After a very mixed day last week due to traffic and a damp but not wet track we went back to SPA in hoping for an either dry or wet day. Preferably dry as might be guessed.
And we got very lucky. It did stay dry all day. Even got to a nice bit of sunshine over the noon so the tires could get some heat in them.
I know Steve is watching my back and it feels very reassuring as he is a top bloke and gives me more time than I merit. But if I want to progress as a rider I do need some on the spot 1 on 1 input. There is no way around that. Input into setup that, as we all know, is not abundantly available on the Pani. And those who do know what needs to be known are working for full time racers. And not for some middle aged oversized rookie.
When I found out that Andre Niemandsverdriet had swapped team and Johnny Willemse who runs a pretty knowledgeable Ducati service shop out of Terneuzen, Holland had a bit of spare time we met. as I like the guy and got to know about his long career in racing as a rider and GP mechanic ( be it a while gone ) and setup expert i decided to go and find out what it means to have that type of guy watching after you bike in the paddock. No use in regretting it not to be Steve as he has a looong list of priorities to attend to. Looking at the radar, Johnny is probably the only guy to have worked methodically on Pani setup in racing conditions for a year. And Andrés results were impressive with a constant improvement.
So I was quit full of anticipation. Could I live up to the bikes potential, would I be able to handle the extra pull and speed on the daunting bits ( Radillon, Blanchimont… ) ? The flat 6th bits that decide so much of the laptime.. the goal being able to drop 7,4 seconds form my BP to 2:45 by August. Goal for the day was a lowish 2:48
As Spa is the track where we have to find time at all cost, body positioning would get paid attention to but would not be a priority. It would have to come second.
It was cold and we dropped the pressure to 1,7 while warm. From what learned, a lower pressure allows for the tire to flex and the pumping allows for heat build-up. For the first time, pressure was checked 3 times between sessions.
Then I found out I had been put in C group ( 1 down) and on the briefing when I saw a lot of riders being full novices ( bless their heart) I knew that the morning sessions would be rather slow ones as traffic would be dense, speed differences big. A combination that asks for extra vigilance and care.
It was good to see that not even a year on, the many track miles and extra speed had worked wonders for carving a way through without having to resort to drastic moves. Coming back from a cold first session that took chunks out of the rear, my PB had fallen by 2 seconds to 2:50. Without even pushing.
The last time I had been at Spa was the time I dumped her in the gravel trap, losing the front at Combes. The bike felt much firmer but still very well able to cope with the bumps. A far cry from the rocking chair movement I had then. So all felt well and I could sense we were on our way.
And it got real fun when the AIM could get to work. 1:50 was a good benchmark for the rest fo the day.
The next session took a jump in temp and after a couple of free runs I could get a good lap in. another 1,5 seconds gone. I had found the courage to pin it all the way to 6th going downhill towards Radillon and managed to get to the top decently, coming out at 195 kph on one occasion. IT would prove to be a difficult turn to take. Not so much at the bottom but rather at the top when full throttle would give a mostly gentle wobble and letting her drift out a tad too early would see the left side curb. One bigger slapper sort of curbed the enthusiasm. Coming back from Stavelot it was the same : pinning it in 6thr at 250 to take the right Blanchimont just to let it roll to first left at 230 and then 1 down to come out at 190 in the best of cases. Many times interrupted by much and much slower traffic. Of course not their fault so it was up to me to adapt myself to the situation.
And on a clear run it came : down to 2:47.8 .. djeezes goals achieved on session 2 … what more could io ask for. In traffic and on a tire that now was toast.
In the afternoon I got moved up to Racers group when the groups were reshuffled to be more homogenous. I very much enjoyed the structured work from Johnny and Peter, his apprentice mechanic and felt like Stoner dropping the bike of and going into debriefing straight away.. By now I was really like doing some WSBK re-enactment.
But it sure did work and brought results through amazingly small steps. As the basic setup of the bike was good, Johnny focused on the feedback I gave him. I had found that coming out of Stavelot hard, the bike would pump a bit at the rear, adding to the freckle nature of the head. We went for a mere 2 clocks extra rebound damping at the rear to see whether that would solve the issue. And it did. But then Johnny saw the big wobble at the top of Radillon as a consequence of the bike being kept at the back longer, lightening the front. Remedy : lets drop the bike by taking 1 turn of preload off and add 2 clicks of rebound to keep it there. And it worked well. It was now planted through every turn and had the added benefit to seem to be able to keep the turn better as well.
The double left hander coming 1 meter more in the middle of the track at the top of my speed range confirmed that to me. It allows to get on the throttle earlier and with greater confidence.
Fatigue was still ok but still felt.. I m not the type of rider that does his best stint at the end of the day. So I know I d have to do it next. And I was able to drop another 0 .4 to the final best of 2:47.4. Nothing dramatic as there was a new tire on, bit still enough to make everybody happy. Especially me. Looking at the data and vid has shown to that if I connected the best parts of the fastest laps , the 2:45:5 is not far off.
As to body positioning : Mixed feelings I must say. The bike already turning in easier, the message to hang off ‘as would feel exagerated’ had a booster effect. Even so much that when is really went to hang off through the first left at Blanchimont I must have hit the small rumble strip next to the grass. At 220kph and under lean, that was not good. So the mistery remains and the verdict remained out.
In the meantime, Stef and Luc had dropped to 2:43’s… damn it.. I had been able to run 2 sessions with them but a scrap and a tow took them to new bests..
Needless to say that now everybody had to cheer a fabulous day… driving home I realised that Silverstone is up next Monday already and then Brands GP will follow soon.
And Tuesday will bring the last off the goodies : Steve has tried and tested the WSBK-EVO short throttle that will take out the very last of the glitches. The rattling on/of stock throttle that I also blame for the Proshift refusing to change down a gear as it only does so when fully closed. The on/of thing can’t be very helpful there.
So we travel to Silverstone on Sunday evening, hop over to Derby to have the PS3 fine tuned ( increase max revs, blip 2nd 10% higher, shorten the re-ignition span …) and then off to Winchester to get the Throttle installed. Will be a happy homecoming. And then : Close off an incredible week with what could be my preferred home track : Brands GP. Hopefully in the dry this time..
No pics yet but a nice vid will have to do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PdsqD6RQE4
i ve never liked getting my b.lls knocked about on such hard seat and cobbles... Always thought of cyclists to be masochists... 'Flandrien' is a pet name for ultra tough cyclists with it's biggest acclaim a great capacity for suffering.. 
