Moto TT 4th April 08 - The ride report
Moto TT Track day - my ride report - Taupo raceway, full track.
-My best trackday to date, and one that I shall not forget in a hurry.
Barbender, JRandom, Kat (my pillion) and myself rode down thursday after work. It had been raining the whole day during work and I was all prepared for a wet ride down. Uncharacteristically enough though, we had great weather down to Taupo.
Kiwifruit so kindly met us at Nagruwhaia? and led us through some sexy-time back roads. We even stopped to see the stars and hold hands at one stage. Thanks heaps Alan as I tried leading when you took off but couldn't see sweet f*&£ all, and was very releaved when I saw you slow down in the distance.
After spending the night at Climelia Court, we got our bikes ready for the track (my bikes Moto - Gp spec anyway so I basically just stood around watching the others), had a feed and signed in for scrutineering. Thanks heaps to the extra friendly crew in Boomers garage who helped me throughout the day, lending me tools and helpful hands etcetera; even though I wasn't part of your 'pit- lane' crew. You're all good chaps.
I started off in session 3 (slow-medium) as I had never been on the Taupo track before and wanted to get a good feel for it before I started my usual learning of the super-motards. Timmay / Matt Blek and Kiwifruit very kindly showed me some race lines and as the day progressed I found these to be the best lines through the track. Thanks guys top notch instruction. A couple more tips from the rest of the fast crew and I was well on my way to making Moto Gp history (first Indian to race for Yamaha).
Session 1 & 2: The first session in the 3rd group saw me concentrating solely on track conditions, looking for bumps, slippery surfaces, crash barriers and cones closing off the old track. The second session, also in group 3 saw me practicing the lines Timmay and Kiwifruit had showed me, taking it very easy. To give you some idea of how easy, I timed myself at 2.05.
Session 3: I moved up to group 2 (medium-fast) and prepared myself for a good learning (didn't happen, not yet anyway). This session saw me become progressively faster and smoother and I noticed that some of the other riders weren't passing me when I thought they could have been. This must have had something to do with my holding the fastest line through the corner. Thank you Quasi for the sparky sliders, though I'll be throughly dissappointed if they don't spark in the photos! So many bikes came off in this session that it put me off slightly. I backed it into the pits at one stage and had a think about what they did wrong, then back into it again. Watching, listning, learning...
Session 4 & 5: I booked myself into group 1 (super fast/motard) and this time round prepared myself for a good thrashing, which I duly received. For a track amature like myself following a motard into a corner whose drifting sideways and spitting uncombusted flames at you can be a daunting experience. However, I blocked it out and held my line, they soon learned that little puddle jumpers can go round corners too! (maybe not as fast). So here I was getting the learn from the supermotards on turn 3 through to the double apex, only to fly past them, sometimes on one wheel on the back straight! My suspension felt surprisingly more nimble too this session after Shaun had a little play with the forks (which were wound up 5 clicks!!). Thanks Shaun I will come see you when I can. Oh and I got a personal best of 1.48 that session give or take a few seconds because I timed myself, thanks to my trusty moto-gp style lap timer.
This was without doubt my best session and one I throughly enjoyed, apart from this one incident on turn one where a rider who shall remain unmentioned runs wide and cuts me off going 20 kms slower than I am and I have to juggle between sliding my front and not running up his arse with stoppying the bike at a rediculous lean angle and restraining myself from highsiding while successfully holding my line and making the corner. I did duly tell him off for almost ruining my day though; and it probably wasn't intentional, him being a young hoon like myself I couldnt shout at him aymore.
That was the end of the track day and Aero165 kindly offered me his neow R1 to take out for a blat, which I gratiously accepted (only because it was a Yamaha), while he stared on in shock and dismay as I power wheelied it past him yelling, 'look mom no clutch!' I tell you that bike is adictive, I can see why people ride thous. My little puddle jumper is more that enough for me at this stage though!
With Kat on the back (finally back from marshalling) I grouped up with Discotec, Eric and Duckaddict for a gentle cruise back home to Auckland. In no particular order I wish to thank the following people for making me one heck of a happy lad. All the guys in the 'pit-lane', Kiwifruit, Timmay, Bummer ( cuda passed ya but didn't wanna hit ya when you were down son), Shaun, Aero165, JRandom, Discotech, Barbender, Kat(for trusting me),all the organisers of Moto -TT and Schnappy my very own moto - gp bike that held its own amongst all the smoke, drifting and carnage yesterday.
One happy track day goer saying he'll be there for the next one!
Cheers and thanks for the learning fellow riders,
time for another beer and a 'chillout with the boys' session before work on monday. *sigh*
YamahaR64Life out.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Matt Bleck
, I too kinda have a curvy figure which makes it worse beacuse im a guy. Well the waist kinda goes in and the bum pushes out. When I was in college the girls in my year would slap me on the arse and squeeze because apparently it is firm, tight...
I wear jeans
meeeeh meeeeh fooooooeeeekkkin neeeeeeoooow 
Bookmarks