Well, as many of you know, I got the trackday fever again recently, and got to work on my racebike.
Well, Memorial day I got a chance to take her out (it has been a year, since I'd been on the track), and it felt amazing. The bike was running great, got her warmed up, and managed to not do any damage, and do well on the laptimes. The track: Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, Ca. (about 140 miles north of SF)
I've been here many times, but it had been a year since the last time I was here, and today was all about getting myself back up to track speed.
A few photos in the morning at our pits. I went up with several friends, Correne, Dave, Brian, Linda, Adam, Dave, Jeff and myself +1. :D We pitted together and that makes for a great day of hanging out with friends and pushing each other on the racetrack.
My first session out, was great, got up to a decent speed, and since I was also breaking in new slicks, I had to take it easy for a lap or two.
Dave and I went out together for the first session. He's on a Triumph Street Triple, while I'm on the SV 650s. We were managing the same times, and once my tires were scrubbed in, it was time to pick up the pace and drop him like a cheap habit. HAHAHA :D
The track was closed and evacuated temporarily when someone ate it coming out of T13 (the back S curves) and high sided, with the bike partially lying on the track. Fortunately, with the many crashes, no one was seriously hurt, nor required a trip to the hospital. That is amazing actually. hahaha so a quick photo of us waiting for the track to go green. It was getting warm, but no where near the 105 deg weather that can hit here in July and August.
A little salute to our favorite photographer, Dito. :D from gotbluemilk.com
all the photos from this one, down to the end are courtesy of one of the finest track photographers I know. Dito.
The day got good, and I picked up my speeds more and more. The goal was to get around the track, get a feel for my bike again, and see what my current running speed is. I always feel better with brand new tires, and today was no different. About mid-morning I started to drop my times, and was consistently in the 2:10 range. not horrible, but not where I wanted to be.
Dave and I played for a while on track, and then Adam and I went to dicing it up, and that carried my pace even faster. Especially since he is on an R6 and technically, should be pulling around the track way faster than me. :D It was good though, since I kept pace and it pulled me around the track that much faster.
In the end, a really fun day. It was Memorial Day, and I saw it fitting to go out and do something fun, and enjoy our freedoms that this amazing country offers us, with special thanks to all of our Military personnel worldwide.
