A few laps w/ nickelii

Nickelii · 02-18-2006, 1:39 AM

This video was taken right before Christmas at Firebird Main. I had only been on the track for about 40 minutes and didn't care much for it, I doubt I will go back. It was a little too dangerous for my liking. I'm the kind of guy who appreciates constructive criticism, feel free to give me some pointers.

K9inAZ · 02-18-2006, 11:12 PM

Go faster!

Nickelii · 02-19-2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K9inAZ

Go faster!

how come all the racers always pick on the trackday guys?

Getsome · 02-19-2006, 12:08 PM

Go faster.....

smoothrideronli · 02-19-2006, 2:24 PM

That was a warm up lap right...how come you didnt pass the guy in front of you????

Nickelii · 02-19-2006, 2:31 PM

I was the guy in front

smoothrideronli · 02-19-2006, 2:34 PM

Oh...well...why were you riding so slow??

Nickelii · 02-19-2006, 2:40 PM

I guess cause I'm slow

CBR929RE · 02-19-2006, 2:43 PM

keep in mind I have never even been on a track but maybe tighter lines. and my other advice is ditch the music and just let the bikes sing to the camera.

and that track does look like it sucks. way too many close walls.

Nickelii · 02-19-2006, 2:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CBR929RE

my other advice is ditch the music and just let the bikes sing to the camera.

I agree, I'll tell the guy who made the video that

Getsome · 02-19-2006, 3:05 PM

Don't listen to him. the music makes the video better than it would have been without it... that track doesn't look like much fun either I have to agree.

BDA116 · 02-19-2006, 4:48 PM

You said you don't plan to go back to Firebird Main, but I could give you quite a few pointers based on that video for that track. I can actually be a fun track with the right lines, the only really hairy section (and bad enough that even the AMA stopped going there) is the tower turn.
Specifically for the tower turn, which is the most important one at that track, you are setting up way too wide. You should be in the second "lane" - as in just to the right of the first set of dotted lines, and hug the inside to the point where your head and shoulder miss the inside barrier by inches, and you have to keep your head higher at that point. Attached is a pic of me right there. Your speed will carry you out across the drag strip just up course from the little metal plate that the tree sits in. Stay about 3/4 of the way to the right all the way up the straight until you go under the bridge, then drift left just a touch.
Then in the carousel at the end of the straight - which is the second most important corner, you are setting up about in the right area, but entering too wide, and to be honest a bit too slow. That corner is a bit intimidating and hard to judge but you can carry a lot more speed than it seems you can - I promise. You need to really bend it over and keep your knee almost in the inside sand, again letting the speed carry you out to where you were going into turn 3 and 4 (or 2 and 3, whichever they call it now). You were hitting that one just about right, but need to stay out wider through that short chute to the "bus stop" turn, which again you were keeping inside pretty well on. That double left needs to be a bit tighter, though. That one is really taken more as one longer turn hitting that first apex very tight, drifting wide and again clipping the secone one tight.
In all, you looked fairly stable, but I would suggest getting your head lower while turning, and tightening up the lines a bit to allow better corner speed and exit speed.
Just

from someone that spent a lot of time at that track in the past.
Just for reference, my 600 lap times were 1:10s with a best in the high 9s, and on a 929 I was doing ~ a second quicker than those.

RRWANTR · 02-19-2006, 6:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDA116

You said you don't plan to go back to Firebird Main, but I could give you quite a few pointers based on that video for that track. I can actually be a fun track with the right lines, the only really hairy section (and bad enough that even the AMA stopped going there) is the tower turn.
Specifically for the tower turn, which is the most important one at that track, you are setting up way too wide. You should be in the second "lane" - as in just to the right of the first set of dotted lines, and hug the inside to the point where your head and shoulder miss the inside barrier by inches, and you have to keep your head higher at that point. Attached is a pic of me right there. Your speed will carry you out across the drag strip just up course from the little metal plate that the tree sits in. Stay about 3/4 of the way to the right all the way up the straight until you go under the bridge, then drift left just a touch.
Then in the carousel at the end of the straight - which is the second most important corner, you are setting up about in the right area, but entering too wide, and to be honest a bit too slow. That corner is a bit intimidating and hard to judge but you can carry a lot more speed than it seems you can - I promise. You need to really bend it over and keep your knee almost in the inside sand, again letting the speed carry you out to where you were going into turn 3 and 4 (or 2 and 3, whichever they call it now). You were hitting that one just about right, but need to stay out wider through that short chute to the "bus stop" turn, which again you were keeping inside pretty well on. That double left needs to be a bit tighter, though. That one is really taken more as one longer turn hitting that first apex very tight, drifting wide and again clipping the secone one tight.
In all, you looked fairly stable, but I would suggest getting your head lower while turning, and tightening up the lines a bit to allow better corner speed and exit speed.
Just

