Postby Vixen » Wed Apr 06, 2016 2:43 am
Sooooo sorry ladies. I've been very remiss in reporting back to you.
VStar - I'm going in circles all of the time ... after 50 days perhaps I'll go the other way and even it out
Jennings was an absolute blast on the 19, 20, 21 weekend. We had quite a few Canadians down there with us and our favourite Jacksonville crew that are just crazy!!! The 3 days were almost perfect. A little cold in the morning so I would wait till 2nd or 3rd session for a warmer track. We brought down 2 Ducati's for a buddy of ours. WE were his people ... he flew down for the event. The track is really good and very very grippy. Lot's of lefts so it just eats your tires. Mexican food and margaritas just about every nite ... that really hurt my guts ... I'm Canadian ... we don't really have Mexican food !!!!!! LOL
Our buddy only had 1.2 days on the Ducati's. This gentleman is particularly fast and has ridden all over the world. We didn't think to tell him about the pollen all over the track. The first time I went on the track I thought the bike in front of me will spilling yellow fluid. TOTALLY freaked me out. Well, back to the story ... he has ridden tracks all over the world and riding over the turtles (or rumble strip) is not odd for him. WELLLLL, Jennings doesn't have the turtles painted with rough sticky paint like the big tracks. It's shinny and slippery ... now add the 1/4 inch of pollen. His front tire hit it and he immediately lost the front end doing about 140 mph. Needless to say big fall. Broken wrist and ankle, right side. That was just sooo sad but he's such a good sport that after hospital we still did dinner and margaritas and he was at the track watching us all day. Pain meds must have been amazing. The rest of us had sooo much fun it was crazy. Monday there were so few people we ran only 2 groups. That's some serious riding !!! Jennings has now made ME an instructor/control rider for Novice on a Monday when I'm there. I was even given an orange staff shirt ... what were the thinking??????
In any event a funny story ladies. The was a young lad (about 27) with my buddies from Jacksonville. Street rider and never been on the track. Plan was for him to ride is buddies extra bike and if he liked it he would buy it. So the guys told him to follow me and I went off to get ready as I would have 3 newbies behind me. I put him on the back because the other two had limited track experience. Well I guess he went to his buddies and said "well what if she's too slow". So you know what's coming right????
We head out and he didn't even make it past the blend line before he went off the track. He didn't spill so he just got back on track and tried to catch up ... big mistake. He crashed in turn 10 and I was at start/finish when the red flag went up. I knew it was him. Rode quickly around to track to get my group off the track and there he was, standing at 10 with bike damages. Back in the pits the guys repaired to bike enough to ride it. I walked over and said well now that you own a bike it's important to get out there and ride again right after a crash. You are my only student. He was very quiet at this point. Took him a few times and he was starting to slowly look through the corners. Interesting how the younger generation of men don't think an older woman could possibly lead a young buck like him. I must say it was just a little amusing.
Jennings is a fabulous track for learning as it has a little bit of everything, except elevation. If any of you ladies are interested go to the JenningsGP site and sign up for a Novice School day. I promise you it will change your street riding forever.
The following weekend was with Southern Track Days. Great bunch of people. The weather did not cooperate at all. It rained pretty much non-stop for boh days. We decided not to ride. It was a little heart breaking. I must have been getting frustrated because I got dressed and ready just when an instructor/control rider went out and crashed. I put my track suit away.
I am truly an idiot end user when it comes to computers. Can't figure out how to put pics on this site. If you go to my facebook page Vickie Kalles I have a few pics there.
VickieBMW S1KR - Street (aka Husband) -- BMW S1KRR - Track (aka Boy Toy
) -- YAMAHA R3 - Track (aka Rug Rat)