First Trackday Report : Silverstone GP today
Discussion
As title, first trackday today and what can I say? Just awesome. I was really nervous and just took it really steady for the first session to get a feel for the track. On the second session I attached my sliders and went hunting for apexes 
Needless to say, they're well worn now, having been scraped on all the proper corners, and at one point I went in a little too hot and had to drop it down a bit more - the result being my left footpeg now has a little corner missing, despite the hero blobs being removed previously
I took a session with an instructor and really benefited from that - a mate was taking rudimentary timings with his mobile and says I dropped 10seconds a lap over a couple of sessions.
By the last session (which was practically deserted) I was really flying (for a novice at least!). I spotted another 7R in the distance and made it my mission to catch him. I overtook him on the outside of the long, long right hander before the left that tips into Bridge
By the end of the day my speeds through the following sections went up loads:
Bridge (left that leads into it, not the right hander) from 80mph in my 3rd session to 105mph in my final session. Could have gone MUCH faster but.....well, I bottled it
Hangar straight 145mph before my arse went airtight and forced me to back off. There was more room to accelerate but I would have needed to brake even harder so I kept it sensible.
Pit straight 125mph and got my knee down on the right hander after it
Not sure if those are good speeds to be carrying? Anyone know Silverstone well?
Half a session was seriously hampered by a Duke 999 rider who was, frankly,
useless in the bends, but had more drive out of them, so even though I could get around the bends quicker, when I tried to get past him I could get level, but couldn't get a convincing lead. Had I thought about it, i'd have dropped back, got a run-up through a bend or two and then passed him, but nevermind. I assume there were a few riders in the early sessions who were sat in my wake hoping I would hurry up, so it's all fair I guess
Oh and Pilot Powers are fantastic - they stood up really well to the abuse. The right side is rather rucked up from the chicane before Pit Straight as if you can get enough drive in 1st and 2nd, it's a great place to get a jump on slower riders! There are no chicken strips either side, but then that's to be expected I guess
Sorry to sound so full of it, i'm not trying to sound cocky, i'm just still bubbling even after a 2 and a half hour drive home
Currently costing up various options:
Trailer and towhitch
Pickup
Damaged 7R as a dedicated trackbike....
Yup, i'm hooked hehe
Dave
Needless to say, they're well worn now, having been scraped on all the proper corners, and at one point I went in a little too hot and had to drop it down a bit more - the result being my left footpeg now has a little corner missing, despite the hero blobs being removed previously I took a session with an instructor and really benefited from that - a mate was taking rudimentary timings with his mobile and says I dropped 10seconds a lap over a couple of sessions.
By the last session (which was practically deserted) I was really flying (for a novice at least!). I spotted another 7R in the distance and made it my mission to catch him. I overtook him on the outside of the long, long right hander before the left that tips into Bridge
By the end of the day my speeds through the following sections went up loads:
Bridge (left that leads into it, not the right hander) from 80mph in my 3rd session to 105mph in my final session. Could have gone MUCH faster but.....well, I bottled it
Hangar straight 145mph before my arse went airtight and forced me to back off. There was more room to accelerate but I would have needed to brake even harder so I kept it sensible.
Pit straight 125mph and got my knee down on the right hander after it
Not sure if those are good speeds to be carrying? Anyone know Silverstone well?
Half a session was seriously hampered by a Duke 999 rider who was, frankly,
useless in the bends, but had more drive out of them, so even though I could get around the bends quicker, when I tried to get past him I could get level, but couldn't get a convincing lead. Had I thought about it, i'd have dropped back, got a run-up through a bend or two and then passed him, but nevermind. I assume there were a few riders in the early sessions who were sat in my wake hoping I would hurry up, so it's all fair I guess Oh and Pilot Powers are fantastic - they stood up really well to the abuse. The right side is rather rucked up from the chicane before Pit Straight as if you can get enough drive in 1st and 2nd, it's a great place to get a jump on slower riders! There are no chicken strips either side, but then that's to be expected I guess
Sorry to sound so full of it, i'm not trying to sound cocky, i'm just still bubbling even after a 2 and a half hour drive home
Currently costing up various options:
Trailer and towhitch
Pickup
Damaged 7R as a dedicated trackbike....
Yup, i'm hooked
hehe Dave
Nice one dude,
That sounds like great fun. I still haven't done a trackday, but that makes me want to.
What was the weather like ? (I'm working abroad at the mo and it's -10)
You should get a two bike trailer and pick me up on the way past
What was the total cost for this day, if you don't mind me asking?
That sounds like great fun. I still haven't done a trackday, but that makes me want to.
What was the weather like ? (I'm working abroad at the mo and it's -10)
You should get a two bike trailer and pick me up on the way past
What was the total cost for this day, if you don't mind me asking?
Weather was atrocious all morning, but the fog lifted at about 12 o clock and it was glorious, if a little cold, for the rest of the day.
