Confession: Road atlanta close calls

[meanstrk]

One guy I worked with on Saturday (Meat, on another Kwak 363) said he felt all weird on his bike. Turns out he did some wholesale changes to it over the winter and had both ends upgraded and just needed to figure out the new feel. After I told him to just corner faster and quite riding like a pussy, he got faster!

 

[snikwad]

yeah, that may have been my problem too, i had the forks redone after 4+ years, and lighter wheels, plus i ran track skins for the 1st time, so that combined with the weight drop of a full exhaust, the bike was def lighter, and felt like it.

by sunday afternoon i was feeling somewhat normal. it seems my bike is now extremely sensetive to tire pressure, vs. before i could get away with being off by 2 or 3 psi, now that 2 psi makes a huge difference.

I was thinking it was the tires that made this difference, going from supercorsas to racetecs, but im thinking its the reduced upsprung weight of the mags.

 

[meanstrk]

I will probably go through the learning curve next month too then. This Ohlins upgrade is going to provide a whole different feel.

I did get my pressures sorted out at RA though and had no cold tear issues that I was dealing with before.

 

[jas0336]

I have no idea what my times were and I'm by no means the fastest guy to talk to but...this was my first RA experience and I realized that in B group, you just can't predict what people are gonna do. Everyone is still trying to learn. So I just worked on lines, setting people up for the pass and figuring out how my bike feels in different situations.

When I stuck to my line and was focused well in front of me, I was able to see when I was closing in on someone and was able to time it so I was accelerating hard on the straight coming into the corner they were entering...when I timed it right, they were just sitting up straight when I'd pass...immediately after the turn. You probably loose a good bit of time but it forces you to work on yourself and to be smoother and more predictable. It also prevents you from situations where you just close in on someone too fast and have to make an illegal pass. I think most of the CRs would tell you there isn't an excuse for an illegal pass...that you should know what's coming up.
Anyway, I feel like I improved my own riding even if I didn't blaze any impressive lap times. I'm also pretty sure I didn't scare any newer riders by blitzing them too close or anything.
I saw a couple illegal passes Saturday...nothing dangerous but around T3 everyone seems to slow way down. I slowed for a rider once who checked up and the guy behind me went on around. It didn't scare me but it did piss me off because the guy who checked up obviously thought he was going too fast for the corner and having someone break the rules because he didn't want to be held up probably didn't make the first guy feel any better.

 

[AU_R1]

Early in the day I put it in the grass on T7, scared the hell out of me but I managed to keep it up. I was pretty slow there for the rest of the day, hopefully I didn't piss anyone behind me off too bad. Sometime after lunch I put it in the left grass on T9 at about 120, I was dead sure it was going to get ugly but I managed to keep it upright yet again and finally got it back on the track at 10a. Sorry to anyone who was behind me at almost any point during the day, my best lap was 2:02 on the very last lap of the day. I'm not too ashamed seeing as it was my first full track day.

 

[snikwad]

AU_R1;48327 wrote: Early in the day I put it in the grass on T7, scared the hell out of me but I managed to keep it up. I was pretty slow there for the rest of the day, hopefully I didn't piss anyone behind me off too bad. Sometime after lunch I put it in the left grass on T9 at about 120, I was dead sure it was going to get ugly but I managed to keep it upright yet again and finally got it back on the track at 10a. Sorry to anyone who was behind me at almost any point during the day, my best lap was 2:02 on the very last lap of the day. I'm not too ashamed seeing as it was my first full track day.

i think i saw you in one of the videos thats on youtube with your T9 runoff.

Dont worry, our buddy we brought ran off the track 9 times over the 2 days.
So dont feel bad.

 

[jas0336]

I don't think anyone in B group should feel like they need to apologize for anything other than breaking a rule. It's all about learning what works and improving.
Are you the guy on a blue R1 with AU on the tail? I think you asked me and someone else to go ahead of you on the grid.
I wouldn't worry about leaving the track. Be proud you kept it upright...that's a shaky feeling the first time you ride through the grass as 3-digits.

 

[AU_R1]

jas0336;48336 wrote: I don't think anyone in B group should feel like they need to apologize for anything other than breaking a rule. It's all about learning what works and improving.
Are you the guy on a blue R1 with AU on the tail? I think you asked me and someone else to go ahead of you on the grid.
I wouldn't worry about leaving the track. Be proud you kept it upright...that's a shaky feeling the first time you ride through the grass as 3-digits.

Yeah that was me. Not really representing Auburn the way it deserves but I'll be wrking on it.

 

[1ghiaman]

lbsaxman;48089 wrote: i was running 1:45's in I and didnt have any problems getting around everyone ... it would seem if there were low o:40's in I they would have blow by me ...

Well, if said faster rider went out in front of you it would take him 20+ laps to blow by at 5 sec per lap faster.

 

[rgalban]

I got a little talking too by a CR. I did make an illegal outside pass in turn 1. I should have just hot pitted. Just getting a little frustrated when the bigger sportbikes passes me on the straights and really slows down entering a corner. I was a little too close on the guys in front and had to go around the outside to keep from bumping them. Passes 2 folks at the turn at the same time. My apologies to both.

I was riding the silver Speed Triple in the B group. Wanted to see how it would do at the track. Too soft and heavy....but fun as hell.

Thanks to the CR who did not make me sit out a session. Again, my apologies to the folks that I illegally zipped by.

 

[meanstrk]

Retracted.....

 

[jas0336]

sorry this is so long

I agree...I ride with other groups and am really used to passing inside and outside of corners. I have absolutely no problem with it if I know it's allowed...in fact I think it's more fun that way. But if you know it's not allowed and someone does it anyway that is what causes some guys to get startled and make worse mistakes.
Also, I've been run off the track by someone who thought they could pass me on the inside but they didn't realize how late I was breaking for the turn, got scared and didn't turn and so I ended up in the grass and they ended up running to the wide edge. I came back ready to fight and the guy just started begging for fogiveness. I forgive but I don't forget.
I'd rather just keep to whatever rules are in place because let's face it in the beginner group that is the ONLY thing you can predict.

It worries me when guys talk about lap times getting screwed up in B cuz this group is beginner...full of new guys trying to learn. If you have your lines figured out and are consistent nobody is gonna hold you up much and the CRs WILL move you to I.

 

[lbsaxman]

Hey MeanStrk - I was the guy that you so nicely followed into the pits about the turn 1 inside pass...knowing that you had cameras on front and back, why don't you post the video of that scary inside pass for everyone to see because I'm calling BS! All the people that I asked about that pass said it was a great pass and you were straight up and down. You, yourself made an inside pass on the guy that I was riding with and didn't bother to come over and say anything about that... It seems that you may like to ride around the pits and talk down to people but in order to have that right you need to be wearing an orange shirt!

 

[meanstrk]

Retracted.......

 

[Ruhe52]

But you are talking about inside passes in I group who fucking cares it is still not allowed. So why have a debate about it. Good pass or not it be a no no in I. This convo is like being pulled over by a cop with video cam on your tank and trying to tell him you were not speeding when he looks at the tape you are showing speedo hits of 160 170. No inside is there for a reason...

 

[meanstrk]

Retracted..........

 

[emry]

Looked like a outside pass into 2. I'm confused was this in B or I

 

[steve p]

looked good to me.

 

[meanstrk]

I have deleted my statements since I refuse to get into a pissing contest on line. Bottom line is a difference of opinion.

 

[silvertop27]

I watched the video and it looked clear to me like a outside pass in t2. It doesn't look like a difference in opinion (pissing contest) it looks like an apology is in order. Just my humble opinion from watching the video if that is I group it looked legal and smooth.