28th April 2003 - Cadwell Park

If the day is organised by the Motorcycle Folly and you are going to Cadwell then it will be wet. It has been for the past few years so why should this year be any different. As I was due to be instructing there was nothing I could do but get out there and brave the weather. Well, as long as I put my wet tyres on anyway :-)

We started with the Advanced group and I had a grand total of three bike to lead around the circuit. It was fairly wet but it didn't stop them trying a few dodgy overtakes and one guy running off on to the grass at the bottom of the Mountain when he tried to overtake someone when there was no room. By the end of the first session my gloves were full of water and my boots were leaking. Great - Just what I need!

We managed just over three laps showing the Intermediate group round before they called us in and we were out with the Novices. I managed to lose a couple of guys going through the Hairpin and Barn and although I could see them at the other end of the straight they refused to catch up regardless of how slow I went. Fortunately one of the club officers was on hand to look after them and I sped up to give the remaining guys a bit more circuit knowledge.

A couple of laps later and we were pulled in as the officials decided that the circuit should be closed due to the weather. Last year we managed two laps on the track in total (and that was when they only let the instructors out to check the conditions). The year before we had to close it for a couple of hours to let the excess water drain off. Fortunately this time they only made us wait an hour or so before letting us back out to play.

I still can't get over how scary I find track days. At least when you are racing you have a reasonable idea about the level of riding and also the basic lines people will use. On a track day you find just about every imaginable line and braking point, especially with guys on larger, more powerful bikes who insist on blasting down the straights and almost walking round the corners. One day I hope people will learn that mad braking is not the answer to a fast lap!

The day started drying out after lunch and by the end of the day the track was almost dry. Mandy Wheeler, a friend I started racing with back in 2001, had come along to see if her bike was now fixed. She's been having some awful luck with bikes recently and had lost her nerve a bit when they all seemed to dump oil out of every orifice with little provocation. She did start off a bit tentatively but was soon running fairly well. A bit more time in the saddle will help her confidence in the corners but she certainly doesn't need any help getting on the gas and blasting her GSXR600 down the straights.

The SV was running okay, well, it was still lacking power in the same manner it was at Oulton, but it was running and I was able to get a few laps to play around. Having to wear the nice yellow bib to show you are an instructor is all very well but you have to have impeccable behaviour as you are seen as something of a target for the punters to aim at. I didn't blast around too much but enjoyed being out there identifying people who needed help and showing them a few lines.

It ended up being quite a nice day and I had blagged a pair of spare washing up gloves (don't laugh!) from Ian Fox to make sure my hands stayed dry for the rest of the afternoon. Let's hope the next time the Folly got to Cadwell the weather stays nice for us. Then again, maybe we can hope for some pit garages, an electricity supply and, well, you get the idea...