I can't say I was too eager to run in the rain on a track that is notoriously slippery when dry but...
During the riders meeting it started to drizzle a little, then it pored heavy for the next five minutes only to lighten up long enough to get suited up and out on the track before pissing down again. The 'main' course at Summit Point is a challenge enough as it is on the best of days. Add rain into the mix and becomes something of a monster. No longer are you trying to find the fastest line but the least slick. When the back end lets loose you know you didn't get it right that lap... try again.
I had put sliders on the bike earlier this week but just because I had them didn't mean I wanted to use them. I did find myself more comfortable in the wet than a number of others but also slid the rear more than others too. At the end of the first session the rain subsided but the track was soaked.
Session two saw the beginnings of dry lines but only in a few corners. The pace picked up but still below beginner on a dry day. I worked on body position and proper lines (not just less slick ones).
Session three things started to pick up and the pace was what it should be. Only T1 was questionable but the rest of the track had a nice dry line. I made some minor adjustments to the bike and shifting was easier than on my last track day which made things a little more comfortable. I also took more confidence in my tires this time and it showed as my knee dragged through T6&7 (long, long right). The bike was feeling well planted with only the rider being the main point of concern. :laugh I did have to end the session a few laps early due to visor fog issues. :banghead
Session four would be where things went south. The track was largely dry and I found myself setting into one of the fastest I have yet done on the track. For a lap or two I was riding in a group of with Nate Kern (#1 pate BMW series) which pushed things along. Nate and two other riders pulled away leaving me to pace with a Duc 996 which was still quite fast, until... I entered T10 (last turn before long straight) at a far tic and as I ease on the gas to pull out I had no response! Then all of a sudden I was back off like a rocket. I didn't know what to make of it. It happened again coming out of T1 I raised my hand to let others know I had a problem. Nothing like taking a slow lap in the middle of a session. Got to the pits, pulled in and started tearing the bike apart, good thing it was lunch time.
I found a nicked wire from using the holesaw to drill for the sliders but that wasn't the issue as the bike ran with it disconnected. I check my TOS because I had to solder a wire a while back to make it functional (er, my TOS is modified not to work but complete a circuit to avoid the C23 code) but that wasn't the issue. I checked all the connections around the ECU but nothing was out of sort. Nothing. :banghead
Then I found the issue... My low fuel indicator light is blown. :dowhat :laugh
OK... Bike back together and toped up with some fresh octane.
Session five would be my last. I wasn't able to get back into a rhythm and everything I worked on during the slow morning laps wasn't being utilized. Rain started falling again though it was only a light drizzle and didn't affect the pace much. My concentration was shot and I was turning into a danger to myself.
At the end of the session the weather took a turn for the worse. It poured down has hard as it did during the morning. I ended up shooting the shit with a few other riders then packing it up... So did 50% of the other riders. You'd hear the call for the different run groups and later hear 1 or 2 bikes go by. Beginner was grouped with Red but still no more than 5 bikes went out (or so it seemed).
In all this was not my best track day but was a learning experience. I'm off to try and make some lemonade now.
Wet track? No worries...
Now Cristine probably read all that and thought I had forgotten about her... Her Buell was running well when it wasn't falling apart on the track.
Summit Point Main 26/05
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