2 day track day

BlackJota said:
I have run Dunlup Q3+ tyres on my MV F3 800 for years now at track days. Very good choice.
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Good to hear, Peter. My rear is a 160/60x17 and the tread is almost vertical at the extreme edge on a 4.25 inch rim - would have preferred a 150/70, but shall see how it goes. What pressures do you run on the track? I've been running 30 rear and 32 front on the road - feels great. From what I can gather a ballpark figure for the track would be 28 rear and 30 front. Hard to find any definitive advice online - some total bullshit in various forums.
 
Thanks Rob - tyres are all different, but any info is good. Interestingly, the modern (17 inch) Dunlops all run higher pressures front than rear, opposite to my 18s of past years.
 
piranha-bro2 said:
Good to hear, Peter. My rear is a 160/60x17 and the tread is almost vertical at the extreme edge on a 4.25 inch rim - would have preferred a 150/70, but shall see how it goes. What pressures do you run on the track? I've been running 30 rear and 32 front on the road - feels great. From what I can gather a ballpark figure for the track would be 28 rear and 30 front. Hard to find any definitive advice online - some total bullshit in various forums.
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I start with ambient pressure 26 rear and 28 front. No tyre warmers. They come up to 33psi after a couple of laps. I have never had an issue with them not performing. The MV has 148 hp at 13500rpm, traction control, race ABS, counter rotating crank etc. Completely different machine to what you have. I am convinced that the race electronics help to preserve the tyres by limiting the spinning and locking that could occur without. One thing is for sure, your gona have a great time at the Island on SFQ.
 
Some serious HP there Peter. Can't imagine riding it without the tech aids! I've always loved the feel of my SF on the track, so the Q should be even better.
 
Your correct, the electronic intervention allows me to ride faster lap times. I have tried without and honestly is way more difficult to manage.
Talking tyres, I have a set of Dunlop Sportsmax Q4+ that are their road equivalent to a slick compound with minimal tread pattern. They are at a different level of traction to the Q3+. Simply outstanding in every way except their cost and wear rate. They give me 2-3 seconds a lap quicker at lakeside than the Q3+. That also puts me very close to my capabilities as a rider, and I don't see the point in that. Too much at stake for this old fart.
If you want tyres with sensational grip, then the Q4 or Q5 would be the go. This rear is a 190, I prefer 180 but that was all I could get at the time.
 

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Woops! Idiot me! I confused you with another banana bender, Shajota (Peter)! Apologies to you both!

I know what you mean about inching out the fastest lap you can - I'm not out on a track bike and what I'm riding is far too precious to throw down the road in search of a few seconds - to prove what? I have no doubt the SFQ will give the 160 Q3s a good workout under power out of corners - might not need traction control but it has some serious grunt from 3500-8000+.
 
DOCV 'Fun Day' (yes, it WAS fun :) ) done and dusted. Fantastic day with five Laverdas (three triples and two twins) circulating among the hordes of red. Maurizio's had his Jota and the '74 SFC to choose from - the latter definitely won the award for loudest motorcycle on the track! No noise meter in use yesterday.

Four groups available - Slow, Medium Slow, Medium Fast and Fast - no problem changing up or down so I chose medium Slow. With relatively few riders on the track it really didn't matter which group you chose and i never felt the need to go up. There were riders in various groups who could easily have gone up two levels. Maurizio and I started in MS and Hooksey and Tom started in MF but switched down so we could all mix it up (and probably because being passed by a V4 Panigale doing 280+ isn't much fun!). 25+ years since I rode the Island and initially felt like I was completely out of my depth (and glad I went in Medium Slow!) but each session allowed me to relax back into it and concentrate on putting some decent sections together - don't think I managed even one lap where I hit all the lines and apexes I was after. Passing slower riders was a theme as well and with only 15-20 minute sessions you don't get that much time to get it all right.

