X-Man
04-02-2007, 08:35 AM
I went out to the STT event this weekend at the newly repaved/layout at Little Talladega. This was my first time ever at the track, wbtw is about 22 years old! It's also located in backwoods redneck no where's ville Alabama!
Got in about 7:30pm on Friday night to set up, Mike Wheeler (owner of the Rogue site) has got his bike under the back over hang of what appears to be the tower/office, both wheels are off Mikes bike he's in the middle of changing tires. I start looking around and there's a main pit lane with a gravel strip down the middle(old hot pit lane and straight a-way - gravel was where the dividing wall was) and then I notice others pited on the gravel or grass! :rolleyes: Mike tells me to pit around back with him, I'm like fuck this, I'm not riding on loose gravel every time I go in or out of the pits. So I pick the closest spot to the tower on pit lane (paved), plus there was a light so I could see wtf I was doing while I unloaded everything and set up.
I start talking to Mike about the track, which he was able to do a track walk before I got there, and he began telling me about how they had to grind down unlevel area's of the repave job and the "esses" were where a few crashes and high sides occured at the WERA races that were just there. :eek: I had looked at the weather for the weekend and rain was for sure Sunday, so I was really only planning to ride on Sat... I got everything set up, both canopies and wouldn't ya know Mike comes over and says, hey you've even got room for me! :D I left for home (45min ride) observing bon fires and grills still smoldering from those who were camping at the track.
Anna and I get up about 5am to get our arses to the track by about 7am, had to stop for ice and grab some coffee. Now remember Mike is "Mr. lead instructor" for STT, so he's a busy guy and due to the weather forcast, he mounted up the OEM pilot powers that came stock off an '05 GSXR that were never used. He was ready for the rain if it was to come, me I hopped that Sat. would stay dry, pack up and go home at the end of the day.
Mike talks to me and tells me I'm crazy riding in the Advanced group because there were quite a few WERA racers there practicing for the next WERA race (following weekend). He said the track is real technical and some of these guys are smoking fast! He says he's never ridden in the advanced group at this track (coughBScough). I'm thinking well maybe he's right, but then I think, pussy, yea I'm riding advanced.
First session out, I'm crawling and by about lap 5, 4-5 racers are starting to turn it up, I feel like I'm parked! Between learning the track, looking at brand new pavement and ground down pavement parrallel to each other, trying to figure out the race line, feeling the bike move a bit more then I'm used to, I'm really starting to think, Mike had a point. Well, by the third session out, talking to a few of STT crew who I knew, I actually got a knee down and started to feel confident (started out on the RC, old pig is very predictable and I usually don't get into trouble on her).
Now I'm thinking this is gonna get fun, time to take the GSXR out after lunch! :D Never put a lap timer on the RC, but my guess is that I was in the high teens to start and got down to mid teens before lunch (1:18-1:15, fast guys are in the sub 1:05 range). Through the lap timer on the GSXR and head out, first session, come in feeling OK about turning 1:11's. Mark Sheldon, who runs the Southern STT track days, was out following me, told me I looked good and had the race line, just needed to grow some balls and pick up the pace! Next session, feeling quite a bit better, had a couple puckers in the esses, but turned 1:08's! Go out second from last session and turn a 1:07.54 and I'm about passing 70% of the riders out there. Mike pays me a few compliments about my laptimes and my smoothness through the decreasing radius turn, which is a bitch btw (it's a bus stop). Now I find that all the ground down pavement is just a mind fuck, the bike dances a little but it's actually fun and challenging. Last session out, Mark tells me take it easy and have fun, yea right, well I wick it up get a false neutral entering the "bowl" and off the track I go! :eek: I was able to grab a hand full of front brake before getting off the pavement and there was tons of run off, got on the rear brake, saved her looped around back on track! :D Ended up almost matching my 107:54 with a 1:07:75! I was happy.
Now I'm rationalizing with Anna, leave everything overnight come back and hope the 20% chance that it won't rain. On the way home couple of sprinkles but nothing major.
