SoCal Trackdays - Archive

[joekarati]

8/23 then.

I'm just sayin'.

[gm2]

The Streets is for children.

Big Track would be good for a change, but I'm beginning to like the Streets so I don't care.

....  


f you haters.  streets is neverending fun.  but yeah, i want to suck less at the big track.

sun 8/31 should be out.  we'll all probably either be at a BBQ or be recovering from a BBQ.

mon 9/29: no can do mondays.. and yeah, too close to 10/03

so wtf, 8/23 is fine with me.  apparently we are perfecting this summer in the desert thing


*note that 8/23 is a fastrack event: you have to have your oil plug safety wired.  because if it comes loose and dumps oil all over the track, at least that way you won't lose the plug at the same time.

...and you have to suffer through the rider's meeting.  and i do mean suffer.  but i'm still down.

[derby]

HA!  I just realized... 8/31... I'm an idiot.  Of course, it'll be the mother of all hangovers...

i'm sure we'll still be drinkin since most people don't have to work that monday.

[Gus Duc]

I know JC can't wait to get back on the Big Track after his last expierence

[gm2]

I know JC can't wait to get back on the Big Track after his last expierence

...?

[arai_speed]

Oh well...8/23 is out of the question for me...next time.

[Gus Duc]

I know JC can't wait to get back on the Big Track after his last expierence

I remember stories of a long boring meeting, numerous blownt motors & crashes &not enough time on the track...... did I remeber correctly

[joekarati]

Yes, it sucked IMO, thanks for reminding me...

I might still go though...

[gm2]

I remember stories of a long boring meeting, numerous blownt motors & crashes &not enough time on the track...... did I remeber correctly

oh yeah.  but that was the experience for all of us...  i thought you were referring to some JC-centric issue.  not just who made the most noise about it.  =)

[gm2]

so no other masochists in the group?

[SteveG]

It's only supposed to be 96 or so I think... I just found a steering box for the truck (riding to south LA in the morning to pick it up, should be fun...), but it's not going to be fixed before the weekend. Looking forward to whichever that other one is that we signed up for, though

[joekarati]

SO, HOW WAS IT?

[gm2]

let's see...

weather was nearly perfect.  cooler than other trips out there this summer.  completely comfortable in the pits and not at all bad on track.

this was ryan's first trip to the big track since dec '06 when he crashed in T8 and broke all 4 appendages.. maybe he'll comment on what it was like to be back.  from my perspective, you'd never know he'd been gone.  stupid fast.. tho supposedly seconds slower than his rookie-of-the-year'ish former self.  he was still passing lots of folks and re-passing the liter bikes in the corners after they blew by on the straight.  that guy knows that track!

i started out the day in A group with ryan and was riding like an idiot.  stiff, fighting the bike, hating every inch of the track and having zero fun.  2nd session was worse than the first, being passed by damn near the entire field, including ryan lapping me.  riding like a retard.

so after session two i moved myself to the B group.  instantly i started to relax and have fun.  first session i passed several folks & never got passed.  that wasn't true for the whole of the day but esp for the 11:20 and 12:20 sessions i was starting to learn to like the big track. 

i still feel like i'm riding around in a fog bank in 9, but 8, and especially 2, are becoming my friends.  getting better at the omega but my approach into 5 still sux.  i have a lot of time that could be picked up between 4b-5-6.

i also found that a lot of my shortcomings on the little track are also my shortcomings on the big track.  duh.  too much brake and prep to get into the corner, yet my mid-corner speed seems to be better than average.  i would lose people on the entry to 2, catch them mid corner, and then pass them on the exit/run up to 3.  same with 1-2.

i'm still not at all comfortable with WFO in 8.  but i think no sensible person should be =).  the runoff is rock farm and then a ditch, which so far i'm too aware of.  i don't know if i'll ever really be fast there but now i know i can go and actually have a good time.  sure as hell was not the case on my first visit.

spent a session or two experimenting with gearing.. one of which meant i more or less ran around the whole time at redline.  came in with the bike spewing coolant and very mad at me.  heh.. sorry bike.  that's why you're japanese. 

there was some guy in B group riding a Desmosedici.  wow.  he rode a lot more aggressively than i would ever push $70k.  i could lead or get past him but in the straights it was like he had 2 bikes.  zoooom, gone.  that thing sounds amazing.

i'm still a streets lover but all in all a really fun day.   

[derby]

We'll have to have doubles next time to make up for that oversight.

ouch.

[gm2]

We'll have to have doubles next time to make up for that oversight.

yeah but what about the fact that we had 4 each time before last..