That Guy
8th November 2004, 07:52
Well at last I have done my first ever road race and all I can say is my fellow Kiwibikers - you've gotta have a go - it rocks!
The RGV survived the whole day intact and apart from one front end slide into the esses there were no major moments.
Signed up for FIII however they put 125GP and motard bikes in with us so we ended up with a field of 26. Taupo is a small track but is heaps of fun (I like it more than Pukekohe) but being small helped the learning as it didn't take too long to find my way round despite having never been there before. That said I still felt like I was getting faster by the last race as faster riders were showing me better lines.
Race 1 went ok - Curious George, Frosty and SVS (phil) were all there (more too perhaps?) - I was a bit tentative but found my way past a few bikes and finished 15th. Got nabbed on the last lap by a couple of 125s showing me how to take a corner properly. The last left hander at Taupo before the start/finish has two or three lines you can take and I'm still learning which is best - it is nicely cambered though so you can take it faster than you think.
Race 2 I completely stuffed up the start (with Frosty too!) and was dead last into the first corner, or perhaps 2nd to last (didn't waste my time looking back!). Managed to get past a few bikes but had a hell of a time getting past a motard - they are fast into braking but slower through the esses so can take a while to get by. Started catching people and on the last lap nearly crashed into SVS as he did some scary as dirttracking coming out of the tricky last left hander - he ran off the ripple strip and did some amazing antics to not come off - he bet me over the finish line while still on the grass I think- anyway, ended up 16th.
Race 3 got a much better start and was about 10th. Go passed by a couple of 125s (again!) and then someone else on a kwaka 400 who was going really fast - I couldn't hang onto him at all but for two corners he showed me a good line into the left hander off the main straight and then into the hair pin. Amazing how much corner speed I wasn't carrying into that left hander as he showed me. After that lesson SVS then proceeded to go by into the hair pin. Rats. A lap or so later I got him back though and that was that - 13th.
Weather was great - circuit facilities make Puke look pretty sad. Not many offs - the only one I saw was in F3 - yellow 400 went off at the hair pin but he wasn't hurt. PMCC do a nice job of keeping things ticking along, and for $60 you get 2 practices and 3 races. We were all done by 4pm and back in dorkland by 8.30pm.
If you're readin this thinking 'I've gotta try this race caper' - do - it is great fun. Next race at Taupo is is December 12.......time enough to get your licence, put ona scuffy set of fairing and lock wire your sump plug....
The RGV survived the whole day intact and apart from one front end slide into the esses there were no major moments.
Signed up for FIII however they put 125GP and motard bikes in with us so we ended up with a field of 26. Taupo is a small track but is heaps of fun (I like it more than Pukekohe) but being small helped the learning as it didn't take too long to find my way round despite having never been there before. That said I still felt like I was getting faster by the last race as faster riders were showing me better lines.
Race 1 went ok - Curious George, Frosty and SVS (phil) were all there (more too perhaps?) - I was a bit tentative but found my way past a few bikes and finished 15th. Got nabbed on the last lap by a couple of 125s showing me how to take a corner properly. The last left hander at Taupo before the start/finish has two or three lines you can take and I'm still learning which is best - it is nicely cambered though so you can take it faster than you think.
Race 2 I completely stuffed up the start (with Frosty too!) and was dead last into the first corner, or perhaps 2nd to last (didn't waste my time looking back!). Managed to get past a few bikes but had a hell of a time getting past a motard - they are fast into braking but slower through the esses so can take a while to get by. Started catching people and on the last lap nearly crashed into SVS as he did some scary as dirttracking coming out of the tricky last left hander - he ran off the ripple strip and did some amazing antics to not come off - he bet me over the finish line while still on the grass I think- anyway, ended up 16th.
Race 3 got a much better start and was about 10th. Go passed by a couple of 125s (again!) and then someone else on a kwaka 400 who was going really fast - I couldn't hang onto him at all but for two corners he showed me a good line into the left hander off the main straight and then into the hair pin. Amazing how much corner speed I wasn't carrying into that left hander as he showed me. After that lesson SVS then proceeded to go by into the hair pin. Rats. A lap or so later I got him back though and that was that - 13th.
Weather was great - circuit facilities make Puke look pretty sad. Not many offs - the only one I saw was in F3 - yellow 400 went off at the hair pin but he wasn't hurt. PMCC do a nice job of keeping things ticking along, and for $60 you get 2 practices and 3 races. We were all done by 4pm and back in dorkland by 8.30pm.
If you're readin this thinking 'I've gotta try this race caper' - do - it is great fun. Next race at Taupo is is December 12.......time enough to get your licence, put ona scuffy set of fairing and lock wire your sump plug....