Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducati999
I did not mention turns 4 and 5 in any of the above posts. I do have a little bit of issue entering turn 4 but I was learning a new line thru turn 5 due to some really rough pavement (turn 5 is called highside hill) on the inside right near the apex. I was working out my entry point and the best line thru that set of turns so until I have figured out a good line discussion will not make sense. I do need to carry much more speed up the hill, brake later and harder and use less engine braking for this set of turns. I will be getting a slipper clutch but I am trying to not change much on my bike (999) until I can work thru my current issues. Engine braking is one of my issues also, being a street rider for most of my life I have found it difficult to not use the motor to slow the bike down especially with the big twin. Turn 4 is the hardes braking zone on the Palmer track yet I am barely using the brakes and just letting the hill and motor slow me which cost time!
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Ant -- If you haven't seen it, watch this narrated run from Paul Duval (TTD instructor).
Link to original page on YouTube.
Notice a few things in that section:
- He makes T3 a huge sweep, starting the turn long before the mark and winding up in the middle of the track for the heavy braking up into 4. When he tips in at 4 he's at least two or three feet inside of the line we mere mortals take. I did the track walk with him once and it's quite striking how different his line is through there. Speed through T3 for him is in the 100 mph range... far faster than we're going. The line still doesn't make a lot of sense to me... I don't really see why he's not making the radius as large as possible. It could be because it's more of a quick-flick corner. Not really sure. I'll have to ask him at the next Palmer track day.
- As you know, I also tend just let the bike decelerate up the hill into 4 rather than braking really hard. I note here that T4 is one of Arcy's standard photo locations, and more often than not I've got a big bunch of bikes behind me in those photos. Paul brakes hard because he has to, having carried so much more speed through 3. The braking into 4 will probably make more sense if we carry more speed into it. By "make more sense" I mean it'll feel right. When you go too slow, some inputs feel wrong, know what I mean? Braking hard when the bike is already heading up a steep hill feels like it's going to slow the bike too much, because, well, it will.
- Note that in 5 he's intentionally taking a non-ideal line because the cars have torn up the pavement. There is in fact a smoother strip right up the inside curbing, but he's going too fast to get there and it requires riding across some of that rough stuff. I can get there because I'm a lot slower. You can kind of see how the pavement is smoother near the curbing in the photo.
