enigma51
24th October 2005, 13:23
What a weekend :headbang:
Had a plan to go for the track day at puke for weeks no more months so when I woke up on Friday morning only to see the dark clouds I though fuck! But after spending so many hours dreaming about a good day on the track nothing was going to stop me from going. So checked bike over made sure I had enough oil etc and started the trip to the autobahn where I planned to meet up with some work mates.
Had breakfast (i.e. coffee and small yoghurt I am not a breakfast person) and set off to puke. Little bit of drizzle on the way there but nothing to serious. Fueled up at the services station at puke and the four off us made away to the track. Paid put the stickers on and waited for our turn on the track. AND WE WAITED. Performance car magazine show thingy had photo and camera shoot on. They were only supposed to take 10 minutes but ended taking about 30 – 40.
The track “director/controller” cant remember his name (The guy with the long gray hair that hates drifters and Performance car magazine/show) put us out so that we can at least have one semi dry session. And then also told the performance car mag that they should get fucked and join the other cars if they want to do photo shoots on the track (His words not mine)
5 of us headed out a 600 gsxr a 600 f3 Honda a 600 monster a 1000 Firestorm and a 125cc race bike (Told the guy to join kb). On puke you can get lost with 5 bikes on the track. There was stages that I though every one went to the pits.
After the first session we all gather together and talked about how it was and everybody kept on talking about this pothole in the middle of track leading on to the front straight. So on the next session I kept a eye out for it and yes there is large pothole in the middle of the track just at the bottom of the hill leading on too the front straight. First I was alarmed at the fact that I never noticed it and then I got happy as I was worried that I was losing concentrations when I am riding and not focusing on the “job” at hand but because the hole is of the racing line I kind a felt a bit better as meant I was concentrating on my line which at least I think is good thing.
The good about the hole was that it if was going to get better drive on to the front straight I need to go on the outside of the pothole so now I had a “marker” in the road was great because as soon as I had enough drive out of there I could move over to my next “problem” area Jennings or what ever its called. My times where most probably not great cause of the dampish track and coming on to the front straight I had a lot of rear wheel slide so kept the speed at around 120 -> 140 up the hill which slower than last time I was on the track but by the time I got to 1 first right hander I was doing 210 -> 220 (which was sorted faster than last time) and just flick down on gear just before I lean over and another half way through just before I flick over to the left . So by the time I got to the double right I am sitting at about 80 and in second. This is where things got a bit disappointing as the back straight had head on wind which meant I never got over 240 and explained why I got so much speed on the front straight.
We had 4 sessions before the rain come down by the bucket loads and we decided that rather than risking falling off we rather go home to a cold beer or two.
I must say of all the track days I have done this was by far the best! I was worried that I was loosing my confidence on the bike but after a Friday I can say that maybe I am just getting wiser and leaving the risky stuff for the track.
Hint for any one that wants to go to puke in the rain/drizzle…. Don’t expect to go fast as the track is slippery braking for the hairpin and coming on to the front straight but a lot of fun if there are only 5 of you and nobody has got anything to prove!
Well for those who want to know the rest of the weekend was spend fishing with wife in the coromandel and doing washing today (The bike that is).
Had a plan to go for the track day at puke for weeks no more months so when I woke up on Friday morning only to see the dark clouds I though fuck! But after spending so many hours dreaming about a good day on the track nothing was going to stop me from going. So checked bike over made sure I had enough oil etc and started the trip to the autobahn where I planned to meet up with some work mates.
Had breakfast (i.e. coffee and small yoghurt I am not a breakfast person) and set off to puke. Little bit of drizzle on the way there but nothing to serious. Fueled up at the services station at puke and the four off us made away to the track. Paid put the stickers on and waited for our turn on the track. AND WE WAITED. Performance car magazine show thingy had photo and camera shoot on. They were only supposed to take 10 minutes but ended taking about 30 – 40.
The track “director/controller” cant remember his name (The guy with the long gray hair that hates drifters and Performance car magazine/show) put us out so that we can at least have one semi dry session. And then also told the performance car mag that they should get fucked and join the other cars if they want to do photo shoots on the track (His words not mine)
5 of us headed out a 600 gsxr a 600 f3 Honda a 600 monster a 1000 Firestorm and a 125cc race bike (Told the guy to join kb). On puke you can get lost with 5 bikes on the track. There was stages that I though every one went to the pits.
After the first session we all gather together and talked about how it was and everybody kept on talking about this pothole in the middle of track leading on to the front straight. So on the next session I kept a eye out for it and yes there is large pothole in the middle of the track just at the bottom of the hill leading on too the front straight. First I was alarmed at the fact that I never noticed it and then I got happy as I was worried that I was losing concentrations when I am riding and not focusing on the “job” at hand but because the hole is of the racing line I kind a felt a bit better as meant I was concentrating on my line which at least I think is good thing.
The good about the hole was that it if was going to get better drive on to the front straight I need to go on the outside of the pothole so now I had a “marker” in the road was great because as soon as I had enough drive out of there I could move over to my next “problem” area Jennings or what ever its called. My times where most probably not great cause of the dampish track and coming on to the front straight I had a lot of rear wheel slide so kept the speed at around 120 -> 140 up the hill which slower than last time I was on the track but by the time I got to 1 first right hander I was doing 210 -> 220 (which was sorted faster than last time) and just flick down on gear just before I lean over and another half way through just before I flick over to the left . So by the time I got to the double right I am sitting at about 80 and in second. This is where things got a bit disappointing as the back straight had head on wind which meant I never got over 240 and explained why I got so much speed on the front straight.
We had 4 sessions before the rain come down by the bucket loads and we decided that rather than risking falling off we rather go home to a cold beer or two.
I must say of all the track days I have done this was by far the best! I was worried that I was loosing my confidence on the bike but after a Friday I can say that maybe I am just getting wiser and leaving the risky stuff for the track.
Hint for any one that wants to go to puke in the rain/drizzle…. Don’t expect to go fast as the track is slippery braking for the hairpin and coming on to the front straight but a lot of fun if there are only 5 of you and nobody has got anything to prove!
Well for those who want to know the rest of the weekend was spend fishing with wife in the coromandel and doing washing today (The bike that is).