Crashfest - A Virgins Tale
(Edited video will be uploaded to this post when I get some done but here is a raw early session from day 2. The guy at the start is Superdan, the riding starts at about 1.40 and the SD I'm chasing and messing around with is Monty. Don't be too cruel!)
Here is the public dropbox link to the video. I cant seem to get it to show as a video link despite pasting it between the image and url brackets. perhaps a mod can fix that for me?
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lvq0056m7e7w ... PR6114.MP4I am not much shy of 50, have had the SD for about 4 or 5 years (can’t remember exactly) I have never ridden it on track, have done no track riding at all for five(ish) years and have never been to Cadwell Park. This is the story of my first Crashfest adventure…
A little context…
Before the SD I had had any number of IL4 sports bikes including the usual suspects from Honda and Yamaha. My last bike before the SD was a very nice K5 Gixer 1000 (all black) which got used on the track quite a lot. In fact I had almost given up road riding as it was hopelessly boring below three figures and my luck had been pushed a lot further than anybody’s luck ever should be.
The SD purchase was to try and enliven the road riding on something that would feel fun without doing 140MPH+. To an extent it worked, I like to go out, cane it for a bit, get a fix and then park it up knowing it’s there when the urge / opportunity next rises. It had a few thousand miles on it when I got it and about 6K now so it’s been enjoyed but not used all that much.
My last track day was in my sons first year and he has just turned six so I think about 5 years ago. Five years is a long break, the SD is a very different animal to that which I had been used to and I had never done Cadwell before. When I stopped I was a moderately swift fast group rider (never the absolute fastest but closer to the pointy end than the back) but that all seemed a long time ago.
SD.Net was my first bike forum experience and, in addition to the useful technical stuff I have enjoyed following the international SD community even pitching in every now and then myself. After so long I was really interested in meeting some of the people behind the posts and it was this as much as the chance to see if I could still ride a bike that made me sign up for this years Crashfest. I did so with some trepidation hoping I wouldn’t embarrass myself too much!!
I decided to go up Saturday, sleep in the van and ride Sunday / Monday. This turns out to have been a good choice. I got the only dry session Sunday morning (The first one) and Monday was glorious and sunny with perfect track conditions all day.
All the SD guys I met were great, even the ones not riding their SD’s. Special mentions go out to;
Gin Reaper for the suspension advice and for offering to swap his ropey old worn out SD for my nice low mileage one. I have considered it carefully and decided that we should What with the Duchess and mini reaper all packed into a customised track day van you guys have got it sussed!!
To Stalker for showing me the proper line round one or two of the bends (not that I stuck to them nearly as often as I should) and for not laughing too loudly at my amazing inability to pass people miles slower than me because I have apparently forgotten how to do so!! (Video evidence to follow)
To Monty for the chase and follow sessions (yes on the bikes) allowing some good SD video footage to be shot and for having the balls to get on the SD having totalled his Kwaker on Sunday in quite a nasty crash.
To Dan for his excellence in chilling beer and burning meat. Also for helping me load / unload the van, gutted to hear that you crashed (again) on the Tuesday. Hope you and the bike are soon fixed up!!
To Schnauzer for parking his rather lovely Panigale next to my van and making everybody think it was mine for a while.
To John Man for making the epic journey from down under and taking a day out of an already heavy travel schedule to come show his face.
To Paul, Woody and everyone that I have forgotten to mention for being good company and for making it a laugh.
To the riding then…
Waiting for the first session on day one I felt a bit like a condemned man and a fraud about to be exposed. I had entered inters for day one and fast for day two. Once we got under way I started to relax and enjoy the riding but I was very inconsistent and just on the back of the inters pace. Didn’t help that on the first two laps my bike stopped under hard braking on a downhill section. Had it done so once more I would have come in but it ran perfectly after that for the whole of the meeting so I stayed out. Don’t think I overtook anybody but by the session end I was slightly more consistent and a bit faster so there was some progress.
Will post up a couple of laps from the first and last sessions of the day for comparison.
It then rained so hard we got that floor haze thing where the bouncing rain produces a few inches of fudged margin between atmosphere and ground. They closed the track for a while and I didn’t get out till after lunch. The rest of the day saw slowly improving laps and the pace crept up.
Quick video of the rain to follow...
For day two I should have been in the fast group and in truth the pace was there for that but I fancied staying in the inters and working on a few things so swapped and did that. First session was great, then went out for a session following and then leading (only because he let me) Stalker after which he gave me some good advice and didn’t laugh. Main things were to stop second guessing myself when overtaking (get on with it) and regarding body position. Taking the later first, after years riding sports bikes, hanging off the side and grinding sliders I seem incapable of doing the same on the SD. My arse slides over but my torso stays inline which sort of twists the body and is useless!! I never did seem to solve this, I think with enough track time I would eventually re learn the skill but for now at least it’s left the building. To get a proper fast lap time I would need to crack this.
If Monty posts some video you will be able to see for yourself.
The overtaking thing was really funny. I would close on a gaggle of bikes easily and then cruise round behind for ages before finally working through mostly on the brakes. I just couldn’t seem to trust that they weren’t going to suddenly change line as I was passing and take me out or I didn’t want to startle them. I’m not sure really but the result as the video shows is that I often rolled early on the straights or in the longer corners hanging well back until a sharp breaking area allowed an easy slow speed pass. Again I think that would probably return with practice, I used to be quite good at getting through traffic so it’s in there somewhere.
A few laps playing with Monty and chasing down some sports bikes will get pasted in here eventually
Overall I loved it but what did I learn?
The SD, though old tech and way down on power is bloody good fun on the track and can easily keep up with modern sports bikes unless they are ridden with skill. A good rider on an SD will not be beaten by a modest rider on the latest Kwakker on a tightish track like Cadwell.
In acceleration out of slow corners and braking I think the SD actually has an advantage, especially in braking.
I learned that a van with a proper camp bed is infinitely better than a tent. I was actually warm and comfortable – superb!
I saw the Gin Reapers SD and learnt that SMR wheels fit the SD and look much better than the standard ones I have as does the SDR seat conversion and the anthracite side fairings. I am now actively in the market for all of these as swaps + cash or just outright purchase just in case anybody reading wants to deal.
I learned that round arka’s noise test at 98 DB.
Mostly what I learned is that there is no better way to shrug off the day to day concerns of life than turning fuel into noise on two wheels with a bunch of like minded idiots
If its running again next year I will be there and I hope to see some of you before that so will keep an eye on any track stuff that’s being organised.
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