First trackday on my 1299

I posted a more general version of this on the main Forum, but wanted to get a more technical thread going in here.

So, first trackday in 2 years since the birth of my daughter and first trackday ever on the 1299....

There were a LOT of the really fast AFM guys out practising and MAN are they quick and committed; you can see a couple of really sketchy situations where they make some ill-advised passes, but it's humbling to be out there with these guys. You will see my instructor, Cory Call pass me REALLY close, on the main straight, on his 2015 race BMW S1000RR, as I let off for the upcoming clusterfuck; he's leading 3 of 4 championships in the AFM right now.. DEVASTATINGLY fast around Thunderhill and he's fresh off a 5th place on a guest spot in AMA 1000 SSTK.

My screen is covered in brake fluid, because my dealership overfilled it when they changed out the fluid to Castrol SRF and my race numbers are obscuring the view, BUT... It's still a really fun video and gives you an idea of what the potential of the bike is. I was not pushing all that hard and I was not doing ANY dive-bomb braking.. no sense in pushing it too hard on my first trackday on the 1299.

At around the 7 minute mark, you see me making an outside pass in turn 2 and then a scrape and my bike magically changes gear all by itself, followed by a nasty twitch and me continuing on my merry way.. I jammed the tip of the shifter into the asphalt..!!! I think I win the lean-angle thread..!!

Now onto the more technical bits.

The first thing is that the Pirelli SC2.5 rear is beyond phenomenal. I put 13 sessions in 2 days on it, in 97 degree weather and it was perfect; perfect grip, perfect wear.. Get one. COLD pressures as per Pirelli techs at the track: 25 rear, 29 front. Worked perfectly all weekend.

Second thing is that my brake reservoir puked/sprayed fluid all over the freaking place; my dealer changed my fluid our for Castrol SRF; the brakes WORKED flawlessly, but all that fluid left me nervous.

Third; even after spending 1/2 a day with Dave Moss, getting the MANUAL settings dialed in, I eventually went with the DDS.. In rear, I went hardest and in front harder; sag was set at 38mm front and 28mm rear and was spot-on. The handling was unflappable and I could carry monster corner speed, as you'll see in the video; so much so, that I was able to pass many times on the outside of some of the corners and that's a hard thing to do in the A/race group.

Fourth: The bike was VERY fast and very stable on the straights; you will notice a few wobbles here and there, as I worked to control a few wheelies, but with the slip-on and RapidBike, I was able to stay ahead of all the race bikes out there and catch quite a few on the straights (although I was being VERY conservative on the brakes, due to my fears about the fluid coming out of my MC).

For my first time back in 2 years and my first Ducati track experience, I was incredibly happy with how the bike performed; I was getting to know her and the new SC 2.5's and she was a sweetheart, never giving me a problem

Overall, my biggest praise is for the brakes and the way the DDS worked; I was convinced that the DDS was going to be all smoke and mirrors when it was really pushed, but quite frankly, that's the best handling bike I have ever ridden and the DDS was just brilliant.

Cheers and I still have that buzz from yesterday, so not getting a ton of work done, this Monday..


https://youtu.be/XeOzevfaH6k

[youtube]watch?v=XeOzevfaH6k&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

So this was A group....lemme see if I can spot my buddies in there lol

r6rammy said:

So this was A group....lemme see if I can spot my buddies in there lol

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Yes, A group and a particularly FAST A group, since there were a ton of AFM guys out practicing for next weekend's race.

I got to go out with my previous instructor from 2 years ago, Cory Call and it's downright depressing; I'm going damn hard and he's just picking his nose, waiting for me to catch up. The one thing he did say, was that I am carrying major corner speed, so I took that as a big compliment.

When we were at the dealer show last year and Claudio Domenicali was presenting what the Ohlins Smart EC suspension system going on the 1299S would be, he said it was "Like cheating."

80shilling said:

Yes, A group and a particularly FAST A group, since there were a ton of AFM guys out practicing for next weekend's race.

