Manfeild Suzuki riders' track day (27 October 2007)
Another “must do” ticked off the list: a track day completed.
Mrs H and I spent yesterday (27 October) going around and around and around and around at the Suzuki track fun day at Manfeild. This event was compliant on all four counts: it was for Suzukis only, it was on a race track at Manfeild and it was great fun. Mrs H is now the proud owner of a GSF650SK6 Bandit with absolutely no chicken strips whatsoever!
In order to share a Suzuki, Mrs H participated in the novice field and me in the intermediate.
Revelation number 1: Not all riders that participate in “novice” fields are novices. Many are strange types who should be in the intermediates or faster but who clearly like to ride in an event where they can overtake, rather than a more “advanced” field where they themselves may be overtaken. Most odd.
Revelation number 2: In spite of this event being promoted as a track fun day, rather than as something competitive, there was a lot of posing going on, particularly in pit lane prior to each field being liberated for its 20-minute session on the track – bristling aggression with a fragrance of testosterone and racing two-stroke mix. A most interesting experience for first-timers whose sole ambition was to go riding on a track where World Championship points were not on offer.
Suzuki New Zealand deserves a big ups for arranging this day. It was very professionally run and there was much to see and do. The format meant that most folk would have had time for five 20-minute sessions, should they wish to avail themselves of these. There were plenty of folk prepared to help and offer guidance and assistance. I was most appreciative of a guy called Todd on a Hyabusa who rode a couple of laps immediately in front of me and, through a series of hand signals, provided guidance on lines through corners, braking points, acceleration points and so on. Marvellous. I learned lots.
Revelation number 3: Bikers are great folk. We met some top people at Manfeild yesterday, including some new Kiwi Bikers. It’s humbling to be part of such a great community.
Revelation number 4: Mrs H is fantastic. I had no idea of how fearful she was about riding on a track until she came in after her first session. But she went out later in the day for two more sessions, and gained confidence, style and lap speed, concentrating hard on using the gearbox as well as lines through corners and just generally being smooth. While she agrees with Mrs Kendog that she is probably built for “comfort not speed”, I have a strong hunch that yesterday will not be her last track outing.
Revelation number 5: Bandit 650s are great bikes. I had an absolute blast on this bike during my track sessions. As a novice riding in the intermediates, I expected to get lapped by most of the field and was not disappointed on this score. However there were two GSX-R1000s in this group ridden by “tentative” riders. These were my target bikes. Because I was prepared to brake later and was a bit quicker through the corners, I could catch them, and eventually pass one or both before my 20 minutes was up. The only opportunity I had to do this was on the corners immediately prior to the Husqvarna hairpin. Strangely a GSX-R has a bit more straight-line acceleration than does a Bandit 650. I also found that having a target bike was good for getting me to look through the corners, rather than at them. I was also working hard (based on Todd’s feedback) at entering corners earlier than I do on the road. I’m pleased I did my first track day on a bike like a Bandit, rather than the FJR.
Revelation number 6: The Hitchers will probably be doing more track days in future.
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Did you tell Mrs H that I timed one of her laps for her? 
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