Wake up 5:30am, no rain, wet outside, I'm thinking looks like we could get lucky! Shit, by 6:15, it starts coming down. Anna and I are off to the track, had to do the pick up gas for couple riders, coffee and showed up in the rain. It had stopped half way and started back up again. I opted not to ride in the morning and wait till noon to see if it would dry. About half way to lunch I said fuck it and pack it up, well yea the sun peaked out and the track did dry. Little drops fell here and there, but we left by 1:30. Mike calls me after we get home to tell me the track dried and was even faster then yesterday! :mad: Now I'm a little pissed, but I looked at the radar when we got home and saw a nasty little band of thunderstoms just hitting through the track area. Mike finished telling me the skies opened up with the worst down pour and they got totally soaked. I felt better knowing I made the right decision.
All in all, I want to go back, fun track, mix of decreasing radius turns, banked turns, off camber turns and esses, no elevation changes - flat like Jennings. The facilities are sub-par, make Jenninngs look good.....bathrooms are well, back woods, they were fair and useable, pits as I stated, main pit row was OK, no power hook ups (it's limited) I brought my generator. The new pave job is very easy on tires, unlike Jennings. I actually had a med/soft rear on my GSXR from one day at Jennings and TGP is only running counter clockwise also, so I was worried I'd wear the left right out and have to flip it, turns out the tire was fine after 4 sessions in the afternoon of wicking it up! For you South Fla. peeps, exit 185 on I 20 is the exit, plenty of hotels, ya'all mart, Outback, Starbucks, Applebies, the list goes on and the track is 12 miles South on 21. Now the corner working staff is the same staff Barber uses and they are excellent. We would have to provide our own tire service, there didn't appear to be any type of service shop on the grounds. We would have to either have food catered in or byol.
The pits.....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc812878e60f196c5c7778a86cbd521cf/ea19efdf.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p0369fbb0b761625b31a69a8cc889dd55/ea19ee9a.jpg
Old tower/offices....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd5e1a013d1720eb965b7e49e7f1777d8/ea19ee76.jpg
Me on track....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p349b05f7b70fb7491210db1c42c3d816/ea19ede6.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p929917d418c6f50e4097b6614b28d1fe/ea19ed17.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pca8d5cdc000d31a691df706b12b6ea28/ea19ed1d.jpg
Decreasing radius turn...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p05073c9637a8b8b0e88d0eb3910fe8b6/ea19ecc2.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4e65e9de537f8be26b54a02806725e48/ea19efe2.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pfb156cee70567c5e2e7f6e1fc86523cd/ea19eeb5.jpg
I want to go back and get into the 1:05's :cool:
Got in about 7:30pm on Friday night to set up, Mike Wheeler (owner of the Rogue site) has got his bike under the back over hang of what appears to be the tower/office, both wheels are off Mikes bike he's in the middle of changing tires. I start looking around and there's a main pit lane with a gravel strip down the middle(old hot pit lane and straight a-way - gravel was where the dividing wall was) and then I notice others pited on the gravel or grass! :rolleyes: Mike tells me to pit around back with him, I'm like fuck this, I'm not riding on loose gravel every time I go in or out of the pits. So I pick the closest spot to the tower on pit lane (paved), plus there was a light so I could see wtf I was doing while I unloaded everything and set up.
I start talking to Mike about the track, which he was able to do a track walk before I got there, and he began telling me about how they had to grind down unlevel area's of the repave job and the "esses" were where a few crashes and high sides occured at the WERA races that were just there. :eek: I had looked at the weather for the weekend and rain was for sure Sunday, so I was really only planning to ride on Sat... I got everything set up, both canopies and wouldn't ya know Mike comes over and says, hey you've even got room for me! :D I left for home (45min ride) observing bon fires and grills still smoldering from those who were camping at the track.
Anna and I get up about 5am to get our arses to the track by about 7am, had to stop for ice and grab some coffee. Now remember Mike is "Mr. lead instructor" for STT, so he's a busy guy and due to the weather forcast, he mounted up the OEM pilot powers that came stock off an '05 GSXR that were never used. He was ready for the rain if it was to come, me I hopped that Sat. would stay dry, pack up and go home at the end of the day.
Mike talks to me and tells me I'm crazy riding in the Advanced group because there were quite a few WERA racers there practicing for the next WERA race (following weekend). He said the track is real technical and some of these guys are smoking fast! He says he's never ridden in the advanced group at this track (coughBScough). I'm thinking well maybe he's right, but then I think, pussy, yea I'm riding advanced.
