Chennai xBhp Track Day - 22 Feb '09 - The Discussion and Pics thread

[wonderboy_tm]

Hi. Im sorry to say that this is the biggest load of crap i've ever read.

1. What is so embarassing about crashing? It happens all the time. Even the best crash. Its all part of it.
2. And what aggression? I find it therapeutic. I go on the track to enjoy myself. NOT to take out my anger. And, how the hell do you take your aggression out on the track?
3. Your point is not clearly conveyed. I've not understood squat of what you've said.

Very well.... Honestly speaking, i did go off point there buddy.... I did not mean take out my anger, i meant the place to learn how to control your aggression is at the track.... that you defly do....
your point of view is different.... crashing isn't emabarassing, just that the bike you crash with can never be the same even after fixing it.... i felt like an as$ho13 after crashing so many times.... MY PERSONNEL opinion bro...... i would care about my bike too bro..
if you would like to understand more, lets take it to e-mails.... my e-mail id is

"[email protected]" or you could add me on gtalk at "[email protected]",
if you felt the whole write up was a load of crap, then apologies to have wasted bandwidth of xbhp and your time....

+1.. the track is the worst place for one to take out their aggression. One needs to be calm. Aggression is only going to make you ride "aggressivley" and endanger your self and others. Just like a over zelous orange RTR Fi rider who almost took me off the track when I over took him down the straight. A calm rider woulda let me go and take me out at a safer corner. Defo NOT THE PLACE FOR AGGRESSION

Bro... you weren't there for the briefing session where the safety factors were explained very clearly ....
I couldn't help noticing that you were crawling (NO OFFENSE) around the track.... the xbhpians were given clear instructions to give way to faster riders to avoid any collisions.... so you weren't an exception.... next time though you could as well ride with us, and learn racing ethics from the experienced (NOT ME).....I was really happy to see, none of the xbhpians were sitting ducks, and were actually riding decently..... i cannot accept your point brother.... its a race track and you keep your eyes wide open..... the rider whom you encountered was 'JOEL' who knows a lot of racing ethics.... and i was sitting with a 70-200 after the corner you were talking about...
i do not have to explain myself anymore.... NONE of the riders who came with me were "offensive" or "greedy" or "zealous"... i just see lack of sportsman ship....
i would see everyone agreeing to it ....
if you like to clear your points, i request you to shift it to e-mails....
"[email protected]"... and you could also add me at "[email protected]"...

I'm not sure about the 28th of March. It'll come down to when I'm going to be having my semesters, but if I can make it, I surely will.

@wonderboy: I read your earlier posts. Bro, I never said NO to a mechanic. Please don't think I minded shelling out Rs.50 extra for the mechanic, especially seeing as I had a spill myself. I had juxtaposed the opinion as to whether it would REALLY be THAT necessary, but the conclusion that we came to was that it wouldn't be. I'm sorry, no offence meant there bro.

LoL, bro.. no offense was taken bro.... mistakes are bound to happen as we were 'first timers' at the the track... I did not INTEND TO OFFEND you... but i was just trying to point out..... next time we will know... don't we???
so just relax, and stop worrying... start fixing your bike for the next track day.... better tyres, a good foot peg..... slowly start fixing your bike bro..... i would also like to see "EL LOCO" posting his opinion here...

@ Atul :Great pics bro... thanks a lot for posting.......

@MODS :You could delete this post if you find it unnecessary

[pradeep reddy]

+1.. the track is the worst place for one to take out their aggression. One needs to be calm. Aggression is only going to make you ride "aggressivley" and endanger your self and others. Just like a over zelous orange RTR Fi rider who almost took me off the track when I over took him down the straight. A calm rider woulda let me go and take me out at a safer corner. Defo NOT THE PLACE FOR AGGRESSION

whenever i used to take a corner i would just make sure if any exp riders coming at fast pace and i would give way for them and then continue my riding...because its most irritating to follow anyone at a very sedate pace..so its a point everyone should understand to give way for the faster riders.

