Aug 2010 Killarney

Aug 2010 Killarney
Killarney racetrack - final corner

Monday 19 December 2011

Test ride wishlist

I have a love for exotic bikes and the unconventional. Here is my top 3 test ride wishlist of 2012 bikes.

1) MV Augusta 675

Photo: Omnimoto.it
 2) Ducati Streetfigher 848

Photo: autobikegallery.com
3) Bimota DB10 Bimotard

Photo: visordown.com

Sunday 7 August 2011

More track day photos & also video

Here are some more pics and a video of the Italian motorcycle track day.
848 black
On the starting grid
Sterilgarda Ducati
Killarney race track turn 2
Braking for turn 2 at Killarney race track

These sounds are awesome:
Aprilia Tuono and Ducati 999

Sunday 3 July 2011

Italian weekend - Sunday 3 July

Sunday, 3 July, 2011

The Italian track day at Killarney arrived. I slept lightly listening to the rain fall overnight and hoping that the weather would clear. My track day kit was set out the night before together with a final check list to make sure that I take everything for what promised to be a full day at the Killarney race track. A quick look out of the front door in the early morning brought good news. Stars were visible in the morning sky just before dawn and this held the promise of track time.

I decided to check out the road conditions in front of my home while my bike was idling and warming up and the first thing that I did was to step in a puddle of water! Fortunately my raceboots did not take on any water as I swiftly withdrew my foot and added a mental note to concentrate at the track and to avoid puddles.

The early morning ride to Killarney on the freeway was relatively traffic free and the last 6km to the petrol station was on reserve. This was great since I could fill up my tank just before arriving at the track. The petrol attendant asked if there was a big race at Killarney since by this time Ducati bikes were streaming past. I explained that it is more of a track school and also learned that he does not know who Valentino Rossi is, but he could tell me a lot about local soccer and that he is a Pirates fan.

The Ducati and Eurobike camps were setup when I arrived at Killarney and the Monster energy drink truck and entourage were also present. An interesting bike on display was the Aprilia Tuono V4 and another eye catcher was the Ducati Multistrada 1200. There were also Ducati Streetfighter, Hypermotard, ST4, Multistrada, 999, 996, 848 and Monster models at the track. Pure eye candy. Sadly there were no MV Agusta bikes (I guess that they only come out in summer). I did however spot a vintage Moto Guzzi lurking behind the pit garages and following the action.
A wide variety of Ducati bikes supported the event 

A riders' photoshoot was held on the track with Ducati and Monster energy drink grid girls in attendance. Thereafter we went on a sighting lap behind an Alfa Mito safety car and gathered for a briefing by the marshalls. Concensus was that the track day would progress although the track was still damp.
 Alfa Mito safety car

I entered in the slow group since my bike does not have the top speed of the full fairing and bigger capacity superbikes. We were out first and it was quite a treat to get practice time on a damp track as opposed to public roads which are much more treacherous. The track soon dried out completely when the sun came out and 3 more good sessions were held. The bananas and USN B-vitamin drink that I brought with helped me to keep up the energy levels. Concentration was further boosted by complementary Monster energy drinks.
Damp track with clouds over Table Mountain

I'm sure that this event will grow from strength to strength and the figures should grow since I know that there are more Italian bikes standing in garages. However I enjoyed the open track selfishly since groups were far smaller than on the all bike track days. The track is a great place to learn in my opinion and I believe that most track day bikes are looked after lovingly and that they are kept in tip top shape (bikes must past scrutiny and worn tires, brake pads, loud exhausts etc. are not accepted).

Some tips were learned on the day and a quick raffle was held before the MotoGP started. The Italian bikes had a tough day at Mugello, but Rossi did well to worked his way up to 6th place.

The Western Province marshalls not only did a great job on the track, but also hosted the barbeque after the MotoGP. I got home after a full day of biking and am looking forward to Mugello 2012 and hopefully a Rossi win!

Saturday 2 July 2011

Italian weekend - Saturday 2 July

Saturday, 2 July, 2011
I've been looking forward to this weekend for a long time.

source: www.mylot.com
The Italian MotoGP is on at Mugello on Sunday, 3 July 2011, and there is an Italian motorcycle track day at my local race track on the same day.

Today is MotoGP qualifying and the weather was very similar here in Mugello and Cape Town. Our local event organizer is really going the extra mile to make our experience realistic! At least I got more biking time on route to Cape Town than what VR46 did at the MotoGP qualifying session. However I had to cancel my morning pedal cycle ride due wet roads and morning showers. Fortunately the roads dried at by about 12pm and I could get onto my motorbike.

My biking day started with an engine warmup before I took to the road. The mission for the day was to check that my bike is in good running order for track day and to make a brief stop at Ducati Cape Town. A short stint through my town tested my patience, but I kept calm and flowed with the traffic to make it onto the freeway. I had a blast of a ride to Cape Town.  The motorists were very observant and well behaved today. Could it be that all off the road hogs were at Newlands rugby stadium?

Organising an event is huge undertaking and the Ducati guys were busy loading bikes into the van and had two more ready on the trailer when I arrived in Cape Town. They helped me with a quick product exchange before getting on with their final preparation.

I left just as the guys were going through their check list for the Italian track day at Killarney.

I headed home with clouds looming and recited some lessons learned from track days:
1) Slow corners can collect dirt - be smooth.
2) Tires take longer to warmup in this weather - be smooth and warm-up your tires if possible.

The ride back was also great fun, but I just could not help but thinking that freeways are only good for short stints. Roll on the twisties or even better: "Bring on the track!"

Now I'm hoping that the weather plays with and that I can get ample track time at Killarney. The WP marshalls are also providing braai packs and a big screen to follow the MotoGP. Even it it rains it will be a great event.

Forza VR46 and OWB!
source: http://automaxmotorsportclub.com