SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - View Single Post - Videos, photos and ramblings on my Trackday at Croft

10-06-08, 08:39 PM

Well, I awoke early to a clear sunny morning in full high contrast, had my brekkie sat in the sun, attached the bullet cam then headed off the 15 or so miles to Croft. First mistake of the day was missing the turn off into the circuit as the sign was a little hidden by a hedge, not an auspicious start! But I was soon there signing on, and quickly met by my Dad in his camper van with numerous supplies of tea coffee, bacon and biscuits.

The intermediate group was soon called for noise testing and assembly so I jumped on my trusty steed and thumbed the starter button, only to be greeted by a Ddzzzt and the ignition lights going out. A few more thumbs and turning on and off of the ignition left me no further. So I jumped off the bike, hauled out the tools, removed the seat and fairing and checked all the fuses and the battery terminals for tightness. A turn of the key revealed ignition lights so I remounted fuse tray, seat and infill panels and jumped aboard again, thumbing the starter. Again nothing, so it all had to come off again, by this stage I was sopping with sweat and I could hear the intermediates out on track. Off with both battery terminals and some scraping, this time I tested the engine before remounting the seat

I decided to head to the pit lane to get noise tested and managed to blag my way onto the novice group, I was pretty boiling by then. After two very slow sighting laps with no need for brakes I was off, my riding ugly and ragged, each novice like a red rag to a bull for me. The session ended and in I came for a 15 min break before heading out in the intermediate group, whilst lining up in the pit lane one of the organisers came over and mentioned that they had a sweepstake on when I was going to fall off before lunch

. So I took their advice and calmed it down, my riding was smoother, safer, I was having more fun and was going quicker. The rest of the day went brilliantly well.

Some pics:

Entering Clervaux

Sshhmmooth leather knee schliders:

Concentrating

And a few videos, unfortunately I had AV jack problems so only got one traffic free session, and a bit of vibration but not too bad:

"SV vs ZX7R" (tongue in cheek

)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgPNCQVNFec

A couple of quick laps (for me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwPTknA_3tI

End of the session, reeling in some stragglers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1Vf7kBg598

Thanks to PunyExpress for popping by with an article on Zandvoort, some interesting scooter stories and an amusing caricature on his return from a quick visit to Hartside. Also great to see Robchester out enjoying bikes in the sun, I'm looking forward to your pics Rob. Also tell your mate Steve that his comment - "Are you looking for sponsorship?" - made me feel a million dollars!

A great day on a great track with some great company.

Just need some more power for the straights now.

10-06-08, 08:39 PM	#1
Tim in Belgium Guest Posts: n/a	Videos, photos and ramblings on my Trackday at Croft Well, I awoke early to a clear sunny morning in full high contrast, had my brekkie sat in the sun, attached the bullet cam then headed off the 15 or so miles to Croft. First mistake of the day was missing the turn off into the circuit as the sign was a little hidden by a hedge, not an auspicious start! But I was soon there signing on, and quickly met by my Dad in his camper van with numerous supplies of tea coffee, bacon and biscuits. The intermediate group was soon called for noise testing and assembly so I jumped on my trusty steed and thumbed the starter button, only to be greeted by a Ddzzzt and the ignition lights going out. A few more thumbs and turning on and off of the ignition left me no further. So I jumped off the bike, hauled out the tools, removed the seat and fairing and checked all the fuses and the battery terminals for tightness. A turn of the key revealed ignition lights so I remounted fuse tray, seat and infill panels and jumped aboard again, thumbing the starter. Again nothing, so it all had to come off again, by this stage I was sopping with sweat and I could hear the intermediates out on track. Off with both battery terminals and some scraping, this time I tested the engine before remounting the seat I decided to head to the pit lane to get noise tested and managed to blag my way onto the novice group, I was pretty boiling by then. After two very slow sighting laps with no need for brakes I was off, my riding ugly and ragged, each novice like a red rag to a bull for me. The session ended and in I came for a 15 min break before heading out in the intermediate group, whilst lining up in the pit lane one of the organisers came over and mentioned that they had a sweepstake on when I was going to fall off before lunch . So I took their advice and calmed it down, my riding was smoother, safer, I was having more fun and was going quicker. The rest of the day went brilliantly well. Some pics: Entering Clervaux Sshhmmooth leather knee schliders: Concentrating And a few videos, unfortunately I had AV jack problems so only got one traffic free session, and a bit of vibration but not too bad: "SV vs ZX7R" (tongue in cheek ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgPNCQVNFec A couple of quick laps (for me) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwPTknA_3tI End of the session, reeling in some stragglers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1Vf7kBg598 Thanks to PunyExpress for popping by with an article on Zandvoort, some interesting scooter stories and an amusing caricature on his return from a quick visit to Hartside. Also great to see Robchester out enjoying bikes in the sun, I'm looking forward to your pics Rob. Also tell your mate Steve that his comment - "Are you looking for sponsorship?" - made me feel a million dollars! A great day on a great track with some great company. Just need some more power for the straights now.