Cost:
Trackday: £65
Van Loan (from an aquaintance): £30
Diesel for van: £40
Petrol for bike: £10
Photo CD (a luxury, but you've just gotta buy one!) £30
Riding around Silverstone GP like your hair's on fire: PRICELESS
Cost:
Trackday: £65
Van Loan (from an aquaintance): £30
Diesel for van: £40
Petrol for bike: £10
Photo CD (a luxury, but you've just gotta buy one!) £30
Riding around Silverstone GP like your hair's on fire: PRICELESS
. taxing the ace in a weeks time so i will give you a shout .
bennyboysvuk said:
Nice one Dave. But watch out 'cos it can quite easily go:
New trailer
New paddock stands
Tyre warmers
Wets on wheels
New suspension
etc...
Tell me about it - just seen a ZX7R Streetfighter on Fleabay with 10k miles - new top yoke and some clipons, and a track fairing and id be away! It's up at £800 currently..... Tempted
Never done a bike track day, but a number of car ones. Interesting how much cheaper the bike ones are. I'd expect around £200 for Silverstone in a car, and the track day companies aren't generally ripping off - The circuits are mega bucks to rent. So do they get more bikes than cars on track to get the cost down ?
I only glanced at the speedo a few times, not all the time
Donny is a bit far from me (Salisbury), thinking Brands Hatch next, and would like to do Cadwell's mountain circuit
Oh and Silverstone again - it's only a 2 and a half hour drive from Salisbury as it's nearly all dual carriageway, which is important in a slow van!
Donny is a bit far from me (Salisbury), thinking Brands Hatch next, and would like to do Cadwell's mountain circuit
Oh and Silverstone again - it's only a 2 and a half hour drive from Salisbury as it's nearly all dual carriageway, which is important in a slow van!
Silverstone GP's awesome isn't it, apart from the dumb fiddly chicane they've added since WSB two years ago - you know the one that's so slow they have to lower the bikes gearing just to get round. I missed a gear coming out of there and very nearly got shunted from behind as everyone's on the gas coming out of that chicane. The rest of the track is fast, fast, fast though. Getting the knee down round bridge and the left after it must be one of the fastest speeds I've reached while being in contact with the tarmac! Super exhilarating, now imagine Copse (the first corner after the main straight) cut into the side of a steep hill so it plunges down like a roller coaster after the blind apex!!! That's Brands hatch for you. If you enjoyed silverstone you have to do Brands on a bike. Getting knee down round paddock remains the single most exhilarating thing I've done on two wheels - insane!
It does sound like you've got the hang of it going by your report. If you can knee down virtually every corner then you must be there or thereabouts. The trouble is going to the next level of speed requires intimate track knowledge and braking later and getting on the power (NB - progressively though mind - just watch rossi's throttle hand, even he's super progressive). For me to go much quicker than I can already means pushing the bike and myself up to the point of making mistakes which I'm prepared to do in a car but personally not on a bike. If I can get my kneedown everywhere I'm happy enough with that and I call it a day. My strong advice is to leave the stopwatch at home - all it does is encourage the red mist. Fine if you're prepared to deal with scratching your bike and yourself.
For the record, a tuned ZX12R with a full acropovic system and power commander pulls a comfortable (well sort of) 165 down hangar straight, and that's with me on it and rolling off well before hitting the brakes for Stowe (wow, there's another corner for you). I have no doubt a racer could see another ten mph on that at least -
The same bike pulls 140mph down the pit straight too, so they are mega, mega fast on a power circuit like silverstone. For reference my GSX-R 1000 pulled 155 down hangar straight which is why I sold it and kept the ZX12R, believe it or not. If you're over six foot they really are the only sports bike to have as they handle like a dream. It might be wise to uprate the brakes and have the suspension dialled in but the 12's really handle like sportsbikes compared to the more 'sports touring' set up of the Hyabusa for example.
But a zx7r is a great alround bike for every circuit and I wouldn't mind having one myself for trackdays.
You have to go to Brands, ideally for the GP circuit too - it's well worth the extra money. After that Donington is a bit of a must but can be tricky in parts. Particularly beware the hump going under the dunlop bridge. I can only imagine the gp racers throttle off momentarily because I held 4th gear wide open down the straight and it produced a very big (by my standards) and scary wheelie (at the top of 4th gear which must be over 120mph!!). I can tell you I came off the throttle pretty quick! I'm told the left side of the track is less of a hump and I was right over on the right. I wished I had it on video!
Snetterton's a great track for more reasonable money and suits big power with a huge back straight (it's quicker than Hangar believe it or not as I hit 160 in my gsxr). Other than that I strongly recommend the trip to Jerez in Spain during the lousy winter months. Great weather, gorgeous track, moto gp kudos, cheap spanish lager in the bar afterwards - a winning combination.
