Lydden on a prayer
Three months after passing his test, Blackstock takes the Suzuki SV650X to a trackday. What could possibly go wrong?
AT FIRST, I thought MFG was joking when he suggested I head to the Bike Shed’s inaugural Café Racer Cup track/race-day event at Lydden Hill in Kent. I mean, I’d only been riding a couple of months and had driven further in one hit on holiday a couple of years ago than all the miles I’d put on the SV since I was handed the keys.
However, looking at the Café Racer Cup website, it soon became clear that genuine track virgins were definitely part of the target audience (regular and rapid riders were also welcome though) and that the retro-styled Suzuki, with its headlight fairing, clip-on bars and tuck-and-roll seat was a perfect fit.
So it was that I – and family – headed
SPEC SUZUKI SV650X £6342 • 645cc 90° V-twin • 75bhp • 198kg • 14.5-litre tank • 790mm seat • Average economy: 61.5mpg • Miles so far: 1700 “Track virgins were definitely part of the target audience”
south on the first morning of the school holidays, driving through the remains of the first rain for weeks, to the tiny Lydden Hill circuit just outside Dover. I’ve done a couple of trackdays before but in a car, so to say I was apprehensive is an understatement.
As it turned-out, it was (largely) unfounded. Once signed-on, noise-tested (a chuckle and waved through) and scrutineered (take the mirrors off), I was leathered-up and ready
for my first session, behind an instructor to show everyone the lines around the circuit.
That first session was both nervewracking and a revelation. Thankfully, the overnight rain was a distant memory and I found I was able to keep up with the group as we lapped the one-mile circuit, looking for the lines. The pace was deliberately low to begin with, the instructor picking it up gradually as we went on.
The first – of five – ‘practice’ sessions was over before I knew it had begun and I headed back to the pits to re-hydrate.…
Pretty soon we were marshalling for our second session. This time, I found myself looking where I wanted to go but missing apex after apex and every lap felt jerky and messy. Then I realised I was looking too far through the corners so I shortened my view and it started to feel better instantly.
Instead of looking at the exit of the corner before I had turned-in, I looked for the braking point approaching the corner and, as I reached it, transferred my view to the turn-in. Approaching it, I looked to the apex, then at the apex, the exit and wound the throttle on, letting the bike run out to the edge of the circuit.
The lap times dropped significantly as I began to get a feel for the speed I could carry into – and through – each of the corners. I got overtaken a few times but also, passed a couple of other riders, so I didn’t feel so bad…
Before long, that session too was over and another chance to get some fluids. The third and final session of the morning followed…
Again, I was pushing the braking later, carrying more speed into each corner and generally trying to get faster and faster. I was also experimenting with counter-steering to try to get the bike leant over a bit more. It worked but I still had no idea of how much grip it had and I didn’t want to find out the hard way.
Back out after the lunch-break and the temperature had gone up noticeably. And so had the bug-count – I was crawling with thunder flies and the weight of my helmet increased with the smears of former insects. I was also trying hard – too hard, as it transpired. I was over-riding the bike and as a result, my lines were scrappy, I was missing braking points and the times increased. In fact, my fastest lap was 1.4 seconds slower.
The fifth and final session was the best of the day though. It felt cooler and I started moving my weight to the inside of the corner and this again felt really good – natural, more grip and as a result, faster. The times backed this up – my fastest time of the day and seventh-fastest in the Rookie class, out of 24 riders. I was well pleased with that…
Next up for the riders was qualifying
followed by the Rookie race but I decided to call it a day at that. I’d had a fantastic time and was intact. Various riders were starting to fall off all over the place, so I quit while I was ahead.
While it was a huge fun day, it also had practical benefits. I learned far more about what the SV650X is capable of in an hour of track-time than several weeks of riding on the road. Grip is impressive and exceeds my abilities while the handling is easy, relaxed and thankfully, very forgiving. Brakes are strong and the engine is wonderful plenty of torque to push me and the SV through the third-gear left-hander and up the hill towards the hairpin, past a handful of other riders on the way. And there’s enough power to do the same on the straight towards the fast kink before the long right at Pilgrims.
With this extra knowledge and experience comes greater confidence – especially useful for a rookie rider like me. That doesn’t mean I’m going everywhere like I’m on a circuit now but it does mean that I don’t need to worry so much about grip levels when I’m out on the road — just avoiding hazards and enjoying the ride.
There’s only one problem – I want to do it again. Soon...