from someone that spent a lot of time at that track in the past.
Just for reference, my 600 lap times were 1:10s with a best in the high 9s, and on a 929 I was doing ~ a second quicker than those.

You're not that old that all they had was black and white cameras! Geesh...

Nickelii · 02-20-2006, 2:05 PM

Thanks for the help/advice guys, hopefully I can apply it and get a little faster.

SJ96F3 · 02-20-2006, 2:21 PM

Yeah maybe I'm spoiled because the only track I've been on is Grattan... but man all I saw were walls and tires. Or maybe I'm a big sissy. Cool video though. It must be nice to ride "right before Christmas".

Nickelii · 02-20-2006, 2:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJ96F3

Yeah maybe I'm spoiled because the only track I've been on is Grattan... but man all I saw were walls and tires. Or maybe I'm a big sissy. Cool video though. It must be nice to ride "right before Christmas".

Grattan is so much better then the tracks I've been to out here. They are really unsafe (in spots) in comparison to Grattan, and none of them have blind turns, elevation changes, etc.... I didn't really appreciate how nice of a track it was until it was too late. That's why I'm counting the days until the .ORG Days

brennyP · 03-01-2006, 11:34 PM

It looks like a bloody dangerous track mate.. i though our local (not philip island) was bad but that makes our run offs look like a golf green

you’d be better off up the mountains IMO. Awseom vid though mate

ReaperAZ · 03-02-2006, 8:47 AM

Cool vid Nick. You know Ledesma was just itching to rip by you during that whole video. I for one am a bit aprehensive to ride on any of the Firebird tracks. Far too many walls and things around them. I would like to try the East track someday as it is a bit more open but who knows. I won't say anything about your speed casue it was probably faster then I could go around the Main track. That tower turn just looks all wrong when watching from the stands.

Nickelii · 03-02-2006, 9:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReaperAZ

Cool vid Nick. You know Ledesma was just itching to rip by you during that whole video. I for one am a bit aprehensive to ride on any of the Firebird tracks. Far too many walls and things around them. I would like to try the East track someday as it is a bit more open but who knows. I won't say anything about your speed casue it was probably faster then I could go around the Main track. That tower turn just looks all wrong when watching from the stands.

Yeah they're pretty dangerous. Peope always have something to say about being slow, most of them don't know that it was an AMA regular following me, I was doing 1:13's by the end of the day around there which isn't bad for my first time at the track. I think the fastest guys out there beside Ladesma were doing 1:10s, so I wan't off the pace that much. That tower turn was a bit scary, doesn't look like you go into fast but I was going in at the top of 2nd, but then it doesn't look like I was doing 165 down the straight either (where K9 crashed recently).Thanks though Dan.

K9inAZ · 03-02-2006, 2:16 PM

Hey, Nick did I tell you, I was running in the low 1:10's and ran the best of 1:10.03 at Main!

Oh yeah, I didn't crash. I had an on track excursion and leather testing session.

Nickelii · 03-02-2006, 3:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K9inAZ

Hey, Nick did I tell you, I was running in the low 1:10's and ran the best of 1:10.03 at Main!

Oh yeah, I didn't crash. I had an on track excursion and leather testing session.

Ricky, you're the man brotha

I know that you've got the pace, being a racer and all. Soon we'll be at Grattan (hopefully, fingers crossed) and these boys can decide for themselves if we're slow or not

BDA116 · 03-02-2006, 3:23 PM

Remember that the configuration you guys are running skips a whole ess section that used to be the slowest part of the track with two first gear corners.

K9inAZ · 03-03-2006, 6:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDA116

Remember that the configuration you guys are running skips a whole ess section that used to be the slowest part of the track with two first gear corners.

Don't rain on my parade!

Oh yeah, I know I'm slow and I'll prove it to you guys in Grattan!