Hello!
As some of you may know, I just got to go to Daytona. My friend was going with two different R6's for doing CCS races, and wanted me to come along. He offered to bring his CBR1000RR so I could do the race school with Team Hammer (and arrive one day early). I did everything I could think of for work to let me go, and it all worked out, with lots of effort.
Daytona Beach is an incredible place. The weird and electric vibe I got may have had something to do with the fact that it was Biketober week as well. At any rate, at night when we got there, it looked like fences and tall buildings. It didn't prepare me for the spectacle of actually entering the track, and this pic won't acurately depict it either.
I never got a chance to get a better picture. The first thing about the track itself that I was confronted with upon entering, even at night, was the banking. It's huge. It's tall. It is steeper than I would've thought.
We eventually wound our way to where we were camping for this adventure.
So, the track! This is it, although I think for the chicane on the back stretch, we did the tighter set of turns that are grayed out.
When we unloaded the bikes, we found that the CBR1000 was leaking pretty badly from the fork seal. So, I just HAD to do the first two sessions of the school using one of his two R6's. I got to use the all black full AMA spec bike with weird engine mapping that holds the rpms at 8000 when you pull the clutch in to downshift. The red-ish black one is the Superbike spec. But yeah, boo hoo. I had to ride a full out race bike.
I took to the R6 quickly. Very quickly. It was a dream to ride. It telegraphed everything so well, and the slipper clutch while heading down the back straight at 150mph and downshifting to 2nd was breathtaking. The bike was setup with a quick shifter, and as GP shift. It is nice being able to just tap the shifter down while holding the throttle pinned and shift so easily, but doing so out of a corner still leaned over is a bit outside my comfort zone because it does kick a little bit. By the 2nd session, I was riding that bike like I had already done track days with it. I should maybe point out that it was my 3rd day ever on a real sport bike. In the 2nd session, I was on fire. I got passed by two liter bikes, but for the rest of the time, I was passing everyone I saw. I'd get past groups of 6 or 7 bikes within 2 turns. I didn't realize that I was getting too comfortable too quickly until I stood the bike up on the rear wheel coming out of the chicane with the throttle pinned in 2nd gear heading towards the banking.
Then I started riding the CBR1000 for the rest of the day. I never quite took to it as well as the R6. I didn't have any problems with it, but that bike was heavier, and I was constantly aware that it was a liter bike. With my miniGP experiences, and spinning the rear tire out on a CRF150F leaned over on the throttle, I was a tad hesitant with the throttle on the horseshoes. But anyway, here it is.
And here I am in the International Horseshoe! I'm the bike on the right.
With the CBR, I truly got to experience what speed was like. In the classroom, they told us to treat the banking like straights. Just tuck down straight on top of the bike, pin the throttle and go. That worked fine for the speeds that the R6 got up to. On the CBR, well, that was entirely different. I had to just edge over a little bit and stick my knee out. Not for dragging or anything like that, but as an air brake to help the bike want to turn left. It is a crazy experience looking over my shoulder at the other side of the turn, a football field's length away, and having to steer down the banking to hold a steady line, knowing the bike is trying to climb higher towards the wall, both tires drifting out a bit, and having to fight to make the bike come down off the banking towards the inside of the turn exit at 171mph. It is a rush I will never forget. After my friend, with 5 years experience racing, took the CBR out for a practice session, he only got it up to 186. On my 3rd day on a sport bike in my life, I only missed 15mph.
At any rate, I passed the class. I now have the credentials to get my CCS racing license next year. My friend is already trying to help me buy an R6, which I'm still not too sure of (affording it that is, I'd love to actually race).
If I get more time and there's any interest, I could go into more detail about the track and what each of the turns are like, as well as post more pics. I'm still tired from the trip.
Dan
As some of you may know, I just got to go to Daytona. My friend was going with two different R6's for doing CCS races, and wanted me to come along. He offered to bring his CBR1000RR so I could do the race school with Team Hammer (and arrive one day early). I did everything I could think of for work to let me go, and it all worked out, with lots of effort.
Daytona Beach is an incredible place. The weird and electric vibe I got may have had something to do with the fact that it was Biketober week as well. At any rate, at night when we got there, it looked like fences and tall buildings. It didn't prepare me for the spectacle of actually entering the track, and this pic won't acurately depict it either.
I never got a chance to get a better picture. The first thing about the track itself that I was confronted with upon entering, even at night, was the banking. It's huge. It's tall. It is steeper than I would've thought.
We eventually wound our way to where we were camping for this adventure.
So, the track! This is it, although I think for the chicane on the back stretch, we did the tighter set of turns that are grayed out.
When we unloaded the bikes, we found that the CBR1000 was leaking pretty badly from the fork seal. So, I just HAD to do the first two sessions of the school using one of his two R6's. I got to use the all black full AMA spec bike with weird engine mapping that holds the rpms at 8000 when you pull the clutch in to downshift. The red-ish black one is the Superbike spec. But yeah, boo hoo. I had to ride a full out race bike.
I took to the R6 quickly. Very quickly. It was a dream to ride. It telegraphed everything so well, and the slipper clutch while heading down the back straight at 150mph and downshifting to 2nd was breathtaking. The bike was setup with a quick shifter, and as GP shift. It is nice being able to just tap the shifter down while holding the throttle pinned and shift so easily, but doing so out of a corner still leaned over is a bit outside my comfort zone because it does kick a little bit. By the 2nd session, I was riding that bike like I had already done track days with it. I should maybe point out that it was my 3rd day ever on a real sport bike. In the 2nd session, I was on fire. I got passed by two liter bikes, but for the rest of the time, I was passing everyone I saw. I'd get past groups of 6 or 7 bikes within 2 turns. I didn't realize that I was getting too comfortable too quickly until I stood the bike up on the rear wheel coming out of the chicane with the throttle pinned in 2nd gear heading towards the banking.
Then I started riding the CBR1000 for the rest of the day. I never quite took to it as well as the R6. I didn't have any problems with it, but that bike was heavier, and I was constantly aware that it was a liter bike. With my miniGP experiences, and spinning the rear tire out on a CRF150F leaned over on the throttle, I was a tad hesitant with the throttle on the horseshoes. But anyway, here it is.
And here I am in the International Horseshoe! I'm the bike on the right.
With the CBR, I truly got to experience what speed was like. In the classroom, they told us to treat the banking like straights. Just tuck down straight on top of the bike, pin the throttle and go. That worked fine for the speeds that the R6 got up to. On the CBR, well, that was entirely different. I had to just edge over a little bit and stick my knee out. Not for dragging or anything like that, but as an air brake to help the bike want to turn left. It is a crazy experience looking over my shoulder at the other side of the turn, a football field's length away, and having to steer down the banking to hold a steady line, knowing the bike is trying to climb higher towards the wall, both tires drifting out a bit, and having to fight to make the bike come down off the banking towards the inside of the turn exit at 171mph. It is a rush I will never forget. After my friend, with 5 years experience racing, took the CBR out for a practice session, he only got it up to 186. On my 3rd day on a sport bike in my life, I only missed 15mph.
At any rate, I passed the class. I now have the credentials to get my CCS racing license next year. My friend is already trying to help me buy an R6, which I'm still not too sure of (affording it that is, I'd love to actually race).
If I get more time and there's any interest, I could go into more detail about the track and what each of the turns are like, as well as post more pics. I'm still tired from the trip.
Dan
Comment