Finally got home at 5AM today, Long weekend started on saturday when I was loading the van and Tom on the phone sounding like he want s me to convince him to come to cadders. A quick "MAN THE fook UP" from me and he decides he will come.
Leave my house at 1PM by the time I've picked up Tom and diverted to wolverhampton for Tom to borrow a compressor and it's 10PM by the time we get to cadwell. Dan's bike and trailer are there so we set up next to it.
Sunday
Normal sessions
1st session.
First time I ridden a bike since last october so was a little nervous and it showed, I was too tense and the bike was moving round underneath me (we'd had a few spots of rain). I took the session very gently, gradually building up speed/lean and trying to get the power on earlier and earlier.
2nd Session
Getting into it again now, more relaxed letting the bike move under me, starting to pick up pace. Think it was this session I saw Dan out there and straight away I could see he wasn't happy. It took no time at all to catch and pass him and I could see the too-homo was being just that
3rd session
still building the pace while riding in a way that I'm comfortable with, really blasting some people then really getting blasted by some others. Trying to build myself up to not braking into coppice (end of start finish straight) I'm getting near to the top end in sixth when I start to react (150mph ish) find myself dropping one gear but can't stop myself from brushing the front brake lever . That said I do seem to making ground on people going up that hill and dropping 2 gear before turning right at the top. Another rider stuck in my mind as he had "bale basher" (GSXR1000 I think) on his number plate and is from TDR. I saw him in the distance with his mate and went chasing after them, after 2 laps it was clear that these two were faster than me, the gap was getting bigger and bigger!!.
4th session
Started jumping the mountain by now, I'm pretty sure there is a faster line through there but jumping is the most fun !! saw Dan out again and he's clearly still struggling with his Ape. Had a bit of a battle with Bigash but unfortunately his knackered ribs are making riding fast very painful for him.
lunch
5th Session
One lap out and oil gets chucked down the track, all the way from park corner to the goose neck. red flag, held up for a few minutes then we got back out again. Moving my braking point for park closer and closer to the corner, but struggling to find a reference point, the change in tarmac is just that little bit too far down the straight. Changed from dropping 4 gears then short-shifting up to third right after park, to dropping 3 and keep it there. Also trying to initiate a slide with engine braking on the way into mansfield, the busstop and the left hander at the bottom of the mountain. Never got it right but a few times it was close and felt superb.
6th Session
Tom had moved back up to fast group on his race specc R1. He was going well, gave me quite a challenge to pass him. I was finnally managing to go into coppice without touching the brakes and was getting on the power much earlier onto the start finish straight.
7 th session
2 laps in and "bale basher" comes past me again. I tag on the back of him and off we go, a few corners later he gets stuck behind a CB500 cup bike and I pull up alongside him, we were 2 abreast going into the mountain but he had the inside line for the right so I let him have it, once over the mountain I managed to get passed him, through the hairpin, shsrt straight, up a gear, throw it right and feeeeed in the power. I'm proper head down on the tank at this point as I figure Bale Basher will be coming back past me at any second, to my surprise he hadn't by the time we got to coppice and I was glad of all the no braking practice I done earlier in the day. Left round coppice, stamp 2 gears down at the top of the hill, power back on and throw it right, close to the kerb then up over the blind crest, drift wide, cut back in for charlies 2, got to get the power on early as I suspect bale basher is right behind me, head down on the tank again up to park corner, down three gears and turn in, drift out wide the cut back in, put plenty of power on mid corner and then tuck more right for the top of the gooseneck, flick left and get the power on hard, down towards mansfield, drop a gear try and slide it in but all the actually happens it it's very squirmy !, turn in left tight to the kerb, grab another gear on way out, then back down the gear to get the back end loose for entering the bustop chicane, quick right then left and get the power on asap, change up then down again for the engine braking into the mountain. left, nice and close to the kerb, start to flick right and start getting the power on, by the time I'm 8/10th round the corner I have the throttle pinned, run wide to the kerb, then cut back in going over the mountain in the center of the track. As the front end lifts, chop the throttle for a faction of a second then power back on. Every time I hit the mountain hard I can feel the bike twisting underneath me, the back of the bike steps out to the right and there is a jolt when it lands. Fortunately I'm stood up so it doesn't effect me too bad and the suspension sorts itself out in fractions of a second. As the bike lands and jolts it also wheelies, back of the throttle just enough to start the front dropping then power back on, all while hanging off the right hand side of the bike trying to steer it from ending up in the holding area wall!Grab another gear along the short straight then its a quick right left right, up over the crest before dropping 2 gears and getting the back end sliding the wrong way (to the right) in order to scrub enough speed off for the hairpin. (not sure if that's the best way through there but I did pass a lot of people there over the 2 days).
This absolute balls out charging went on for another couple of laps, all the time expecting the GSXR to come pass me at any moment. As he hadn't come passed me I wondered if he might have gone in so snuck a look behind me, no there he was just a couple of feet from my back wheel so my head goes back down and away I go. 4 more laps ( I think vid taken will post it one day) of riding as fast as I could before the chequered flag comes out for end of session. I headed in and was absolutely f*cked. Bale Basher came up to talk to me afterwards opening with " I just couldn't get back past you" which I was pleased about as he'd been faster than me earlier in the day.
All in a good first day back on track after my winter lay off, shame Dan couldn't get his too-homo to work and a pity Ash wasn't fully fighting fit but a good day none the less.
Can't be arsed to write a full report on day 2 right now so here is a summery
wet to start, tyres were shit, got drier tyres were loads better but definitely ruined
Dans bike was sorted, he was happy and lots faster than Sunday, couldn't get him off his bike for more than 5 mins before he'd head back out again !!
Tom got faster, he could get by me but no matter what I couldn't compete with his 198RWBHP (I'm sure I'll learn to live with myself) and couldn't get passed him.
Got loads of footage from both days and some of it will be getting uploaded as and when.
Good to see Dan Ash and Sabre again plus nice to meet Tony and Dave (no-ones brave enough to ask him why he's tripod dave!!).
Dan and I also accosted a SDer in the paddock on sunday and we are expecting him to join the forum very soon.
