[ST] Track Day Update

[Matthew Heyer <matthewheyer@xxxxxxxxx>]

Well another successful weekend flogging the bike around the track.  Went to Pocono Raceway for the Formula USA circuit on Saturday, and then was at Summit Point Raceway for their Main circuit yesterday.
 
Pocono was a very cool experience.  They let us use the NASCAR garages, which while I don't like NASCAR, the garages were a sweet bonus.  The track is huge, and very high speed.  The circuit utilizes both the front straight and most of the back straight including the tunnel turn.  While I'm not a NASCAR fan, I am familiar with Pocono as being a tri-oval, and basically the circuit took us across the infield instead of using the ends of the oval, but we did use the third banked turn.  That was something else.  Wide open throttle once turned onto the oval, then it just takes a HUGE sack to keep the throttle pinned and rowing the gears as you go through a banked, wide NASCAR turn with a concrete wall to your outside.  Then once through that, the straight still continues for another two up shifts.  Now their is the usual speedo error, and I altered my gearing, but I saw an indicated 193 mph!!  That is probably about 170 mph really, which is still ridiculous.  Then you work on
 pushing your brake markers, dropping three gears, and diving back to the infield.  Even with those speeds, getting under 2:00 laptimes is running an advanced pace.  Like I said, the track is HUGE.  Tons of fun though, and it got me to further work on my form to keep the meat of the tire on the ground in order to apply the power throttle without spinning it up.
 
Yesterday at Summit Point, I think I had the most fun I've had yet at the track.  Some fresh rubber in the morning, started easy and built up, but was feeling fast, strong, and confident as I got into the later sessions.  It was the hardest I've ever run a motorcycle, and yet I still think the bike was laughing at me.  I was rolling onto the throttle before the apexes, and then driving hard out.  Rowing the gears at rev limit all the way up to sixth, pushed my brake markers, and was just feeling great.  I was really learning to let off the brake and actually get on the throttle into the turn in order to unload the front tire and carry more corner speed.  I was also getting really low on the bike - my entire body, next to the bike really.  My head was about even with the guage cluster, but off the the inside of the bike.  This helped tremendously with my corner speed.
 
Anyway, this is getting long, but thought I'd keep those that are interested up to date.  I'm off to VIR for two days in two weeks.  
 
And by the way, Dunlop's new Qualifier tire - amazing grip.  It is really a competitor of the Pilot Power, Sportec M-3, and Diablo Corsa.  I pushed that tire pretty hard and never once get a wiggle, either front the front in a corner or the rear powering out of the corner.  Amazing tire.  If I were still riding my Sprint like I had been before track days, and was looking for a sticky tire, this would be it.
 
Matt Heyer
_______________________________________________
Triumph Sprint ST/RS mailing list
Send list posts to ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Change your list options at www.Triumphnet.com