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I've been chomping at the bit, and after a few previous dates turned out to be raining this one looks dry so I've grabbed it!

It'll be my first trackday of the year, first time ever taking my ZX9R on track, and I'm not 100% recovered from injury, but what the Hell?

As Inters was full I'm in Novice, so that'll probably piss me off, although not being sure how my bike will run (especially on ST tyres) it's probably the sensible option.

Anybody else going?

I was watching this for ages, and as soon as the weather looked good (just over a day before!) I booked my first trackday of the year and my first for almost a year! With No Limits trackdays and as Intermediates was all booked I was in the Novice group with a mate…

I quite liked the International track when I did it before, and to be honest liked it a lot more this time. Compared to circuits like Oulton it’s a bit soulless – but there’s no denying that in the dry it’s still a -ing great place!

This was also the first trackday I’ve done where I was using my road bike – a Kawasaki ZX9R Ninja C2 – rather than a fully tricked-out hire bike.

I figured I’d take it easy in the first session I’d just feel out my bike and then had options from there, as you may have seen in my last blog.

I HATE sighting laps! OK, I see their point, but FFS people don’t cruise around them – use them to get some heat in your tyres! I didn’t have the luxury of tyre warmers this time, but already know my Pirelli Angel ST tyres are good for kneedown from cold (I did a video to prove it!), so unsurprisingly I was still flying past almost everyone on the warm-up laps. That’s not because I’m great on cold tyres – it’s just because I know the limits and still leave a massive safety margin whilst getting a move on.



There were a fair few incidents, but considering most ‘hardcore’ trackday riders pick mid-week dates, this Saturday event didn’t seem to have any Nob-heads in the Novice group. Sure, some were slow, but generally the pace was pretty quick and there were a few very fast riders – including my mate and a few from TrackDayRiders.co.uk who I met. I couldn’t stay with them.

I got advice from the Tyre Guru to use pressures of 34psi front and 32psi rear. After noting that my front tyre was screeching like a teen at her first fisting mitten session under heavy braking, instinct told me to drop the pressure even more, but the same Tyre Guru advised against it, and I had to admit what I already suspected…. That my front brake discs are warped.

Major issue, but I just had to brake early and try and ride around it.

My worries of ground clearance were unfounded, because on track I hang off so much more than the road that my foot pegs were clear. The tyres were also much better than I thought, and although I could have pushed harder they never failed me. Sports-touring tyres? Well the videos will show me on full throttle, kneedown at 12,000rpm and 120mph all the way around the left-hander after the first chicane with not a single glitch! Very impressive for tyres I honestly thought would overheat and try to spit me off!

I was a bit proud that my mate and I were representing 90s sportsbikes and how cheap trackdays can be done, with him on a 1996 Fireblade, and both of us riding around the outside of much more modern machinery.



Then, in the 5th session my mate lowsided it into the last chicane thanks to one of the TDR riders (only joking lol) – amazingly little damage, but unfortunately he broke a footrest hanger sliding over the curves so his day was over…

I found my fitness was a major problem, and I was proper gassing when I was on the pace. And I was lapping around 1min 50 – which for a 12 year old ‘sports tourer’ on sports touring tyres and with warped front brake discs that I knew I couldn’t afford to crash – was very impressive! And also seem to have got one lap in closer to 1m40!

Great day – good to meet all those who I did, and I should have a ‘highlight’ video uploaded soon… The professional photos should be sent out on Tuesday.

EDIT: There are 3 good laps through traffic then a load of mistakes, crash victims and other stuff at the end. You can hear my front tyre screeching under hard braking if you listen closely – and also hear I was doing some serious trail-braking into some of the corners to compensate!

Nice one

Glad you enjoyed your day

I have been thinking of taking my zx9 (f1 model) on track but I have so much fun on the zxr400 and zxr750

You right, you dont have to spend a fortune on a super spec bike to have fun, proof, I went around cadwell this year on my 750 quicker than I have done on my previou tricked up R1, 45bhp less and 35kg heavier

Also on an old knacker or "not on the money bike" you have smiles a minute riding around the "top" bikes

Rob

zxrob wrote:Nice one

Glad you enjoyed your day

I have been thinking of taking my zx9 (f1 model) on track but I have so much fun on the zxr400 and zxr750

You right, you dont have to spend a fortune on a super spec bike to have fun, proof, I went around cadwell this year on my 750 quicker than I have done on my previou tricked up R1, 45bhp less and 35kg heavier

Also on an old knacker or "not on the money bike" you have smiles a minute riding around the "top" bikes

Rob

We both (my mate on the '96 Blade) also found we felt quite proud to be representing the old 90s sportsbikes against all the modern stuff! :

I could have left it in the same gear all the way around the infield bit, really on the 9r. On a 600 I was working the gears a hell of a lot more. I'm still not sure whether that made it better or worse.

I got the professional pics through today from Peter Wileman!

some cracking photos mate! why does your bike always look gleaming?

Awesome write up Jamz, but to be honest most of the stuff you post is either funny as fuk or a bloody good read.

1:40 < is that a decent time? i dunno what the avg lap time is.

masterofinsanity wrote:some cracking photos mate! why does your bike always look gleaming?

No idea, considering I spent literally about 10 minutes wiping a sponge over it the night before Rockingham lol! The shots where you can see up under the fairing and the rear shock don't look quite as clean, though...

CaNsA wrote:Awesome write up Jamz, but to be honest most of the stuff you post is either funny as fuk or a bloody good read.

1:40 < is that a decent time? i dunno what the avg lap time is.

Cheers!

The last time I was there on a 600 I was lapping around 2:05 on the session I got on video, but that was after a touch of rain at the start of the session so I was still getting some confidence back.

I think the lap length is something like 2.6 miles. I'm sure there are some lap times around somewhere!

1.40 is a decent time around the international mate

I'm around therein about that time on my 750 with my best at 1.38

I would say the real quick guys are going around in the low 1.30's

Rob

zxrob wrote:1.40 is a decent time around the international mate

I'm around therein about that time on my 750 with my best at 1.38

I would say the real quick guys are going around in the low 1.30's

Rob

Nice - so definitely achievable with brakes that work, and maybe even sticky tyres, then?

Jamz wrote:

zxrob wrote:1.40 is a decent time around the international mate

I'm around therein about that time on my 750 with my best at 1.38

I would say the real quick guys are going around in the low 1.30's

Rob

Nice - so definitely achievable with brakes that work, and maybe even sticky tyres, then?

Good nice set of rosso's, pures or pc2's and you'd be loving it