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Barber, and Pit In

Discussion in 'WERA National Endurance Series' started by melissa, Sep 15, 2003.

  1. melissa

    melissa Sir

    First, I want to say that I really liked the Barber track. Fun layout, beautiful landscaping, interesting sculptures, and track security was surprisingly helpful and nice considering the whole time we were there I had this feeling that somebody was going to yell at me sometime for something.

    The only major complaint I have about it is pit in. The location and design of the pit road, coupled with the track's enormous width, make it too easy for racers, especially inexperienced ones, to make sudden, last-minute decisions to head for pit road from the middle of the track. I heard several reports of this happening during the endurance race, and one report was accompanied by the dented gas tank, broken brake lever, bent clip-on, and bruises of my teammate Scott who tried to avoid a collision with just such a rider but ended up having his front wheel taken out anyway. According to Scott, the offending rider threw up his hand heading up the hill over the bridge and then suddenly swerved from mid-track to the left edge of the track as Scott was passing him on the race line, leaving Scott no room.

    I had sent our other rider Ty to the riders meeting and so don't know what the instructions were as to when to signal for exiting the track, but I would recommend it be strongly stressed in the future, for practices and endurance races, that riders signal on the back straight after the middle chicane, and again on the hill, and DO NOT MAKE ANY SUDDEN DIVES FOR THE PIT ROAD from the middle of the track. Signal, give plenty of time for riders passing you to respond, and then move over to the left.

    And if anyone knows who it was with the yellow number plates on a black GSXR tailsection that Scott so generously avoided slamming right into at the end of the first hour, please pass along this message to him because he desperately needs an education in this area.

    Thanks.
     
  2. etemplet

    etemplet Well-Known Member

    This is an excellent point and one that probably should be brought up on this board prior to each endurance race. I did not make the riders meeting either due to crash repairs but sent another team member.

    Given the blind turn and the racing line near the pit entrance, what is the best way to handle this situation? I certainly did not want to be anywhere near the racing line at any point, but on the left side of the track over the hill isn't a swell place to be, and the right side of the track would require crossing the racing line for pit entrance.

    On a personal note, I started signaling long before I went up the hill and stayed to the left side of the track after the hill.

    Cheers,
    Gene
     
  3. aod99

    aod99 Administrator

    Imagine a mack truck tailgating your ass

    I was coming down that hill with about twenty miles an hour on two bikes that were holding a tight line. I was drawing an arc around the outside of them and was just about at the first bike after the bottom of the hill and half way to the cone when the idiot threw up his hand and headed for pit out FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE TRACK!

    I was already committed to an outside line and it was only because I was carrying so much more speed that I cleared his front wheel before I finished my turn.

    I signaled on the back straight. I signaled going up the hill. I held a wide line over the hill and signaled again at the bottom of the hill (again holding a wide line) and then went for pit in. As it was, I had Paul Youngman and some other guy a few feet off my rear wheel for the past ten laps or so.

    The main lesson is signal early, signal often and never ever make sudden line changes.
     
  4. paul

    paul just fast enough

    You did it right Sam. I knew exactly what you were doing so I was inside of you when you slowed for pit in. All it takes is common sense. Wish more people out there had some. Had fun racing with ya though.:beer:

    Also want to say congrats to Team Velocity. You guys are keeping us on our toes. Wish I could have given Ruben a little more competition but it just wasn't happenin that day.

    See all you guys and girls in Atlanta.
     
  5. Chubby Huggs

    Chubby Huggs Guest

    You actually have 2 complaints and didn't know it... I had a 3/4 full bottle of grappa I was looking to share. But everytime we passed within shouting distance you had that "I need to taste blood..." look or I was chasing down parts.

    There's always the GNF!
     
  6. G Dawg

    G Dawg Broken Member

    I also thought the track was great!My problem is with the friggin rocks for the runoff:eek: Mr Barber, ever hear about sand?I had a low speed slide coming out of turn 2.Lost the back end, causing a nice slide into the runoff.$1000 damage because the bike got the shit beat out of it in the rocks.Might be ok for cars,not for bikes!
     
  7. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    Sand doesn't work as well, it gets compacted and basically has no slowing effect. The gravel they have works the best for sucking in bikes and keeping them and the riders off of the walls. And it's really hard to have the gravel mess your bike up if you are on two wheels...
     
  8. JBall

    JBall REALLY senior member

    Gary,

    I was glad to seeing you coming off the track the normal way after the F2 race instead of on the trailer...
     
  9. G Dawg

    G Dawg Broken Member

    Always a smart arse:rolleyes: This is my first crash[with a bike,on a race course] in 5 months!I still have no idea what caused it, the rear tire was in good shape.And yes it did stop it quite quickly:eek:
     
  10. Steve Karson

    Steve Karson Tcasby is my Bitch !!


    Does this include the offseason??:D :Poke:
     
  11. G Dawg

    G Dawg Broken Member

    Dick!!

    That old bat took me out during the season:p It was Easter Sunday:eek:
     
  12. Phil Young

    Phil Young Well-Known Member

    So we're not counting the four bikes you crashed in St Loui, eh?:Puke:
     
  13. Steve Karson

    Steve Karson Tcasby is my Bitch !!

    OUCH!!!! :Poke:
     
  14. G Dawg

    G Dawg Broken Member

    Ok Phil.Read the post.I said "ON THE TRACK" not in the trailer:Poke: :Poke: :beer:
     
  15. stickboy274

    stickboy274 Stick-a-licious Tire Dude

    I signaled at the top of the hill and drifted to the left side of the track, as the line dictated, and never came back.

    I would ride down the hill staying all the way left leaving the inside of the right hander wide open for anybody that was carrying any kind of speed. That way it was real obvious that an outside move would require knobbies.

    Just in case my hand wasn't easy to see. At speed I hear that sometimes people aren't looking at what I'm doing on the bike as much as they are trying to race. Weird
     
  16. Bad Iguana

    Bad Iguana Well-Known Member

    I was at the riders meeting and Ed did discuss the proper procedure for getting off the track at some length. I thought he covered it well.

    I started signalling just before entering the esses and kept signalling everytime I didn't need both hands until I got to the pit road. Like Stick, I tried to make knobbies a requirement for an outside pass. As I recall, that's pretty much what Ed suggested in the rider's meeting, too.
     
  17. Wrenn Smith

    Wrenn Smith New Member

    Re: Imagine a mack truck tailgating your ass

    So that's where you went..... missed the signal because I was a little busy avoiding the traffic in your wake... see you at the GNF.
     

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