NYC Norton

tootall Paul

Joined
Jan 18, 2012
Messages
18
NYC Norton
 
hi dws,i was there sunday,the conditions in that photo look dry [probably early practice as kenny is on the 500] but by the end of practice conditions worsened,we had half hour of torrential hailstones,quite a few fallers due to track temp and pushing too hard on cold tyers,i think kenny went well considering the conditions,first time at cadwell,starting at the back,and up against big jap fours,hope things were better today and look forward to chatting to him again
 
chris plant said:
half hour of torrential hailstones,quite a few fallers due to track temp and pushing too hard on cold tyers
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Those conditions and Kenny did not drop the bike - sounds like a good day to me.

Kenny is smart and cautious.
 
Dances with Shrapnel said:
chris plant said:
half hour of torrential hailstones,quite a few fallers due to track temp and pushing too hard on cold tyers
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Those conditions and Kenny did not drop the bike - sounds like a good day to me.

Kenny is smart and cautious.
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Always risky to continue riding on tarmac covered in hailstones-road will be like an ice rink until it all melts :!: :|
 
Always risky to continue riding on tarmac <fill in the blank> until <fill in the blank> :D

A "half hour of torrential hailstones" should have left a good collection of hail - probably more like driving on marbles than an ice rink.

Some went down due to various causes (ex hint: "pushing too hard with cold tyres") and some did not.
 
Thanks Too Tall Paul. Folks, this bloke, Mr. Tall Paul, let me crash in his badass conversion Sprinter! Paul is my hero.

I'm just back home in NYC from a windy, rainy, cold Cadwell Park, and I was humbled by the track and the level of riding skill and craftsmanship I witnessed. I wish the weather had cooperated, but I had a blast nonetheless, got to ride some of the best vintage race bikes in the world (Minnovation's Works 750 and 500), on one of the most amazing tracks in the world. Wow! Nothing could've prepared me for that place. More elevation than the Empire State.

I met a lot of folks I'd known only by screen names, and they were all aces. I was welcomed, and had one of the best times racing in recent memory. I will be back. I need more laps on that daunting track.

Thanks
 
Good to hear you had fun and came back in one piece. I saw your bit on cafe racers last week, good stuff. Eagerly awaiting the next installment. It must be pretty cool to be able to do some international racing. Add me to the envious list.
 
Dances with Shrapnel said:
Always risky to continue riding on tarmac <fill in the blank> until <fill in the blank> :D

A "half hour of torrential hailstones" should have left a good collection of hail - probably more like driving on marbles than an ice rink.

Some went down due to various causes (ex hint: "pushing too hard with cold tyres") and some did not.
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I don’t wish to argue what is a moot point, but exactly what are hailstones :?: :idea:
 
Hailstones are balls of ice, formed in storms where there are updraft currents that carry falling rain UP into atmospheric layers with very low temperatures, causing the rain to freeze; it then falls again, is carried up again, a new layer of ice is formed on the frozen ball, incresing it's size, and the cycle is repeated until the ball is too heavy for the updraft currents to lift it, and it falls to earth as a hailstone.
 
Ugh, Hail. Pea to golf ball size is pretty common occurrence. I've ridden through the pea to marble size bombardments but had wind screen up for winter and able to duck behind to pear through it w/o getting too beat up, just sore neck straining to see ahead with neck so bent in tension of gritted teeth on the pavement wetness and extra cold tire rubber lack of grip. Its nerve racking to ride with much *spirit* on wet or half iced pavement but weirdly-accidently found instants of aggressive throttle and brakes that skews bike on tires an instant works better than smooth long held changes of throttle lean or brake. Similar to THE Gravel runs, either pussy foot around on it or jump right into the flat tracker stunt rider antics to break loose on your terms to get more in line with thrust - rather than have it surprise ya trying to predict when tires will slip out. Skinny hard aired tires handle wet cold better than big balloon floatation tires. Only tire compound matters in the wet - water grooves are about useless on motorcycle canoe shaped tire patches.

NYC Norton
 
The hail we had at Cadwell the other week was some of the smallest I have ever seen, certainly very different from the golf balls we got in the 'ice storms' when we lived in Oklahoma for a short while.

But before you all think we race on ice in the UK, the organisers held us in the holding area until it had subsided enough to be able to race, but things were still a little damp over most of the weekend and there was quite a bit of disruption. I got to say hi to Kenny, which he may or may not remember, and to offer a little advice :oops: but I had my helmet on in the holding area so conversation was short, me being deaf does not help, when I change hearing aids for ear plugs it is damned difficult :(

Anyway, someone mentioned Kenny was up against Jap 4s, well not quite, yes I rode a standard production '85 GSXR750F from the same grid, but two classes ran together, his class on the rows in front of us, and his class results were not affected by our class being mixed in. Of course some of us might have got in the way a bit, but thats racing. I got to follow Kenny for a while towards the end of a race and you could see he was just learning what to do with Cadwell, he was running in a group of twins. Anyway it seemed like he was enjoying the experience, but when he goes back I am sure he will tighten his entry lines into the Mountain and Hall Bends in particular and move a lot more toward the front of the group.

Anyway, no more GSXRs at the CRMC, I sold the bike on the day and gave back my eligibility certificate so hope to be Norton mounted next time I get on track!
 
bwolfie said:
Good to hear you had fun and came back in one piece. I saw your bit on cafe racers last week, good stuff. Eagerly awaiting the next installment. It must be pretty cool to be able to do some international racing. Add me to the envious list.
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Can you give me a link to this cafe racers thing. Thanks.
 
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