cornerspeed trackday report (6.1.09)

[Sijray21]

hey guys,

just wanted to post up my experience here

i was really looking forward to the track-day i had planned for the bike. i spent weeks in my spare time prepping it and getting it ready for the season and for this day. i also monitored the weather and made countless lists to make sure i brought everything i needed.

I had a baseball game just before leaving for the track late Sunday night. we won that game and i left before the second game of the double header started, already excited to get down to VIR. after a quick stop at mcdÔÇÖs and a gas station on the way i arrived at VIR just before 1am to set-up camp and drop off the bike. passing out at 2am, i woke up at 6am to start the day. oddly enough i wasnÔÇÖt tired and the excitement for the day kept me alert. i got to the paddock at 7am, adjusted my tire pressures and awaited the dayÔÇÖs activities. i tried to ask an instructor to follow me for a few laps since this was the first time iÔÇÖve been on track with the bike in about 2 years, but none were available. i decided to just take it easy for the first session to get a feel for the bike and being on track again.

Session1:
i started out slow and got a feel for the braking points, turn-in points, and track conditions. after a few laps the tires warmed up and i felt more comfortable going a little quicker. next think i know iÔÇÖm already dragging my right knee puck through a few of the sweeping right-handers - awesome! this ÔÇÿ08 600RR was so much easier to maneuver around the track and lean over than my previous ÔÇÿ03 600RR. by the end of the session i was already moving quickly.

Session 2:
this session i decided to dial it up a notch and start working on specific corners (mostly the back-section of the course). this was difficult for me last time as i couldnt find find a good line to make it smooth. by the end of the session i was pinning it through turns 11 and 12 dragging the puck for most of it.wheee! i didn't like the inconsistent pavement on the Turn 7 turn-in, so i never quite got that turn right since i cut it early all the time to avoid the bumps.

Session 3:
this session i wanted to focus more on the back and tried to nail the later turns before the front straight. where every turn is important in making a good overall lap-time, some of the most important turns are the ones that lead onto the straight away. carrying the most speed through those turns would result in a carrying the most speed for the straight away. i worked hard to keep-up speed through 16/17 and managed to do so with a little courage. i felt the back-end step out a little a couple times, but i couldnt let go of the throttle for fear of a high-side.which would have been devastating. the kink of the VIR front straight was now a turn and at a pretty good lean angle i glanced down at the speedo to see the 145 numberholy crap i was moving. i was consistantly hitting the 140s this session and focused on the braking for T1. luckily not many people were around for this so i felt comfortable going deep into T1 feeling the chatter of the rear wheel as i down shifted (i wish i had a slipper clutch). the one scary moment of this session happened in turn 4 when i crested the gators with my knee puck and it almost jolted me off the bike. i gathered myself for T6 and T7 only to feel down my left knee and felt like something was missingmy knee puck. i came around for my next lap and i saw it sitting right in the middle of the turncrap. although it wasnt in the line for the turn i hoped it didnt cause anyone to crash - luckily it didnt. after the session i walked up to the turn 4 work station and Viriginia (i knew her since ive worked as a flagger at VIR on numerous occasions) had my puck for me, still in good condition.

Session 4:
before the start of this session i asked an instructor to follow me for a couple laps and take a look at my form, specifically for left-hand turns as i didnt feel quite as comfortable leaning off as i did with the right-hand turns. i started out following him for a couple laps getting the tires warmed up and then he waved me by. i saw this as a green light and took-off. i made my way through slower traffic on the front straight and between turns 2, 3, and 4 to get some open space. the instructor followed me for about 2 laps and then took off in front. i thought this meant keep-up, but it probably didnt. i was consistently hitting the top of 4th and deep into 5th gear on the front straight which is about 140-145mph. this must have stressed the brakes because when i pulled on the brake for Turn 1 it didnt slow down like it used to and there were 3 people in front of me, at this point i was a little concerned the guys were set-up track-left for the turn-in and i didnt have room to get over to the left hand side, grassy area off-track. i mashed the brakes as hard as i could and then decided to turn the front, which i knew would slide the front. i saw the last guy and knew i didnt have braking room to make the turn and decided to low-side it intentionally, hoping i would miss him. i went down and slid chest-first on the asphalt for about 100 feet. i stood up and i saw the other guy down as wellfuck. i clipped his rear tire...i cant believe i took someone else out . i immediately go up to him to see how hes doing. i help him get his helmet off and stand up. the VIR crew send out the ambulance as well as the trailer to haul the bikes away. we talk about what to do about the situation and i told him i felt bad about the situation and i threw him a few hundred $$ to fix some of the things on his bike. since it was a track-event i knew it wasnt obligated, but i just felt bad. this ended both our days at the track. my bike is banged up with torn-up fairings, a broken foot peg, mangled throttle cables, and a busted wind screen.looks like ill need to get these parts installed before my next event in July.

i spoke with the instructor that i worked with for the 4th session at the end of the day and he had some positive feedback. he recommended upgrading a few bits including suspension, rearsets, and braking (har...har...) as well.

in retrospect, there are a few things i couldÔÇÖve easily done to prevent this from happening:

1. flush brake fluid and put ATE Super Blue
2. adjust brake lever for the tightest setting (1/6 being the tightest, it was set at 3/6)
3. purchase stainless steel lines
4. possibly purchase aftermarket brake pads/rotors

I was pretty happy about the safety gear as well. my Teknic Violator suit held up well with the abrasion and impact protection in the arms and shoulder, the gloves are fine, and luckily the helmet didn't touch the ground, although i'm thinking of replacing it anyway. thankfully, i did not suffer any major injuries, just a sore hip and a couple sore finger knuckles.

some teaser pics before the full-res ones come in:





right front upper damage (luckily only readjusting the throttle cables, levers, and clip-ons were needed)


crash-side

[ScottyB]

great write-up...just glad you and that guy are OK. at least you're taking it with good spirit.

sounds to me like you have a really good road ahead of you on track though!

