Bama Rides

Today was a few firsts for me. This was the first time I have ever ridden on the Talladega GP track, I had brand new tires that did not even have 1 mile on them, and a brand that I have never used before. Needless to say I was a little more than cautious on my first session. The track sessions are divided into three very different groups: Street– riders that are new to the track environment and the focus is on turns, getting used to the track and following the race line with passing only allowed on the straight aways; Intermediate — riders that have track experience and the focus is on body and bike position, increased speed with passing allowed on the outside of turns; Advanced — everything else and these guys and girls are really fast and good.

So I go out with the intermediate group, with these new tires, and I start off with a lot of caution. After a few laps I think I have burned the tires in and heated them up enough to increase my speed. Well, notice I said THINK. I turned up the heat, speed and lean angle and I start slipping and sliding all over the place. Not a good feeling when your busting along at more than double the speed limit and NOT expecting it. Well now I’m just not a happy camper and I’m not at all impressed with these great and wonderful tires. I finish the first session with continued sliding but luckily my bike never met the pavement, yet……………more on that later.

The first session I put twenty pretty hard miles on the tires and they should be good to go on the next session.

Session 2 begins and I have these damn slipping tires on my mind so I start out with a lot of caution. Now a couple of things have happened since my first session, the tires have burned in a little and the track has warmed up ALOT. I start testing the tires with a little more speed and lean angle and guess what………….no slipping!!! So now I really turn up the heat and speed. I am starting to build up a lot of confidence, following the race line, dragging knees and hearing the Kevlar knee pucks drag on the asphalt. That is a sound and feeling that builds all kinds of confidence, sometimes too much. And then I nearly go over the edge, I started lapping folks. Talking about an adrenaline rush!! I’m doing everything right, looking ahead, maintaining the race line, great corner speed and confidence and trust in the tires. Remember when I said earlier that my bike never met the pavement……………more on that later!! So here I go down the straight on the last lap and I couldn’t resist busting a wheelie. Man what a feeling. I love track days!.

Session 3 starts and on my way to the staging area I see a Goldwing and a few cruisers enter the track area. I knew it had to be some Bama Riders coming out to visit us. We start the session and I’m moving along the same way I did in session two. I am moving and grooving and everything is clicking just right. I am hard on the throttle in turn number, hell I don’t know what number it was, but I know what I did wrong, after the fact, which is an unfortunate amount of knowledge when you’re on the track. The slipping tires are long out of my mind and I’m deep in a turn dragging my left knee, which I don’t do often. I’m still leaned over pretty good and I hammer the throttle. I forgot a very important principle of physics. When something has to give, rubber always gives before metal or asphalt. The rear tire kicks out and all of a sudden I remember the slipping tires! I feel the rear end slide out, at speed mind you and I’m thinking that no part of this is going to come out good. I chopped the throttle, mistake number 2 or 5 or who the hell knows, and as soon as I did, the rear tire bit the asphalt and stopped sliding. As soon as the tire bit, the force kicked me up and my left foot leaves the peg. Somehow, the track gods must have been watching over me, I right the bike and did not go down. I slowed the pace down and my asshole is no longer hungry because I think it ate a large chunk of the seat of my leather suit and a small piece of my seat. When I get off the track I see a familiar large figure walking towards my pit area with a camera in his hand, It was Don Redman. I threw up the familiar bike wave and proceed to my pit area. Remember that bike meeting the pavement thing, well, here’s where it happened. I eased the bike under my easy up shelter and had my story all in my head. I pulled off a save like Valentino Rossi and I was sure somebody wanted to hear about it. I got off the bike and slid the rear stand under the bike, but I missed one side and the bike started falling away from me. I couldn’t catch it.

It hits the ground, I know of all places in the pit area, and guess who was standing right behind me with a camera. Don. I’m sure this one will be posted soon.

A few sessions later Don Gravlee and I are turning up the heat and moving along real good. Don and I come up on a “control rider” wearing a bright orange shift. Control riders are experienced riders mixed up though out the group. What these guys do is keep folks in line, make sure folks are not riding over their heads and make sure they follow the rules. Anyway, Don and I come up behind this control rider who is following another rider who has a pace that is considerably slower than ours. We follow both of them into a turn and as soon as we come out of the turn, Don G. is in front of me, Don goes to the outside of the control rider and I decide to go to the inside of the control rider. My reason was because the CR was drifting to the right and he would have left me with little to no room to pass. Don G. noticed he was drifting, and checked up. I didn’t. I hammered down and kept going. You see, Don G. is very good at this track thing and I don’t get an opportunity to pass him too often. The control rider then sees Don and decides to pull to the left. As soon as he did my stomach dropped. We hit each other. Not hard, but enough. Our knees and elbows hit each other. Somehow neither one of us went down but we both knew that we had hit each other and I’m sure he thought an OH SHIT! I know I did. The lesson was, I should have followed Don G on the outside. It was my fault because there is one rule on the track that is not questioned by anyone. If two bikes hit each other, the bike in the rear or the bike passing is at fault.

I was running a camera all day and I watch the “collision” for lack of better words. Although you can’t see us hit, you can tell that something wasn’t right when the camera jumped. I’ll post some video later.

Anyway, the rest of the day was uneventful and was a great day to spend at the track.

Is this a great country or what!!??*

- Scott Brimer

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