Preparing for Phillip Island in Dec

[FoothillRyder]

FootHillRyder, Laguna Seca... I am in awe!

Dave, I went off and responded with my 'racer stuff' - but I sir am in awe of your upcoming event at PI. I've only experienced the track in a video game; but love the circuit. I hope one day to make it down to Oz with the lady to take in a race or three there.

Best of luck, have a blast, keep the shiny side up, and kick some butt!

 

[runamuk66]

Thanks for the offer John, maybe I can call in on the way home... I'll be in a more relaxed frame of mind to share that bottle of Rutherglen's finest! Pls PM your contact no and I will phone ahead for directions if I come home via the Hume.

Hey Nigel, you're never too old mate!

G,day Dave. you can call me on 0439 581 369. let me know what wine you like. Cheers John.

 

[Aussiebikerdave]

Dave, just bite the bullet and 1087 that beastie!

And leave the Wiseco 904 stickers on the side of the bike :c Hey, I would love that but it's big big bikkies!

 

[FoothillRyder]

Only a few more days...

Show 'em how it's done Dave.

Then show us some pics, will ya? :rock:

 

[Aussiebikerdave]

We drove the 2000km from Noosa to Phillip Island leaving 2pm Wed and arriving 7pm Thurs, totally knackered, smelly and needing a shower badly. We drove through the mother of all storms at midnight on the Newell Hwy Between Narrabri and Gilgandra, down to 50km (30mph) in places with almost nil visability! Damn, that was some trip. The bike was on the open trailer copping all sorts of crap from the weather and the many passing semi-trailers (some call em tractor trailors except ours are way longer with up to three/four trailers in places).

Yesterday morning (Friday) we got to the track early after giving the bike a soap tub while still on the trailer. After we got settled in to our pit garage with 7 other bikes it was time to brake out a Mr Sheen squirt bottle and rags for a good detail which restored the sad looking Scrambler to its former glory. Anyway enough crap, here's some pics!

The first session was the 15min warm up and I've got to say I was bad! This is a Grand Prix track, way different to the relatively narrow and short goat tracks that we use for racing in Qld. PI is so wide and smooth that there seems like you could choose a hundred different lines into some corners so I wobbled around in total confusion and indicision for most of the session thinking how bad I musta looked to the fast guys on their red racers coming up behind me so fast. I think my best lap in this session was my last at 2:05.6.
It was clear that we had to raise the gearing as the bike was running on the rev limiter at 8500 in top for the last third of Gardiner Straight. BTW, the man himself (Wayne Gardiner) was there coaching his 13 y/o son Remy on the little Metrakit 80. The next session was qualifying and the taller gearing (43/19) seemed just the ticket with the bike running to 8200rpm at the 100metre braking point on the main straight. Best in qualifying was a 2:01.6.

So, we are about to leave for the track again and I am thinking that I might fiddle the gearing slightly down by going to a 44 on the rear to make it a bit sharper on acceleration. I phoned my trusted mate last night for some hot track tips and armed with these 'sure-fire' methods, we are are going to try to break past the two minute barrier. More to follow, wish me luck!

 

[runamuk66]

Way to go Dave, best of luck for final Q and i hope to see the sub 2min. Be careful of low flying penquins. Oh and i hear drop bears are a problem at PI too. Cheers John.

 

[FoothillRyder]

Well done Dave! With the best SBK times in the 1:30-ish range you'll be going very quickly indeed to get under two minutes!

Thanks for the pics!

 

[Pete R]

I'm envious Dave, it's a beautiful track! I'm sure you'll get under 2 minutes, red mist in the heat of battle and all that :rocket:

I hope the weather hangs in there for you too!

:up:

 

[Aussiebikerdave]

Saturday has come and gone so my Phillip Island weekend is done. Myself and pit hand Andy head home to Qld in the morning.

Today was brilliant! Perfect weather, clean track, light tail wind down Gardiner Straight and improving lap times with each race. Tried hard to beat the two minute mark but my last race yeilded a string of laps at 2 mins flat with only .3/sec variation between laps 2-6 and actually passed a handful of riders although one got me back at the line by a couple of hundredths of a sec. Hell that was a fun race! My best time, 2:00.212. Yahooo!

Here's a pic coming over Lukey Heights taken by the resident track photograher. The last pic shows a happy but totally knackered rider at the end of the day.

The junior class was well atended by young kids on their 80cc Metrakit racers. Here's is a pic of a typical dad and his kid. It wouldn't surprise me if young Remy Gardiner will one day become a world champion, just like his dad!

This is what 2000kms of road travel with virtually no sleep followed by 2 days of track racing does to a bloke! I think they cut off your track licence in Australia at 70... looks like I've only got a year left then!!!

To check out the lap times go to www.computime.com.au , click on results then click on the second entry being Bears Race 4 for Saturday.

 

[coopv2]

Preparations are underway to run the Scrambler in the BEARS supporting races at the Bel Ray 6 Hour at Phillip Island December 3-4.

Bloody nice rig mate

 

[Aussiebikerdave]

I suppose I am no different to all motorcycle racers and most track day jockeys... after race day you spend the following week going over your race, re-visualising things and trying to work out what was stopping you going faster. Well I've got a couple of things in mind which we will fix as time goes. First the Norman Hyde Scrambler rear-sets are too low, second the rear rim is too skinny and last the muffler is too big and restrictive.

The only problem is that the bike is now so far removed from a road bike that to change back will require two full days work, and more. Ahh well, stuff happens!