DOCGB - new

Desmo Dom has been coming to the DOC Track Days ever since the first one, and is always the fastest man out there. Despite riding an elderly bevel 900SS, no-one has ever laid claim to passing Dom. He himself reckons that on his very first visit to Cadwell, the legendary Edgar Jessop got into the first corner ahead of him, but Dom had him on the second bend, and has never been passed since.

This year we return to Cadwell, where he's now a little rusty, so take your chance to outrun a legend while you have it. If you ever get within sight of Dom you are doing well, but he has always managed to make it to the line first.

You might be able to beat Loris Capirossi, but do you reckon you have the right stuff to take on Desmo Dom?

The 2008 Track Day is to be jointly organised between the DOCGB and
the DSC, and will be held at Cadwell Park on 9/10 June.

Ducati UK's 999 gets some grief from Stuart Robinson at the Mountain
(reproduced by kind permission of fresh-orange)

Team FMoB would like to formally apologise to any in the intermediate group that were frustrated by a Fat Bloke on a Bevel getting in the way - especially those on modern tackle overtaken in the bendy bits. You know who you are!

A truly, truly glorious and most excellent day.

After I'd borrowed some gloves (thanks Andrew!) I went out for the first session - which was decidedly ropey. I had little slides on both tyres and the front end felt most peculiar in the slower corners (and my slow is positively

pedestrian compared to some) but it definitely didn't feel right and I was

thinking of coming in when it was decided for me by the clutch lever starting

to go all floppy. Turned out the clutch cover was coming loose - and both

tyres were about 5psi down. At this stage I was thinking of changing the Team

name to Team 3P - Piss Poor Preparation.

A bit of twirling with an allen key (thanks Roger!) and the loan of a foot pump

(thanks for that too) and all sorted. Hurrah. As a result the second session

was way, WAY better. Came in rather hot and bothered but feeling like a

Driving God (copyright Top Gear).

Third and fourth sessions went much the same way. The bevel just about

stayed with most of the two valve belt drive stuff on the straights.

Diicult to say on the corners as that's mostly about confidence, but it was way

outclassed on the bend after the Goosneck and on the new hairpin (I had to

adopt a differt line to everybody else!) Had some fun with an R1100(?) and a chap

on a Harris - to whom I offer a genuine apology for making a bollox of the

braking at the end of the back straight. Must have baulked you terribly. I

Glad to finish the fourth session as my concentration was going and I was

getting rather ragged round the edges.

So what do I do? Obvious really - I borrow somebody else's jolly expensive

brand new toy. A 999s to be precise Thank you Ducati UK!

Forced to change groups as all intermediate sessions booked and I thought

I'd be less of a hindrance in novice than in the experienced group. I was last

out as I had to run in and change wristbands and then run over to where the

bike was. Not easy in borrowed leathers (Thanks Danny!) It was at this point

that somebody pointed out the oil on my boots (yeah, thanks) but I was so into

the bike that at that point I didn't really care. (Later exam of the bevel

showed a weep from one of the front rocker covers. Could have been interesting

The 999 riding position is less extreme that the bevel, room to move around

- comfortable even. Sounded way too quiet of course, but I'm sure that 'can'

If you have not ridden a 999s and you like sports bikes then you must go out

and beg borrow or steal one immediately. It is an absolute missile - with me

on board more V2 than Exocet...

So easy to go fast on. I saw 130 on the start /finish straight without any

real effort. And the brakes are SOOPERB - I was screaming like a banshee

braking for the hairpin. Hilarious.

I now have a little appreciation of the forces experienced by proper racers.

A super super machine that has immediately leapt onto my fantasy wish list.

I want one, and I want it NOW!

After I came back in (sorry for the little stoppie Peter) and calmed down,

the heavens opened. AFTER packing up, for once. So, bikes on trailer, and a

nice dry drive home, talking complete bollox with my Suzuki riding mate about

how great we'd been.

Thank you to Graham in particular for organising things - and made some nice

comments about the exhaust note of the bevel - and also to Gaz. The throwaway

'flying fox' comment was most illuminating. Having gone and looked them up

on the web I find that, amongst others, there is a Little Red Flying Fox,

native of Australia. I assume that there must be a Big Red Flying Fox too?

