Print Page - NESBA Road America Track Days

Shut off your brain.

That is exactly what one needs to do to run RA fast. You need to shut off your brain and turn on your trust and instincts. Trust your instincts...you already know how to ride or you wouldn't be here. Trust your bike. You can't outride it or your tires, only your own ability.
And most importantly, turn on your balls.

You are in a full tuck and coming up on the end of the pit lane on the front straight. You glance down at the speedo which indicates 178mph...optimistic but also a stark wakeup call that you are make the beast with two backsing flying! You look ahead to pick out your turn-in point and instantly a brief milli-second of target fixation overcomes you as you stare headlong into a tire wall and concrete barricade getting inexplicably larger at an inconceivable pace. You have to force your brain to remain off because if you don't...you will think about this fact. And you will go off the track.

There are no brake markers per say for turn 1. Just 3 sets of orange cones...3...2...1. At 1, you are 100% ready and commited for turn in. Speedo indicates 95mph and you again have to force your brain off...you CAN indeed take this corner that fast. Your brain don't know shit.
Nail the apex...the fast guys are dragging their knees here...me...I don't need to.
The corner exit ideally should be right on the verge of the rumble strip. As much as I hate the speed of this corner, it is my most consistant and confidence inspiring turn of the whole circuit.

Hard on the throttle, driving out of turn one, up to about 120 between 1 and 3 (turn 2 is an inperceptable kink between 1 and 3) and then hard on the brakes for turn-in to turn 2. Down hill turns are always so much fun because you feel like you are going too fast even when you aren't going fast enough.

Driving out of turn 3, you are now on the second 6th gear straight at RA. Tuck and go. Ignore brake marker 4 and 5 for turn 5(turn 4 is another of those almost non-existant kinks on the straight between 3 and 5) and start braking and banging your 4 downshifts at marker 3. Bend it into turn 5 and relax...you will hit the rumble strip partially leaned over but roll with it...turn off the brain...turn on the balls.

Up the hill to blind left handed 6. You can carry some prettu good speed through this turn and drive hard out to 7 which is another good corner to carry speed through.

Down the hill to turn 8. 3rd gear...tell your brain to shut up and that third gear fast is perfect for turn 8.

Rocket out of turn 8 and settle in for a brief snooze. The carousel takes forever but at 95mph, it feels fantastic. Good time to rest your right arm on the outside of the tank, take in some scenery...think to yourself that there is too little gravel trap between the track edge and the wall...then smack yer brain back off. Stupid brain.

Exiting the Carousel, you see a short straight and then the chicane. Second gear...50 to 60 mph...knee on the deck on both sides...exit the chicane and you find yourself tucked in and enjoying the scenery of the Kettle Bottoms. 6th gear straight number 3.

Slight kink at the tail end of Kettle Bottoms reveals the --> then 4 brake markers for Canada Corner. Far and away my favorite and best corner of all of Road America. Exit is awesome and a slight right hand kink going up the hill to turn 13.

Turn the brain off...13 is bumpy as make the beast with two backs towards the outside...don't panic if you ride it wide, just act like they are REALLY wide rumble strips...13 is another corner i do really well. Only blew it once and I was so far ahead that even going off into the grass, the corner workers waved me back onto the track.

Short little straight over the Kohler Tunnel into turn 14...turn off the brain, turn on the balls. Make sure you are in 3rd gear exiting 14 or even the 600s are going to run away from you while trying to get the revs up.

Throttle pinned up the hill...hit 4th just before the crest and your front may even get an inch or two of air time...continue to hold it WFO and blast past the start finish line giggling like an imbecile into your helmet as the speedo clicks off 140...150...160...170...

And THAT is a lap of Road America.
Got to say, I will be pushing NESBA as much as I can to have more events there. The place is wicked fast, the surface is mostly incredible and the people are out of this world.

Make sure you swing into Elkhart Lake for Dinner at Siebkens. Heck, you might as well just get one of the condos for the weekend. The place and history are out of this world.

Ducati Monster Forum

Moto Board => Racing & Trackdays => Topic started by: ZLTFUL on June 14, 2009, 06:02:04 PM