JerryXt
13-09-2007, 04:08 PM
Just got back from Brands.
Nim, Mand, Scrapps and I did novices, Monstatom did fast! Weather was perfect, no rain, not much wind, about 21 all day.
The Indy circuit is small - about a mile. The fast guys were lapping in around a minute. The main events are Paddock, fast, very cambered, which leads into a massive dip, then Duids - the hairpin, Graham Hill bend, Cooper straight, some other corners (left, right), then Clearways and back to Paddock.
Coming off Paddock fast is like a rollercoaster. You're thrown down onto the tank as you hit the bottom of the dip, then straight up to Druids. Immediately before the corner, there's a bridge - I was braking as I went under the bridge and turned in very late for the corner - it seemed to work because I got a lot of guys there and had much better exit speed. Clearways has a nasty seam where the surface meets and can upset the bike on the power. I only got onto it once, and never again. It's ok to cross, but choose your moment. One guy highsided out of Clearways - too much power getting onto the pit straight. I was breaking for Paddock at the end of the wall running past the pits. I could have gone later, but the track starts dipping there and you can't see where it's going!
So, the day. Sign-on was easy, no problems. They did ask to see full licence. Queuing for noise testing was tedious - Lucrezia did 'around' the limit at 102-103 at 4500 revs (was supposed to be 5500...) but the guys were happy to pass me...
The usual briefing, then novices first out. Three sighting laps, then back into the pits to ditch the instructors and we were off. Everyone in the group were competant and safe, apart from one guy who tried to take me on the inside at Druids and realised very late that I was taking a very different line to him, and another guy who insisted on throwing himself into an aero tuck on the straights and moving all over the place in the process.
The big I4s were all over me out of Clearways on the first session, but subsequent sessions saw most of them happily behind!
Lunch was good for a track, with excellent company!
Sadly, there were a few fallers in the afternoon - Nim among them. I had just taken a GSXR1K at Druids (:D) and came onto Cooper to see the flags out, a monnie on the deck and Nim sitting bolt upright looking VERY p**sed in the kitty litter! I'm sure she'll be along later, but it sounded like someone took her line on the bend, and she decked her pipes changing her line. She was a bit banged about, but looked ok later.
Another guy in the fast group tried to take monstatom at Druids and went off the corner, clearing the gravel by 7 metres before flying over the tyre wall. Nasty.
The crashes lead to a major telling off from the organisers and one more fall meant that the ambulances had to leave the circuit and we couldn't continue until they returned. I had enough by that point and left for the day. Monstatom had a van and is helping Nim back to the smoke.
Thanks to all there for making a great day, and of course to Nim for organising it! If you need anything Nim, just let me know.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
Some pics here - VERY slow...
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/BSP_8008.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/BSP_7839.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/Mand.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/BSP_6007.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/BSP_5879.jpg
Nim, Mand, Scrapps and I did novices, Monstatom did fast! Weather was perfect, no rain, not much wind, about 21 all day.
The Indy circuit is small - about a mile. The fast guys were lapping in around a minute. The main events are Paddock, fast, very cambered, which leads into a massive dip, then Duids - the hairpin, Graham Hill bend, Cooper straight, some other corners (left, right), then Clearways and back to Paddock.
Coming off Paddock fast is like a rollercoaster. You're thrown down onto the tank as you hit the bottom of the dip, then straight up to Druids. Immediately before the corner, there's a bridge - I was braking as I went under the bridge and turned in very late for the corner - it seemed to work because I got a lot of guys there and had much better exit speed. Clearways has a nasty seam where the surface meets and can upset the bike on the power. I only got onto it once, and never again. It's ok to cross, but choose your moment. One guy highsided out of Clearways - too much power getting onto the pit straight. I was breaking for Paddock at the end of the wall running past the pits. I could have gone later, but the track starts dipping there and you can't see where it's going!
So, the day. Sign-on was easy, no problems. They did ask to see full licence. Queuing for noise testing was tedious - Lucrezia did 'around' the limit at 102-103 at 4500 revs (was supposed to be 5500...) but the guys were happy to pass me...
The usual briefing, then novices first out. Three sighting laps, then back into the pits to ditch the instructors and we were off. Everyone in the group were competant and safe, apart from one guy who tried to take me on the inside at Druids and realised very late that I was taking a very different line to him, and another guy who insisted on throwing himself into an aero tuck on the straights and moving all over the place in the process.
The big I4s were all over me out of Clearways on the first session, but subsequent sessions saw most of them happily behind!
Lunch was good for a track, with excellent company!
Sadly, there were a few fallers in the afternoon - Nim among them. I had just taken a GSXR1K at Druids (:D) and came onto Cooper to see the flags out, a monnie on the deck and Nim sitting bolt upright looking VERY p**sed in the kitty litter! I'm sure she'll be along later, but it sounded like someone took her line on the bend, and she decked her pipes changing her line. She was a bit banged about, but looked ok later.
Another guy in the fast group tried to take monstatom at Druids and went off the corner, clearing the gravel by 7 metres before flying over the tyre wall. Nasty.
The crashes lead to a major telling off from the organisers and one more fall meant that the ambulances had to leave the circuit and we couldn't continue until they returned. I had enough by that point and left for the day. Monstatom had a van and is helping Nim back to the smoke.
Thanks to all there for making a great day, and of course to Nim for organising it! If you need anything Nim, just let me know.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
Some pics here - VERY slow...
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/BSP_8008.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/BSP_7839.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/Mand.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/BSP_6007.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc90/jerryxt/BSP_5879.jpg