Track Days

The first track day with the Corse will be on October 25th at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah Georgia. Frank Kinsey is having his race school that day for new riders. Those of us with prior race experience will be rotating track time with his class. Frank puts on a great event and Roebling is one of the safest track days I have the pleasure to ride. Photos and a full write-up will be forthcoming soon after I get back in town. Here is a photo of some of the hooligans at an earlier event. I’m the idiot in the blue ski hat……the blonde in the middle is probably faster than you……and me.

Scroll down for the latest post

ROEBLING ROAD TRACK DAY OCTOBER 2010

My nephew and I headed out to Roebling Road on Sunday the 24th. We stopped by Melillimoto Ducati’s annual open house in Ocala on the way up. The DNA Ducati race team was there along with the race transporter. Steve Rapp,  who rides for the Team Latus Motors Racing Ducati 848 team, was hanging out and answering questions and talking with everyone. Really nice guy. Ashley got a photo and autograph with Steve. The weather was perfect unlike last year when there was a monsoon! Even if you are not a Ducati rider, I highly recommend you come by sometime to meet Sebastian, Carol, Adam, and Andrew. You may just get the Ducati Passion! After about an hour we left Melillimoto and headed for the track. Took 301 to I-10 to I-295 to I-95. It seemed to take forever as we were beginning to get pumped up for the track day on Sunday and wanted to get there!

I called Chris (1100s hypermotard) who was coming up from Jacksonville and told him we were going to  meet him at the motel in Pooler. We would then go to the track to see if the gate was open so we could walk the track as my nephew had never been to Roebling before. Bummer. Got to the track and the gate was locked so we headed back to the motel (Econolodge) at I-95 and exit 102. Checked in and the others started to arrive. Before long there was a nice long line of trailers lining the parking lot. The weather was still great but there was now a 50% chance of rain for Sunday. Crap! My nephew almost got a case of the hives he was so pissed. Not a problem though as I told him the only difference riding the track in the rain as compared to the dry was a big loss of traction. This didn’t seem to help his attitude at all. After a spell talking with some of the other guys we headed over to the Cracker Barrel next door for supper. Got back to the motel and sat on the porch, had a beer, and checked the weather report every 5 minutes until finally getting to sleep around 10. At precisely midnight, the garbage people starting emptying the big dumpsters next door and woke me up. I don’t think I got back to sleep until 4 am. The alarm went off at 5:30……..

Got to the track at 7am after breakfast and got set up. One last check of all the nuts and bolts, tire pressures, and gear. The only changes I made to the bike were: Removed the rear tail light/turn signal/license plate assembly, removed the mirrors, installed the mirror block of plates I got from Sportbiketrackgear, pulled the headlight and taillight fuses, mounted another GoPro camera mount on the rear tail section, and generally checked everything I could reach for the correct tightness.

The suspension had been set up for the proper sag for my weight with gear (193 pounds). The compression and rebound settings were left exactly as they came from the factory. The tire pressures(Super Corse’s) were set cold (70 degrees) at 32 pounds front and 30 pounds rear.

Ashley, my nephew was doing the track day school as this was his first time on a track and I was going out with the track day rider group. There were 20 of us in the track day group and 14 others were in the school. Ashley’s instructor for his group (track day school split into two groups)  was Dave Despain from Speed TV’s Wind Tunnel and other shows. Dave is a great guy and will talk to you for hours about any questions you may have. Frank Kinsey handled the other group of the school guys.

After the usual riders meeting I was first on the track at 9:30. Roebling has been re-paved since I was there last (many years ago). It is now smooth as glass. After a sighting lap and to warm the tires a bit, the Corse was in it’s element. Only one more lap after that and the knees were on the ground. With the tire pressure set at 32/30 F/R the bike was perfectly neutral the corners. Very little steering impute to start the turns and once settled in, no pressure was needed to maintain the line. The Ducati Traction Control was set at level “4″ of eight. Exiting turns two, four, six, and 9 (110 mph exit leading to the front straight), the traction control light came on every now and then but there was no sliding that I could feel. Really cool stuff! The change of gearing from stock (two up in the rear) was perfect for my riding style at the track.  I didn’t run the thing over 9000 rpm yet (still only 1400 miles on it) and that put me around 165 mph at the end of the front straight before turn one.  I ran third gear through the rest of the turns until hitting fourth as I headed to turn nine. Exited turn nine at 8000 rpms. The traction control really hit then just before a quick shift to fifth then sixth just before the timing tower. The torque of this thing is just amazing. All during the day, the suspension settings seemed to be perfect for me as there was not a single wobble or anything that upset the bike. Smooth as silk. I never had any problems with my wrist hurting at all. Maybe the Speedymoto upper clamp solved any soreness I may have experienced. The track day school guys were still having a meeting on pit lane and I was told everytime I came by with the open Termi’s, they would have to stop talking as the noise was booming!  Glad they don’t check sound levels during the track day……….

