WEIGHT WATCHERS

STAR LET TER

Hi FB, I liked the Trackday Guide with this month’s FB, but a word of ‘caution’ for the ‘heavier’ biker! I bought a Ducati SPS 14 years ago and booked a Ducati trackday through the dealer (using Ducati’s bikes), but when I turned up I was told I couldn’t do the track day and I’d get a refund. But why? As I weighed 18 stone and Ducati’s rider weight limit was 16 stone at the time! Funny thing, the dealer never told me I couldn’t buy the SPS as I was too heavy – pissed off to say the least!

But a few years later I bought a new Fireblade, and stupidly I never thought about checking when I booked a Honda trackday with the Ron Haslam school at Donington and, yes, I was too heavy for the school’s CBR600RRs at the time too. I worked as a mechanic and recovery driver, but worked some Friday/Saturday nights as a night-club doorman and had done a lot of amateur boxing and am always in the gym, so I wasn’t a ‘fat-git’ more a ‘fit-git’! So a note to readers – take your own bike, don’t try using a school’s bike unless you’re a lightweight. Or, check first! Now I’m ‘too old and fat’ anyway, so it doesn’t apply to me any more! I used to buy the mag loads until Moby left, then picked up the odd copy for a while but have now subscribed again, keep up the good work! Stephen Haywood ‘Shrek’