Cadwell, 290806 how it went - now with video!!! :)

Although the ‘showery’ weather meant conditions were ranging from bone dry to soaking wet in less than 20 mins, (it seems the Beginners got the best of the weather cycles, inters getting the worst, fast getting the transition!!) I still had good fun!!

Something went a bit weird with the gears in my last session (wouldn’t go down gears for a bit???) but overall the bike ran well.

It was a long old drive for me (6.5hrs each way), so went up the night before where I met Weazelz and a couple of my trackday mates, we went out for a curry and a chinwag/BS in the nearby town. I think this always enhances the trackday experience rather than just turn up-ride-go home.

So overall I had a good day, exculding the weather conditions, unfortunately there were several problems during the day, firstly weazelz gear leaver pushrod fell off!!! Next my mates engine went pop (in the first session!!), the generator conked out, my mates wifes battery went flat on her bike (total loss), and then finally my gearbox was a bit weird!!! All these problems were soon resolved (my mate just rode his wifes bike!! Weazelz borrowed bits to make a new rod, I just forced my bike through the box until it either broke or behaved ).

Anyhow, looks like my next outing might be Silverstone GP circuit!! In a couple of weeks

Had a fairly good day.

Couple of dry sessions in the morning got me warmed up but from then on it was rain every session.

Had a big wobble putting the front wheel down after the mountain, and a couple of slides in the wet ( the Mountain, Hall Bends, Barn and the exit of Park were all very 'interesting' in the wet).

Decided to miss the last session rather than push my luck but I guess you have to accept you're going to get a wet trackday once in a while, even in what should be the height of summer.

The thing that did make me chuckle was the sight of some serious trackdayers going home after one wet session. These guys had track bikes, tyre warmers, generators, awnings... and no wets!

Least I got out there, even if I was riding like a granny.

Oh yeah and I/we saw andyaikido very briefly too!!

Originally Posted by andyaikido

Had a fairly good day.

...
The thing that did make me chuckle was the sight of some serious trackdayers going home after one wet session. These guys had track bikes, tyre warmers, generators, awnings... and no wets!

Least I got out there, even if I was riding like a granny.

Quite!! I take it you rode there??? I can understand maybe erring on the side of caution if you have to ride it home again, but the guys with a dedicated trackbike?!?!?!?

I had sorted myself out some wets, but didn’t use them, the conditions were so unpredictable it was impossible to know which tyre to go for , so I stuck with the supercorsas. There was one session where I could have got away with wets, but didn't have time to change the wheels over. All the others would have been too dry come the end and I would have destroyed them!! Whatever the weather did I went out, and stayed out until they waved the chequered flag and I HAD to come in …

I was actually impressed with the supercorsa’s wet ability!!! The tread doesn’t look up to much, but they were really confidence inspiring. I was just mindful of the fact that if I leant it over too far the tread runs out and it would be like being on slicks!!!

bit of a shame about teh conditions, but a great track and therfore a great day.

Here is a lap or so from the day Blue_ style (well Yellow_ style )

From my onboard cam:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URnZS0ERcSI

I'll chime in too...

all started out nicely, got to the track the night before, met Blue_SV & his friends & went for food in Louth

next morning dawned cold & rather damp, but clear, with the track drying out nicely. three painfully slow sighting laps - cadwell still looking like it did the last time I as there. out for the first session, slippy under the trees through the hairpin & barn, but reasonably dry on the more open end of the track, even the mountain - which I looped the bike off last time - didn't seem too scary. picking up a bit of speed, starting to scrape some plastic & then - doing 120ish down park straight - suddenly no more gearchange .. bugger

managed to sort out the bike with various people contributing parts, but missed a couple of sessions & by the time I got back out the rain came down again

the afternoon seemed to be either wet track/dry session or drying track/wet-1/2-way through-session & I was slithering around the hairpin and barn so i decided that discretion was the better part of valour & packed up - only for the last session to be probably the best of the day - D'OH!!!

a rather frustrating day, but nice to see Blue_SV again & to meet andyaikido, albeit briefly. also nice - & somethign of a novelty for me lately - not to be bringing home a bike in need of repair

~andy

Last of the demon late breakers eh? Very

Always amazes me how flat it looks on the telly but how different it really is

Originally Posted by BigApe

Last of the demon late breakers eh? Very

Bearing in mind how poor the SVs brake design is (compared to the other bikes), I dunno what their excuses were!!! Even the instructor bloke was 'wet' when it came to the brakes!!

Doing that sort of thing on the SV makes me smile

Originally Posted by Jdubya

Always amazes me how flat it looks on the telly but how different it really is

Yeah the video masks gradient and speed. I was pretty much flat out down that backstright, with the gearing I had that is 130-135mph, looks like I was doing 50

excellent vid ,looked like u were gtng held up a few times into corners ,and then the bike was running out of puff on the exits as the other bikes cleared off ,,,well done that man