[karthik_R]

I apologize beforehand to those people whose pics I couldn't take

[wonderboy_tm]

ahem ahem... wasn't i one of them.... ... it takes a lot of heart to recover from a crash like that bro.... and it take more heart to come and actually post this statement....
its alright brother... i would love to ride with you sometime....

[karthik_R]

Thanks for the appreciation guys..
Here comes rest of my feb 22's experience..

With three R15 championship stints behind (essentially a "been there done that attitude") I head for what would be my last devastating run for the day.

I again check my tire pressure and head toward the track. I remember reading out a 123kmph mark from the speedo on the 5th gear before entering C4 and I dropped my anchors dangerously late . I was loving each and every second (like always). Exiting C6, I could see three bikes ahead of me and these were doing pretty slow. So I decided to back off, to eventually take one of the guys at C7's exit (guess a pulsar 200).

And in the straight patch, before C8's entry I again checked my speedo, it read 120kmph. As usual, I dropped down a gear (to 4th) and braked slow, but was too late this time, I could almost sniff the guys ahead of me,to avoid a head on, I diverted to the outer of C8, I knew I was leaning more than what was required to cope with the excess speed (mistake #2) and that my friends is all I remember.

With in a second I was doing a barrel roll off the track.And i cannot explain those 2-3 seconds, things that went across my mind,
I was like what the f_ck??!!! Is this happening to me?? I cursed my self a billion times for what I had just done.

The bike slid for more than 20-25 feet and I was releaved that I didnt bang into me for I was only 5 feet away from it.

Like ppl say "shit happens". End of track day for me. I was literally banging my head, thinkin how in this world am I going to get this mangled bike back to bangalore?? On the crash site itself I spent around half an hour waiting for first aid, I accessed all the damages and even made a quick math so as to how much this is going to cost me. But the one question that kept haunting me was, being a sunday possibly all local mechs and welding stations being shut down how am I going to make it back to bangy!

And for the day IRONY was not the word, the guy who helped me out was the same guy (black p200) whom I helped an hour ago. (for all the guys who helped me out, a billion thanks)

Luckly, it was only the cosmetics that had taken a hit. The essential dynamics like the frame,forks,FI,the rims were intact. I tried convincing some guys (but in vain) to get me to the local bus moffusil so that I could book a return ticket on a volvo in half mind, as the probability of getting a seat was very low, owing to the fact that it was a sunday. And getting a train ticket was remotely possible (as I remember one of my collegue booking a ticket 2 months in advance).

So here was a software engineer who supports UK business who debugs a lines of written code, unable to figure a way out in a real life scenario.Shame on me. The bike was dragged to the pit and everyone around started to point fingers at the bike and asked me if I was ok. Hell I was. I was a sitting duck for the rest of the track day. Finally at 1pm, the track session came to a close and everyone started towards their nests. And I was still sitting there thinking how I could make the bike road worthy so that somehow I could reach home.

The damages are something like this: the front brake lever broke away from he master cylinder assembly (means there is no front brakes), the right clip on handle bar broken, the right headlight was still off the track(which I later picked up), needless to say the right side fairing is in pieces(talk about crash guard),a dent in the tank, donno how but the back wheel was flat, the switchgear assemble along with the throttle was busted, the right foot peg is no more there.

Joel helped me bolt the switchgear and throttle assembly in the place of master cylinder. I had to somehow manage to keep my right busted knee on the left over foot peg. Also since the handle bar was broken, my left hand had to take the entire body weight. Frequent air pressure checks for the flat tire and risk my life with only the back brakes.

And this was exactly what I did for every second of the 310km ride back home. The damn switchgear assembly would keep sliping away from the broken handle bar, imagine this, you are doing 70kmph on a high way and the throttle assembly comes off the handebar and into your hand. A perfect bad day I could ask for. Sorry for the choice of words.
As though this shit wasnt enought, my knee started bleeding and the pain was getting bad. I realised not one but both my knees are sprained on both the sides! Damn it.

