Trackday at Snetterton 4/6/22

[Jay]

@pricetta and I had our third trackday of the year at Snetterton on the 300 circuit yesterday. The day started out grey and then there were a few odd patches of drizzle that you couldn’t even really notice out on track and made zero difference, and then after lunch the skies opened up and the sun can out, giving us a balmy 24c and me some sunburn that I noticed when we got home. Oops.

The day saw 9 red flags a number of yellow flags. The day was heavily attended, perhaps over subscribed. The groups were large and it seemed some people just couldn’t contain their excitement and kept binning it. Incidents that we know of:

• Someone’s brake lever guard dropping off and them stopping on track to try to retrieve it. Moron.
• Someone’s chain fell off down the back straight and we had to dodge it at 130mph
• Someone’s sump plug fell out and dropped oil along the middle straight, taking out two riders. Huge cement dust line deployed during cleanup
• Untold run-offs (me included in my last session, whoops)
• Untold crashes
• Ambulance deployed, so I guess at least one person was hurt

Despite all this madness, Claire and I had an amazing day. I rode like crap in the first session as I haven’t been there in ten years, so thought I remembered it, when of course I didn’t. Second session onwards saw it coming back to me and even some fun being had, especially as the boys on slicks got spooked at the drizzle and I was able to claim a few more overtakes on my road tyres.

The afternoon was amazing. Super fast, hitting about 160mph down straights and getting over a bit of a mental barrier I have which was slowing my corner entry where I was lazily entering corners; I told myself to just bloody well commit to corner entry, so started at the hairpin where the risks were lower… Higher corner entry speed and then throw it into the corner fast, maintain more corner speed and drive out much harder. Phew! Scary at first but managed to apply this to a few more corners and felt like this was a significant development in my technique.

This even meant I could carry more lean and so thought I’d try the whole MotoGP-style head-down body position thing… Whoah, this is a unique view of the world! Felt super close to an elbow-down moment coming onto the back straight at Williams. That would be a first. Looking forward to practicing the fast-entry technique on future trackdays.

Claire said it’s her favourite track so far.

We’re booked in for Brands Hatch GP circuit in August if anyone wants to come? Brands GP is amazing. That woodland section is fast!

Some photos…

Lining up for noise testing. 95db for Claire’s RS 660 and 101db for my V2 this time.

Our pitch. The garages were completely full when we arrived at 6.45am. No bother being here, less faff in fact.

Lovely looking MotoGP-rep GSX-R 1000

Claire lining up to go out for her first session.

Big groups today.

I loved this Ducati in yellow. Claire, not so much.

Noice Ducati MotoGP-rep V4

Team green!

I’m a sucker for a murdered-out all-black bike. Love this R1.

Instructor’s Ducati V4. The silver fairings are Ducati track fairings as they came, no finish or paint on top. The standard finish was good enough. Lower fairing seems original. Probably from after the instructor’s last crash on a damp Corum curve

DIY tyre changing! Colour me impressed.

Daytona 765 RS? Very nice.

One of the days victims, unfortunately.

Observers, not participants

All done, time to go home!

[pricetta]

Very happy to find out I pretty nearly topped out the Aprilia at Snetterton! A bit of corner exit speed to improve and then it’s hit-the-limiter time

[Jay]

Pro photos through, from fokus.media:

Trying to find the new line into Agostini (T4) after a MASSIVE oil slick was covered in cement dust, visible in the background.

Possibly overtaking into Riches (T1)

Think this is Montreal (T2)

Still doing a bit of coasting between Bomb Hole (T10) and Corum Curve (T11). Need to commit more here

Early in the day. Think this is going into Palmer (T3)

Some odd choices for locations, there would be better options if he moved along a tad in places. Also the late, inside of Williams (T7) would be awesome. I was nearly elbow down in the afternoon here whilst having some fun with MotoGP style body positioning

[kcoops]

Now that you have done Brands, Snetterton and Donnington. which would you say is your 2022 favourite and how do they compare ?

[silveR6]

Wow, can’t believe that amount of stupidity/bad luck, usually Snetterton is pretty good compared to Brands, I guess the lockdown has been unkind to some! Glad you both enjoyed it.

[Jay]

Oh, good question @kcoops.

Brands Hatch Indy

A good filler or intro circuit. If it was far away, I wouldn’t be so keen to go, but as it’s local, sure, why not? It lacks as many corners as most circuits, but it makes up for it with technicality, i.e. the drops, the hills and the cambers. It’s got a nice feel about it as well; small and friendly. Crap food though.

Donington Park GP

I love this circuit and being one (sorta) of our two GP-level circuits, it’s an absolute must. I’m happy to go back time and time again. My only gripe is the circuit could do with some modernisation, i.e. tarmac run-offs. If you leave the circuit at Donington, you’re going to incur some damage.

Snetterton 300

This is a surprising circuit for me, as it feels very club-level when you arrive with not much in the way of facilities and a limited number of garages. Also, it’s in the fens, so the whole area is very flat. I’m not normally a fan of flat circuits as I find them a little unexeciting, though it’s clear as soon as you get your first session out the way that this is actually an awesome circuit.

It’s not entirely flat, there are some changes in visibility which adds to the difficulty, making progress rewarding. It’s fast as fook down the two straights. There’s even a smaller middle straight you can make some great moves down. Grip is great in the dry (I hear it’s slippery when wet), there’s a nice mix of corner types, with wide-open ones, decreasing radius ones, increasing radius ones, bus-stops and chicanes. There’s also some unique ones:

Starting at Bomb Hole. Love this, you absolutely pile into it, get the suspension loading in the middle as you dip and then drive out hard onto a straight before turning into one of the longest and fastest corners in the UK before arriving at a decreasing radius corner before the start-finish chicane. This requires some commitment and is hugely rewarding when you get it right.