I got to go out with my previous instructor from 2 years ago, Cory Call and it's downright depressing; I'm going damn hard and he's just picking his nose, waiting for me to catch up. The one thing he did say, was that I am carrying major corner speed, so I took that as a big compliment.

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Actually I heard otherwise from my buddies in A group. They commented that pace was maybe a bit slower than usual in A group, they were circulating ~2:02-2:05 lap times. Only one was ~2:10 mark, rest below 2:05 consistent.

I'm still way too slow to get into A group, especially in turns 6-7-8. I need to build up confidence to go faster there and use my vision correctly. I'm stuck looking at apex or turn in points and look ahead a bit too late. I'll keep working on it.

My goal is to get to A group before end of hte year (~5 more day).

No....didnt see any of my friends in your video

r6rammy said:

Actually I heard otherwise from my buddies in A group. They commented that pace was maybe a bit slower than usual in A group, they were circulating ~2:02-2:05 lap times. Only one was ~2:10 mark, rest below 2:05 consistent.

I'm still way too slow to get into A group, especially in turns 6-7-8. I need to build up confidence to go faster there and use my vision correctly. I'm stuck looking at apex or turn in points and look ahead a bit too late. I'll keep working on it.

My goal is to get to A group before end of hte year (~5 more day).

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I think there were the AFM guys and then the rest of us and then a few people who were too slow in the corners; they would go WFO on the straights and then park it in the corners; I nearly collected a couple of them, as you can see in the video... I eventually found a couple of guys who were running my pace and a bit quicker and hooked up on track with them; we eventually kicked out a couple of 1:57's on a clear lap.

I would say, until you can consistently run 2:05-2:07's's don't come into the A group, more importantly, make sure your corner speeds are up to par, especially as you pointed out, in turns 6,7,8,9,10 and 14..

Cheers.

80shilling said:

I think there were the AFM guys and then the rest of us and then a few people who were too slow in the corners; they would go WFO on the straights and then park it in the corners; I nearly collected a couple of them, as you can see in the video... I eventually found a couple of guys who were running my pace and a bit quicker and hooked up on track with them; we eventually kicked out a couple of 1:57's on a clear lap.

I would say, until you can consistently run 2:05-2:07's's don't come into the A group, more importantly, make sure your corner speeds are up to par, especially as you pointed out, in turns 6,7,8,9,10 and 14..

Cheers.

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Dude on the video you are nowhere near a 1.57 post up some footage of that one not the session where you are running 2.10's

reganc said:

Dude on the video you are nowhere near a 1.57 post up some footage of that not the session where you are running 2.10's

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I only got two sessions on video and they were from the first sessions of the day; as far as I can tell (and I just sat and watched every lap on that video and timed them, also cross referenced the timestamp on the video itself), the best lap on that video is a 2:05'ish, not a 2:10.. decent, but not as good as I went later on, when there was a clearer track. That's all I have for you, accept it or don't. Check with Forum member MMC; we didn't bother putting cameras on the bikes for most of the sessions.

Maybe my buddy that timed me is full of ...., maybe I'M full of ...., who knows, maybe I don't even own a 1299 and I'm just on here for ..... and giggles?

Nice video, but you just love posting up the same threads under different topics huh...

How did you like the wheelie control?

Whoopazz said:

Nice video, but you just love posting up the same threads under different topics huh...

How did you like the wheelie control?

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Started a post in the general section when I was at the track and decided to be more specific in the racing section; I'm sure a Moderator will delete one of them, if he thinks it's out of line..

DWC Seemed to work really well; I only had one real moment and that was coming out of turn 9, when I had my weight too far back; other than that, you can see that it worked pretty well coming onto the main straight, so I'm pretty happy with it.

Cheers.

I will vouch for some commentary – check gotbluemilk for #21 on both Sat and Sun and you see 80shilling. I was there too, check #19 1299S.

I started with the same tire pressures as recommended and had no issues.
I started with Race mode, Dynamic on day 1. By the end of the day I went to Dave to sort it out. My times were slow and the bike was unsettled through 2, 3, 7 & 8. Under braking was fine. Day two the suspension was tuned far better. Went to fixed settings for both front and rear.

