Track Day virgin no more!

How do strangers!!!!

Sorry, been a bit quiet on this forum recently, wrist duly slapped and an admonishing finger waggled in my direction

As the subject suggests, no longer is my bike (and me) a track day virgin, our cherry has indeed been taken by the rather stunning circuit that is Donington Park! I'd entered that Bennetts competition a while back to win a track day with JT himself. Forgotten all about it until I got an e-mail on Friday saying whilst I hadn't won straight off, I was on the reserve list, phone this number now. Well sure enough I called, and the lady said "Yup, that's it, you're on the track day!!!". Now my nickname being what it is, I was slightly believing, so I did in fact call back a further 2 times that afternoon just to check.

Any who, yup, I was on the track day and so Monday I turned up to Donington Park at 7:30 in the morning (not a problem sleeping in that morning for some reason ) nerves eating my under crackers big time. After a light brekkie, in walks JT, along with Niall MacKenzie and then it was off to get tyres checked to make sure they're the right pressure. The kind bloke informs us that whereas road pressures should be around 32psi, track pressure should be 28-ish really. So I roll up on the Cat, and the technician tells me that my front actually needs air in it Back one was too high pressure for a track day, so at least one of my tyres was road worthy!!! First three laps are behind an instructor so nice and steady we leave the pits, and suddenly there we are at the might Craner Curves... Wow, wow, wow and f@ing wow! Rest of the circuit is fantastic, cut through Starkey's Bridge, keep out wide before coming in for Schwantz Curve, nice and steady through McLeans, then the double apex of Coppice, onto the long straight underneath where the Dunlop Bridge was before the heaven that is Foggy Esses. Melbourne Loop is wide and inviting before the corner that I got right only once the whole day and on that one occasion I was in the wrong gear , Goddards before we're on the Start Finish straight when 12,000rpm is on the cards before jumping on the front brake before Redgate....

Rest of the day was a blur, we managed 5 sessions of 20 minutes each, good mix with loads of us being first time ever on a track. Me and my Cat embarrassed an R1, he was pants at the corners but fairly brisk on the straight, rear tyre got proper snot on it and a grin the size of the Watford gap on my face! Got to chat to JT for a while, sodding nice bloke and feck me could he ride that new R1 (oh and it does sound as good as everyone says, I'm writing to Santa Claus for one for Xmas), he signed my leathers, even signed some lasses car she was that obsessed with him! Er yeah, she'd entered a competition to win a track day and doesn't own a bike, can't even ride... WHAT A WASTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No idea if this will work, but pictures of my day are on Facebook and I'm told that if I post this link, everyone can see it?

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If you can't see it, someone PM me and tell what I'm doing wrong!!!

Sure there's loads more stories from the day, but tbh I'm still buzzing about riding Donington before the F1 boys rip it up and bugger up what is an absolutely fantastic circuit.

(Un)Lucky Alf

Ooh just remembered one quality story from the day. Some journo from Performance bikes was there on some Triumph thing whilst his missus was on a Blade. Both were quick so and so's, so hats duly removed. On one of the last sessions, he takes his missus Blade out for a blast round the track. We soon hear that the session has been stopped due to someone going off the track in a bit of an extreme fashion.............. Yup, you already know who it is who went off! Front end of the blade was redesigned anyway, and fair play to her she didn't kill him in front of everyone!

nerves eating my under crackers big time"

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Nice one Andy glad you had a good day


Anymore pic's of the blond birds??????

Davie

Actually, just to even out the perving.................Anymore pics of James Toseland??








Ellie xxx :flower:

Glad you had a good time and have lost your virginity.

It is certainly an excellent circuit.

We had a Thundercats track day there a few years ago. What a great day that was. Apart from my little off at Goddards. I had been trying to get past an instructor for nearly 3 laps and the only way I was going to get him was to get the power on early coming out of Goddards and get a good run up the Pit straight (he was on a 600 and very good under braking and around the bends). Unfortunately, I got just a little too much power on just a little too early and the back end went away, speedway style, and off I was, on my backside sliding down the track after the bike. Fortunately, the crash protectors did their job and I had no damage at all to the fairings and minimal damage elsewhere. I was back out on track next session.

So, the question is, now you have broken your duck, are you going to do anymore?

Tony

Well, If they were dressed like that all day and it was cold, Im surprised you managed to get round the track in one piece Alf, let alone stay focussed and tear up your rear tyre!!



I wouldnt be so shallow, I wouldnt be drooling over JT at all!!...... I'd be riding pillion, clinging on to JT like a cheap backpack!!


Ellie

Cracking day out and review, never done a track day myself ~ good see that a Cat can still boogie!

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topcatbones wrote:So, the question is, now you have broken your duck, are you going to do anymore?

Oh yes, too right I will! Small matter of finding the cash for it, and I think to save on the miles I'll be looking at Oulton Park given its a bit closer than Donington!

That sounds like an amazing day.

Well done fella

looks like a fantastic day - not sure if I'm up for a trackday yet though. at least not on my own bike! Would be too scared of binning it to really enjoy myself.

(and would definitely have been too distracted to focus on the track :lol3: )