Gratton track day 07/22

344 Views 19 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Champ91, Jul 25, 2002

cherrypicker

Discussion Starter · Jul 23, 2002

Doc and I rode Gratton yesterday. It was organized by Andy George and cost only $110 each for 20 riders. It was a open track day. Just ride whenever you wanted. We had soem issies wiht corner workers They took a long lunch and took a 30 minute brea at 3PM jsut before we got rained out. Overall I got in 5 "sessions" and 60+ laps, so I'm not complaining.

Wow, I love that track. It took me 20 or so laps to get comfortable, but then I was havign a blast. That trak really rewards smoothness and being able to link every turn together. Mess up the exit to one turn and you'll be screwed for the next 2. I still suck at high speed sweepers, I never got comfortable with turn 10A & 10B (a blind entrance right hand sweeper over the crest of a hill fllowed by a left hand sweeper exiting onto the main straight). Nail it and you exit onto the straight at over 100mph and will see a corrected 150mph before turn 1 on a 600. Totally awesome.

Passing was open and I got a lot better setting up to make a pass and holding my line. At the end of the day I was making passes on slower riders inside and outside of most turns with plenty of room... well except that one time.. I think DOc has photo's

I had the most fun in the esses and the hairpin. I got a couple nice powerslides comming out of the hairpin and saved a couple lowsides too (unlike the superchicken in May:twofinger )

Today I'm really sore all over. I almost broke the snooze bar waking up this morning.:jester

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KBOlsen

· #2 · Jul 23, 2002

Sweeet! Sounds like you had an awesome time - Grattan is a WONDERFUL track!

Blade Runner

· #3 · Jul 23, 2002

That's way cool. I love that track. I wish I would have known about the day, especially if there was an extra opening. 20 people in the group for that track is very light usage. If they do it again please let me know. I missed a day there 2 weeks ago as I was in Atlanta on biz and am still disappointed. This sounds even better. $110 is a good price too.

BTW, I'm surprized you are not talking about #3. Talk about needing to know where you are going.

See ya,

Bruce

cherrypicker

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 23, 2002

Blade Runner said:
BTW, I'm surprized you are not talking about #3. Talk about needing to know where you are going.

See ya,

Bruce

I never went too fast in #3 because I'm not good at left hand turns, but if you take the inside line you can hold a lot of speed in there. Besides, there's no time to be gained in turn 3. You can always made it up in the esses or comming into the hairpin. The key to a fastlap is the bowl and the sweepers because they lead onto nthe main straight. These were the 2 I struggled with the most.

I finally got a grasp on tunr 5 just after the hill. It takes soem balls to keep on the throttle and really toss the biek into 5 trusting that you can make it. It's probably he funnest part, becasue then you lightly brake for turn 6 while you downshift to 2nd and flip the biek back to the left the immediately flip back to the rigth again hold a tight inside line while the knee drags along the crest of the hill. This is where 600's and 250's can make up some time they might have lost to the bigger bieks on the main straight.

ohhhh I want to go back now.

vtr996

· #5 · Jul 24, 2002

cherrypicker said:
I never went too fast in #3 because I'm not good at left hand turns, but if you take the inside line you can hold a lot of speed in there. Besides, there's no time to be gained in turn 3.

I disagree. While outright cornerspeed in 3 isn't most critical your LINE through Turn 3 and your EXIT speed are pretty important IMHO. Your exit from 3 sets you up for turn4 which is a WIDE OPEN THROTTLE turn leading to the backstraight.

What seems to work for me on the babychicken is to enter 3 a little wide apex late and around 2-3ft from the inside edge of the pavement..... I make sure my exit sets me up to the far LEFT of the track where I can stay at WOT when flopping the bike into the elbowdraggin(well not YET) turn4. I passed more than a couple 929RR's on the backstrait by carrying mucho speed through 3&4.

PS- Did you get any laptimes? You faster than me yet???:cheers My best last time out there was a 1:34:53 on the babychicken(52.7hp), and from what the radar gun operator said I was clocking about 100mph at the start/finish line and about 118-120mph at the end of the main strait.... Still much time to be gained as I was wearing my skirt through the hairpin, I think I can go sub-1:30 if I can get the suspension dialed a little better and can get a good run through turn9 and UP the hill to 10a/b (THAT is where some xtra HP would be nice!)

