06/02-3 TDs: The Bad

[ceo012384]

Now, for the bad. I'm still really bummed about this so I'll keep it fairly short. I'm devastated about the bike obviously... but more so because I was leaving the next morning for Deal's gap, Charleston to relax, and a track day at Jennings GP in Florida. I had to cancel my trip. I've been a sight to see for the past few days...

Anyways, as I was dropping into the bowl (turn 6) I was coming up on a slower rider; she was riding a red triumph 675. She took a very wide line dropping into 6 and she was coming out very shallow. She spun the rear, and due to the banking of the turn she (and her bike for a little while too) remained RIGHT on the racing line. Not only that, but she was sliding sitting up (not prone). I was coming out after the apex pretty hard on the gas, knee buried into the ground, looking up at the treehouse at the top of 7-8. In my peripheral vision I saw her crash and wasn't initially worried, but due to the banking she STAYED there right on the hot line and I thought "shit, this isn't going to end well". I didn’t have many options and I had to wreck my r6 to avoid any bike-to-human contact.

I couldn't safely get to the inside of her smoothly without lowsiding and putting my bike into her spine. I tried to stand it up and get to the outside while grabbing some front.... wasn't slowing fast enough... tried to stand it up some more and give some more front and the front washed out. My bike missed her by about 2 feet.

There are a few positives to come out of this. I realized yesterday, thinking through how awful this could have turned out, that doing track days has made me such a better rider I can’t even describe it.

If this situation had presented itself to me at my first trackday last august, or sometime during the summer after I started riding one year ago, or if pretty much any street rider was put into this situation, that girl would have been dead or very seriously injured. Track days have given me the skills to minimize how bad Tuesday really could have been. It sucked for me, but it could have sucked much worse for her, her family/friends, etc...

Also, because this crash wasn't due to me making an input error or pushing my limits or something during normal track riding, I won't take a step back in my progress of technique. I could go out today and click off the same laps I was on tuesday. Trying to find positives here...

The bike is at GMD computrack to get measured and get an insurance estimate. Hopefully this can all work out somehow. My goal is to have something I can ride street and track, somehow.

A guy on another forum was in the stands at the bowl and even though it all happened pretty fast, he got a few photos.

Here's a shot of her sliding on the racing line:



Here's a shot of me and my bike barely missing her:




Getting up after the aftermath:








I am fine. My all my muscles are a little achey, my thumb is sprained and my knee got dinged pretty good. Other than that, no big deal. I've been much more sore after a rugby game.


Here's photos I took afterwards of gear damage and bike damage:

Blew out a seam on the IXS suit:





Held Phantoms held up great, left:



Right:



Helmet face shield (and chin a little bit):



Bike:



Can got squashed somehow, I think it hit the tires/fence:



Hands down, tank slider saved the entire bike. If you have a late model r6 and aren't running these, you're rolling the dice:











By the way, if you've got wiseass comments, go fuck yourself. Seriously.