Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

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trackaddict
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Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby trackaddict » Thu Mar 17, 2016 1:37 am

I just signed up to do three track days (and maybe the last half of day 3 in an endurance race) at the Brno racetrack in Czech Republic!! After I watched the MotoGP races at the track last year on TV, I decided I HAD TO ride it. I'm no racer, but I figure if I only have three days... I want to ride til I keel over. I've never done more than 2 track days in a row, so I don't know if that can even happen. I guess I need to start finding a better leg workout!! :? (Yes, please send suggestions if you know the magic bullet!!)

But I'm really excited!! I'm going to the track here as much as I can manage in the meantime to work on getting faster, so I can translate that to a new track (yet again) and get up to speed faster so I don't waste precious time getting lost and going slow.

It's been a little rough trying to figure out how they work their track days. Even though it's a UK-based organization, we still are not speaking the same language. But I have to figure that if most of my track days have been in CA, which is SO the "wild west" in terms of bad behavior, that Europeans are probably better behaved.
Mamaw Suze
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby Mamaw Suze » Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:22 pm

Wow! That sounds fantastic! An adventure for sure. Your bike? Over and back or are you going other places. I'd love to ride elsewhere (another country) but I want to ride my own bike. Since you're not a beginner on the track I'm sure you know what's needed to get ready physically but as far as I'm concerned I think planks (and the many variations) are the best overall exercise there is.
Have fun and keep us posted. June will be here before you know it
The journey is the destination
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VStar
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby VStar » Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:31 pm

That's only a bunch of weeks away. Question from an absolute civilian, I'm not a racing warrior, do they ride on the same side of the road as we do or will you be going around the track backwards?
This is a grand adventure!
I've been there before. Can I get there, again?
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby trackaddict » Mon Mar 21, 2016 3:24 am

[do they ride on the same side of the road as we do or will you be going around the track backwards?]
Hahahahah! You made me snarf my wine. :lol: I should check into the direction. (But really, my understanding on the ROAD is they drive the same side... won't be riding road).

Mamaw - renting. So much easier. For my 40th, we rode through Italy and France for 2 weeks on BMWs (rentals). It was great! I don't think I'd do it again... you bring next to nothing and wash clothes every. single. night. I wanted to burn them! But what an experience - one I could never had had by car. We're doing Amsterdam-Prague-Brno-Prague-Vienna-Amsterdam (only riding Brno). We were going to try to ride SPA outside Brussels, which looked amazing, but it was just too expensive with the EU to dollar right now. Maybe another time.
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby Vixen » Wed Apr 06, 2016 2:53 am

WOW WOW WOW is all I can say to Brno!!!!! I can only dream about it. What an awesome trip and one heck of a track. I had the unbelieveable pleasure of riding in Europe for 3 months, 13 countries on my very first bike in 1987. Yes ladies, I'm significantly older !!! LOL

Want to hear a full track report and vacation report once you are back. Truly an awesome adventure coming your way :)
Vickie
BMW S1KR - Street (aka Husband) -- BMW S1KRR - Track (aka Boy Toy :evil: ) -- YAMAHA R3 - Track (aka Rug Rat)
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby trackaddict » Thu Apr 07, 2016 12:07 am

Whoa! 13 countries!?? I have some catching up to do. I did Italy & France for 2 weeks, and that was quite enough. It was awesome, but living out of a tiny pack for that long was more than my spoiled self can handle. Hahaha. So what countries did you ride through???? We sewed on a flag patch on our suits for each country we have ridden in. Your whole back of your leathers would be covered!
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby Vixen » Thu Apr 07, 2016 1:49 am

I don't think I could ever do it now. I was 27 at the time ... very young, lots of energy and didn't know any better. It was a brilliant trip because the iron curtain was still up. Going behind the iron curtain was unbelieveable!!!!! You can't possibly imagine the instant suppression you felt as soon as you crossed the border!!! Imagine, 2 chick on bikes touring for 3 months ... we were lucky to come back alive !!! We camped, hostels and family. Neither one of us could cook on a stove, let alone an open fire!!!! I have family all over Europe so we ate well when we stayed with them, otherwise, wine cheese bread and salami!!!!

