Silverstone 20th April

Thanks Lenny.

I have Noooo doubt at all that a lot of it is due to novice-ness. Or maybe a mixture of reasons, one of which is my brain telling me what I want to believe!

Photos later!

[Mr Speirs]

It's down to the riders for sure. I had plenty of people going into corners slower than I was.

I think due to the lack of straight line speed on an SV there is less of a difference between straight speed and cornering speed and therefore you need less time on the brakes and setting yourself up for corners, which means if you brake at the same time as someone on a IL4 you'll be ready for the corner way before them.

If you are more confident than the rider in front you should brake later and pass them before the corner but again that will come with time. I only started overtaking people on the brakes in the afternoon as my confidence grew, before I would hang back and get a much better drive out of the corner than them.

Man I am a wee bit achy today though.

[flymo]

I'v ridden both IL4s and twins aggressively on track and in my experience it makes no difference which you ride as to how fast you take the corner. The riding technique may differ a little depending on the bike but performance under braking and through corners is more to do with rider input than anything to do with engine configuration.

I very rarely use engine braking, in most cases once you've got your corner approach technique right there isnt any time for it to be effective anyway. Use the brakes for braking, thats what they're designed for

When you've completed braking and reach the turn-in point you should be on a very gentle throttle through the corner, gradually applying more throttle as the corner dictates. As soon as the corner appears to be opening enough you should be hard on the gas again.

Turn 1 was one of the most interesting for me, I read the circuit guide notes and it mentioned braking from full throttle at the corner board, completing the braking by the 50m board and then immeadiately turning in and getting hard on the gas. It took a few sessions to get right but jeez, when I did it it was a fast corner! A very fast corner.

[Mr Speirs]

I loved copse this time round. The speed you could take that at was pheonominal. I was reaching 140MPH on the pit straight, got to the bit where the red and white curb started on the left, jabbed the brakes, down one gear let out the clutch and turn it in. Where as on the ducati 749 I was braking hard at the start finish line and getting round the corner at 80-90mph aka dead slow.

[Binky]

Originally Posted by Mr Speirs

Where as on the ducati 749 I was braking hard at the start finish line and getting round the corner at 80-90mph aka dead slow.

AKA Spiers speed.

[flymo]

and after riding that circuit as fast you feel comfortable, take a look at this F1 lap by Hamilton...

Totally amazing, these guys have some serious bottle. In that left hander approaching club corner, he is changing up to another gear at the same point I was hard on the brakes...

[L3nny]

Yer but Lewis Hamilton doesn't have to drive that car home or pay for any repairs.

[Binky]

Imagine doing that lap time on your bike. I'd be going almost 200% faster. Nuts.

[flymo]

Originally Posted by L3nny

Yer but Lewis Hamilton doesn't have to drive that car home or pay for any repairs.

hehe, I would be more concerned about my life than the cost of the car.

Originally Posted by flymo

I'v ridden both IL4s and twins aggressively...etc

Yep, probably a combination of me hearing another common myth and then mixing it with what I experienced on the track. Glad to be put straight

All I can think about is more track time. Practise what I learnt. Push a little further. Above all, get a bit more consistent. Brake later, get on the gas earlier. I took the same corners on every lap differently,