A Humbling Experience- 6/2 Grattan Report

So, I pull my little 125 to Grattan Saturday morning hoping the showers stay away so I don't have to put my rains on (they did, thankfully). Set up shop as usual & pitted next to Bill with the nice SV650 that he paid about $300 for & then installed a $1,000 Ohlins shock. :wink:.

First couple sessions felt pretty good. Got smoked as usual down the front straight (I think my bike might hit 110, maybe 115? It's hard to tell when y'all are flying past me like I pulled into a parking spot), but did a lot of damage from T1 thru the bus stop. Anyway, I started thinking that passing people in the Intermediate group around the outsides of T3 & T7 is probably not a good idea. Seems like a fast way to piss off other riders, as well as STT Staff members. So, I decided to ask an Instructor if I might be able to bump to Advanced, mostly because there weren't many people riding in that group to get in the way of. I hooked up with a dude on an older Duc (thanks again, BTW) for a few laps- he told me to be smooth & consistent as possible, but it was OK to ride with the big boys.

First session in Advanced: JESUS! How did some dude on a 1K just outbrake me into T1? How am I not catching bikes thru the S's & the bowl? Why am I not cruising around the outside of other riders before the bus stop? Answer- because guys are FAST in the A group. Seems big bikes (i.e. anything with more than one cylinder) really can turn with skilled riders on board.

Anyway, the next couple sessions felt much better, and I learned some new lines that I think really helped a lot. I don't know how much time I might have shaved off my laps, but I really don't care. I do know that I found myself carrying a higher gear than ever before in a couple places, which is proof enough that I'm getting faster. And I won't name any names, but I even managed to get by a couple guys in the afternoon...

Thanks again to the STT Staff!
Jay