Let's see ... England, Holland, Germany, Lichtenstein, East Germany, East Berlin (at that time a land island !!!), Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungry, former Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Italy. Given that it was the 80's we had Canadian Flags stickered to our bikes and Canadian flag patches on our leathers ... it was safer that way LOL

Would love to do it again ... in hotels !!!
Vickie
BMW S1KR - Street (aka Husband) -- BMW S1KRR - Track (aka Boy Toy :evil: ) -- YAMAHA R3 - Track (aka Rug Rat)
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby trackaddict » Wed May 25, 2016 12:23 am

I've completely forsaken my workouts and training for this and am getting nervous!! ACK! Work is killing me. Please zip, leathers, please zip.

OMG Vixen, I didn't see your post until now. That sounds like an amazing trip. To really feel the effects... yeah. Just traveling now, you can note the differences in the countries that had at some point been under fascist rule vs. those that were not. Quite notable. Obv they've caught up, but underneath it all, they are so behind. A weird undercurrent. We were going to do Belgium (SPA) and Turkey too, but with all the terrorism garbage, I'd rather try again some other time. Instead, we're just dragging our leathers, boots, and helmets through three countries instead of 5. Still ouch!!
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby trackaddict » Thu Jul 07, 2016 2:13 am

I'm back! I did it!!!
Brno Automotodrom was AMAZING!!!!!!!! It still doesn't rank #1 in the world with me so far (that still goes to Sydney Motorsports Park), but it was AWESOME. It was the only three days of the 2-week trip that did not rain, and it was about 93 degrees and humid as hell. We were garaged like sardines with about 10 Brits and Irish and they were a good time. I couldn't understand the Irish guys.... I just nodded a lot. Haha. =/ They ran 4 groups of 30, although I have a hard time believing there were ever 30 people out there with me. I could go laps and laps without seeing anyone. There were only 5 women in about 110-120 riders, so they were a bit stand-offish with me. But whatever.

Rented BMW S1000rr's. They were extremely well taken care of and were so smooth, but I felt like I was giving myself whiplash out there. Such a big bike! I'm much less of a fan post-2014 re-design... they are taller, but more squat in the riding position and I just couldn't manage the bike well. It exhausted me and I'm SO lucky I didn't tip over in the garages because I couldn't touch the ground. I had to be helped on -- I took a big hop and threw my leg over with my arm and hoped for a good landing.

The track itself was incredible. The surface was so sticky and even though it's a really fast track, there was elevation and really fun parts. I finally got the lines figured out by the end of the first day and finally killed my chicken strips. I wasn't in a hurry to just go fast when I had three days to learn the lines and do it right. But at the end of the first day, the "old me" came back out and I had to put myself on punishment. I started passing people and then looked for the next one, going faster and faster just to see if I could. That usually leads to bad things for me on a new track. The morning of Day 2 was terrific. I felt awesome, but started fading a lot in the afternoon. Bike was too heavy, it was hot - and evidently ice is a national treasure because I couldn't get any and was denied, denied, denied. Day 3 was a hot mess. By then, everyone had some sort of mild food poisoning (former Soviet block and it hasn't really emerged from that quite yet out in the countryside) - everyone - and it was BLAZING hot and humid. A very kind Irishman in our garage brought me a small bag of ice in the morning, so I made it last as long as I could and saved the melt til noon at least.

We're thinking Jerez in 2018. Who's coming????
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Mamaw Suze
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Re: Brno, Czech Republic in June with Track Sense

Postby Mamaw Suze » Thu Jul 07, 2016 2:43 am

Wow!!!
The journey is the destination

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