I was all over the place in the morning and not enjoying it, but was happy as Larry by the afternoon. I think some of this was a bit of nerves about moving back up to the fast group. Once it became clear I was only being overtaken on the straight by bikes with 50-70bhp more than me and being done by late-brakers into a couple of corners, I was happy with my performance and the circuit.

Also, turns out I have another gear to use down the front straight

Favourite?

Hrm… Snetterton might just take the win. It’s the one that made me want to keep going back out to improve my performance on something. Next up we have Brands Hatch GP booked, which is rather special and I’m super excited to return to. I’ve only ridden it once and for half a day at that. You should come! It’s on 18-08-2022.

[Michael748]

@Jay

Our pitch. The garages were completely full when we arrived at 6.45am. No bother being here, less faff in fact.

You’re going to buy a van next, aren’t you?

[Jay]

Heh, no. Though we do have plans to buy an enclosed trailer we’ll tow on the new car that’s coming later this summer (current car doesn’t have, can’t have a tow-hook).

Besides, hiring a van a number of times a year is loads cheaper than owning a van outright.

[T_cat]

But if you buy a motorhome you can still tow a trailer but travel further.

[Jay]

Would like one, but it’d have to be electric, and that would cost mega bucks. Bit early doors for those.

[R1Stan]

Good stuff Jay.

Take it your not at Silverstone this Thursday? Ducati day, I will be there and fingers crossed on weather.

Who did you book Brands with? I did Brands twice last year, bloody pissed with rain all day one one of them. Other was good. Paddock hill bend is a mad old corner, tip it pray…

[Jay]

Hello mate! No, not booked in for Silverstone. Got work to do also didn’t know about it. Bet it’s good. Have fun, and fingers crossed for the weather.

I booked Brands though https://trackdays.co.uk and the event is run by No Limits.

[kcoops]

I need to move from Donnington out of my comfort zone, to other tracks. I think I will do Brands next, once I finished buying all the broken parts for my bike. If I get one in before then I should be good to join you on 18/8. It is smack in the middle on the summer break, but not keen on cancelled flights so should be around.

I am also contemplating tyre warmers only for the fact that on the first 3 laps I am nervous as fooook and its just one less thing to worry about, but they are expensive as hell and I cannot find any used ones.

Oh Silverstone is defo on my list also. Only been to the track once but it looks like an amazing and fun one.

[Jay]

Cool, will start a thread for the Brands Hatch GP day.

Tyre warmers. I do not run them. They are for people who run slicks that need to be kept at temp all the time. You do not need them for road-legal tyres. They have a number of drawbacks that discourage me from them:

• They are expensive
• They need power when you’re not guaranteed a garage/plug, so need a generator, which is expensive and yet more faff
• You need paddock stands. More expense, more to carry
• Faff. Getting the bike on and off the stands every session, getting the warmers on and off every session. Urgh
• They put you in the mindset that you’re ready to go right away, when in reality your mind/body/suspension might not be ready for a lap or two
• Delays in getting on track and up to speed due to flags, pit lane queues, etc cool the tyres and introduce risk of you falling out of the temp range and not having the traction you expect, creating crash risk

Personally, I find road tyres more than grippy enough in the dry for 75% performance within the first lap, then 100% on the second lap. If you’re lacking confidence in the first couple of laps, this could be a sign you’re not getting the feedback you need from the bike, which could be a tyre pressure or suspension setup issue that is the root cause and needs fixing.

Have you had your suspension setup by @B ?

[kcoops]

They aren’t just for slicks they can be used for road tyres also just you need to operate at a much lower temp. The faff is secondary, saying that I am always the last one out on my call but putting them on and off doesn’t take that much time.

Oh yeah road tyres are the good enough for me, this bike has Bridgestone S22 butI don’t like them much. My previous bike had Michelin Road Pilot 3 and waw they were confidence inspiring, so when these wear out I would think about switching.

My first 2 laps are always easy as I am probably still waking up from the break, but its that thought are my tyres warm enough, are my tyres warm are my tyres warm that I prefer not to have.

Already have rear paddock stands that I use for chain maintenance, but yes the warmers in themselves are expensive which is the main holdup. There is much more that I can do with that cash to add value, which is why it is on the list but not at the top.

Its been years since I have been considering taking the bike to B. Does it really make that much of a difference ? especially with modern bikes having DDC. did you find it made a difference for you ? I know loads here swear by it, but not totally convinced.

[nivag]

The best bit about tyre warmers is you can put your gloves on them to help dry them out and be toasty warmer for the next session

[Jay]

@kcoops

this bike has Bridgestone S22 butI don’t like them

Tyre choice is highly personally, but for what it’s worth, I do not like Bridgestone tyres. I’m a Pirelli man, then falling back to Metzeler and Michelin, in that order. The Pirelli Rosso Corsa 2’s that come with my V2 are singing to me from the very first corner. I love them.

Its been years since I have been considering taking the bike to B. Does it really make that much of a difference ?

Oh god yes. Literally nothing else matters on the bike but suspension and tyres. If the suspension isn’t setup right for you and the bike, then it doesn’t matter one iota what you bolt on to the bike. Suspension and tyres are the foundation. Get these sorted and you probably don’t need anything else for a very long time, if ever

And that’s coming from someone who used to bolt on a LOT of things to previous sportsbikes. All pointless without suspension setup.

[Joby]

Difference is night and day.