I'll fill in the pics as they become available. Apparently a bunch of people were taking pics and I'm emailing them to see if I can get a hold of them.
This was my third track day and not nearly as eventful as my first. No agricultural excursions this time. I learned a lot. Probably the biggest thing I learned is that it's time for a track school for me. My aim is to sign up for Cornerspeed Level 1 soon. I've finally gotten over the track jitters and it's time to learn not to be such a pansy in the corners. For those who haven't ridden with them, the NESBA Southeast group is overall a lot faster than the Mid-Atlantic group. They have all AMA tracks to ride at and their season is a lot longer than we have further north. Barber is a wonderful facility with a circuit that is 45' wide all the way around. If you mess up, just stay on the gas and run it wide. I wasn't the fastest or the slowest in B group. You can't win a track day, but you can certainly lose one.
Stefan and I arrived at the track on Saturday evening, ready to unpack. Stefan's parents, Bobby and Kathy met us at the track with Stefan's 4 year old son, Austin, who lives with his mother in MS. All three had never been to the track to spectate, so they definitely had a great time. We got everything offloaded and set up the pit area.
Austin helping me unstrap the bikes:
Stefan giving Austin a short ride on the race scoot:
And on the pit bike:
Austin sitting on my tank:
Bobby helping Stefan with a gas leak issue:
The track looked fairly empty. Apparently the forecasted rain was keeping riders away. The forecast for Sunday wasn't all that great. When we checked on Saturday, they were saying thunderstorms after 1700, but when we awakened on Sunday, the skies said otherwise. A quick glance at NOAA's website told us that the forecast had changed to rain on and off all day long. UGH!! Well we decided we'd give it a go anyway.
Stillie and I arrived a bit late after oversleeping due to an inability to set the alarm clock corectly.
Stefan got everything together in record time and neither of us missed a session, in spite of getting there right as the rider's meeting was beginning. He got all my stuff together, shooed me off to tech, and got himself and his equipment there just in time to get back to the pits to head out for his first session in I group.
Stefan and me posing before my first session:
The track was damp and he slid quite a bit. He also had a huge issue with his leathers. He had a custom suit made and the thigh portion was too short, which made the crotch too low. This meant that he could barely get off the bike at all.
I got out for my first session and tried to figure my way around the track. For those who haven't ridden Barber, she's gorgeous, but there is very little straight (i.e. no time to relax and just wring the piss out of the throttle) and just about every turn has a little surprise. It's either a blind entry, blind apex, off camber, or has a tighter turn in the same direction right behind it. It's a very good track for an SV, since the larger bikes don't have a huge advantage there. If you can have some huevos on the brakes, you can usually overtake them again while they're too busy slowing down. I have no idea what turn numbers are there, since I've never looked at a track map of it. Apparently there is some disagreement about turn numbers anyway, so I figure I'll just stick with my own system of describing the turns.
Our second sessions were on a wet track. There was no standing water, but it was very slick from the misting rain we were getting. I just continued working on learning where I was going. There were 2 surprises for me on the track. The looooong right hander after you come down the hill from the bridge has a sharp right turn where you'd think you were exiting. It's the first right of a chicane and followed by a quick left before the front straight. The other surprise was a huge and quite rough hump in the track after the left hander hairpin that some call T5. Yeah, you can catch air if you're on the right side of the track. Even on the left side of the track, it's a bit startling. I had someone crash RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT in front of me in that session. It happened on the first or second lap of the session and was in the first downhill right hander. He just for some unknown reason must have either chopped the throttle mid-turn or grabbed some brake. All I saw from just a few feet behind was that he lost the front going fairly slowly. I noted where he was going and spotted my exit from the wreck. I made it through just fine and had to shake off the feeling of watching it. Ick.
Stefan decided to call it a day after that session. He accomplished his mission of shaking the bike down. He had a rather spectacular wreck in T10 at VIR North during the CCS Lightweigh Superbike race. He ended up tweaking the rear axle and was pretty sure he now has a slightly errr... modified swingarm. After riding today, any issue with the swingarm wasn't enough to cause any rideability problems. So he packed up his gear and continued to serve as the ever faithful fender fluff, um, I mean pit crew for me. Austin also did a great job of helping out here and there.
My third session was finally on a drying track. I was starting to get a hang of it, but I still have tons of work to do. After lunch, I could feel my quads giving out, so I sat out a session and caught a power nap. The next session I pulled in 2 laps early. I didn't realize I was getting dehydrated, and the thirst was distracting. It's always a good idea to pull in and live to fight another day if something is getting to be distracting. I stayed in my gear, but decided to call it a day when my next session was called.
The SV ran great. I'm finally getting used to the throttle response of my FI track tool, as opposed to my carbie street bike. It's a bit more of a discrete change from off to on, but I'm getting the hang of it. I was definitely over the track jitters and the whole how-the-hell-am-I-supposed-to-ride-this-thing feeling. It may be an SV, but the ergonomics are very aggressive and a very far cry from what you buy straight out of the box.
Overall, there were no serious injuries today. It seemed like every session, I'd see bikes here and there either off in the grass or leaned up against the barriers beyond. I only saw one mangled bike. The rider was okay, and I saw him getting out of his leathers unassisted, so I don't think he was hurt badly. I saw the rear of the bike, and the subframe was very decidedly at a 45 degree angle and the rear wheel no longer turned. Ouch!
I looked at the photos in the Pics of You trailer, not to purchase, but to see how I was doing. I'm getting the whole body position thing down a bit better and my torso was definitely in the right place. I need to work on flexibility, calf, and quad strength, and then I'll get the lower body squared away. I just don't have enough muscle endurance to get my tush off the bike regularly. My quads are completely smoked, and I am dreading the pain tomorrow. I know that my lines were 5 flavors of f'd up, but one thing at a time. Cornerspeed and Cornerspin are next on my hit list. I'm looking forward to working with Liz Farrell again.
Heading out for a session:
Timid body postion:
Getting better:
Now I'm finally getting a bit of a stretch:
The day was a success, and we all had a great time. I just love the track and the whole environment. The people are always wonderful and everyone pitches in to help everyone else. I love it that Stefan is racing this year, because even just going to the track helps me to get my fix, even if I'm not riding. I had a friend comment recently that I must look forward to the break from going to the track when I travel for work. I disagree. I'd go to the track, even if just to be a crash mechanic anytime I could.
If only I knew what I was getting myself into 4 years ago when I bought my first bike. I probably would have bought it even sooner.
