Eastern Creek Track day 19/02/10

[pan]

Wow! What a day!

Best track day I've ever done! I got to ride 4 different bikes and all were great...

Summary:

The KTM: powerful, fun, comfortable, but not so comfy on the track as the front was very light and wanted to slide out (just ask Loafie about that)

The Aprillia RS250: Great track bike. Engine wasn't running 100%, but it was the bike that got me the fastest lap times I managed... it feels like a race-bred bike. Chassis, shocks, brakes... all come together to give you confidence to try anything on a race track. I loved it!

The RGV250: Awesome bike! Like the Aprillia but more of a road bike with all the bits removed than a pure race bike; probably because it has less fancy bits than the RS250. Was quicker out of corners and down the straight than the Aprillia, had more mid-range, but probably because of gearing and RS250 motor being tempremental.

The big-bore 1441 Busa: words cannot describe it! Sooooooooooooo much torque that it was great on the track. I called it the most "Honest" bike I've ever ridden (and the most powerful/fastest). It goes where you point it, accelerates as much as you dare to turn the throttle, lifts the front wheel on command, tips in to corners beautifully and is very stable, brakes almost as well as the Aprillia, but the low footpegs (for comfort) limited how much tilt we could get out of it on the track.

Thanks so much to Blackzook and Heidi for letting me try their bikes all day, and to 09sydrd as well for hanging out with us, even if he rode too fast and didn't wait for me!

Here are a selection of pics...


Heidi tore up the tyres on the RGV!








Getting the bikes home

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Big bore beast
Behind this helmet is a grin 10 miles wide



The good


The bad(ass)


...and the ugly (but I could've easily enjoyed riding it all day!)

[bandit]

Great picture Pan

[CeeJay07]

Good pics Pan....where are the action shots???

[pan]

Here are some more...

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[CeeJay07]

The second pic (gold n' black Gen2) has got a fair bit of lean going on...who's that?

[09Fatboy]

Thanks for the hospitality and juice to finish the last session

I Almost t boned Heidi in turn 8 Heidi had the rgv absolutely cooking in the last session.

let me tell you guys Bruce's 1441 made my gen 2 look slow today , Pan was riding the 1441 we both pulled out of the last turn before the straight side by side and i chased him down the straight with my bike under full power 12,500 rpm in 3rd , 4th , 5th gear and the bastard pulled the 1441 way ahead like i was riding a 600. I could'nt get near him.

Coming around turn 1 bigjay shoves it up on the inside and took the lead

Great day and good fun riding with ya's .

[pan]

The second pic (gold n' black Gen2) has got a fair bit of lean going on...who's that?

That's 09sydrd
He was the quickest by far! Can't believe how much the guy has improved in 2 track days!!!!

[Ward P]

The second pic (gold n' black Gen2) has got a fair bit of lean going on...who's that?

That's 09sydrd
He was the quickest by far! Can't believe how much the guy has improved in 2 track days!!!!

might be time to invest in some elbow sliders!!
Are they slicks? It looks like some variation in tyre texture, but too hard to tell? HUGE lean angle!

[BLACKZOOK]

What a day. We spent last night and today trying to download photos, but we are having an epic technamalogical fail and can't. I'll post up when I get home tomorrow (this is Heidi incidentally).

Nigel was the star of the day, rode Eastern Creek with him him in September, and he was very capable. Yesterday, he was a ROCKSTAR. None of us could believe how much he has improved since last time we saw him. He kept modestly saying, 'oh it is the bike', f*** THAT, he is a brilliant rider! Did you SEE the photos of his lean angle? For a moment I was reminded of TYCHO at Phillip Island, just a second before he crashed, he remembers thinking, I wonder how low you can lean a busa'. I think Nigel is showing us.

Pan was a local bike whore, he rode four bikes in six sessions, and each time he came back, he'd spend quite a bit of time ruminating on which bike he would chose for the next session. I was happily bootling around on the RGV, not going terribly fast but having a lovely time. I took Bruce's big bore (more about that later) around and saw Pan cornering on the RGV, with one foot on a peg and his knee tucked around the seat for stability, then the rest of him hanging on the track as he climbed off the bike like a monkey. So THAT'S how you are meant to ride the damn thing! Pan was also in charge of snacks and did one hell of a job with his 'ethnic' food.

Bruce took out the big bore for a few sessions to scrub in new tyres and brake pads. Nigel and I went up to the roof to take some photos, and it was all but impossible to photograph, it was just so damn FAST! As all the headlights came around the top of turn 12, you couldn't tell which one was the big bore untill all the other headlights appeared to stand still as the big bore just stepped away. That thing is FAST.

I had a very low-key day, for some reason I just didn't have the mongrel in me. I was perfectly happy just pootling around on the RGV. Just before session 6, Bruce took me aside and said, 'why don't you go out there and push yourself?' I went out there and f*** ME, I wish I'd thought of that earlier!! I took the big bore out for a session, and it is the most beautiful bike, Pan described it as 'honest', I described it as a throughbred. It is remarkable. Deliverable power, stunning set-up and just a revelation to ride. I could have spent all day on it. Don't get me wrong, I was TERRIFIED of crashing it, but it was astounding. I'm counting my money to see if I can get one for the Gen 1.

So to sum up, the weather was perfect, not too hot or glarey. The company was brilliant, Pan is always fun and I love Nigel. Bruce was a champion loaning all of his bikes to Pan and I, with no mention of what would happen if we crashed them, more a constant concern for our safety. We met a lovely guy from Wollogong who ended up pitting with us and quite a few RATS. It was just a really nice day and I can't wait for the next one. I slept well last night!!

[Madmax]

Can't wait for the photos, sounds like you guys had a TOP day.


Half your luck.

[bigjay]

wish i had of known you all were going. I would have pitted with you guys to get to meet you all. I was in garage 21 and had a top day on the zx6r. Such a brilliant bike and yes, Nigel can ride!!!!!! Bit of a girls blouse down the straight and i showed him what a 600 can do underbrakes, suicide line into turn 1.Top day

[09Fatboy]

Bit of a girls blouse down the straight and i showed him what a 600 can do underbrakes, suicide line into turn

nice riding Jamie.

Jamie's mate Paul had scrape marks on his levers He was flying on the 750.

Are they slicks? It looks like some variation in tyre texture, but too hard to tell?

second hand sport touring tyres from the wreckers. I got them a few weeks ago as my oem tyres were bald. I rarely buy new as used seem to work ok and are significantly cheaper.

can't wait til the next one.

[bigjay]

i think there is another track day early march we are both doing, so ya should come Nigel.........

[pan]

Nice meeting you out there as well Jamie!
Phil was the other Busa guy we came across too. He had aBusa and now rides an Aprillia (Tuono?).

Can't wait for the next one. Biggest dilema is... what kind of bike do I buy now? Can I ever go back after riding the big bore????

[Heidi1]

No, I think we all need a big bore now.