me and I took the opportunity to speed up and learn something, and what I learned was the grass is slippy, not the end of the world and I would say it was always going to be the corner that would cause me a problem. Anyway got back on the track and won’t be going so quick round there again, lesson learned.

1st race tomorrow at 10:15.

 

[SteveA]

That’s qualifying over and although I have knocked another 4 seconds off, I am still way down in 27th.

Another red flag stopped us and probably just as well, a Moto Martin thing passed me and I took the opportunity to speed up and learn something, and what I learned was the grass is slippy, not the end of the world and I would say it was always going to be the corner that would cause me a problem. Anyway got back on the track and won’t be going so quick round there again, lesson learned.

1st race tomorrow at 10:15.

I remember on my first visit to Gedinne I improved around 5 to 7 seconds a lap over each session/race.....I started pretty cautiously and I was pleased with that, but then a bit disappointed when it didn't work like that on my second visit!

Running with more modern bikes don't worry about 27th! Stay safe!

 

[trident sam]

Are you going to the Beezumph ?

Yep.
Going on Wednesday . will be on my purple Mk 3 Commando Roadster, come and say hello.
My mate will be on his quick T140, he's on the track but not sure what class.
sam

 

[storm42]

I remember on my first visit to Gedinne I improved around 5 to 7 seconds a lap over each session/race.....I started pretty cautiously and I was pleased with that, but then a bit disappointed when it didn't work like that on my second visit!

Running with more modern bikes don't worry about 27th! Stay safe!

Hi Steve, not in the least bit worried about being 27th, it is about what I expected. I strung 3 laps together at about 2:16 and it looks like that is my pace for now as I cannot really identify where I will make up much more time, I know where I need to be a lot tidier and I guess that might give me a second or two but I think I have found my level. Still a lot to learn.

A big relief is, I have done both sessions on one tank of fuel and that means I should get to the end of the race.

 

[storm42]

Yep.
Going on Wednesday . will be on my purple Mk 3 Commando Roadster, come and say hello.
My mate will be on his quick T140, he's on the track but not sure what class.
sam

Will do, we will probably arrive Thursday as I work Wednesdays.

 

[trident sam]

Thursday ride out looks great.
Visiting Just Jane the Lancaster, and watching the old war bird taxi down the run way.
Really looking forward to it, ride out begins @12.15 from Cadwell.
sam

 

[storm42]

Thursday ride out looks great.
Visiting Just Jane the Lancaster, and watching the old war bird taxi down the run way.
Really looking forward to it, ride out begins @12.15 from Cadwell.
sam

I believe you can ride in Just Jane on those taxi runs, for a fee of course. Cannot go on the ride out as I won’t have a road bike there. Bugger.

 

[acotrel]

Always remember, there is no disgrace in going slow. In fact I once knew a guy who got a 12th in the Senior TT, on the IOM with a Triumph 500 in 1948. He said to me 'when you start racing, it is a good idea to force yourself to go slow, and get faster slowly'. He used to work for the Triumph factory and was involved in making the first splayed port heads. His name was Baldo Meli. Another experienced rider told me 'you need a lot of racing miles under your belt and the bike has to do something for you'. In later years, I really discovered the truth in that with my Seeley 850 - it is a really good ride. A good bike makes a good rider, a bad bike teaches you how to crash safely. When Mike Hailwood started racing, his daddy bought him a Mondial, NOT some shit heap.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Thursday ride out looks great.
Visiting Just Jane the Lancaster, and watching the old war bird taxi down the run way.
Really looking forward to it, ride out begins @12.15 from Cadwell.
sam

Now you’re just saying that to make me feel EVEN worse about missing out this year !