Just 9 days after we were out on track at Three Sisters, we headed back to the familiar surroundings of Darley Moor for a track day organised by Loose Cannon. The day was very well organised and with only 20 riders in each group we never felt crowded out on track.
Before we ventured out onto the circuit, we were warned that the track was very "green" as it hadn't been used yet in 2020. This turned out to be more true than usual, as we discovered that there was actually vegetation growing on the track! Fortunately we were blessed with a bright and dry day, so after the first sessions, the track was back to its former glory. Perhaps more shocking was the revelation that 'on demand' hot water is now available in the toilets... :-)
Before we ventured out onto the circuit, we were warned that the track was very "green" as it hadn't been used yet in 2020. This turned out to be more true than usual, as we discovered that there was actually vegetation growing on the track! Fortunately we were blessed with a bright and dry day, so after the first sessions, the track was back to its former glory. Perhaps more shocking was the revelation that 'on demand' hot water is now available in the toilets... :-)
 All set-up... |  ...and ready to go! |
Having completed over 2000 laps of the Darley Moor circuit in the past 25 years, we didn't set any particular goals for the day other than to spend more time getting comfortable riding a bike.
At the previous test day, we performed some testing with tyre pressures - and we decided to continue that testing during the track day and to monitor the effects on tyre wear. We started the day with 29psi (hot) in the front tyre and 28psi (hot) in the rear tyre. Throughout the day we took part in 6 sessions and rode a minimum of 10 flying laps in each session - so we got some decent mileage in.
In the first session we were behind the 'pace bike' for three laps before being let loose. We used this time to assess the track conditions and slowly build our pace. We were not particularly committing to corner entry or exit at this point, but it was nice to be back on track.
At the previous test day, we performed some testing with tyre pressures - and we decided to continue that testing during the track day and to monitor the effects on tyre wear. We started the day with 29psi (hot) in the front tyre and 28psi (hot) in the rear tyre. Throughout the day we took part in 6 sessions and rode a minimum of 10 flying laps in each session - so we got some decent mileage in.
In the first session we were behind the 'pace bike' for three laps before being let loose. We used this time to assess the track conditions and slowly build our pace. We were not particularly committing to corner entry or exit at this point, but it was nice to be back on track.
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In the second and third sessions we built speed and made some suspension adjustments and started lapping in low 1'00 laps. Our choice of gearing meant that we were hitting the rev limiter in 5th gear on approach to back esses. We also noticed that near the end of a long run the brake lever started to feel a little bit spongy, so we will change the brake fluid before our next outing - as well as fit some new brake pads.
During the lunch break we decided to drop one tooth on the rear sprocket and also changed the tyre pressures to 32psi (hot) front and 26psi (hot) rear. The change of gearing meant that we no longer hit the rev limiter towards back esses.
During the session we caught up with James Ford and followed him into the back esses. Unfortunately, just in front of him a Honda CB500 had hit a bollard and it bounced onto the track. We saw the debris late and didn't realise what it was (or what else lay ahead), so when James Ford picked it up and ran across the grass - on his brand spanking new and extremely pretty 2020 Yamaha R6 - we did the same. Unfortunately for us, we clipped a bollard ourselves which caused some minor damage to both bike and rider. You can see the onboard footage in the video below.
During the session we caught up with James Ford and followed him into the back esses. Unfortunately, just in front of him a Honda CB500 had hit a bollard and it bounced onto the track. We saw the debris late and didn't realise what it was (or what else lay ahead), so when James Ford picked it up and ran across the grass - on his brand spanking new and extremely pretty 2020 Yamaha R6 - we did the same. Unfortunately for us, we clipped a bollard ourselves which caused some minor damage to both bike and rider. You can see the onboard footage in the video below.
 The bollard we hit... |  ...the scuffs to the fairing... |  ...and bruised fingers! |
For the remaining two sessions we played around with using different gears through different sections of the track. Most of the variants that we tried were ineffective, but we may just have found a few tips to carry across to our race meetings. Here is an onboard lap from later in the day.
It was a really good day overall and it was great to see some familiar faces (current racers, ex-racers and circuit staff) once again.
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Before our next outing - a No Limits race meeting at Oulton Park on 14th-15th August - we plan to make some further machine changes. Once we do, we'll let you know! :-)
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