A day at the racetrack.

About 6 weeks ago fellow FJR forum member russperry sent me a pm about riding the last track day of the year for motorcycles at Thunderhill Raceway in northern California. I have ridden T Hill on both the FZ6 and FZ1 plus the 990 in previous years, this was a no brainer . I just installed a power commander and dyno tuned the KTM plus new rubber last month so the bike was good to go.

Russ along with his buddies Ted and his son Warren met me Friday night in Willows, Ca for a tasty dinner and we were ready for a 7 am meet at the track 6 miles west of town. It was absolutely a perfect day with temps topping out at 70 degrees. It was a full booking and many folks were ready to burn some fuel.





No doubt this converted school bus wins the award for the most creative way to haul yourself and bikes to the track. Love the optional roof hatch for topside viewing.



Russ on the right and Ted are discussing the finer points of suspension settings.



Well with full attendance there were a few crashes in the morning sessions that required a ride to the hospital. This really restricted our morning sessions but by afternoon things settled down and we were able to really enjoy riding the track without any surprises.



Here's my 990 in full race mode. Why yes, new PR2's sick just fine as long as I didn't do anything stupid.



Ted has a real nice FZ1 with lots of tasty bits added.



Our little compound where we discussed each session and just enjoyed hanging at the track with the sights, sounds and the lovely smell of burnt race fuel. Great day to reload the testosterone!



I didn't get any action shots but Russ had cameras on his bike so perhaps he can post up some videos at some point. Heck, even Josh Herrin was there doing some hot laps during lunch but I left the camera behind in favor of grabbing a bite to eat. All in all it was a fantastic day to work on corner speed, braking and blasting down the front straight where turn one was waiting to see how much speed you dared to carry through the corner.

But alas all good things must come to an end. Big thanks to Russ and the boys for letting me hang out and enjoy another facet of motorcycling.

looks like you had waaay fun!

Pics and maybe a few video clips will come later, but Bugnatr definitely lived up to his nickname!

Thanks for sharing - I really like the school bus camper/toy hauler.

My first goal "race wise" is to take my FJR down the drag strip a few times. Then we will see....

Nice day for riding Bug, that big Katoom looks killer!

Looking forward to more pics and vids from Russ.

--G

Fun stuff! I loved my track days!

russperry said:

Pics and maybe a few video clips will come later, but Bugnatr definitely lived up to his nickname!

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As long as they don't show any flags.

hppants said:

Thanks for sharing - I really like the school bus camper/toy hauler.
My first goal "race wise" is to take my FJR down the drag strip a few times. Then we will see....

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Do it Pants! Would like to see you times.

My first track day was a class by Reg Pridmore on my 04 FJR. I firmly believe a track day will take your street riding to another level once you really explore what the bike can do (cornering, brakes etc.) in a controlled environment of the track.

escapefjrtist said:

Nice day for riding Bug, that big Katoom looks killer!
Looking forward to more pics and vids from Russ.

--G

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The 990 v twin came through quite well,I was grinning all day.

FJRBluesman said:

Fun stuff! I loved my track days!

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Thanks Simon but Loved sounds past tense. I told Russ 2 years ago that was my last track day, never say never when he is around.

That 990 looks like a blast on the track.

Sigh...I need a track bike.

s.ga.rider said:

That 990 looks like a blast on the track.

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Yes it is, but it's even more fun on the back roads of Northern California. Getting close to 25,000 miles on it in three and a half years.

"Bugnatr definitely lived up to his nickname!"

Helenwheels?

TuttiFruitti?

Something about what chemical a bugnatr would use on the job....

I started doing a couple of trackdays on my 07 FJR in 07. I caught the racing bug and have been club racing ever since. I started doing trackdays to inprove my skills and speed thru the twisties. I was always the fastest guy in the group that I road with, but I never had a chance to experience a turn at 80, 90, or plus 100 MPH. on the street. WHAT A RUSH!

The result of all this racing has had a big influence on my street riding, (and my wallet) I ride a lot slower on the street now, and save my, hard braking, fast acceleration, and knee dragging for the track.

gray ray said:

I started doing a couple of trackdays on my 07 FJR in 07. I caught the racing bug and have been club racing ever since. I started doing trackdays to inprove my skills and speed thru the twisties. I was always the fastest guy in the group that I road with, but I never had a chance to experience a turn at 80, 90, or plus 100 MPH. on the street. WHAT A RUSH!
The result of all this racing has had a big influence on my street riding, (and my wallet) I ride a lot slower on the street now, and save my, hard braking, fast acceleration, knee dragging and crashing for the track.

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Fixed it for ya Ray...

Looks like an awesome day Doug, can't wait for my first track day

gray ray said:

I started doing a couple of trackdays on my 07 FJR in 07. I caught the racing bug and have been club racing ever since. I started doing trackdays to inprove my skills and speed thru the twisties. I was always the fastest guy in the group that I road with, but I never had a chance to experience a turn at 80, 90, or plus 100 MPH. on the street. WHAT A RUSH!
The result of all this racing has had a big influence on my street riding, (and my wallet) I ride a lot slower on the street now, and save my, hard braking, fast acceleration, and knee dragging for the track.

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Same here, I started out with Reg Pridmore's RATS (which became CLASS) in the 80's on my BMW R100RS. In '04 caught the club racing bug, raced 8 years @ Loudon NH, had over 100 podiums and 2 track class championships to show for it but best of all was that it was the most fun and biggest rush EVER! I loved the camaraderie and competition, spent lots of $$ but worth every bit!

It's funny that I too ride slower on the street now that my younger days, though my skill level is much higher I guess my wisdom is too.

Great fun, Doug! Track days on my R1 remain as the most exciting thing I have done.

Reminds me of old timey MX days, only way neater. No dust, no mud, not as much falling down (I suspect).

I too like the big V-twin KaTooM. I bet that is a hoot to scoot around a nice smooth track.

gregory said:

Looks like an awesome day Doug, can't wait for my first track day

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Don't wait any longer! I finally got dragged to the track by a persistent friend and now I wish I had started sooner (and more importantly, younger).