It does sound like you've got the hang of it going by your report. If you can knee down virtually every corner then you must be there or thereabouts. The trouble is going to the next level of speed requires intimate track knowledge and braking later and getting on the power (NB - progressively though mind - just watch rossi's throttle hand, even he's super progressive). For me to go much quicker than I can already means pushing the bike and myself up to the point of making mistakes which I'm prepared to do in a car but personally not on a bike. If I can get my kneedown everywhere I'm happy enough with that and I call it a day. My strong advice is to leave the stopwatch at home - all it does is encourage the red mist. Fine if you're prepared to deal with scratching your bike and yourself.
For the record, a tuned ZX12R with a full acropovic system and power commander pulls a comfortable (well sort of) 165 down hangar straight, and that's with me on it and rolling off well before hitting the brakes for Stowe (wow, there's another corner for you). I have no doubt a racer could see another ten mph on that at least -
The same bike pulls 140mph down the pit straight too, so they are mega, mega fast on a power circuit like silverstone. For reference my GSX-R 1000 pulled 155 down hangar straight which is why I sold it and kept the ZX12R, believe it or not. If you're over six foot they really are the only sports bike to have as they handle like a dream. It might be wise to uprate the brakes and have the suspension dialled in but the 12's really handle like sportsbikes compared to the more 'sports touring' set up of the Hyabusa for example.
But a zx7r is a great alround bike for every circuit and I wouldn't mind having one myself for trackdays.
You have to go to Brands, ideally for the GP circuit too - it's well worth the extra money. After that Donington is a bit of a must but can be tricky in parts. Particularly beware the hump going under the dunlop bridge. I can only imagine the gp racers throttle off momentarily because I held 4th gear wide open down the straight and it produced a very big (by my standards) and scary wheelie (at the top of 4th gear which must be over 120mph!!). I can tell you I came off the throttle pretty quick! I'm told the left side of the track is less of a hump and I was right over on the right. I wished I had it on video!
Snetterton's a great track for more reasonable money and suits big power with a huge back straight (it's quicker than Hangar believe it or not as I hit 160 in my gsxr). Other than that I strongly recommend the trip to Jerez in Spain during the lousy winter months. Great weather, gorgeous track, moto gp kudos, cheap spanish lager in the bar afterwards - a winning combination.
if you go to brands GP, be careful getting hard ont he gas through clearways. There have been lots of VERY high speed high sides there !
It's not too difficult to hit over 165 on hangar st, depends what gearing you're running!!
PS can you mail me offline to let me know what mods you've had done to get 240 out of a 1.8 litre K, mine only makes 211hp at 7900. Most I've seen over about 230 have either been all steel race units, or converted to 1.9 litres. I presume you're running a steel bottom end?
! It's not too difficult to hit over 165 on hangar st, depends what gearing you're running!!
PS can you mail me offline to let me know what mods you've had done to get 240 out of a 1.8 litre K, mine only makes 211hp at 7900. Most I've seen over about 230 have either been all steel race units, or converted to 1.9 litres. I presume you're running a steel bottom end?
Photos from the day:
www.fresh-orange.co.uk/rider.asp?eventid=71&level=Novice&edate=18/02/2006&locationID=5&dir=ZX7 Green2&groupid=1
Sadly they evidently weren't nearby when I was showboating and dragging my knee, which is a shame
I did get it down on all the real corners in sessions 2 and 3, but then I got all sensible and went out with an instructor so I was concentrating on my lines
Gutted I don't have a kneedown shot
www.fresh-orange.co.uk/rider.asp?eventid=71&level=Novice&edate=18/02/2006&locationID=5&dir=ZX7 Green2&groupid=1
Sadly they evidently weren't nearby when I was showboating and dragging my knee, which is a shame
I did get it down on all the real corners in sessions 2 and 3, but then I got all sensible and went out with an instructor so I was concentrating on my lines Gutted I don't have a kneedown shot
That's alright Dave, we believe you honest.
Off topic regarding my seven it's the R101 spec 1.8k as prepared by Minister racing. It's got bespoke everything, pistons, cams, valves, crank, new ignition system and it cost me a fortune but I blew up my VHPD and got carried away (very) with the rebuild. I'm sure other engine builders would query the output (they always do) but it did out drag a slick-shod R500 down the straight at Donington which is good enough for me! You should have seen the guy's face in the pitlane afterwards, he was very interested in my engine spec I can tell you.
>> Edited by the pits on Tuesday 21st February 17:27
Off topic regarding my seven it's the R101 spec 1.8k as prepared by Minister racing. It's got bespoke everything, pistons, cams, valves, crank, new ignition system and it cost me a fortune but I blew up my VHPD and got carried away (very) with the rebuild. I'm sure other engine builders would query the output (they always do) but it did out drag a slick-shod R500 down the straight at Donington which is good enough for me! You should have seen the guy's face in the pitlane afterwards, he was very interested in my engine spec I can tell you.
>> Edited by the pits on Tuesday 21st February 17:27
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