The brakes. Holy Crap! The Corse is the first bike I have owned with the Brembo Monoblock brakes and 330 mm rotors.  You need to really concentrate and be gentle when you use them from 165 mph. They are easy to modulate but with the stopping power they have, they can easily put you on your head if you aren’t paying attention to your input. I was expecting them to be powerful, and I am very pleased they are everything I have read about. I only used one finger for any braking at the track. BTW, the pads produce very little brake dust.

Here is a short video. There are a couple of bikes in front of me. I catch up through the back section then right past them at 165 mph on the front straight before I brake for turn one. Video was shot with the Go Pro HD camera running at 720 at 60 frames per second. If you look closely at the upper right on the dash you can see the traction control lights coming on in the turns. 165 mph Pass

This video is my nephew Ashley’s first track day. He had a blast and is now hooked on riding the tracks. It is a bit shaky as I shot it with a camera that does not have any image stabilization. I also poke a bit of fun at him. Enjoy.  Ashley and the Turtle.

The first session was 40 minutes. Came in, and all the fasteners on the fairing were still tight. I didn’t check the tire pressures when hot as they were working perfectly for me. I was riding off the edges on the rear and almost to the edges on the front.

I order to get to the edge on the front tire I would have had to have low-sided to get there. As you can see in the photo, the rear tire was wearing perfectly even from edge to edge when set at 30 psi cold.  The knee sliders that came with my Alpinestar MX-1 suit were completely gone after six sessions. Anyone know the best sliders that last the longest? Please let me know. Fifty bucks a set per track day is really adding to the cost.

The mirror block off plates I got from Sportbiketrackgear are cool. They bolt through the stock holes in the mounts with two nice stainless bolts. They compliment the lines of the bike. The bolts stayed tight the whole day.

I had the GoPro HD camera mounted on the tank and rear of the bike. I set the camera to record at 720 dpi at 60 frames per second. The video is amazing. I will have a clip up as soon as I figure out how to do it.

The rain held off all day. We didn’t break for lunch until 2 pm and by that time I was pooped. Got in six sessions and I was down to the wear bars on the rear tire. The Pirelli’s stick like glue but last about as long as a 14 year old on his first date……I will be ordering new rubber soon. I haven’t decided on the new Dunlap Q2′s or the Michelin Power Pure’s. Won’t use the Pirelli’s again as they are just too expensive to get one track day or a few thousand miles on the street per set.

Ashley did one more session after lunch then we loaded up for the ride home. His friend’s are gonna be jealous when he shows them there are no more chicken strips on his tires!

I have to say Frank Kinsey’s track days are really great.  Very informative and well thougth out. Dave Despain has great stories, sense of humor, and never makes you think he has better things to do besides talk to you. Ashley and myself are already signed up for the track day in December (18th).

To sum things up, the bike ran flawlessly with no stalls (none at all so far, even on the street) or any kind of engine/drivetrain issues at all. The rpms were kept between 5000 and 9000 and full throttle was used only a few times and then only on the long front straight. The thing wanted to run faster than 165 but everytime I sat up to brake at that speed my helmet was pushed back into my brain and I had to really concentrate to keep focused on turn one. I set 165 mph as my max for this day. When I get a very tight fitting helmet just for track days I will let the thing run faster. As it was, I rolled off the throttle just passed the start/finish line and cruised at 165 mph until the first braking zone for turn one. There was a bit of vibration at full throttle above 7000 rpms but it was just the motor yelling that it felt great to finally let loose and giddy up.

Here are a few shots from the day. I didn’t take a lot but will next time. If you are in one of the shots you can save it from here or email me and I will send you the full sized copy

.

A great day, we didn’t crash, Ashley was hooked on track riding, and the beer was cold back at the house…………….

ROEBLING ROAD TRACK DAY FEBRUARY 20, 2011

Got the trailer and bikes loaded up on Thursday. That was my only day off so I went to Gentry Oil and bought 10 gallons of Ethanol free 93 octane gas to use at the track. I’m going to start using alcohol free gas from now on in the Corse. It idles smoother and seems to run a bit better at speed.  I also picked up some 3M clear plastic film from Cycle Gear in Daytona. I added some to the sides of the tank and lower fairing  to protect the paint while at the track. Cost about $15 bucks for three pieces 12×18 inches. Stuff works great. When you take it off, be sure to peel it off very slowly or you while be cleaning off the adhesive for days.

Picked Ashley up around 3pm on Sunday the 20th and headed out to Savannah. We met Royce at US1 and I-95 and continued the trip. Diana was driving Jeff’s dually with their trailer. She caught up with us outside of Jacksonville. We all three caravanned the rest of the way to the Econolodge in Pooler. Jeff had to work a bit late so he was going to ride his VStrom up when he got done. Arrived at the Econolodge around 7pm and got settled in. Had supper at the Cracker Barrel. Got to sleep around 10.

