Track day road trip

[GoFaster]

Perhaps after all this time on this forum, it's time to show where my username comes from, and it's got nothing to do with my behaviour on the roads!

For me, this is what it's all about:

For 11-12 June 2009, a local track day organizer (Hot Lap Events https://www.hotlapevents.com/home.htm ) teamed up with the group T_SBK (Tremblant Superbike) who don't seem to have an english-language website, to run a double track day at the excellent Mont-Tremblant track north of Montreal.

Here is the tow rig (Jetta!) and my trailer and track bike, complete with toolbox, rain tires, canopy, coolers packed with food and refreshments (much needed on a hot day), paddock stands, gas, leathers, helmet, boots, back protector, gloves, spare parts, etc.

more in next post.

 

[GoFaster]

Set out from home near Toronto, early in the afternoon of 10 June. After 7 hours, arrived at the hotel in Saint-Agathe about 30 km from the track. Next morning, it was sure good to see the inside of this sign!

And it was good to see this one ...

8:30 AM rider's meeting, 9:15 on track for an orientation session ... much needed because I've never seen this track before.

The morning ran alternating "red" (advanced - racers and experienced track riders) and "green" (novice - street riders who have done track days before) in half hour sessions. This track day was restricted to riders who had at least some track experience ... no "newbies", which was good for us experienced riders, fewer errant and slow riders out there. The morning went well, and in the afternoon, "open track" - ride as much as you want whenever you want. Friday was open track all day. At the end of two days, I was wiped out, tires were shot, all the fuel I brought was pretty much gone ... all signs of a great track event!

Packed up and left at about 4:30 PM, encountered some traffic delays on the way home, got home at 1 AM. My legs and arms are still sore a day later - riding at this level is rather demanding although this track is not as much work as Shannonville or Cayuga.

Two of my racing buddies did the double track day and made the haul to Cayuga for an endurance race today (Saturday), but I'm too olde for that!

 

[GoFaster]

The bike is a 1989 Yamaha FZR400. 4-cyl liquid cooled 16 valve 399cc (+ 0.5mm overbore) engine with about 60 hp in its current form. It is a road bike modified for racing in accordance with the rule book of the local roadracing sanctioning body www.shannonville.com and with upgrades as allowed for better performance:
- Lights, mirrors, side-stand, rear seat, all other extraneous street stuff removed
- Stock plastic bodywork replaced with fiberglass replica, with places for the number plates. (Much easier to repair after a crash. What you see in the pictures, has all been crashed on and repaired a few times ... it happens ...)
- The subframe that supports the seats has been chopped down to eliminate the supports the now-nonexistent passenger seat.
- Closed-in lower fairings for oil retention in the event of an engine failure.
- The end-covers for the crankcases have been replaced with cast aftermarket end-covers which are much thicker and stronger ... they are much more resistant to getting punched through in a crash - because that would get oil on the track and also get dirt into the engine, both bad.
- All fasteners responsible for holding in fluids are safety wired. Additionally, certain other fasteners for which loosening would really cause a big problem, or which are notorious for vibrating loose, are safety wired (brake calipers, exhaust system).
- Coolant replaced with straight water plus Water Wetter (coolant is extremely slippery if it gets out on the pavement, so it is not allowed).
- Rear shock has been replaced with an adjustable Fox Twin Clicker aftermarket shock, and the front forks have different springs and modified internal valving to be more suitable for racing use.
- Steering damper has been added to help calm the front end down, e.g. when hitting bumps while leaned over or when setting the front down after a wheelie (not as big a problem with 60 hp as it is with 160, but still, better to have it).
- Tires are Bridgestone racing slicks; I have a second set of rims with Bridgestone rain tires (heavily grooved and with a very soft rubber compound) in case we get the R-word.
- Instruments are replaced with "what's needed": Speedo is gone (useless information). What's needed is the tachometer, neutral light, oil level light, a coolant temperature gauge that reads in degrees C as opposed to the stock "cold ... hot" gauge, and an air/fuel ratio gauge.
- Exhaust system has been replaced with one that I designed and welded together myself. The track that I normally ride at, has a lot of slower corners, so it is tuned with an emphasis on mid-range torque and smooth driveability.
- Carburetors are stock but re-jetted. Emissions compliance is not important, but smooth driveability on initial throttle take-up is extremely important.
- The engine is mostly stock. It is 0.5mm overbore (rulebook allows 1.0mm), the head has been milled 0.75mm to bump compression a little, and the intake ports and combustion chambers have been massaged a little, but it is very mild. Intake camshaft is stock. Exhaust camshaft is from a different model of bike that shares the same bore spacing and journal diameters, but has more favourable lift and duration ...
- Shift linkage has been modified to reverse the pattern. Upshifting requires pushing down on the shifter, the reverse of a normal street bike. Reason 1: after a race start, it's necessary to upshift to 2nd very quickly and it's easier to find the shifter in a hurry with it reversed. Reason 2: when accelerating while leaned way over in a left-hand corner, having the linkage reversed means it is not necessary to get a toe under the shift linkage ... if the ground is right there because the bike is leaned way over, you can't do it.

 

[Rickstah]

After all this time......cool piece of data you dropped on us, man. That sounds like a great hobby...only thing better would be someone along to drive back while you pop the Advil and put the icepacks on the joints .

Helmet cam next time!!