Joel, kush, pradeep and his frnd were riding along with me, kush's bike was facing some trouble, so we were doing very very slow speeds.I found a nylon thread on the road, used it to tie the ever slipping switchgear assembly to the clip on and man..it did help to an extent. Thanks for that soul who had left that nylon thread there on the road. Ride till hosur was somewhat managable, but after hosur, the trademark karnataka truck drivers were having a race of thier own on the highway, sucha pain in the @$$. Reached home at 10:00-10:15pm.. Anyone can expect what were the next chain of events I would have faced.

Concluding, my next/any track day is something thats close to impossible and the bike is at the service center, with the lazy corrupted insurance surveyor inspecting the bike after 5 days of me submitting the claim (estimate 15k). Seems from monday onwards the mechs will start wrk on it.

Looking back, I thank my guardian angel for keeping me in one piece through-out the 720kms round trip. This is my "on any sunday" moment.

Lights out.

[karthik_R]

And after all the searchin, I could find only one pic of me on track. Thanks for the guy who shot this and found time to post. Nandri.

[gurumurthy88]

@Kathick: Nice writeup.. I could really feel what you went through when you crashed, were in the pits and rode back.

And, i saw you crash, i was entering the straight when i watched you go off C8. Didn't stop though cos' there were already 2-3 people. And getting the first aid took some time cos' all of us thought it was a simple no injuries slide off. Only when Ananth came back asking for a first aid kit, we knew you were hurt. And then finding a kit took some time after that, but still a half hour delay is too pathetic. We really should consider having a medic at the track next time onwards.

[voodoo_god13]

Bro... you weren't there for the briefing session where the safety factors were explained very clearly ....
I couldn't help noticing that you were crawling (NO OFFENSE) around the track.... the xbhpians were given clear instructions to give way to faster riders to avoid any collisions.... so you weren't an exception.... next time though you could as well ride with us, and learn racing ethics from the experienced (NOT ME).....I was really happy to see, none of the xbhpians were sitting ducks, and were actually riding decently..... i cannot accept your point brother.... its a race track and you keep your eyes wide open..... the rider whom you encountered was 'JOEL' who knows a lot of racing ethics.... and i was sitting with a 70-200 after the corner you were talking about...
i do not have to explain myself anymore.... NONE of the riders who came with me were "offensive" or "greedy" or "zealous"... i just see lack of sportsman ship....
i would see everyone agreeing to it ....
if you like to clear your points, i request you to shift it to e-mails....
"[email protected]"... and you could also add me at "[email protected]"...

The brefing session was pretty much useless. Loads of people without saftey gear. Whats the point. no knee pads. jackets without padding. Guys weraing 'Snikers'.

I joel was the guy wearing jeans and riding the RTR then at that point in time he did not have ethics.

I'm sorry if my crawling pace held u back man... I keep a better eye out for you the next time.
Leaving room for pro's is all well and good. But it can't be done explicitly all the time. If i'm slow I'm slow. I cant back off or look back when I'm in a corner. I don't wanna crash.
Track days are more or less free for alls. It will make sence for a faster rider to be catious for inexperienced riders.
If I did anything careless please feel free to point it out.

Continuing on my slow pace, I kept on the track mostly when it was empty. knew I was slow.

I'm sure every one will agree with you man. Thats how this forum is. Every one agrees.

And why should this move to emails. This is an online forumn and people disagree on forums. why make things personal.

[karthik_R]

@voodoo..kindly use the "Quote" function when referring to other posts..