:twofinger :twofinger :twofinger :rofl

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cherrypicker

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 24, 2002

True, between 4 and 5 is also a straight, but I never had the balls to go more than 90mph over the hill anyway, so I never needed much of a drive out of 4. I was pretty quick throug hthe esses though. Doc would dust me through 10A& B, I get a little back through 1, then get the rest in the esses.

I think Doc was clocking 36's.

I spent my first 2 sessions feeling the track out. Thne the next one trying to go fast. Then I backed off a little and tried being smooth again and working on fixing my form leaning off for left handers.

I love low speed turns so I felt pretty good in the hairpin. I like sliding the bike around at lower speeds. I have slow reflexes so i need the extra time to react... probably explains why I suck at sweepers.

Sticky

· #7 · Jul 24, 2002

Grattan....Sweeeett.

Where'd you throw your downshift before turn 5? Into the hill? I never had the balls to take that turn really well, that and 1. I could never do better than 34s on the 400.

Nick

Doc

· #8 · Jul 24, 2002

Well, I had a pretty good time at Grattan. I just wish I could have had more track time, but that is partially my fault and the weather's fault.

I started out doing only 2 laps because I totally lost my nerve. It was the first time getting back on the bike since my lowside. I know the lowside did not happen because I was riding over my head, but I still felt like I was going to go down in every turn. So, I got off the track to clear my head.

Then next couple sessions were just to get smooth and then I started to pick it up a bit. I was running consistant 1:35 and 1:36s, but I still wasn't going into 1 as fast as back in May and I wasn't hitting the back straight and the esses as hard. So, I know I can get that time down quite a bit.

I also wasn't hitting 10a and b as hard either. In May I was coming out of 10b about 10mph faster than on Monday. I think if I could have gotten a couple more sessions under my belt I would have been doing even better times.

The goal was to work on getting off the bike and really leaning. I finally got the knee down on the left side, but not on the right. I felt like I was really leaning, but my legs were cramping and I was getting somewhat uncomfortable.

Anyway, I am looking forward to doing Grattan again. I hope some of you other guys that haven't gotten a chance to ride this course can get out there sometime. It really is a lot of fun and it is a really smooth (transition-wise) track. No pot-holes either.

Here's some pics.....some are of guys from R6messagenet, but I am going to link them to the pics so they can check them out.

Doc

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Doc

· #9 · Jul 24, 2002

Here's Cherry working on getting the knee down...I still see daylight.

Doc

· #10 · Jul 24, 2002

Ditto

Doc

· #11 · Jul 24, 2002

Here's Cherrypicker showing us the incorrect line to take when trying to pass.

Doc

· #12 · Jul 24, 2002

Here's Kevin from R6messagenet.

Doc

· #13 · Jul 24, 2002

Kev again

Doc

· #14 · Jul 24, 2002

Christian from R6messagenet

Doc

· #15 · Jul 24, 2002

again

Doc

· #16 · Jul 24, 2002

Bob from R6messagenet

Doc

· #17 · Jul 24, 2002

One more of Cherrypicker... pre-asshole stuff job attempt

cherrypicker

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jul 24, 2002

Doc said:
One more of Cherrypicker... pre-asshole stuff job attempt

I was comming down that hill about 30+ mph faster than that guy so I was like hmmm.... slam on the brakes or try for the pass, well, he slowed down less than I though he would and turned in earlier. SO I just stood it up and laid on the brakes to keep from stuffing him. I should have just waitied, but I had so much momentum coimming into the esses which is my favorite part of the track.

Doc

· #19 · Jul 24, 2002

Michael said:
pics small enough? :twofinger

Yeah, but you should have saw them before I cropped them and I can never seem to upload the pics when they are larger than 250 x 250.

Doc

Champ91

· #20 · Jul 25, 2002

sounds like you had a good time. i plan on hitting that track some day. maybe next year.

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