Track day

Ok, the previous pics need an explanation....

Saturday was the Michelin Superbike School, which i was fortunate enough to attend. What an absolutely brilliant day, from start to finish .... and i even took the good vibes home with me.

Started at about 7am, with people arriving etc. Coffee and muffins, then into the classroom. I was surprised, in that the classroom sessions were not really intense, merely laying guidelines and ground rules for getting on the track. But the ideas were those that carried over into the street as well, which i think was why most of the guys were there.

The track sessions were intense. The only way i can describe it is .... i can't. The heat, the noise, the power, the adrenaline, the speed ......

I was voted the most improved rider in my group. Not the best, or fastest mind you. But so much came together on the track for me, stuff i have learned in theory, but never had the chance to put into action.

A track is a magic place, where reality is suspended, no taxis, oil slicks, roadside kerbs or bmw drivers late for a meeting. Flat hard asphalt, wide and free .... and motorbikes. I've wanted to get on a track since i can remember, used to get pit tickets for killarney in cape town. The smells and noise and heat are irrestable to impressionble kids (like me :D). But honestly, being able to take a bike onto a grand prix racetrack was beyond anything i had dreamed. MY bike too. Shian ;-)

Since saturday, i've put a couple of kilos onto the bike, just brekfast run type rides, but already i can feel the improvement. Confidence. Knowledge. Experience.
All coming together to produce a comfortable, and SAFE ride, for my passengers and i.

I'm not a track person. Fun, exciting, educational and a lot more. But for me it's only a small step to the outside world. Giving me the tools to be where i want to be ... far away gliding over a long forgotten mountain pass. Somewhere where when you stop, it's quiet. And no-one will hassle you. Everyone greets, because you do that kind of thing, when you leave these cities. After all, the bike is a means to an end for me. A very nice means make no mistake, and one that even heightens the end. But a means to work and back, and away and back ... ever returning to the fold.