First session out, I'm crawling and by about lap 5, 4-5 racers are starting to turn it up, I feel like I'm parked! Between learning the track, looking at brand new pavement and ground down pavement parrallel to each other, trying to figure out the race line, feeling the bike move a bit more then I'm used to, I'm really starting to think, Mike had a point. Well, by the third session out, talking to a few of STT crew who I knew, I actually got a knee down and started to feel confident (started out on the RC, old pig is very predictable and I usually don't get into trouble on her).
Now I'm thinking this is gonna get fun, time to take the GSXR out after lunch! :D Never put a lap timer on the RC, but my guess is that I was in the high teens to start and got down to mid teens before lunch (1:18-1:15, fast guys are in the sub 1:05 range). Through the lap timer on the GSXR and head out, first session, come in feeling OK about turning 1:11's. Mark Sheldon, who runs the Southern STT track days, was out following me, told me I looked good and had the race line, just needed to grow some balls and pick up the pace! Next session, feeling quite a bit better, had a couple puckers in the esses, but turned 1:08's! Go out second from last session and turn a 1:07.54 and I'm about passing 70% of the riders out there. Mike pays me a few compliments about my laptimes and my smoothness through the decreasing radius turn, which is a bitch btw (it's a bus stop). Now I find that all the ground down pavement is just a mind fuck, the bike dances a little but it's actually fun and challenging. Last session out, Mark tells me take it easy and have fun, yea right, well I wick it up get a false neutral entering the "bowl" and off the track I go! :eek: I was able to grab a hand full of front brake before getting off the pavement and there was tons of run off, got on the rear brake, saved her looped around back on track! :D Ended up almost matching my 107:54 with a 1:07:75! I was happy.
Now I'm rationalizing with Anna, leave everything overnight come back and hope the 20% chance that it won't rain. On the way home couple of sprinkles but nothing major.
Wake up 5:30am, no rain, wet outside, I'm thinking looks like we could get lucky! Shit, by 6:15, it starts coming down. Anna and I are off to the track, had to do the pick up gas for couple riders, coffee and showed up in the rain. It had stopped half way and started back up again. I opted not to ride in the morning and wait till noon to see if it would dry. About half way to lunch I said fuck it and pack it up, well yea the sun peaked out and the track did dry. Little drops fell here and there, but we left by 1:30. Mike calls me after we get home to tell me the track dried and was even faster then yesterday! :mad: Now I'm a little pissed, but I looked at the radar when we got home and saw a nasty little band of thunderstoms just hitting through the track area. Mike finished telling me the skies opened up with the worst down pour and they got totally soaked. I felt better knowing I made the right decision.
All in all, I want to go back, fun track, mix of decreasing radius turns, banked turns, off camber turns and esses, no elevation changes - flat like Jennings. The facilities are sub-par, make Jenninngs look good.....bathrooms are well, back woods, they were fair and useable, pits as I stated, main pit row was OK, no power hook ups (it's limited) I brought my generator. The new pave job is very easy on tires, unlike Jennings. I actually had a med/soft rear on my GSXR from one day at Jennings and TGP is only running counter clockwise also, so I was worried I'd wear the left right out and have to flip it, turns out the tire was fine after 4 sessions in the afternoon of wicking it up! For you South Fla. peeps, exit 185 on I 20 is the exit, plenty of hotels, ya'all mart, Outback, Starbucks, Applebies, the list goes on and the track is 12 miles South on 21. Now the corner working staff is the same staff Barber uses and they are excellent. We would have to provide our own tire service, there didn't appear to be any type of service shop on the grounds. We would have to either have food catered in or byol.
The pits.....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc812878e60f196c5c7778a86cbd521cf/ea19efdf.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p0369fbb0b761625b31a69a8cc889dd55/ea19ee9a.jpg
Old tower/offices....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd5e1a013d1720eb965b7e49e7f1777d8/ea19ee76.jpg
Me on track....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p349b05f7b70fb7491210db1c42c3d816/ea19ede6.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p929917d418c6f50e4097b6614b28d1fe/ea19ed17.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pca8d5cdc000d31a691df706b12b6ea28/ea19ed1d.jpg
Decreasing radius turn...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p05073c9637a8b8b0e88d0eb3910fe8b6/ea19ecc2.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4e65e9de537f8be26b54a02806725e48/ea19efe2.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pfb156cee70567c5e2e7f6e1fc86523cd/ea19eeb5.jpg
I want to go back and get into the 1:05's :cool: