My rides
We skipped the first session for the same reason we missed the second day. As you can see in the photos, the K0 tire took quite a beating from the previous session. Unfortunately, fitting a new one wasn’t within the budget. The tire tech said it was risky to keep rotating the tire, but hey—I’m the boss 😅.
When you have multiple days at the same race track, you often pick up the pace right where you left off the previous day, and this time was no different. We skipped the first session because the track was still a bit cold, which would have only worn down the tire faster. We didn’t want to risk a crash since we had plenty of track time ahead.
And yet it is already the last time for me this 2024 year at Circuit Zolder!
Hot hot hot! It was a day where the weather was very hot. We brought hoses that we could use to cool ourselves down.
First time on Zolder with good weather. Due to many riders saying the have fast laptimes the fast group was full. So we had to start in the less fast group and that was not very nice. The first session there was already a red flag and the second session to.
You might be thinking, hey is this the 5 hours of TT Circuit Assen? And yes it is. But why don’t I see pictures of them? Well, that is because Peter the other rider was ill and not able to race.
The last day was also with a cold start. Although in the beginning of the last (my last) session it all went wrong. I thought I turned into the corner correctly but it was to soon. Had to correct and start the corner again but I had way to much speed. I needed to bailout of the corner because the tarmac was ending and went into the gravel. So far so good, BUT! The wall came way to close where I had to drop the bike in the gravel and came to a stop.
The second day was as cold as the first one at the start. But the racetrack was a not new anymore. Did many laps but it is a difficult and technical racetrack. So worked a lot on which line worked and which didn’t.
When we arrived we drove through snow and freezing temperatures and not the 20+ ℃ you would expect from Spain. The circuit is in the middle of nowhere but easy accessible from the main highway. The hotel Trackdudes arranged had nice rooms.
About me
The feeling for speed was created at my 12 age on the back of a Honda Magna of my mother. On my 18th birthday I first got by driver license for by motorcycle and started on a Honda CBR600F3 25KW (1997). Many years and many more kilometers of fun.
Because it was going all to fast on the road I bought a Honda CB600F but it all felt to slow. Swiftly had a Suzuki GSR600 and did a first “track” visit with this bike at the @Circuit_Nuerburgring. Riding the track gave peace on the public roads but the need for a new track experience was high.
In August 2010 I did my first full track day at no less at @Circuit_Spa-Francorchamps on a Honda CB1000R ABS! I got the taste and the foot pegs where dragging over the tarmac. In 2012 I bought a Honda Fireblade CBR929RR (2001) that had only one purpose: track days! I’m a IT developer and to destress from all the BITS and BYTES I go ride on the track.
Due to the lack of power of the older CBR I bought a newer one Honda Fireblade CBR1000RR (2008). With the first track day I also had my first crash. Had a good high sider and ended in the hospital. Ending the season very quickly. In 2015 I finally got back on the track and started to feel much better on the bike and gaining every lap and every track day more confidence.
2021 and now I stepped up again to a 2019 SP model of the Honda Fireblade. The older 2008 was a very good bike and had a lot of fun with it. But I wanted to ride something newer and again with more powerrr.
I feel a lot of pleasure riding with my friends and hope to keep doing for a long time and above have fun doing it! Track times come with experience en trust.
Hope to see you on the track!