The new 7×16 foot trailer tracks perfect and appears to take the bumps much nicer than my old 5×8 single axel. It is nice to have so much room now for the bikes and stuff. The Pit Bull Trailer Restraint system worked perfect also. The only problem is I only get about 8 to 12 mpg at 55 to 65 mph with my Ford F-150. Never seems like the engine is working at all but sure uses much more gas than with the smaller trailer. Such is the price you pay for more room and convenience.

Alarm went off at 5:40 am. Breakfast at a local restaurant and got to the track around 7:30. The day started out in the 50′s with clear skies. Just about perfect. Royce and I set up our area in a nice grassy area. Royce brought along three vintage bikes to run. It made for an eclectic bunch of bikes with the Corse and Ashley’s GSXR sitting along with a 350 Honda, 750 Ducati, and an Arremachi.

The track day was a bit over subscribed with about 13 school riders along with 38 to 40 track day guys and girls. The track day riders had to be split into two groups. Ashley. Royce, and I ran in the “B” group and let the fast guys have at it in the “A” group. We went out about 10am for our first session.

The Corse ran perfect with the nice weather and Ethanol free fuel. I did about 5 laps then came in to check the bike over for any leaks or things that may have loosened up. My usual  procedure at the start of any track day. I am very picky when it comes to my safety and bike prep. This little extra step gives me more piece of mind when I am running fast (well slow at my pace).

Last track day I taped everything up, removed the mirrors, pulled the fuses for the lights, and removed the whole tail light assembly. This time I only removed the mirrors and added a bit of protective film. No need to tape the lights or take anything else off as Frank Kinsey’s track days are very relaxed and you are required to do your own tech inspection. If you crash because of bad prep then shame on you. Anyway, all was well with the bike. A little chain lube and I went out again.

I had around 1800 mils on the Corse at the start of the track day. I was worried about the tires as they appeared to be pretty shagged after the last track day but I had decided to run them but at at slower pace than last time. After the first session they did not appear to be wearing any more at all so I felt better.Again I ran 32 psi hot in the front and 30 psi hot in the rear. Never any sign of ill-handling at all during the day. Here is a photo of the rear at the end of the day. Pretty shagged now so time for the Q2′s to go on soon. I had the Q2′s with me this trip but was too lazy to change them. Glad the Pirelli’s made through the day.

The Knox Aegis 8 Plate Race back protector I got from SportBikeTrackGear is awesome! It is beautifully made and forms to the curves of my back perfectly. The harness system works great and is easily adjusted to fit. My MX-1 Alpinestars one piece suit fits me great. Wearing the Knox protector makes the suit fit snug but not too tight.  The only thing that is a bit bothersome is when I am off the bike and standing. The protector is much wider at the top than most. As so it digs into my shoulder blades a bit. When on the bike you don’t know it is on it is so comfortable. $175 bucks gets you one.

Jeff was running his brand new Aprilia RSV4. That thing looked and sounded great on the track.  The thing is tiny and Jeff looked like he was riding a little 250 when he went by. Some guys who were behind him during one of the sessions got some great video of him lighting up the rear tire and going sideways out of turn four. I will try to put the video up when I get a copy.

Later in the morning the wind started to pick up.  Soon it was a 24 to 35 mph headwind on the front straight. I ran the Corse up once to 165 against the 35 mph headwind and when I sat up to brake for turn one, the wind was too much. My vision blurred from the buffeting and the bike was moving around quite a bit. Now I know what the MotoGp guys feel when they brake at 200 mph!

I never ran more than about 110 to 120 mph down the front straight the rest of the day because of the wind. Nothing to prove anyway. Jeff came in after one session and was pretty concerned about he wind. He said he got blown off the track onto the grass exiting turn 9 at 110 mph and just about crapped in his leathers. After that, caution was the rule for the day. Here we are talking about he wind. Jeff is biting his nails and me, ( the handsome guy in the black leathers holding a drink),  trying to to figure out how to put some rocks in my pants to hold me on the bike.

Ashley had a great time. It was only his second track day and he is getting much smoother and faster. I am proud that he is not trying to ride over his head and seems to be approaching track riding with a lot a maturity and thought (Ashley On-Track). He is shy when it comes to photos so he stuck his GSXR tail section in his face to try and hide.

Speaking of riding over your head, there were many crashes. I think about 5 or 6. Most crashed at the turn four right hander. I didn’t see the crashes so I can’t comment on the cause.  All were well except for our friend Amos (one of the nicest guys you will ever meet) who broke his femur. He was transported to the hospital in Savannah and I’m told he is doing well. Here is a shot of Ashley chillin  until the ambulance gets back to the track. He would ride until he ran out of gas,  tires, or energy if he could.

Here are Jeff and Diana after she explained to Jeff that he needs to hold on to thebike with both hands when  he rides. Diana rides an SV-650 (#173) at the WERA and CCS races around the southeast.

Ashley RR 2011s (video) Ashley and I are planing on attending the DaytonaSportBikes track day on April 24th. Should be a great time. I’ve been to Jennings a couple of times but have never ridden the track. Looking forward to the day.

I found this video on YouTube. For those of you that have done a track day you may have met this guy! I know I’ve met a few over the years………