Oulton Park - Track Day

Ready to Go!

At the end of the season there are one or two track days on Saturday. It was an opportunity for Andrea and the kids to come along and have a day out at Oulton Park. It was also pretty cheap £80! there however is only. 6 sessions because it comes dark so early.

Getting everyone out of bet at 6am was a bit of a challenge, but the kids were soon settled in the van. The weather was pretty poor, I just hoped hat things would improve and hoped to see a dry track at some point in the day.

The riders meeting went off without a hitch, there's been a bit of a change, the Intermediate group is now out on track first, good news later in the day as I'd be finished early and cold pack up and head home without having to wait until he very end.

Everything was still pretty wet and it didn't look like it would change any time soon. In the first session I did the two sighting laps and pulled in. It didn't help that everyone in the group had wet tyres on their bikes, this made me a little nervous, as I don't have fancy tyres for the wet. To be honest wobbling round when it's raining isn't my idea of fun. When I used to race I always enjoyed the wet, I could push hard and wasn't bothered about accidents, however on a track day I just don't get it.

I sat out all the morning sessions with my fingers crossed that the track would dry out.

After lunch things did improve. There as a dry line so I started to enjoy myself. At first taking it easy but going faster as I figured out the conditions. Under the trees at Druids I was a little uncertain weather it was wet or not but there seemed to be grip!

Two Up.

About half way through this session a bloke came blasting past me on lakeside, normal routine big fast bike that I can't live with. However as he approached island bend he went straight on into the gravel trap, he probably went off the track at 80-90mph. I tried to ignore his random manoeuvre, I certainly didn't want to follow him onto the grass at that speed! I guess he missed his braking marker, went off the dry line and panicked.

The track dried out as the sessions rolled by. Andrea and the kids watched from the bridge on clay hill and I had to be careful not to get distracted.

On the last session I had the hammer down and was really enjoying myself. I knew it was the last chance this year on a track so I was pushing pretty hard. Half way through the session I had a real moment at Druids. I guess there were still damp patches, the back end stepped out near the second apex, it felt like a huge slide, but in reality it was probably something and nothing. It's made me slow down and be more careful, but it did get the adrenalin flowing!

I'd had an okay day, the weather had spoilt things but at least Things improved in the afternoon, roll on next year!