Going Racing

[SteveA]

Oh!, and if you had been through Hall Bends when the iron pedestrian bridge was still there you wouldn't consider not rolling off....and then you would arrive at the hairpin with the stone wall in front of little old lady's cottage on the exit! I got it completely sideways there once in the snow at Easter!

Charlie used to have to pay for the old lady to go visit relatives when they used the full circuit in those days, which is why the full circuit was really only used on Bank Holiday Mondays.

 

[Chris]

Ralph you are going really well.
Steves right circuits change, good riders change with them.
Personally I can't ride Snetterton don't enjoy it anymore. totally ruined. However new circuit to you!
At Cadwell I always went down a gear at Coppice until 3 triples shot past without changing down. Stick it in top & let the hill take it back. It changes everything to Park.
Chris Curve to Gooseneck great. Shite through the Gooseneck, Mansfield & the poxy chicane which buggered the drive to the bottom of the Mountain.
Keep enjoying it you are going great.
Can't wait to finally get out.

All the best Chris

 

[Moto55UK]

"Will have to be quicker in the race in September. "

I'm sure you will be Ralph, But dont overthink it, make sure your wearing your BRAVE BOY pants and have some fun!

In the race there's no need to be too courteous when coming up against slower riders! leave them some room , but not too much .

P.S the go pro seems to flatten out the height of the Mountain, I remember it being a big scary wall of tarmac, mind you I was usually sitting on my arse looking up at it, never could get the bottom of the mountain right!

 

[storm42]

Equally Chris Curve to Mansfield, keep changing up whilst cranked over and run out wide, the bugger is judging when to come in to the first apex and get best drive down the hill!. A lot of people seem to just coast from the Gooseneck to Mansfield?

People tell me Pau Arnos is good. Will need to do some excercise between now and then, like the gardening I have been doing this week.

I have entered the VMA races and the FIME races, so with testing/familiarisation on the Friday a potential 2 hours 40 minutes plus of track time! That is a lot for a pensioner!

I find there is a dip in the track at the apex of the turn down the hill to Mansfield, upsets the bike so that is why it looks like I miss the apex there.

2 hours 40, and it looks like there are a lot of high speed direction changes, 3 Weetabix for you in the morning.

 

[storm42]

Oh!, and if you had been through Hall Bends when the iron pedestrian bridge was still there you wouldn't consider not rolling off....and then you would arrive at the hairpin with the stone wall in front of little old lady's cottage on the exit! I got it completely sideways there once in the snow at Easter!

Charlie used to have to pay for the old lady to go visit relatives when they used the full circuit in those days, which is why the full circuit was really only used on Bank Holiday Mondays.

I remember the full track being a rare treat, I don't remember the cottage or the bridge though, mind as that part of the track didn't get used much we didn't go up there.

I do remember a wood hut and a pie lady though.

 

[storm42]

Ralph you are going really well.
Steves right circuits change, good riders change with them.
Personally I can't ride Snetterton don't enjoy it anymore. totally ruined. However new circuit to you!
At Cadwell I always went down a gear at Coppice until 3 triples shot past without changing down. Stick it in top & let the hill take it back. It changes everything to Park.
Chris Curve to Gooseneck great. Shite through the Gooseneck, Mansfield & the poxy chicane which buggered the drive to the bottom of the Mountain.
Keep enjoying it you are going great.
Can't wait to finally get out.

All the best Chris

Like you say it is all new to me, I am enjoying it, the good and the bad.

When are you out next Chris ?

 

[storm42]

there's no need to be too courteous when coming up against slower riders! leave them some room , but not too much .

P.S the go pro seems to flatten out the height of the Mountain, I remember it being a big scary wall of tarmac, mind you I was usually sitting on my arse looking up at it, never could get the bottom of the mountain right!

The courteous riding comes from learning the tracks at parade events I guess, I will learn.

That hill is steep but I still cannot get my head round how far Josh Brookes fly's when he goes up there, they must get massive grip from their tires to accelerate that much.

Are you going to the Three Sisters?

 

[Moto55UK]

Josh brookes is a god! mere mortals cant do that ,can they.
sorry not going to Three sisters i Have work commitments . I am at Donnington this weekend parading a 500 manx Norton, there's lovely!