I also learned that fruit bats are the largest of the bat family (humph),

spend most of the day asleep in trees and although good flyers (hurrah) are

clumsy at landing (boo).

Apparently we simply crash into the shrubbery and hope for the best...

PS Please take with a large pinch of salt any impression that I may have

given re any sort of riding prowess. Any such impression is entirely erroneous -

see penultimate paragraph re bragging' rights...

PPS. I LOVE THIS CLUB!

Here are some pictures from past events to whet your appetite for 2008

Chairman Gaz gets his knee down (But for him, it's not a long way to the floor!)

And for a rather different sort of Track Day, how about Laguna Seca?
Here is one man's view

Laguna Seca, So how was it …….. ????

Well that’s a huge question …… but the short answer … simply fantastic ……

It all started Saturday morning, awoke at Red Leaders house (after he kindly let me stay over as he isn’t far from Heathrow and allowed me to park my car at his, he also kindly delivered and collected me from the airport, top fella.). Met Andy Ibbott at the airport, shared some banter and made our way to our flight, Andy was going out as he had an appraisal of his coaching skills and needed sign off by Keith Code to attain the next level accreditation, but more about that later. We didn’t have seats together so the next time I saw Andy was 12 hours after take off as we strolled to collect our baggage, more banter and we find another member of he CSS party, Ray, in the baggage hall and then locate Paul in the arrivals lounge as he caught an earlier flight … so its off to collect he hire car …. And we came soooo close to blagging a Hummer but jus as the assistant was about to let us loose in it her boss came by and told her to find the car we should have, still the Lincoln Aviator was nor hardship, more leather than Camilla Parker-Bowles face and comfier than Kelly Brooks cleavage (allegedly).

We make our way to Monterey (appx 2 hours drive from San Francisco) and have a quiet meal before crashing out …. Sunday we are up reasonably early and Andy says he wants to see the whales in Monterey Bay so after breakfast we take a tour boat out and have a very relaxing three hours out in the bay where we see whales and dolphins which was superb.

After getting back to dry land Andy asks if we fancy going out to he circuit to have a look around ahead of Mondays school, we all jump at the chance and 45 minutes later we are ascending (and I mean ascending in a big way) the access road before dropping into the paddock, 1st view of he track is breathtaking and there are a bunch of single seat race cars out as the Skip Barber Race School has a day on …. It doesn’t take long to realise this is one hilly circuit …… we take the Aviator to various parts of the circuit (as you all know I walk NOWHERE .. lol) and get o see various corners and stuff, up at turn 7 Greg the marshal asks what we are up to and after explaining he admits to being a bike nut and invites us into his marshals post which is through the fencing and right on the curve leading to he crest that he explains hides the Corkscrew … it looks like riding Paddock Hill bend he wrong way ..!!!

After having a good look round Andy suggests we make our way to the hotel, chill and then sort dinner out, we all agree, but then, just as we stroll back to the Lincoln two huge trucks come over the hill that is the service road and the huge CSS & Kawasaki logos give the game away, the circus has made it to town. Andy having met most the US guys in the past wants to say hello and that’s fine by us ….. within minutes I’ve met Kobie the chief instructor, Dylan (Keiths son), Keith Code and some 19 year old British guy that looks like he has lost his tricked up Nova ( but more about Leon Camier in a bit … ), Will the chief mechanic and Callan and Nikki (both seriously cute …. Callan is 23 and drives one of the trucks and Nikki races as well as being Wills assistant ….. both were wife material ….. ).

We then get asked to help unload and that’s real fun, the banter is coming and going between everyone and the whole mood is buoyant, they have one seriously impressive set up and the organisation is top notch …. After a couple of hours we head off, but not before Keith invites us all to meet him for dinner with some of the gang at his favourite Monterey Chinese restaurant.. so that was dinner sorted ….. and very fine it was too.

Monday morning and its an early start, the usual 7am sign on, in the Lincoln Andy asks us to tell him when we have “found” Turn One, we look at him strangely and say “ok”, we get to the circuit and are greeted like old friends as we join the queue to sign up and the banter from Sunday just continues, the day is a sell out so lots of people a great buzz and its looking promising.

