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PB Mag Freebie Trackday @ Rockingham


Mohawk

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Yesterday on one of the hottest days in the UK @ 33C I won a place & attended the Performance Bikes magazine trackday at the Rockingham Motor Speedway, near Corby in Northhamptonshire.

 

I rode in the intermediate group & this was the first tackday for my VFR. I was on track on one of the sessions with John McGuiness of TT fame & have some good footage of me chasing him. My name sake Chris Walker of BSB fame was also in attendance, though he only appeared to go out with the fast group, so I never saw him on track, other than from the garages.

 

The Rockingham Speedway, is a US styled Oval, with a mixed infield section that can be made into about 6 layouts, although only 4 are normally used. The International Motorcycle Circuit layout has not been used for any competition recently as far as I'm aware, although Thundersport GB are coming back in 2 weekends time & using this layout. The international circuit layout (Cars) is used by various formulas, but it uses more of the Oval.

 

So the best laptime I've been able to find is a 1:32.9 from a 1000cc fast group rider. So reviewing my onboard video, I had a best 1:54, which is not bad on a track I've never been to on a day when you would melt outside & an overheating bike, plus the snottyest tyres I've ever seen on my bike, everyone else was having the same issue, even the guys on proper sports rubber. See the pics for you entertainment.

 

 

 

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Chris Walker of BSB Fame

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I had a great day, Thanks PB.

 

Enjoy

 

 

 

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That's working both the front and rear tires pretty well...no tearing, just good wear.  Nice, sounds like you had fun!  

 

Matt

Haymarket, Virginia

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Hi Jack,  Thanks, I have the grand kids next Saturday, but will try to get over on the Sunday.

 

Finally managed a quick edit & post to YouTube, apollogies for the wobble but this was the first time I used this camera/mount, so the aero dynamics over 100mph appear to make it bounce about, I'll look into that.

 

 

Not bad for a £20 camera :)

 

Enjoy

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I've never been to Rockingham, despite it being a stone's throw from work. Looks like you had fun.

 

Wish you'd said, I could have popped over (literally! :happy:).

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Well if I'd known you worked near there then I would have mentioned it :)  You can have a go on thr Bike Magazine days on 1st Aug/Sept, road bikes only, but only the National circuit which is the infield only, no Oval, but that means you miss the transition bumps !

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  • 2 weeks later...
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On 21/07/2016 at 3:41 PM, jackvfr said:

Looking good, the footage with John would be rad. 

Are you attending Aberdare park end of month? 

 

Jack. 

Hi Jack,

 

I went to Aberdare yesterday, was a bit late as the kids stayed another night, so got there about 11:40, spent a few hours there watching bikes, its a tight course, glad the incident from Saturday was not repeated. Saw John McGuinness again, doing demo laps & generally hooning around by Peter Hickman. Got some video on my phone will see how it looks.

 

Sorry I didn't get back to you to say hello, maybe next time, or if you are ever over in WSM, let me know.

 

Cheers

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On 1 August 2016 at 4:19 PM, Mohawk said:

Hi Jack,

 

I went to Aberdare yesterday, was a bit late as the kids stayed another night, so got there about 11:40, spent a few hours there watching bikes, its a tight course, glad the incident from Saturday was not repeated. Saw John McGuinness again, doing demo laps & generally hooning around by Peter Hickman. Got some video on my phone will see how it looks.

 

Sorry I didn't get back to you to say hello, maybe next time, or if you are ever over in WSM, let me know.

 

Cheers

Hey, no worries at all. I attended Saturday for most of and it was a great day. I knew the course layout as I have lived in Aberdare in the past. Naturally came away wanting a track bike :/ but apparently according to my Mrs buying our first home is more important. Yes I'll let you know if I'm in WSM at any point, only up the M5.

 

Cheers! 

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35 minutes ago, jackvfr said:

Hey, no worries at all. I attended Saturday for most of and it was a great day. I knew the course layout as I have lived in Aberdare in the past. Naturally came away wanting a track bike :/ but apparently according to my Mrs buying our first home is more important. Yes I'll let you know if I'm in WSM at any point, only up the M5.

 

Cheers! 

Looks like a good day. I miss track days! 

 

@jackvfr, what you need is a nice cheap track bike package, something like ZX9r with spare wheels, tyre warmers and track stands. The Mrs. will understand why you went for a bargain with everything you need thrown in. :wink:

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11 minutes ago, RoystonRocket2 said:

Looks like a good day. I miss track days! 

 

@jackvfr, what you need is a nice cheap track bike package, something like ZX9r with spare wheels, tyre warmers and track stands. The Mrs. will understand why you went for a bargain with everything you need thrown in. :wink:

Yeah I will have to go old school like a 98 R1 or something. I'm 6ft6 so I don't want to look like I'm on my little bros bike ;) 

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47 minutes ago, jackvfr said:

Yeah I will have to go old school like a 98 R1 or something. I'm 6ft6 so I don't want to look like I'm on my little bros bike ;) 

 

The big 9r eats those R1s for breakfast...perfect for a big lad like you. I'm 6‘2" and 15 stone and it dragged my sorry butt around OK. Gowan, you know it makes sense. :wink:

 

 

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21 hours ago, CandyRedRC46 said:

Awesome stuff mohawk! How would you say your bike compared to other bikes that you were up against?

 

If it/me had not been over heating then we would have been faster. There was a crazy mix of bikes in the intermediate group, one that I ran with was an MV Brutal 800, we were roughly on par, but I did catch & pass him & pull away on I think the 3rd session, as I was getting more confident in the track layout, I'd never been there before. There was a CBR954 which I ran with for a while, I was talking to its rider between sessions, he reckoned that he was only quicker out of the corners, but an extra 170cc + 30hp will do that & he was on propoer sticky rubber. He had been here before & had also ridden in Fast groups in the past, he reckoned we could run in the faster group, but at my current pace it would be at the back of that group & was I much to fast for the novice group.

 

I had one of the PB Guys Johnny come by me on a Ducati 959, I could hang with him in the corners, but he was pulling away ont he straights, but he has done loads of laps here. The bike & me felt happier in the very fast sweeping corners, which is what I have tuned it for, it was nimble enough in the tight bits apart from the hair pin. As you can see in the video, the main straight is quite short & John Mcguinness was on my butt in the chicanes leading onto the start finish straight, but he only managed to get past me just before the braking zone. A few  1000/750/600cc track only bikes passed me at various points, but if it was on the leadup to the chicanes, I was able to hold on to them on the straight & passed a couple back at the end of the following fast left/straight on the banking.

 

I'm happy that on a cooler day & proper grippy rubber it will hang with 750 track bikes & beat 600's easily enough.  The Thunder Bikes were there last weekend & the best time I can see in their golden era superbikes records is a 1min 29seconds (average speed 80.2mph), on proper race bikes on super sticky rubber & minus all the road bike stuff. So they are probably 40-50kg lighter than mine & certainly lighter in person, I'm about 105Kg in full gear & riding conservatively as I had to ride it home ! Some quick number crunching shows that my 1:54 (ave speed 62mph) compared to their 1:29 (set on a trick YZF750SP (actually 840cc & 160Kg wet), http://pbmagforum.co.uk/index.php?/topic/47090-yzf750-golden-era-project/&page=1) is about 71% of that pace & I was no where near flat out due to the over heating issue & road biased tyres.

 

 

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Just found this video on youtube, another guy on the same session on a GSXR750 not sure which session but likely the 2nd or 3rd so I'm still learning the track, but about 5:30+ he catches & passes me.

 

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