1st Trackday. I survived

Gillberg

2008-07-19 21:09:00 UTC

I'M HOOKED!! That was the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle.

Well, the day started out at 6.30 with a 169km journey to Morgan Park Raceway ahead. Roadworks saw us arrive an hour later than we had anticipated and just in time for the riders briefing.

I was feeling a little lost as to what to do and where to go. Not to mention I wouldn't even sight the track before I went out.
I needed that paper bag.

Eyeballing the pits, I could count all the road bikes on one hand. The rest were dedicated track or race bikes. It was certainly intimidating for a first time geek like me.

My Wife Bev hadn't been a big supporter of my trackday wants but came along to watch me "die" none the less.
A guy had come off in the group before my first session. The ambulance pulled up right where we were standing. The side door slid open to expose the injured rider. His face was covered in blood. We overheard one of the ambo's saying it appeared to be a serious head injury.
Just the thing Bev needed to hear right before my first ride of death.

With my stomach in knots, it was my turn. Funny thing, as soon as I hit the track they were gone.

The first session I kind of felt my way and tried to stay out of the way of other riders. The field soon spread out though and was riding on my own for the most part.

By the third session I was gaining confidence and had the SD sliding around a bit. Felt really in control and not going nuts.

The fourth and final session. I went out first, my confidence set on high and kept looking back for the first couple of laps to see if I was holding anyone up. Amazingly, I wasn't and didn't get passed at all.

I think that is the best I've ever ridden and felt very satisfied at the end of the session.

We met some nice people, got some good tips from experienced trackdayers, learned a lot from the day and best of all lived to tell the tale.

Here's a couple of vids. They're short..........but lame.
You need to watch carefully to see me go around the outside of some guys.
The sound is unmistakably SD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxBKlYpRP2A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EN_q2SLoxI

I'll try and get a couple of pics up as well.
Man that was fun

Gillberg

2008-07-19 21:28:00 UTC

This was my favourite corner.