Spent a damn hot day at the Lakeside Raceway yesterday with the grandson. It was a track day (Practice Day) for motorcycles, so he decided to take his Honda CBR650R out for a blast. All in all, not a bad day, although he’s a tad sore at the moment. The temperature was an uncomfortable balmy 38°C (102°F) in the shade, with the physical track temp around 60°C (140°F)! I couldn’t touch the tyres when they came off the circuit…too hot.

Lakeside is considered a quick circuit, with cars averaging around 91mph around the circuit of 2.39km (1.39 miles). The grandson is lapping at around 1 minute 16 seconds, with the bike lap record being 1 min 05 secs, so he’s happy. He’s pulling around 225 kph (140 mph) along the main straight…not too shabby for a road bike. Only problem he seems to have is the exit to the “Bus Stop”, marked in the close up pic. He has the entry down pat, however, the exit is something altogether different. He came through the Bus Stop pretty quick, misjudged his braking point, and his power setting on the throttle…BINGO…his bike high sided, throwing him, luckily off the track at about 120kph (75mph). He bounced and rolled well. I’ve put a pin marker on the spot he high sided and came off his bike.

So once he has the bike repaired, broken throttle cables, and a couple of other small items, he’s back out there to try again. He’s learning.

Dang... thats hot. We're above freezing for most of the day now, LOL!

Good on your grandson. That bike sounds fast

-DallanC

Vince, I'm glad he bounces well!!

Thats a long slide.
I hope he is well.

DallanC wrote:

Dang... thats hot. We're above freezing for most of the day now, LOL! Good on your grandson. That bike sounds fast -DallanC

I’d love some of that cold weather right now…it’s even too hot to go out into the bush for a hunt. We are expecting rain today because of the cyclone off the coast. We are looking forward to the rain, but the North Island of New Zealand is right in the firing line at the moment. Fingers crossed the cyclone blows itself out before reaching Radar’s stomping grounds.

The grandson’s bike is quick…it’s not totally stock, although the engine is original. He’s had the ECU either chipped or remapped and had a speed shift fitted. The mods gave him about an extra 30 or more horsepower. It’s quick for a road bike, but nothing compared to a well built track bike. I had a chat with a friend who used to race a 500cc GP factory bike in the World Championship, and he has given me some good advice as to the direction the grandson should go if he wants to race.

I think the grandson will ease off a bit after coming off…he’s getting sorer and stiffer by the day, and he has to fix his bike yet. He’s learning.

“Punkin” wrote:

Vince, I'm glad he bounces well!!

Luckily he didn’t bounce much…more of a roll, about 5 or 6 times, but it was the initial thump when he hit the ground that is causing him a bit of grief.

“Gelan” wrote:

Thats a long slide. I hope he is well.

Luckily he only slid about 5 or 6 metres before the bike threw him, and then he bounced, slid, rolled about another 10m - 15m…but that was enough at 120kph (75mph) to make him damn sore today. His boss gave him the day off and said go to the Doctor…I’d say X-rays will be needed as a well.