Track Days at Castle Combe - My experience

[SSMark]

I must have been realy good last year as my dear wife allowed my garage to be addorned with a second Ducati (99 900ss) and she was happy to let me prepare the older 900ss (94 model which I have owned for 6 years) for track days.

Project 'cheap as chips track day' was born.

After some time removing parts and watching e-bay for some replacement bits the final result cost just under £200.

Castle Combe is just 10 miles from my house so seemed to be ideal. I was a little worried as various report read indicated the track was very fast, bumpy and noise concious. Probably not ideal for a rattely old 900ss!

To that end I borrowed a noise tester from work, called the chap who conducts the noise testing to find out exactly what he does (a very helpfull man), and with the assistance of my wife conducted a noise test. Her hearing will recover eventually I am told!!!

Changed the open cans to standards ending up with a reading of 101dB.

Track day booked and of we went - I do not know who was more excited, me or Joanne.

I have no experience of other track days for comparison but I found the organisation at CC to be very helpfull and friendly to newbies.

The first few sessions were tacken easy and hindered by the fuel pump cutting out intermittantly myfault for not checking the conectors thoroughly enough for loose conections. Fix done.

CC hase a number of 'instructors' most of whome are more than happy to give one to one sessions and give very good advice. By the end of the day my best time was a 1:32. I have no idea if this is good or bad for a 'near' standard 900ss but was quite quick enough for me. I was overtaken on the start finish section but in the bends could hold my own

At this pace the low slung suspension allowed my feet and the exhaust to touch down which was a little disconserting.

Each session is 10 min long which some people may think is to short - I on the otherhand think it was just right - at the end of each session I was knackered and needed 50 minutes to recover.

I have been twice more this year (both times the weather was as good as the first) with lap times slightly improoving but no better than 1:30. For the second day I had the rear suspension extended 20mm and moved the forks as far as possible through the yolks. In addition the standard exhausts has a piece welded to lift them slightly and the foot pegs were raised by welding a plate between two tubes of the frame - did the job and ground clearance is now not an issue.

The only trouble was during the last session I had gained enough confidense to go through quarry bend fast enough to overtake fireblades on the exit. With no warning I managed to find the end of the grip available from the front when a slower bike drifted on to my line.

This resulted in the fastest rolly polly I have ever done - fortunatly I did not have far to fall but I went a long way. Dizzy as hell I staggered to the side.

Bike was rebuilt ready for the next track day with little expence but it took the bruses weeks to go .

In all I am now hooked, will do some more next year and am concidering the Desmo Due as a way forward.

Back to doing the washing up without complaining!!

Mark