I get introduced to Stu, my Level 3 instructor, I then get told that Stu will be looking solely after Leon and myself, so I find myself doing Level 3 with a real racer, this should be fun.

Our group is first out and we have 2 sighting laps, off we go …. Turns one to four pass without any drama and then you turn left at turn five and it feels like you are riding the wrong way up Paddock Hill, turn six is superb, a 70 degree uphill left hander, still climbing, through the right hand curve that is turn seven and suddenly you are looking at the sky, the mountain range ahead and then the track comes back into view, holy sh!t, you have crested the hill and turn hard left before being sucked to the right into the kerb on the inside of turn 8A and its all very very down hill to turn 9, a 90 degree left and then to turn ten, a wall of death right that signals the end of the Corkscrew / Rainey Curve combo and you have dropped approximately 200’ in no more than 250’ of track ….. mind boggling, until you get back to pit lane after lap 2 and realise that was just the sighting laps …… oh boy, this is fun ….

The first day is excellent, goes with a blur or two but the lasting memories for me on day one are off track, sitting with Stu and Leon between sessions and debdriefing, learning from both and realising that even the balistically quick) have the same issues and see the benefits of what there is to learn at the school ….. secondly I find that 2 of my 4 off track drills are delivered by Mr CSS himself, just me, an American guy called Andy (the only other Level 3 student there that day) and Keith Code in a class of our own and I’m being taught Attack Angles and the like by the head honcho …… way too cool …..

The 1st day ends all too quickly and before we know it we are back in the Lincoln and telling our stories of the day, and all agreeing that it is without a doubt a top class event, venue and atmosphere …. dinner is eaten, drinks are drunk and then its off to bed, to do it all again tomorrow …..

Oh, and no sign of Turn One ……

Day two and its my 1st time to experience the tailored training that is Level 4, I meet my Liaison Officer and am introduced to Steve my instructor, an ex US Marine that weighs about 18st and probably doesn’t take much crap, I didn’t try and find out ….. The day is spent getting ever quicker and ever more confident, playing with all the drills, quick turns, two stepping, hook turns, pivot steering and attack angles, confidence is high enough to start trying all sorts of routes through the Corkscrew and trying to find Turn One ….. then it happens, session 4, day 2, I exit Turn Eleven onto the start finish straight in 2nd, hook 3rd, nail it, hit 4th, nail it again and then crikey, this left hand kinks approaching quick, turn hard left, lean off a little and sweep through, apply the front brake and it all gets a little loose approaching Turn Two, I give out a huge grin and realise I have “found” Turn One …. how satisfying was that …. the whole day was a blast…… and ends all too soon ….

There were some great moments, working with and watching Leon out there was an absolute privilege and to top it all off he is a really nice fella, one of my most vivid memories was crossing the start finish straight, session 5 on day 2, going as quick as I had done all day when Leon screams past, smooth as silk, and then 5 instructors all blow past me in hot pursuit, as turn 2 comes into view I see Leon just slam the bike on its left ear and take the corner like he is on rails, same at turn 3, by turn 4 the instructors have all given up …. Leon is gone …. a dot in the distance ………

I managed to improve my lap times (yes, they have them on transponders in the US CSS) and on Day One I started at 2:35.00 in session 2 (no lap times in session 1) and my best time on Day One was 2:14.51, on Day 2 my worst time was 2:27.43 which was in session two as I found my way round again, by the end of the day the whole of session five was in and around 2:10 with a best lap of 2:09.62 …. So all in all a consistent improvement, but just to put that in perspective, Leon managed a best of 1:34 on an identical bike with race rubber ftted and 1:41 with the same tyres as the rest of us …….

There’s loads more I could write, but the 1st paragraph says it all …….

If you need Adobe Acrobat Reader you can click here or the image below to download it.

You can see professionally taken pics from the 2004 Trackday using the following link to our trackday photo gallery:

You can see professionally taken pics from the 2005 Trackday using the following link to our trackday photo gallery:

Ducati UK would like to celebrate the Ducati passion felt in the UK for their motorcycles and of course their race teams by supporting the World Super Bike team at Brands Hatch on Sunday 5 August.

Ducati UK have been able to reserve the Hailwood Grandstand, and would like to invite all DOC members to take part in the grandstand choreography. Click the picture below for full details.