How did YOUR weekend go?

[Jaybird180]

This past weekend, my bride and I took our new enclosed trailer on its maiden voyage to Virginia International Raceway to participate in a trackday with Aaron Stevenson's Cornerspeed riding school. I've wanted to do his school for about as long as I've wanted to do CSS- just that I committed to CSS first. To add to my sense of urgency, Dave Moss was scheduled to be there and since I had already been watching his videos, etc and corresponding with him about a problem with the forks I'd upgraded I decided HECK YEAH!

Little did I know that an additional bonus would be that Tom Kipp would be there. I didn't know much about him, so after I got home I looked into his racing career to discover that he has 4 AMA Supersport crowns on his resume; he's now retired from racing and according to what I read is now a preacher.

During one of the classroom sessions, Tom offered to tow me around the circuit. Unfortunately we got separated by Tom getting around a slower rider and it took me a bit longer to catch up...and then he turned up the pace a little...a little too soon for me as I didn't have enough attention for my RPs and watching Tom's lines.

I also had an opportunity to ride 2-up on the back of Aaron's prepped GSXR with a passenger hold on the tank. THAT was a HOOT! I haven't been on the back of a motorcycle since I was 5 and I'm a long ways from 5 years old. We took off and Aaron immediately pulls a power wheelie from pit road getting onto the front straight to join T1. What's notable for me was that I could really feel each time when the front wheel wasn't in contact with the pavement and also when he set it back down and it wasn't in-line with our direction of travel.

Aaron was braking in places where I could only dream of doing the same. He knows ViR very intimately. One of the hallmarks of his teaching is NO COASTING. He believes in either being on the gas (hard) or on the brakes (hard) and it shows in the time it took us to get around the circuit 3 times. On the 2nd lap I thought my arms were give out from braking into T1. I got through the agreed 3 laps then tapped out from the flood of emotion and kinesthetic overload. I've got the video I took on my Sena 10C, but I'll have to review it first and see if I can remove the swear words before I post it.

Did I mention that I got Dave to tweak my knobs!!!? I generally don't like people tweaking my knobs, it's rude and uncivilized but in Dave's case not only did I LET him, I PAID HIM to do it and couldn't give up the money fast enough. He gave me a few things to feel for NEXT WEEKEND when I head to NJMP Lightning (smile).

Lastly, I'd like to say that I hope I don't take as much time between CSS and my next trackday EVER AGAIN. I was last at CSS in May @ ViR and I found it a steep hill to climb. I think my visual skills are much better and I like that. I still need to work on my ability to get the bike steered, into and out of the corners faster.

[Jaybird180]

Oh! and the biggest thing (I almost forgot)....

I might have the back pain problem solved. Focusing on screwdriver on my inside hand forced me to keep my elbows up and I think that helped a lot!

[khp]

JB, sounds like you had a BLAST of a weekend. Here the track season has come to an end with me getting exactly zero minutes of tracktime in this year, mainly due to bad weather (raining).

I was out on track coaching four days, but that doesn't count as tracktime for me.

[Jaybird180]

I just bought a dirt bike and I didn’t believe it before but it’s same same! I’ll be riding that A LOT over the winter, etc.

[DucPati]

How did MY weekend go? I bought a track bike in January, did CSS Lvl 3 on it in May. I could have done Lvl4 in May or Aug without having to travel but I had decided to spend more time at the track to work on getting faster. You posted this on Oct 6th, which would have been the 7th where I am and that day I went to the track again. 5th time at this track, a ~3km circuit called Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland, Australia. I ride in the fast group at the local track days. Previous outing I had taken 3 seconds off my PB on a rear tyre that was well past it's useful life and sliding around a lot. It had been 2 months since then on the 7th and I went out first session with a fresh rear tyre and set a PB on the 3rd lap. By the 3rd session I had taken over a second off my PB from the previous outing and was looking like I would get to my target lap time in the 4th session. Bike had other ideas though, the fuel pump died and I didn't get another session in that day. While that was disappointing, it was a very successful outing and I left pretty happy. My target was 1:23 and I had done a 1:24.3. The fastest guys at track days and local club racing are doing 1:20 and sometimes 1:18/1:19. A few people were asking me which class I race in. I don't. Australian Superbike record there is 1:13. I'm now aiming for 1:20 but I need some suspension work as the springs are too soft for my weight and a fork seal was leaking.

 

Pro photographer was there and got some great photos. Here's one at one my favorite corners, an uphill blind left hander under a bridge with a cement wall on the inside.

I have video too, I always run a front and rear camera - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFI0X_M5Zh4&list=PL2qr50jc8pAUK5w0NZafcl5tFNOXGZC3e

 

 

 

[Jaybird180]

Sorry to hear that your "Duck" let you down. Your progress and goals sound amazing!

