the bb trackday thread.

[graeme4130]

I've got my wedding anniversary on 4th of May, so don't think my marriage would last me missing that for a track day
I'm down on the Nolimits waiting list for the Estoril/Portimao double end of May

[graeme4130]

Booked my flights for Almeria last night with Ryan Air (Bristol-Malaga-Bristol) @ £36 return including taxes !
It's going to cost me twice that for car parking at the airport

[Birky_41]

graeme4130 said:

Booked my flights for Almeria last night with Ryan Air (Bristol-Malaga-Bristol) @ £36 return including taxes !
It's going to cost me twice that for car parking at the airport

Two of our lot did Southend to Malaga. Once there its a pig of a drive to FE hotel but they paid something like £70 return. Hire cars are cheap too just book online before you go. Their roads put ours to shame.

[graeme4130]

Birky_41 said:

graeme4130 said:

Booked my flights for Almeria last night with Ryan Air (Bristol-Malaga-Bristol) @ £36 return including taxes !
It's going to cost me twice that for car parking at the airport

Two of our lot did Southend to Malaga. Once there its a pig of a drive to FE hotel but they paid something like £70 return. Hire cars are cheap too just book online before you go. Their roads put ours to shame.

I found a Twingo or some other crappy cheap equivalent car for Eu8/day. I can use my phone as Sat nav, so I just need the cheapest car possible
Have you been to Portimao ? The roads within a mile of the track are incredible, but all the other roads between the town and the circuit are like driving down a farm track

[moto_traxport]

graeme4130 said:

Have you been to Portimao ? The roads within a mile of the track are incredible, but all the other roads between the town and the circuit are like driving down a farm track

The locals do like to put a few inches of tarmac on the dirt and call it a road though. Between turns 1 & 2 a pedestrian tunnel has apparently collapsed leading to a bit of a divet in the track and last time I went (few years ago now) there was a proper dent in the road a mile or so from the circuit - almost had to slow down the renta-hatch for that one.

[Biker's Nemesis]

graeme4130 said:

I've got my wedding anniversary on 4th of May, so don't think my marriage would last me missing that for a track day

You'd better not miss that day then.

[Biker's Nemesis]

moto_traxport said:

The locals do like to put a few inches of tarmac on the dirt and call it a road though. Between turns 1 & 2 a pedestrian tunnel has apparently collapsed leading to a bit of a divet in the track and last time I went (few years ago now) there was a proper dent in the road a mile or so from the circuit - almost had to slow down the renta-hatch for that one.

I think it was 2013 last time I was there, been 5 times and its rained every time so far..I still love the place, its in my top 5.

[graeme4130]

Biker's Nemesis said:

moto_traxport said:

The locals do like to put a few inches of tarmac on the dirt and call it a road though. Between turns 1 & 2 a pedestrian tunnel has apparently collapsed leading to a bit of a divet in the track and last time I went (few years ago now) there was a proper dent in the road a mile or so from the circuit - almost had to slow down the renta-hatch for that one.

I think it was 2013 last time I was there, been 5 times and its rained every time so far..I still love the place, its in my top 5.

It rains a ridiculous amount there. Apparently it's something to do with Air pressure with it being in the first set of hills after the clouds come in from the Atlantic.

[George29]

Had an awesome 5 days in Almeria. I was wrong about that circuit, probably due to all the bike problems I had last time. It's great, especially now I'm on a 1000.





Did a day with Steve Brogan and would highly recommend him for tuition. Helped me loads. Also did the race for fun, which was going awesome running in 6th place until I ran wide into the gravel and dropped the bike. Did get my best lap time (1:45!) the lap before though so not too bad. And no damage to the bike Can't wait to go back out.

[graeme4130]

Great Pics
I'm looking forward to getting out there in Dec

[Birky_41]

George29 said:

Had an awesome 5 days in Almeria. I was wrong about that circuit, probably due to all the bike problems I had last time. It's great, especially now I'm on a 1000.





Did a day with Steve Brogan and would highly recommend him for tuition. Helped me loads. Also did the race for fun, which was going awesome running in 6th place until I ran wide into the gravel and dropped the bike. Did get my best lap time (1:45!) the lap before though so not too bad. And no damage to the bike Can't wait to go back out.

Awesome pictures! What date was you out there? I went 4th to 8th, my bike is still on its way back. My first time but definitely not my last.

I very much found the guys running 1.45's when I was out all were on 1000's. I crept into the high 1.47's but got destroyed on the long straight with my old 750

They never did a race when I was there :-/

[George29]

graeme4130 said:

Great Pics
I'm looking forward to getting out there in Dec

Thanks. You'll love it I'm sure. Im hoping to go out in February or March again.

Birky_41 said:

Awesome pictures! What date was you out there? I went 4th to 8th, my bike is still on its way back. My first time but definitely not my last.

