A tale of two trackdays

Ben fell off at Rockingham, but the following week he was back

HOPE I COME DOWN GENTLY,’ I thought as I flew through the air one Tuesday afternoon. I was at Clearways, Rockingham Motor Speedway’s long infield left-hander on a 2018 Kawasaki ZX-10R SE. It had traction control, ABS, electronic suspension and a rider pushing too hard. I was using lots of lean, in a way that makes you feel you’re underneath the bike instead of ‘on’ it. The slider on my boot’s scraped hard against the track. Mid-corner. A degree of extra throttle. Nice and slowly I felt the rear of the bike slide to the right and away from me. The tyre was still touching the track, so when it gripped again a half-second later I’m flicked up into a highside at 70mph. Nine days later I’m back. It’s Bike’s Reclaim Our Tracks trackday. The circuit’s even in the same layout as that Tuesday. But I’ve brought my own motorbike this time – the Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6. No TC, no ABS, no electronic suspension and a rider keeping it within his comfort zone. I know about the K6’s aged rear shock, the near the end of life chain, the clutch that’s just beginning to slip. But it’s my motorbike. Last session of the day. Only four bikes on track: an Aprilia Tuono V-twin, my GSX-R, and two 2016 BMW S1000RRS. They have TC, ABS and electronic suspension. They power out of corners faster than I dare, but I can keep up on Rockingham’s short straights, brake as hard without fearing the front end and corner as fast. I’m having more fun inside my self-set safety net than I did piloting the ZX-10R’S electronic powerhouse. Own an old bike? Get out on track, set your own safety net, and enjoy.