At the end of the day I only had 2 1/2 sessions. A guy who'd just flown past me into T1 threw it away on the exit from T2 (Southern Loop) and the red flag for the ambulance came out. Late arvo the SFQ developed a miss, which was low fuel, but then wouldn't run cleanly and was running on one cylinder below 2500rpm, so I had to sit out the last two sessions. Reckon a blockage somewhere in the FCRs and though I tried I couldn't sort it in the pits - no doubt some residual crap in the tank responsible. Investigation this week when time permits. Sportmax Q3s were brilliant.
 

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Too bad about the mc issues Q. Would have been good to have a few lavs on track. Having the SFC on track would have been fantastic to see and hear. Loudest bike on track eh!!
Next year I'll have my SFC on track and judging from my last track day sure it'll be the loudest on track as well. May have to try and get a few local lav owners signed up for the day.
 
Q I was very close to fitting a couple of these to the Atlas till I discovered that decomposing cloth 100-mile-an-hour tape on the airbox was flaking and blocking the idle jets. I don't know if they restrict flow but they can easily be unscrewed and cleaned. Internally they use a lump of what looks like brass mesh, very fine looks almost solid, probably even filter out rust dust. They screw against an O ring and look very well made. It would be easy to test flow, one litre timed through a fuel hose with and without. BTW what other model Laverdas were out there, you got some competition with the 3 mentioned on track, ridden with all 3 on Snowy Rides and there fast. Must be nice not having to worry about white vans parked on the side of the road with cameras inside, for a change.

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Now that was a fun day, well done to the Vic Ducati owners for putting such an event, I would hate to think how much it would cost to hire Phillip Island !!!! And even the weather was perfect I don't think I have been there for such a cracking day.
I had done a couple of these Ducati club track days in the past and have always been the solo Laverda but not this time.
There were about 100 riders so there was heaps of track time, there was probably only about 40 minutes between rides, apart from a bit of a delay from a crash.
Not sure how you will go with 2 days on the SFC Rob I could barely fold myself into mine, but it sure was worth it with the looks of everyone blocking there ears in pit lane, even better with the engine spinning up toward 8000rpm they are such a unique motorcycle.
There was 4 of us riding Laverdas (Tom Dave Quentin and myself) amongst a sea of red Ducatis and we were fortunate enough to share some real dicing together apart from the fact that Quentin had to come in due to some low speed misfiring issues on his SFQ, that bike goes like a bullet.
I managed to get some stability out of my 78 Jota in her standard Ceriani suspension as the day wore on I just kept dropping the tyre pressures.
We will have to get out there again Tom Dave and Quentin and hopefully entice some of our other Aussie mates for a "fun"day.
 
Certainly was a hoot. I'm going to email DOCV and thank them for the effort they put in. After my last nightmare track day with them about 25 or 30 years ago and their effing ludicrous noise limit it was a joy to ride free and fast. The numbers on track made it so easy to circulate - a few times I'd wait behind a slower rider until it was a harmless overtake but really the only thing slowing me down was myself ... PI is NOT a place for the fainthearted!

The prob with the SFQ actually started with fluffing going full stick on the main straight late in my 4th session, so naturally I came in - low fuel probably the cause, but then there was something odd going on at low revs. if it's fuel it's in the slow fuel system. I still had enough time on track to be totally satisfied with the day. And totally blown away by how fast this bike is. - in a straight line, under brakes in super fast bend - love it!
 
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Great photos Pat.
Seeing those pics of the SFC revs me up to Recommission mine. I'm still bendy enough to sit on it. Format at Collie is 15 min sessions, 4 groups.
SFC one day the Motodd the next. I'm liking the 2 day events. The SFC is such an unique bike to ride. You can't help yourself but to fang it.
 
It was a fantastic day. Sun shining and hardly a breath of wind. Not often those two occur together at PI. The circuit was actually closed to spectators everywhere except for the pits. I had to drive out of the track complex and made my way down a side road behind Siberia and stood on a fallen tree shooting pics through the cyclone wire fence. Later in the day the pit lane marshalls took pity and allowed me onto their stand on the pit wall. Huge thanks to them.
Behind the track, blue sky and no surf!IMG_0903.jpeg
 
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