A nice ride round the park

That's "Donington Park" to you.

For anyone who has never done a track-day, you don't know what your
missing. The last time I had that much fun I was up to my nuts in the
wrong end of a pretty, yet slutty blonde with no morals worth speaking
of.

I DFC, but I had a couple of leery slides and nearly tasted kitty
litter at Coppice more times than I care to remember. I got it right in
the end and spent the last 2 sessions nailed through there with my
right knee firmly planted into the tarmac all the way through...nice


Many thanks to Champ and Daz for holding my hand as it were, Ginge for
his invaluable help, and also to Paul Haskins[1] - one of Donington's
instructors - who showed me a few tips and spent a whole session
guiding or following me round.

[1] In real life he's one of our company's Regional Sales Managers too,
so I had a bit of a foot in there.

Top notch. I'll be doing that again for definite.

 

Glad you like it mate )

You did exactly the right thing by building up slowly and putting a
bit of thought into it rather than just flat stick from the off. Told
you you'd be fine with the pace in the inters, lapping people! fast
group next. ;o)

 

Daz says...

Ta. I doubt I'll ever be fast group, but I felt perfectly at home in
the inters. Some came past, and I actually managed to lap a couple of
them on the last session we did. Mind you, I was the first one out on
the track in that session and it took Champ and yourself 4 laps to come
past me, but once past you did **** off into the distance a bit quickly

 

Cane says...

Always was mine to view from. It holds a special place in my heart for
two reasons, one of which I posted about today. The other is because
that's where I was when I very drunkenly decided to kick my ex-wife out
of the marital home. Donington Park gives me good karma.

 

Lozzo scribbled:

I've yet to enjoy a trackday or a slutty blonde

Excellent. Did you go in the inter group in the end?

And you were worried about doing it, heh

 

You forgot that speeding fines for offences in hire cars don't count.
Parking tickets in hire cars don't count.
You can squeeze a hire car into a tighter parking space than any other
car.
You can safely drive down steps in a hire car.
You can repair hire cars with a cordless drill and cable ties.
When you take a hire car back the operators believe you when you say
it's still in A1 condition.
If you're struggling to find a parking slot in a hire car just abandon
it and as you walk away phone the police and operator to report it
stolen.
HTH

 

frag says...

I'd take the track-day over the slutty blonde now. At least there's
*always* a photographer to capture the moment at a trackday.

Yes. I felt very much at home there. Novices were extremely slow and
the fast boys were extremely fast. Inters was a good choice.

All my worries were totally unfounded. After the first session I was
gagging to get back out there.

 

Full circuit was it? I really like the extra bits that the Melbourne
Loop add.

 

Pip Luscher says...

No, the national circuit. I wasn't keen on doing it because I always
fucked up Goddards playing TOCA Touring Cars on the Playstation, but it
wasn't at all bad.

 

Lozzo scribbled:

My one and only trackday I lowsided the 9R and rode it home. I
absolutely must get advanced training in general and an instructor on
next trackday.

Great. I went in the inters, bad choice for me having masses less
experience.

Heh, enjoy the next one.

 

Lozzo scribbled:

Forgot to add, I almost came along with camera gear to play but decided
it would have been too early a start

Maybe another trackday I will. Can't people choose Silverstone or
Rockingham, somewhere closer?

 

frag says...

Oh bugger, you could have come along later in the day though.

I'll tell you well in advance when I'm planning on doing either of
those.

 

Hmm, are trackdays really intended for sprotsbike riders, or can any **** on
a shite old Kawasaki do one.

Since going to BSB last year cortesy of the EOSM raffle, I keep telling
myself that a trackday would be a most enjoyable way of spending some money,
but I am not convinced that my Zephyr would be an enjoyable mount for the
day.

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

Dan L says...

There was a girl in the novice group on a 600 Hornet, another bloke was
on a VFR800. You get all sorts at trackdays, even supermotos and
commuter bikes. Go on, give it a go.

 

It has to be done.....

Who organises them at Silverstone, at least I'm likely to end up in a local
hospital.

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

Just go and buy a copy of mcn and you'll find loads of trackdays.
Silverstone is expensive and you end up in Northampton General but at
least some of us might visit you to laugh.

 

Well if I can't be hospitalised in Oxfordshire then buggerit.

Where's cheapest?

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

Anywhere crap.

 

It was the comedy attempts at movement that were the highlights for me.

 

Thanks Andy, that's a big help.

The only thing I remember about race tracks is that Thruxton is hard on
tyres [1].

[1] Bloke who raced a Sierra Cosworth told me so.

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R (Going)
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X (Patio Ornament)
BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005), X-FOT#000, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)