Today At Darley Moor

[Kickstart]

Hi

Today their was a track day at Darley Moor which Laura was booked in to. Due to her arm Mike took over the day. He was going pretty quickly, but I will let him explain the rest.

Anyway, some pictures:-

https://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/TempPicture/DarleyMoor20040505/

Go in to those directories and click on thumb.php and you will get thumbnail images. Let me know if there are any that you want uploading in full size.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[M1ke]

I had a great morning on the track. I was the youngest rider there and on the smallist bike (no supprise really).

I started off in the slow group since I felt a bit intimidated by all the 1000cc machines plus the track has two long straights on which the bigger bikes would clearly leave me behind.

After the first session they moved me into the fast group where the next smallist bike up was an R6. I had no troubles here, in fact I was finding the bigger bikes were slowing me down!

After lunch it started to rain. I did two sessions in the wet all going well until the third... (I think i need a new award korn)
The track was slowly drying and the sun was peeking through. I think I got a bit too confident! (I was doing laps in 1.20 minutes in the wet) whereas a fireblade earlier that day was doing 1.25 in the dry! I went into a right hand bend, not really very fast and I didn't feel I was over doing it, front tyre just lost grip and down I went at about 25MPH.

Damage isn't too bad to the bike and i'm fine.

All in all I have had a really good day, i'm a bit disappointed about the crash but I think I have learnt alot from it. (I even got a thumbs up off some of the people I was riding with as I came back off the track).

A big thankyou to keith and everyone that got worried when they saw the red flags go up then 2 ambulances shooting off to my rescue.

[Scouse]

Oh well mikey, I will agree, you were very entertaining to watch. I'd flick through the pictures to show the best bits but I aint got enough time in my life. Bloody trigger happy photographers. Actually it was quite funny how you told the proper track photographer how you'd bought your own professional to capture your efforts. Don't think he'd believe you when you point at me with your tatty bag on and no camera.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Pictures of you on the track, about half a lap before you remodelled the fairing:-

https://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/TempPicture/Img_4815.jpg

https://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/TempPicture/Img_4816.jpg

Note the angle of lean. On road tyres. Towards the end of their life. In the wet. On his second ever track day.

Admitted the damage yet?

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[M1ke]

I see what your trying to say keith. Your telling me I need to invest in some racing slicks.

[M1ke]

And bloody hell I didn't think I was leaning quite that far in the wet. I'm just supprised I got no warning what so ever. I hadnt even had the back step out at all

[Kickstart]

Hi

That is the wet and slippery corner just where you join the circuit, although the pics were taken from a set of steps.

Slicks would probably be a good idea, in the dry!

I think you could probably do with a track bike if you are doing more track days. A cheap 400 with a pattern fairing and no lights, etc, to damage. You can probably borrow the bike trailer occasionally to get it round to cicuits.

Think you also need some tuition from someone with plenty of experience to tell you where you can try harder, and where you should be a tad more careful.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[G]

Slicks would also be a good idea if you have tyre warmers... especially on a bike like that you'd probably never get them warmed up.

Were you getting on the power slightly around the corners?... to get the 60/40 weight distribution for the rear/front tyres?

On track, especially in the wet, I try to make sure I get faster progressively so that you start with little slides which tend to be controllable.
Luckily the only slides I've had when leant over are rear wheel ones, while it may suggest I'm on the power a tad too much as the weight distribution is slightly over the 60/40, I'd much prefer rear wheel slides than front .

[M1ke]

[priller]

At least the damage doesn't look that bad.

[Stew]

Mike, perhaps you should have left your mirrors off. The fact that they were on may have been the reason it cracked your screen.
Then again, perhaps you shouldn't have crashed either .
The damage doesn't look too bad though.
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"Unlike public school you don't need to have your arse up and your head down to go a long way...."

[Luke_Retrofly]

Hi
Nice one mate sounds like pretty much what happened to me. I guess only talented riders crash. . As Rossi said, you cannot find your limits till you surpass them. Nice one mate .

Luke