This is written for the WB trackday gang who have texted, emailed and called me about the goings on in Norfolk this week - it's really not as bad as you have heard I'm sure :-)
Lucinda and I signed up for a track day with No Limits at Snetterton on Monday and Tuesday.
We have both done several before and had enjoyed some brilliant weather in Norfolk and were looking forward to it again. Monday’s forecast was sunny but Tuesday “iffy”!
We got there Sunday evening in time to meet Scotty & Vickie at the circuit who had come to give us some support and advice (the usual “brake less, accelerate more and lean further”) which is 100% true, but not that easy to do when you think you are “on the edge” already :-)
Following a nice pub grub we settled into our respective boudoirs (tent & van) to be woken by the dawn chorus of loud voices, crashing steel garage doors and the sun peeking through gaps in the back of the van.
The usual briefing (be good boys, not bad boys) and I was out first session. I say boys, but as we looked around the briefing we found about 139 men and Lucinda)! I don’t know why you ladies don't do trackdays, just think about it, just you and 139 hairy macho men (well, 138 and me) !
You usually do seven twenty minute sessions in the day, which may not sound a lot after the first one with only six left, but by lunchtime I’m knackered and by the seventh I’m ready for a shower & sleep.
Lucinda’s morning went OK, but looking at the “Novice” group, there seemed to be a lot of fast guys there and most were quicker than her. The fun in trackdays is overtaking, don’t be fooled by people who say it’s you versus the track – it’s a lie, it’s you versus the man in front.
The last session in the morning didn’t go quite to plan for me (as it seems many of you knew within minutes of it happening) as I got stuck behind a guy who was faster down the straights than me but held me up in the corners. I suffered this for a lap and a half and decided what was needed was a lunge round him at his slowest corner. This I managed to totally cock up and I entered it to fast on the wrong line resulting in me not being able to brake hard enough and running wide. This pushed him wide and apparently (all behind me) onto the grass. I was told that the guy following him also went grass tracking to for no apparent reason!
As I passed the chequered flag I realised it wasn’t chequered and declaring me the winner and a riding God, but a black flag which they were pointing at me and me only. As I’m sure you know, this isn’t good. Even our Scotty, who is well known for being a bad, bad boy sometimes hasn’t been black flagged. I made my way to the Marshal who was pointing at me. His first words were “are you 57” ? this confused me completely as I couldn’t think what my age had to do with anything – I then remembered that I’d chosen this number for the front of the bike in the winter and yes, I admitted, I was number 57, he explained that my riding had pushed somebody onto the grass and I had to go to see the organisers who were “waiting for me”
I met with the No Limits member of staff who had the allotted job of shouting at people who ride like knobs, who after I explained that it was simply crappy riding on my part said “no problem mate, we’ve all done it” and that was that. Sadly for my friends who were texting me, he didn’t rip my knee sliders off and throw them away or threaten the firing squad at dawn the next day or anything (sorry to disappoint you) lol
My sessions after lunch were a little more discrete and if in doubt I held back (still managed to stuff the three guys who were sharing our garage though) lol
By this time Lucinda was overtaking people and was coming back in with a beeming smile that reminded me of her last year at Cadwell, she was dead chuffed and I was really pleased for her. Go Lucinda, Go…
By my last session I was going as well as I had all day and we both finished the day with big grins.
Another early pub grub with Scotty & Vickie, a play on the swings and kiddies toys with Lucinda which turned into a competition on the bikes-on-springy-things which was even more dangerous than my riding that day, and an early night. Dreams of beating Rossi on his Yamaha and Lucinda on her bikey-springy-thing :-)
