Donnington 15th May

Booked on this with No Limits.

Noisy day. Booked fast group. Never been there before but it looks easy enough to pick up.

I'll have some of that. Remind me to book it.

Its a Tuesday so it could be good

I'll be up for this as well I'll get it booked by the end of the week.

Booked today!

According to the NL lady fast group is now full

Anybody else coming to play or just me, Gordon and possibly Gordons crazy mate?

All im gonna say about the day is i feel sorry for Gordy haven driven 300 to get to Donington for such a shitty day weather wise - we had everything but snow

Fookin May? more like late February early March!!!

Please mother nature bring the sun out

Sitting in Charnock services getting some dinner.

Really can't be arsed driving the next 4hrs home and unloading the slag. Shandy phoned so think I might do Anglesey next sat with him. Just need to get the shock off quick and get it up to Eddie.


Good day though. Two wet sessions. Then story of my life just now, 1 dry sesh to try and pick gears and braking markers, then one dry to try and get a rhythm going and then the rain and hail came.

Bike is sorted. It's fooking awesome. That last change I made has dialed it right in. Holds a line even on the gas, turns quick, tyres look perfect, well happy.

Just means now if I finally get a full dry day I can start pushing a bit.

Traffic in fast group was shite. Could hardly get a clear lap to get going. Still loads to learn with the track with lines braking points etc. Will have to check vids for times as lap timer was playing up. Had my 1st ever proper slide round the left after the old hairpin. Top end of 4th and it stepped out nice. It was moving a bit on the throttle out of the chicane. Still moves quite a bit on the brakes, but I'm getting used to it and just letting it do its thing.

A few race guys passed so managed to tag onto the back of them for a bit. There's nothing in it on the brakes. Quite good as I def think I can brake harder and later. They seemed to get that transition from full lean to upright while getting on the gas better. I either get on a bit soon for the lean and get a wee slide/movement or I'm too late with it so end up on the fat part with still throttle to go.

Was chatting to Stew about it and we recon its just lack of tracktime to build experience.

So as usual, came away a bit pissed off coz I never got a good few hard laps in and feel I'm still holding back too much. Gotta keep going with the baby steps with no big offs. Gotta be happy, took a step forward and I'm better than I was at 8am this morning. Just pissed coz I know I could be further on with less rolling roadblocks and more dry tracktime.


Good to see Big Stew as always. Great to meet Craig5snake too.



Back to the driving seat then for another 4hrs.

Sorry to hear weather sucked guys. We had a few crazy hail storms in London. I did think of you as it fooking threw it down

Uploading vid. Still got 361mins to go so opefully will be up by moring

When it finally loads it should work below.

Start is a few laps in the 1st dry session. All over the place trying to find a few clear laps to pick gears, lines and braking points. Can use much later braking markers, run it though faster and get on the gas earlier. Just need dry time in the seat to string a load of laps in. Last bit is the only real clearish lap i got. But still......missing gears up AND down the box, embarrassingly shite lines and throttle application. Best lap of the day was a 1min 53................about 8-10 sec off the pace.

Dissappointed as i set myself a goal of a sub 1min 50.

SDR battle bikes on SC's in qually were doing 1min 39.7 pole to 1min 49.4 in last
Original 05 bikes on Contis in qually were doing 1min 41.6 pole to 1min 51.5 in last.

Bike sounds good though and has nice power. Made a couple more wee changes. And rear shock is back in getting a new seal as it developed a small leak. Going to get him to up the compression stack a little bit more as even with the revalve i was almost maxed out on comp..............dunno how much of that was down to the weeping seal though.

Roll on the 29th and 30th.

I'm not just saying this.
There is some really good riding in there! I like it!
Good job keeping your head when you went wide.
It looks to me like you are on the right track.
Just learn a little at a time mate!
Liked that guy chopping you off on the turn before the front straight.
Racing moves on a track day are not cool!
I saw more than a few spots where you could have done the same but good on ya for riding in a polite manner.

Nice footage dude - il expect to hear youve broken the 1:50 when your there at the end of may

Nice pace Gordon, I enjoyed watching your video.

I think you beat yourself up more than I do! If I was on your pace first time at Donny I would be chuffed to bits. Love the sound of the bike on the video too, You can really hear the benefits of the quickshifter thats for sure.

My best is just under 2 minutes so can't wait to get back. From watching your vid I can see that I can brake much much later.

I love Donnington.
The only thing I remember about Donnington is that Ratt, Metallica, ZZ Top, Gary Moore,, hell, even Bon Jovi, sounded pretty good on two hits of acid and being liquored up on Jim Beam and Falcon Lager!
I really wish I could have ridden there. The flow of the track looks good. That right sweeper where you make those passes is totally a move I made at similar times on track.
The thing I smile most about was the braking. I remember how fun it was to out brake all those proper race bikes.
If I had one suggestion it would be to get on the gas sooner and harder but we talked about that already.
Like I said, it will come.
Keep us posted!

Pics were pretty crap with the on/off weather.

One with Bash69 chasing me down. Pity its wet.



Only half decent dry pic i could find

Nice video Viking.

Nice vid Gordon,i'm sure your lap time's will decrease given a few more laps and clear track.Not easy to pass sometimes when you come up behind slower riders as you never quite know where they will position themselve's even though the track is really wide.Looking quick for the first time at Donny so dont frett time's will come with more track time

Aye your right.

Coz I don't know the track its hard to line guys up so I end up siting back a bit and pondering it for too long.

Need to quit this short shifting shite. Like round Coppice, get it in, let it run wide, then get right off the side pick the bike up and get it to full gas and rev it out. My mate was giving me some advice. He was saying as long as the road speed is up and there's not too much lean angle, if it spins up or steps out it won't go to far. Add to that with the twin if it spins and steps out its high up the revs so it'd run off the power curve before it goes too far. Like with a Blade it'll spin up at 9k then go 10, 11, 12 and it's right out then. With the SD having low power and being a twin it'd maybe break traction at 8k, by the time its at 9 its ran out of torque so it'll never got too mental out of line. Do it every lap and it will become normal.

He's a multiple Scottish champ though and just I'm a trackday numpty. Sounds like solid info though. Can only try it. If it snaps and I fil my boxers I'll know it doesn't work.

nice vid sir .

Your mates advice makes sense. I never though about it that way but he's spot on about how a 4cyl spins up wickedly and the twin might seems more controlled or controllable.
The dry pic show just about perfect BP, IMO.
Lots of room for speed and more lean angle.
I don't see too many guys riding the SD like that here.

At first I thought, he will realise he doesn't need to change down in craner curves - by the end you'd sussed it.

The way I'm gonna play it next week is flat and use all of 3rd out of Redgate, into 4th still flat, then short shift to 5th at the right kerb at the top of craner just so the roll off to flick left is smoother. As soon as it's turned, back full gas to start of kerb on left, down two and carry as much speed through old hairpin as poss but exit in middle of track to get a good run through swantz.


Got no fecking idea if that's the right way but from watching my vid back that's what I want to try to correct the mistakes I was making.