Thruxton R at Cadwell, GSX’R750 to Kings Cliffe, Xdiavel in the winter, pillion in pain and M Graham’s Shovelhead in (a bit of) trouble.

Copious amounts of tea transform a rainy day into a riot of squirming Rosso Corsas until common sense and discretion win through

TRACKDAYS IN NOVEMBER are always a gamble, and at 9am this one hasn’t paid off. Drizzle is smeared across my visor – it’s like peering down Cadwell’s straight through a frosted bathroom window. As I’m about to peel back into the pits on the last of the three sighting laps for a sulk, the bloke in front of me gives his CBR the tiniest squirt of throttle at the bottom of the Mountain and slides off onto the grass. Sod this. Two hours of tea drinking later things are looking up. The drizzle has wandered off to depress someone else, there’s less of a chill in the air and a dry line is starting to appear. Time to unleash the Thruxton. Despite being in the intermediate group on this No Limits track day, I’m surrounded by track bikes shod with wets, and a gaggle of nutcase CB500 racers (also on wets). There are just five other road bikes – two GSX-RS, two R1s and a KTM RC8. Intimidating? Definitely. But the Thruxton R is reassuringly competent from the off. The Brembo sportsbike brakes are hugely powerful, the Showa big piston forks and Öhlins rear shocks feel firm and composed and ground clearance isn’t a problem at my pace. Powerwise, the Triumph copes. With 96bhp the 1200cc motor inevitably gets tonked by the superbikes down the straights but at 203kg dry it can carry serious corner speed. My only concern is the tyres – the Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsas are superb in the dry, but I’ve already noticed how long they take to warm up

‘Steaming into Charlies I feel like a red kite being mobbed by starlings’

if it’s cold. On the can’t-see-anything sighting lap the traction control light was flashing everywhere as the rear tyre slithered under a whiff of torque. Highlight of the day is getting amongst the five CB500 racers. They’re braver than me on the brakes, only a bit faster mid-corner and don’t stand a chance on the exits or straights. Steaming into Charlies with that lot dicing around me I feel like a red kite being mobbed by starlings. It’s great fun until it dawns on me that my bike is probably worth all of theirs combined and I’ve got to ride home on it. Sighing the most sensible sigh I can manage under such hilarious temptation, I let them head off and I tag onto an R1 instead. Happy days.

Many thanks to No Limits for their typically well organised track day. Call: 01525 877087 to book. Or nolimitstrackdays.com