[wonderboy_tm]

The brefing session was pretty much useless. Loads of people without saftey gear. Whats the point. no knee pads. jackets without padding. Guys weraing 'Snikers'. (1) I joel was the guy wearing jeans and riding the RTR then at that point in time he did not have ethics. I'm sorry if my crawling pace held u back man... I keep a better eye out for you the next time. (2) Leaving room for pro's is all well and good. But it can't be done explicitly all the time. If i'm slow I'm slow. I can’t back off or look back when I'm in a corner. I don't wanna crash.(3) Track days are more or less free for alls. It will make sence for a faster rider to be catious for inexperienced riders. (4) If I did anything careless please feel free to point it out. Continuing on my slow pace, I kept on the track mostly when it was empty. knew I was slow. I'm sure everyone will agree with you man. Thats how this forum is. Everyone agrees. And why should this move to emails. This is an online forumn and people disagree on forums. why make things personal. (5)

Dude.. Dude ... Dude...

(5) By telling lets take this to e-mails it was not meant to be "taking it personnel". I wanted this thread to head in a constructive manner and that is why i wanted this conversation to be taken to chat or e-mails. For the first time something this big happened, and almost everyone had a smile at the end of the day. As a team the event was a success as everyone learned. I wanted to chat with you to know your view. If i say no offense, i intend the same.

(4) After not racing for a month or so, when a racer comes back to get his rhythm back, it is very difficult to construct that 'perfect lap' with that perfect pace and that perfect rhythm. That is why first timers are told to keep an eye. It is not necessary that you watch back all the time, the conscious effort you take to do so will yield in great results.
It was just a track day for us, it was a very serious practice session for a lot. If you felt the the RTR rider too aggressive, i guess this should tell him to control it a bit more than what he was doing. This should also tell you that you were at a 'VERY' sedate pace.

(3) Don't you think that is everyone’s intention? People who are fast at the track doesn't mean that they dun mind crashing. Everyone cares about their bikes and themselves. However I completely understand your statement.

(2) That would be really nice of you.

(1) I AM ANSWERING THIS ONLY TO SHOW THE TRUTH. NO OFFENSE INTENDED ON ANYONE. Biking is not taken as seriously as many people do. People who were at the track without riding gear this time would defly know that. And for those people to whom biking means a lot would defly come back with better gear. I remember reading someone’s signature, "Why are you staring at my scars, I was once a biker without wearing a lid." or something like that. Makes perfect sense. I am really happy that you were very serious about riding gear and conveyed your message. The guy with sneakers was not Joel. (Sorry JOEL)

@Voodo :I am not a person who was there to satisfy everyone. I did brief the first timers on how to ride at the track. Some people took it very seriously and some did not bother to. I know it for a fact the people who did not take it seriously did not have a good time at the track. Gurumurthy and Yuvraj were amongst the few people who did take it seriously. To the set of people to whom this means a lot will come back with a set of leathers or at least a riding jacket. I am still criticized by a lot of friends for not wearing leathers and riding at pace at which i might be hurt.
Bro, my personnel experience, track days get better and better and never worse. trust me !!


We can still take this conversation to e-mails or chat.
My e-mail id : [email protected]
My Chat id : [email protected]

[punisher]

This is the First Time in Track.. Ive Really Enjoyed it.. More than that ive learned somewhat how to control the Ride.. Rather than making it Control Us .... Thanks to all of you guys.. Varun.. Praful..El Loco.. Madhu.. Manoj.. Surbhit.. and rest of fellas who made this meet a great... i realised pulsars are not meant for track.. even though ive booked a 220... Will be getting by march 6th.. But im happy with it.. Waiting for another track day.. Keep Rockinggg...

[chicane1879]

That RTR Fi rider in the pics by Sajiv is me

See, Good riders never go unnoticed!!

@All
Please upload the unposted pics out here.Would be of great help!!

[sajiv]

additional pics from my side....
Karthick, I got some pics of u

http://picasaweb.google.com/sajiv.selvaraj/TrackDayFeb2009

[wonderboy_tm]

additional pics from my side....
Karthick, I got some pics of u

Picasa Web Albums - Sajiv - Track Day Feb...

Dude... awesome pics....

[rpmboy]

lucky u guys u hav track there !!!!!!! superb pics man !!!