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Old August 15th, 2017, 06:41 AM   #155
Ducati999
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Name: Ant
Location: Wooster
Join Date: Dec 2013

Motorcycle(s): Ducati 999 2012 Ninja 250r Ducati748 Yellow finally running 2003 SV650 S (SOLD)

Posts: A lot.
Return to the Track

Hello everyone,
I have just returned from New York Safety Track last weekend and I wanted to give my update.

I really have to say that "were it not for the friends I made on this forum, I would be slower on the track or possible would have never even tried the track". Having such great people to support, encourage and instruct you as you are learning to do what you love just makes the experience that much better! This trip to NYST is a perfect example of this concept.

I have not ridden my Ducati since I crashed it last August, that make it a full year since I last operated this bike. I have only ridden my wifes 250 2-3 times and the 999 for less than 15 minutes since last season. Hitting an unfamiliar track after such a long break of riding added to the challenges of "finding the edge of traction". I am in much better shape than I was last season but my "bike operating skills" were as rusty as possible. I have slowly learned how far I can lean the bike over and how hard I can brake before I even have to worry about nearing the limits (slippery conditions aside) yet all those references needed to be reset after so long a hiatus from riding. I usually try to go approx. 80-90% what I am capable (possibly part of my problem) at the track but this trip was closer to 60-65%. I will try to describe what was going on below. I discovered a few areas where I did really well and I had many issues which bring up some questions. I will do my best to spell out what I felt was going on and what questions arose from this and maybe someone here can give me insight into why.

My first few sessions were like a blind man in a new building, I was lost and had no idea what the track layout was nor what was beyond the immediate area I could see at that moment. The track was a bit busy with lots of other faster riders passing me (most safely) as I hunted for a safe line thru all 18 turns---most of which are blind. Not being able to see thru many of the turns made it very difficult to carry any real speed with confidence since I did not know if the turn tightened up and had no idea where the Apex was never mind the "line". Unfortunately I did not have any time to study a track map or even watch the great videos of the track that @adouglas and others have posted. I was fortunate enough to have an instructor, on a Ninja 300, give me the signal to follow him and this helped immensely in learning the layout of the track. I was only able to follow him for 3 laps due to one of several "RED FLAGS" which ended the session early. Once I got back to the paddock, someone had a track map and I sat out the following session just running the track in my head. I still did not have the "best line" down but I knew what turns were tighter than others and where I needed to find some markers for braking and the few spots I could use more throttle safely. This really helped me get around the track much faster than the earlier sessions but I was still not confident. When the first day was done, I had the track down and was beginning to find lines thru many of the corners which allowed me some sort of demented flow around the track.

The second day, the track was insanely packed with many more riders than the first day. Had day 2 been my first day, I would not have been able to learn the track with multiple people passing on the inside and outside of nearly every turn. I had one guy pass me on the inside of turn 1 with his tires on the curbing! I had to stand my bike up or he would have hit me! Overall I was able to follow some of the instruction given to me from Andrew and others to make real progress in putting multiple corners together and doing a few laps that were not terrible. This track has several turns that require you to hit the entry point nearly perfect and then the rest of that turn and event the next are much easier. Should you be off more than a foot you will not be in the correct spot later in the sequence to get a good exit or you will not be in position for the following turn. I know that is every track and what racing is all about, but I mean even at a slow beginning level, should you blow the entry as described then all momentum will be lost. I only did a few sessions on the second day since the track was so packed and people were passing unsafely, I quit before I had any issues.

With this being my first real ride of the year and my first trip to this track, I feel I did well enough. I could have pushed harder but I also could have crashed. I had a great time with some great people, went fast enough and did not crash----that is how you win a Track Day!

Now to the questions I have:
#1 I lost approx. 12 lbs since last season and I am in a little better physical shape but after a full year of not riding at all, I was not sore at all after riding the 2 days (and sleeping in the truck). Not sure why I would be less sore after such a long period not riding.

#2 I was working on the bike till I loaded it onto the truck to head to NYST so I had no time to study the track. Does anyone have a system to quickly learn a new track? Once I had a track map and time to study it, I was able to "build" it in my brain and riding was much easier after that but I need a solution for quickly learning a track while riding when studying before hand is not an option.

#3 My final question is a bit hard to get across. I was so unsure of where the track went and where the line was that I had to hold back and could not fully commit to a turn or begin rolling on until I would see the exit cone. I was really holding back quite a bit until I was sure I could make the turn-VS. turning in and letting the bike run wide then pulling it back into the apex--yet my tire looks more properly shredded than ever before. The tire looks like it should after a proper track day with lots of torn up rubber (but not too much) yet it does not look like that after I ride the tracks I am familiar with like Palmer. When I let some of my friends, who are way better riders than I, ride the bike the tire looked the way it does now when they returned to the paddock yet I have never been able to do this till now. Why should this be?

Not sure if there is an answer to #3 but would love to hear anyone's thoughts on why this might have happened this way.

I am planning on hitting Pamler on Labor Day, hope some of you can come out--they are running the track backwords!!!!
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