2 Wheels Craziness

Folembray started out with a great session (all of the really cool pictures come from the first session)

Again a theoretical session on proper form, then we hit the track again. It's been drizzling, so the track is slightly damp. The first corner I take ... I end up on my back in the grass. It was a lowsider, so no serious damage to bike or rider, except that I'm missing a footpeg. I'm angry at myself for falling, I'm agry at the weather for not being perfectly dry, I'm angry at the tires for giving up without signalling, I'm angry at my bike for loosing a footpeg. I miss the entire run, while me and a mechanic try to convert one of the passenger pegs to a front peg. It doesn't work. Fortunately -for me-, someone else dropped his bike and screwed up his entire shift set, EXCEPT the footpeg. And it fits! Yay!

The rest of the day alternates between dry and semi-dry, but my confidence is gone and I don't feel like putting my knee to the ground anymore. I'm tired and whining like a little spoiled kid.

Next day, after a restful night it's raining. It's really pouring down, and there's no sign it will ever stop. I think of yesterday and decide I don't feel like riding in the rain. Half an hour later, I change my mind and buy rain tires. While they are being put on, I miss the first riding session.

Next item on the agenda is a duo-run. This means for 10 laps, it's just me and my instructor following me, talking to me through the radio. This is a great feature and one of the reasons I prefer this riding school over others. The moment we hit the track, the rain is pouring down harder than ever. This is my first time ever on rain tires, and I'm extremely nervous. The bike feels equally nervous. After two laps, though, the tires seem to have warmed up and I'm gaining confidence. Once every while, I can feel the tires search for grip, but never anything really alarming. Riding in the rain is a lot more fun than I anticipated! I really nail the throttle, although my lap times remain at about 5 seconds over the dry lap times. I decide I don't want to try a kneedown in the rain just yet.

Next session I miss out, because the sun momentarily breaks through and I'm still on rain tires. The two laps I did were enough to warm up my tires beyond what is healthy. I decide not to switch back to semi-slicks (BT-002), because I was promised more rain.

The promise was kept: for the last session, it's raining again and I'm happy to try my recently purchased rain tires for the second time. I pass a lot of people who were faster than me on the dry. There's one guy I can't keep up with, though, and he's riding on semi-slicks! I guess I'm not on the limit of the rain tires yet, and I push a little harder.

I enter my favorite curve, a 100 MPH left-hand sweeper. I go full-throttle and try to put my knee down. Suddenly, the rear tire breaks loose! There is time to react, though, I really love how these rain tires give signals. Unfortunately for me, I release the throttle too quickly and I'm experiencing my first-ever full-blown tank slapper at 100MPH. I'm scared as hell, I let go of the handlebars so the bike can sort itself out. Somehow, I don't fly off the bike, I manage to go through a slight right-hand curve with my hands off the handle bars, and I've slowed down enough to go into the tight S-curve. I grab a hold of the handlebars again, lean into the first tight curve, and (gently!!!) twist the throttle again. Nothing! Somehow, I manage to pick up the bike without throttle, and coast to the side of the track. It turns out I must have hit the circuit breaker while the handlebars were swinging back and forth. I flip it over again, wait for some bikes to pass, and hit the track again. I'm a little shaken though (pun intended), so after a few laps and a few more missed apexes, I decide I've had enough excitement and call it a day.

But, as they say: all's well that ends well. I've had plenty of excitement, learned a thing or two, and I'm able to walk and talk about it

9th of August @ Francorchamps, I just can't wait!

posted by bahuman @ 2:53 PM