I did not notice #21 on the track in group A but I see you in the photos in the same group - we must have been 180deg apart.

Your brake reservoir looks under filled to me and appears to be leaking at the cap. I run a sock over mine just in case of small leaks and check it before the ride.

According to my lap timer I slotted 2:10s average day 1 and made a 2:05.68 best on day 2. Considering my best there is a 2:02 on a different bike that is not bad for its first day as well.

80shilling said:

I only got two sessions on video and they were from the first sessions of the day; as far as I can tell (and I just sat and watched every lap on that video and timed them, also cross referenced the timestamp on the video itself), the best lap on that video is a 2:05'ish, not a 2:10.. decent, but not as good as I went later on, when there was a clearer track. That's all I have for you, accept it or don't. Check with Forum member MMC; we didn't bother putting cameras on the bikes for most of the sessions.

Maybe my buddy that timed me is full of ...., maybe I'M full of ...., who knows, maybe I don't even own a 1299 and I'm just on here for ..... and giggles?

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If your friend tells you that you are running a 1.57 or the lap record then I'm sure you are and the Internet will back you up.

Good luck

hwjason said:

I will vouch for some commentary - check gotbluemilk for #21 on both Sat and Sun and you see 80shilling. I was there too, check #19 1299S.

I started with the same tire pressures as recommended and had no issues.
I started with Race mode, Dynamic on day 1. By the end of the day I went to Dave to sort it out. My times were slow and the bike was unsettled through 2, 3, 7 & 8. Under braking was fine. Day two the suspension was tuned far better. Went to fixed settings for both front and rear.

I did not notice #21 on the track in group A but I see you in the photos in the same group - we must have been 180deg apart.

Your brake reservoir looks under filled to me and appears to be leaking at the cap. I run a sock over mine just in case of small leaks and check it before the ride.

According to my lap timer I slotted 2:10s average day 1 and made a 2:05.68 best on day 2. Considering my best there is a 2:02 on a different bike that is not bad for its first day as well.

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I didn't know there was another 1299 there.. The reservoir sock is definitely a good idea.. What number were you running?

#19

reganc said:

If your friend tells you that you are running a 1.57 or the lap record then I'm sure you are and the Internet will back you up.

Good luck

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You seem to have a problem and I'm not sure why.. I am pretty sure my contributions to the Forum haven't managed to piss any one off too much, I post mostly positive stuff and generally seem to enjoy my time here. If my buddy tells me he timed me at a 1:57, I'll accept that, since a 1:57 ain't exactly fast there, in the grand scheme of things..

This is the Internet, as you have pointed out, it's not all that serious, chill out and enjoy the fun.

80shilling said:

You seem to have a problem and I'm not sure why.. I am pretty sure my contributions to the Forum haven't managed to piss any one off too much, I post mostly positive stuff and generally seem to enjoy my time here. If my buddy tells me he timed me at a 1:57, I'll accept that, since a 1:57 ain't exactly fast there, in the grand scheme of things..

This is the Internet, as you have pointed out, it's not all that serious, chill out and enjoy the fun.

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I actually looked at the times and lap record there . Reganc's post of him getting pissy pricked my interest . I see Josh Hayes runs a 46 on a 600 out there so I see no reason a 57 is out of the question .
I actually lapped there doing a 1:50 .

hwjason said:

#19

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I just checked out gotbluemilk.com and saw your pictures.. How did we miss each other? Anyway, I will be back to Thunderhill for the October event, so I will come and find you in the pits.

Cheers.

wilkson said:

I actually looked at the times and lap record there . Reganc's post of him getting pissy pricked my interest . I see Josh Hayes runs a 46 on a 600 out there so I see no reason a 57 is out of the question .
I actually lapped there doing a 1:50 .

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I'm just busting balls, when you say you run a 1.57 but your video is 8 or 10 seconds seconds slower I find it amusing I didn't mean to get 80shilling's knickers in a twist.

I must be hella slow, cause 1:57 is flying to me. I have a few buddies running AFM and winning the novice class who don't run that.

Would be cool to see a video of that. I assume you have some from the S1000RR, right?