Back to the asphalt with Ramming Speed Racing.

A few weeks ago, my buddy and part time, unpaid, guest post contributer to this fine blog had a birthday. We planned a great and glorious day of motorbike riding around the ever sunny Southern California San Diego county area. As bad luck would have it, we had a rare week of rain and had to cancel. Eager to find a replacement for a day of great riding I suggested a track day. This time around we would be going to Willow Springs to ride on the Big Willow track. That was last Sunday and now I get to tell you all about it.

Last week, I spent much of my afterwork time getting ready for the track. We were going to be riding with Ramming Speed Racing at one of their Classic Track Days. I had heard about them, but never participated in one of their events. I was really looking forward to this track day as they cater to classic motorcycles. After reading through the information sheet I knew that there would be as much to see off the track as fun to be had on it. I also saw that I had some work to do to make the bike ready. I mentioned last week that I changed out the coolant for something better suited to the track. I also finally changed out the regular DOT 4 brake fluid for something a little more track worthy. I used Motul 660, the same fluid I used on my little Ninja. I have great confidence in this brake fluid as it eliminated my brake fade issues. Since I was planning to take the FZ1 which weighs 200+ pounds more than the Ninja, I wanted to be sure I wouldnt have brake issues. The last preps were to tape the lights and remove the license plate. A task best acomplished with a beer and some World Superbike racing.

 

Our steeds for the day were my buddies Ninja 650 and the FZ1. I havent had the FZ out on the track since I took the California Superbike School Level I class 18 months ago at the Streets of Willow track just up the hill from Big Willow. I was eager to see how she would do on this fast, open track. Big Willow is an older track and has a few challenges. There are more right hand turns than lefts and they tend to be very flowing and fast. When we went to Chuckwalla my buddy was able to out pace me with his extra 400 cc advantage over my Ninjette. This time the tides were turned as I had him covered by 350cc of pure big bike grunt.

 

When we arrived bright and early to the track I picked out some open paddock space. My main consideration was having room to set up and ease of backing up my trailer. I got the towing thing down pretty well. The backing up part needs a bit more practice. I usually end up doing a 12 point back up process that is painful to watch. As luck would have it I ended up pitting next to one half of the on air duo from the Creative Riding Podcast. The number 09 Ducati of Chris Wiggins was in the back of the truck next to us. I met Chris at a Speedway/Hooligan Flat Track race at Perris Raceway a few weeks ago. I didn't get to chat with him then, but this time around I set up my canopy and we were able to hang out. We were all registered for the Group 2, Moderate Pace group so we had lots to chat about after every on track session.

Since Ramming Speed Racing caters to bikes that don't quite fit in with your typical track day, I was eager to see what other rides would be out for the day. Almost evey manner of bike, modern and classic, was on display. Some were straight off the street. Others were full classic race iron. This Norton caught my eye. I have absolutely no idea of the year or model, but she was parked with a bunch of other British bikes. All of them were just so gorgeous and I loved the funky layout of things light right hand shifters and left handed foot brakes. When this Norton fired up she had a roar that was pretty intoxicating. I didn't get to see her on track, but putting through the pits she put on a cool show.

 

Flat Track wasn't left out of the picture. This little KX250 framer was parked in the paddock next to a cool road race bike. I was admiring the bike when the owner ambled up and we had a great chat. His name was David and he was acting as a control rider of sorts. Not only did I find out that he brought this bike to the track to break in a recent engine rebuild, but that the bike was going to be in some upcoming races. My buddy came up when we were talking about the bike which led to a conversation about some of the lines and how best to get around the track. David had some great info and it helped in a few of the trickier sections. Seeing this little bike really got me wanting too start another build project.

Since I'm a sucker for 1970's Yamaha Bumble Bee Speed Block paint jobs, this little 2-stroker caught my eye early on in the day. It is owned by Lossa Engineering and was so perfectly put together. The detail of the bike was just beautiful and of course being a 2-stroker she had a crazy crackling sound that made you pay attention. I didn't get to see her on the track as I think it was riding in Group 1 with all of the fast guys. The pic doesn't quite show you the size of the bike. It was big enough in person to seem like a full size bike, but still looked light and lithe. I'm not sure of the engine size, but I think it is one of the TZ series of bikes. The engineering was just so right and it looked fast. One of these days I want to throw a leg over a 2 stroker to feel that crazy hit of power I've heard they have.

The on track action was a good as what was going on in the paddock. The picture of my rear tire shows just how well the Dunlop Q3s were sticking. Just like all of my Chuckwalla track days, I measured tire pressures and temps after every session. By the second session (of 5) I had the pressures dialed in. All day long my tires stuck as intended and the pressures were stable. My fastest session was the third one. I took a screen shot of my Track Addict track data app. The front straight was just bonkers. During most of the sessions I would accelerate to full throttle, 5th gear and just watch the revs climb. By the end of the straight I felt like I was in hyperspeed. Consequently I would always chicken out and overslow into turn one. Turn one is a fast 90 degree left hander, but I was just too afraid of blowing it and would roll off the throttle right at the start/finish line before braking at the brake markers. My buddy said he would catch up with me in that turn and out Track Addict data showed he carried more speed from turn 1 into turn 2. I would hit turn two a little better and he couldn't keep up until turn 3. Turn 3 is a weird, uphill, omega shaped turn that led into a fast back of the track. The power of the FZ would get me flying into turns 8 and 9 to set me up for a fast pass down the front straight. I took great pleasure in making a few passes, especially when I passed my friend.

Here is my cool guy shot of the day! Scott from Race Reels was at the track. He had a great deal for pictures. This one is my favorite. The track has so many elevation changes and crazy corners that you are almost guaranteed to get some good shots. Scott was out there hustling around the track every session. Since I have'nt been to the track for a few months and feel like I've improved on several aspects of my riding, I wanted to see what I looked like out there. It was no comparison between riding the Ninja on the track and having the FZ1 out there. The extra power of the FZ was so much fun and more than made up for the extra weight of the bike. The bike was very stable and always felt planted. With the little Ninja I had to learn to trust the front end. The Ninja was so light that my mistakes in body position or movement were so exagerated. With the size of the FZ, everything was much smoother.

And with all of that adventure I was able to get another track added to my growing collection. I commenorated the occaision with another track outline sticker on my tow rig. I intend to fill up this window with tracks I ride or race at. Many people will see this, but only a few will understand and I like it like that. 

It was a great day and I can't wait to do more hardcore riding. I'm planning on getting back to the dirt this upcoming weekend maybe. I'm also contemplating a semi-large purchase for the CRF450 that will add another element of fun to that bike. As always I will include you in on all of the on and off track action! Ride safe friends.

Blue