I very much found the guys running 1.45's when I was out all were on 1000's. I crept into the high 1.47's but got destroyed on the long straight with my old 750

They never did a race when I was there :-/

I did the 9th-13th. I know what you mean about that back straight, I was getting left behind by some of the BMWs and ZX10s there. The race for fun wasn't that much fun - it was ultra competitive! I qualified 9th on a 1:47, the bloke on pole did a 1:40 in the end the race never got completed though, I think 4 (including me) came off.

[fergus]

great pics. Who ran the trip?

[George29]

fergus said:

great pics. Who ran the trip?

Focused. I know a lot of people dislike them but it was run brilliantly.

[Birky_41]

George29 said:

I did the 9th-13th. I know what you mean about that back straight, I was getting left behind by some of the BMWs and ZX10s there. The race for fun wasn't that much fun - it was ultra competitive! I qualified 9th on a 1:47, the bloke on pole did a 1:40 in the end the race never got completed though, I think 4 (including me) came off.

Wow thats seriously fast! You dont appreciate that pace until you've done it yourself. I didnt have anything left in me and even on a modern 1000 I reckon I'd only find another 2-3 seconds at my level

As for focused I found them fine getting the bike out there and while I was out there too...once I get my bike back I will confirm this and not edit the post haha

[graeme4130]

You always hear loads of people talking down FE, but they still have lots of happy customers, and not everyone gets their bike back in a skip, so they must be doing something right on the Euro trips.
I do like the idea of a 'race for fun' on the last day too

[George29]

Birky_41 said:

Wow thats seriously fast! You dont appreciate that pace until you've done it yourself. I didnt have anything left in me and even on a modern 1000 I reckon I'd only find another 2-3 seconds at my level

As for focused I found them fine getting the bike out there and while I was out there too...once I get my bike back I will confirm this and not edit the post haha

Yeah it is properly rapid. Don't think I had much left in me to go quicker than a 1:45 but hopefully with a bit of practice I'll get there. I kept messing up the 2nd to last corner after the long straight so could probably save some time there. I just left my bike out there (another good benefit of going with Focused) as the next track day I go on will be Spain in the new year, and it saves £50 on the track day cost

graeme4130 said:

You always hear loads of people talking down FE, but they still have lots of happy customers, and not everyone gets their bike back in a skip, so they must be doing something right on the Euro trips.
I do like the idea of a 'race for fun' on the last day too

The only time I've had a bike damaged on a Euro trip was with NoLimits - I strapped my bike down in the stillages and left to the airport, then whoever was in the same stillage didn't strap their's down properly so their handlebar just bounced into my freshly painted tank the entire journey home, meaning I had to get it filled and re-painted. Not necessarily NL's fault but still very irritating.

The race for fun was good except the stupid idea of sitting on the grid for 10 mins so they could take photos etc, all without tyre warmers. Then they gave 2 sighting laps but still not ideal. Some footage from the start and first lap before it was red flagged here - https://youtu.be/_77we_mSc1U

[graeme4130]

George29 said:

The only time I've had a bike damaged on a Euro trip was with NoLimits - I strapped my bike down in the stillages and left to the airport, then whoever was in the same stillage didn't strap their's down properly so their handlebar just bounced into my freshly painted tank the entire journey home, meaning I had to get it filled and re-painted. Not necessarily NL's fault but still very irritating.

Blimey, I'd have been not happy
What did the other guy say ?
It's one of those things if someone bins it into you at a track day, and it's the risk we all take, but if someone damaged your bike by not loading their's correctly, I'm not sure I'd be so tolerant

[George29]

graeme4130 said:

Blimey, I'd have been not happy
What did the other guy say ?
It's one of those things if someone bins it into you at a track day, and it's the risk we all take, but if someone damaged your bike by not loading their's correctly, I'm not sure I'd be so tolerant

I never even saw him when I went to collect the bike as he had already got his. NoLimits weren't particularly bothered either.

[Birky_41]

George29 said:

The only time I've had a bike damaged on a Euro trip was with NoLimits - I strapped my bike down in the stillages and left to the airport, then whoever was in the same stillage didn't strap their's down properly so their handlebar just bounced into my freshly painted tank the entire journey home, meaning I had to get it filled and re-painted. Not necessarily NL's fault but still very irritating.

The race for fun was good except the stupid idea of sitting on the grid for 10 mins so they could take photos etc, all without tyre warmers. Then they gave 2 sighting laps but still not ideal. Some footage from the start and first lap before it was red flagged here - https://youtu.be/_77we_mSc1U

Just watched the video. Not sure what happened on the start? You ride very similar to me and took almost identical lines but even your 1000 was getting killed on them straights!

Wishing I was out there again right now...