[Mike]

glad you're ok... but... i just don't understand these track days... you guys [as a whole, not pointing any fingers] crash a lot... crashing on a bike is no joke.

[Sijray21]

i can't speak for everyone, just from this experience, but i feel a lack of traction on the front wheels will yield an 'off' for a car into the run-off area whereas on a bike it'll mean a low-side (the typical crash IMO). i mean, if you knew you were going in too hot you could stand up the bike and run off (which is what i was planning on doing if i had time and space this time around - i did this once on my only other track day at turn 10 at VIR north).

a lack of traction on exit will sometimes result in a spin in a car but on a bike will sometimes yield a high-side.

since you have to keep the balance on two wheels as opposed to a more-stable four, i feel the odds are more likely you will make contact with the ground on a bike vs make an impact with the tirewall in the car.

[.RJ]

he recommended upgrading a few bits including suspension, rearsets, and braking

Thats interesting. Get the stock stuff set up for your weight (sag, preload, etc) and then see how it feels. If the pegs are going down or you're uncomfortable, then change the rearsets.

Brakes... yeah fix that one :lol:

[Mike]

right, i understand WHY crashes are more likely to occur than in a car... simple physics. BUT... they seem [note: not "do"] to happen at more than 50% of the events you guys go to and typically come with body damage for both the rider and the bike. i don't dig those odds/costs.

i guess what i'm trying to say is "you guys are stupid."

[.RJ]

i guess what i'm trying to say is "you guys are stupid."

Perhaps, but most trackday orgs do a very poor job with instruction and trying to keep riders out of trouble.

Most of the incidents I've seen are pretty similar to jason's - lowside, no one hurt, some fairing/lever damage.

[Mike]

i guess what i'm trying to say is "you guys are stupid."

Perhaps, but most trackday orgs do a very poor job with instruction and trying to keep riders out of trouble.

you're the ones attending them/keeping them in business/putting yourselves in harm's way.

he couldn't get an instructor for his first session... that's shit.

[.RJ]

you're the ones attending them/keeping them in business/putting yourselves in harm's way

Not trying to shift the blame here, if someone crashes its 99% of the time rider error, but the instruction isnt very... proactive. I have had a hard time getting any kind of 1 on 1 since leaving the beginner groups.

[Sijray21]

you're the ones attending them/keeping them in business/putting yourselves in harm's way.

he couldn't get an instructor for his first session... that's shit.

this was likely because i was in the sport enthusiast group as opposed to the school. there are minimal control riders there and typically no instructors since everyone who signs up for this group has to have passed the cornerspeed (within 24 months) or another accredited racing school first.

Not trying to shift the blame here, if someone crashes its 99% of the time rider error

i definitely agree with this, and unfortunately this incident was definitely my fault on a couple different levels

[G.Irish]

Man that is unfortunate. It sucks bad enough to go down but I'm sure you feel terrible that you took someone out. I felt like such an ass when I knocked over that guy in the paddock...

The braking thing on bikes is actually why I'm fairly conservative on the brake. Going straight off in a lot of places will still almost certainly result in a crash so you have to try very hard not to get into a situation where you leave the pavement.

Brake fade is not a problem I hear about much for bikes since most of the time the brakes are pretty strong on supersports. But I guess upgrading the braking system is a no-brainer considering how bad things can go if you don't.

The only other advice I'd have is don't skimp on sleep. Your brain will start making mistakes before you actually feel tired. I used to be able to do it with car track days but it takes a lot more brain power to do bikes.

Well, at least no one got hurt and the bike only has minor damage.

[Sijray21]

Man that is unfortunate. It sucks bad enough to go down but I'm sure you feel terrible that you took someone out.

that's really what i feel bad about. i know i'll make mistakes and go down (i do not wish for this to be a frequent occurence), but taking someone else out when it wasn't his fault at all is what really kills me. i couldn't go without giving him some money for parts as a minimum and we exchanged contact information afterwards. it will definitely affect how i ride next month at NJMP, especially since it's a brand new track for me.

Brake fade is not a problem I hear about much for bikes since most of the time the brakes are pretty strong on supersports. But I guess upgrading the braking system is a no-brainer considering how bad things can go if you don't.

same here, which is why i didn't change the oem fluid. i read on 600rr.net that guys were still using the same fluid with little to no issues. i will not follow that advice any longer and treat it the same as when i was in the car before and change it before every event. it was a very stupid and tough lesson... :x it's easy enough to do anyways :oops: i'm just glad that the damage to both bikes were somewhat minimal and that both him and i are 'ok'