[DucPati]

10 hours ago, Jaybird180 said:

Sorry to hear that your "Duck" let you down. Your progress and goals sound amazing!

When I bought it, it had 1100km on the dash. It's a 2008 model. I was suspicious of the km on the dash from the start and my suspicions have been confirmed - gearbox let go earlier in the year and my mech (who is well known as one of the best Ducati mechs in this area) said it definitely has done more than 1100km. When I replaced the fuel pump, I found it's not the original and the flange has been damaged. So I'm not blaming the Duc for letting me down as it's clearly been raced and had a hard life. I expected there might be some gremlins. It's not as easy to ride fast as an S1000RR but it's way more enjoyable

So I head back there on Saturday for an all Ducati track day. Let's see how I go. I have a new one piece suit and gloves, should be worth another 2 seconds  

[Jaybird180]

That rises suspiciously close to fraud. Tampering with an odometer is a Federal Crime in the US, but I've never heard of it being enforced for 1-off situations. I guess all one can do is publish the bad-news about the prior owner's integrity, or lack thereof. But I suppose it's also incumbent upon the buyer to know what they're buying.

Good luck on the all-Duc day.

[DucPati]

On 24/10/2017 at 11:27 PM, Jaybird180 said:

That rises suspiciously close to fraud. Tampering with an odometer is a Federal Crime in the US

I don’t think it was tampered with per se. For starters it was crashed early in its life and written off. In the state it was written off the law makes it such that it can never be registered again without replacing the frame. So it was converted to a track/race bike. I suspect it had a race dash and ECU on it, which was then swapped back prior to being sold to the guy I bought it from.

[DucPati]

On 24/10/2017 at 11:27 PM, Jaybird180 said:

Good luck on the all-Duc day.

Classic quote for the day “never seen so many bikes not start at the same time” 

 

Did a full session at 1:23 pace so pretty happy, that’s another second quicker.

 

Vid of that session: 

 

 

 

[Houndracer46]

To be honest, I have lost track of weekdays and weekends. I have been backpacking across South East Asia. A month in Cambodia, one month in Vietnam, and close to two months in Laos and I'm loving life. I have been away from my dear motorbike for 4 months now. Here in Indochina they don't have a motorbike concept ( they do have it in Thailand and Malaysia but not in these countries). I've been doing motorcycle loops and off-roading in a 125cc automatic scooter 😭 which doesn't cross 55mph. I can't express how much I'm missing my bike. But can't complain much.

So, the only time I'm reminded of weekends is when I have my PhD classes and while working on my PhD chapter  Climax Community (I'm working on ecological sustainability). But ya, the missing my bike part and working on my PhD are the small trade offs that has enabled me to travel and explore these beautiful countries. My next stop is Thailand and I hope to have enough money for Malaysia and Singapore.

[shimran964]

Check the sound and ride of my 125CC Honda

https://youtu.be/iZYDYuTnjRY

[Cobie Fair]

On 10/20/2017 at 3:18 AM, DucPati said:

How did MY weekend go? I bought a track bike in January, did CSS Lvl 3 on it in May. I could have done Lvl4 in May or Aug without having to travel but I had decided to spend more time at the track to work on getting faster. You posted this on Oct 6th, which would have been the 7th where I am and that day I went to the track again. 5th time at this track, a ~3km circuit called Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland, Australia. I ride in the fast group at the local track days. Previous outing I had taken 3 seconds off my PB on a rear tyre that was well past it's useful life and sliding around a lot. It had been 2 months since then on the 7th and I went out first session with a fresh rear tyre and set a PB on the 3rd lap. By the 3rd session I had taken over a second off my PB from the previous outing and was looking like I would get to my target lap time in the 4th session. Bike had other ideas though, the fuel pump died and I didn't get another session in that day. While that was disappointing, it was a very successful outing and I left pretty happy. My target was 1:23 and I had done a 1:24.3. The fastest guys at track days and local club racing are doing 1:20 and sometimes 1:18/1:19. A few people were asking me which class I race in. I don't. Australian Superbike record there is 1:13. I'm now aiming for 1:20 but I need some suspension work as the springs are too soft for my weight and a fork seal was leaking.

 

Pro photographer was there and got some great photos. Here's one at one my favorite corners, an uphill blind left hander under a bridge with a cement wall on the inside.

I have video too, I always run a front and rear camera - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFI0X_M5Zh4&list=PL2qr50jc8pAUK5w0NZafcl5tFNOXGZC3e

 

 

 

Hey DucPati,

Nice picture!  One comment only is that your helmet sits a bit low on your head, I'm guessing that you are able to see the upper rim of the visor.  Many pros adjust the helmets up so they can see a little easier out of the top of the helmet, enabling a nice low body position.  You might find it easier to see with the helmet a little higher on your head/tilted up a hair.  We do that at our schools as we see this a lot.