 

[Chris]

Hi Ralph

Loading the van. Donington hopefully
Chris

 

[SteveA]

Hi Ralph

Loading the van. Donington hopefully
Chris

Have a great weekend Chris. Might have to come next year!

 

[storm42]

Yep, ditto that, hope you and Mike have a good weekend.

 

[Bernhard]

"Will have to be quicker in the race in September. "

I'm sure you will be Ralph, But dont overthink it, make sure your wearing your BRAVE BOY pants and have some fun!
In the race there's no need to be too courteous when coming up against slower riders! leave them some room , but not too much .
P.S the go pro seems to flatten out the height of the Mountain, I remember it being a big scary wall of tarmac, mind you I was usually sitting on my arse looking up at it, never could get the bottom of the mountain right!

The trick is to keep to the left on the left hander at the bottom of the mountain, then as you flick the bike right at the apex you are turning the throttle on for the climb up the mountain, everybody thinks if they drift out wide at the left hander it is quicker, it is not.

 

[xbacksideslider]

Gosh, I wish I could join this conversation. I love talking through turns and bumps and apexes and such with guys who also know the course. And then comparing who and what bike and figuring out why! And then when anew guy shows up with fresh ideas and shows us all a new trick, just in one spot, that’s worth a bike length!

 

[acotrel]

When I start racing on an unfamiliar circuit, I work at braking up into the corners and getting onto the gas earlier coming out, as smoothly as possible. I let the race line take care of itself - the shortest distance between the corners. I don't like blind corners, because my bike self-steers when gassed if cranked over and I always have to have my head where the bike is going to end up as it leaves the corners. It is like going shooting with a shot gun.

 

[storm42]

The trick is to keep to the left on the left hander at the bottom of the mountain, then as you flick the bike right at the apex you are turning the throttle on for the climb up the mountain, everybody thinks if they drift out wide at the left hander it is quicker, it is not.

That is how I try to do it, it is a bit like the chicanes at Chimay but for some reason it is easier at the bottom of the mountain, more intuitive.

 

[storm42]

Gosh, I wish I could join this conversation. I love talking through turns and bumps and apexes and such with guys who also know the course. And then comparing who and what bike and figuring out why! And then when anew guy shows up with fresh ideas and shows us all a new trick, just in one spot, that’s worth a bike length!

What I like is how the guys that can, are willing to tell those of us that cannot, where we can improve. It helps a lot.

 

[storm42]

When I start racing on an unfamiliar circuit, I work at braking up into the corners and getting onto the gas earlier coming out, as smoothly as possible. I let the race line take care of itself - the shortest distance between the corners. I don't like blind corners, because my bike self-steers when gassed if cranked over and I always have to have my head where the bike is going to end up as it leaves the corners. It is like going shooting with a shot gun.

That is a slight problem here. Because the race weekends are so well supported, there isn't a lot of non race time, with the BHR I think we get a 10 minute practice before the racing starts so it is more a case of finding out which way the track goes rather than learning the intricacies. It was the same at Chimay for the road race, one practice session and one qualifying and then into the race, which for me was the next day.

It makes being competitive at new tracks for me like Darley Moor, Lydden and Chimay unrealistic. The fact I got a win at Darley and a 6th at Chimay tell you more about the track and my bike than it does about my riding ability. The bike is good and fast, and those tracks have long straights.

Cannot explain the 2nd at Lydden though.

 

[storm42]

Was sorting the bike for the up coming race at The Three Sisters this weekend and amongst the jobs on the list was new tires. I am changing from the Continentals I have used all season to Avons. When I picked up the Avon front with the Continental, I thought it was a lot lighter, out came the scales and the Avon is 1080gm lighter, that is the best part of 2.4 lbs in real money. This has got to help my change of direction issues.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Was sorting the bike for the up coming race at The Three Sisters this weekend and amongst the jobs on the list was new tires. I am changing from the Continentals I have used all season to Avons. When I picked up the Avon front with the Continental, I thought it was a lot lighter, out came the scales and the Avon is 1080gm lighter, that is the best part of 2.4 lbs in real money. This has got to help my change of direction issues.

Bugger... there goes my advantage that I’d hoped you’d not cottoned on to ..!

 

[SteveA]

If you are using Avons you need the 90/90 AM26 to improve steering, and much as I hate to admit it, since I also use 130 rears on my Rickman, you would turn faster with a 110 rear!