Trackday - 06/13/2003

ER · 06-16-2003, 11:02 AM

We had another trackday at Gateway last Friday. *The weather wasn't as agreeable this time and we ended up getting hammered (twice) by heavy rain. *We still ran though and were able to get 4-5 sessions out on the wet track.

This time wasn't as enjoyable for me. *The first session out was slow because there were puddles and draining water on the track. *Actually, that may have been my best set of laps. *Turns 1-4 were slow because of the water but Turns 5 through 8 were dry and fast. *Many of the racers elected to skip that session (in the Intermediate class) so about 8-10 of us pretty much had the track to ourselves. *I didn't get passed at all and ended up passing/lapping about 3-4 of the riders out there. *The second session had some more traffic as the track dried up.

On the third session, I tossed my bike in the mud trying to pass a slower rider in a tight turn. *I came around on the outside and just ran out of track as he swung wide. *Unbelievably, my bike didn't sustain any damage! *It was covered in mud and the exhaust was pressed against the rear-cowl, but after bending back the hanger (using Tigerblade's vice in his trailer -- this guy has just about everything you could ever need in there, including plenty of advertisements to his Dad's business ) and taking off the plastics to pick out the mud from the bike, it was ready to go.

After another rain-delay, I had one more session out. *I was stuffed twice in turns by guys passing on the inside (a no-no in the Intermediate class) and some clown clipped my front wheel passing me on the outside of Turn 6. *After that nonsense, I had had enough and I called it a day.

I was able to pit with Tigerblade and his buddies though and that was nice. *Hopefully he'll chime in on the thread and post his race-results!

tigerblade · 06-16-2003, 11:10 AM

I wish we would have been able to ride together. Looked like you were going good out there. Glad you and the bike were relatively unhurt! I should have a pic of you picking mud out of your bike that I'll try to post later.

I'll put my race results in the racing area.

-Kris

ER · 06-16-2003, 3:50 PM

Quote:

tigerblade : I should have a pic of you picking mud out of your bike that I'll try to post later. *

I'd like to see that.

tigerblade · 06-16-2003, 6:01 PM

Except for all that mud underneath the bike, you probably would never know anything went wrong...

http://members.fireblades.org/tigerb...s/POL_0194.JPG

ER · 06-16-2003, 6:24 PM

That must have been right before I went out again -- the exhaust is bent back into the correct position. Too bad we didn't get a shot of the bike right as I pulled back in after getting doused in that down-pour, with all the grass, mud, and other sh!t hanging off of it.

Friday night I took off the plastics and hosed the bike down. You should have seen all the mud! After a thorough cleaning Saturday evening, the bike was back to normal. I straightened the exhaust and polished out some of the scratches. The can is scratched along with the rear-fender -- everything else looks pretty good.

ER · 06-20-2003, 5:19 PM

Update:

I just got off of the phone with Neville McNaughton, the guy who ran the track-day. I voiced my concerns about safety and the conversation went well. He offered me a free pass to the next event at Heartland Park. I probably won't take it -- it was never my intention to get one -- but I was very impressed with his response. I think he plans on instituting a zero-tolerance policy towards rider-contact and unsafe riding and I'm glad to hear it.

Kudos to him.