Last week you saw that I got to take a few solo laps around the track. Besides Nicky, I am the only one that has put solo laps in on the new track, well at least above 30 mph.After chatting with the “PR GOD” who reminds me to write this blog each week, he had mentioned that I need to elaborate a bit more about the experience. After all, I am one of two people that have been on the racetrack on a motorbike by myself. Technically, that puts me in the same category as Nicky Hayden!
So here it is, a turn-by-turn, straight-by-straight analysis by a motorcycle rider that is by no means a motorcycle racing expert.
1. Starting at the Bricks …
As I went through the gears, I was thinking I am going to get some here and at least go full throttle through all gears. Earlier in the day, Nicky was braking at about the third row of the Formula One grid, so I thought that it would be a good place for me to let off the throttle. The difference was that I didn’t rush back to the throttle to power through the “courage” corner of the racetrack.
2. Turn 1 tech …
What I really like about the traditional Turn 1 section of the racecourse is that you have a fast left-hander that will require a tight exit so that you can set yourself up for the double-apex right handers. Again, you have to exit tight so that you can get a clean corner leading on to the “traditional short chute.” This section is going to be quite nice because you will see several different approaches to the turns. In a race situation, there will be quicker ways through this section that may provide passing opportunities but will sacrifice the overall lap time, for sure.
3. Sweeper, decreasing radius, lazy esses, Hulman Boulevard …
It will be important to get a strong run coming out of Turn 4 because the next section is a time section and is one of the least likely places that you will see passing, but it will definitely be a place where riders will set up an outbraking maneuver in Turn 10 at the end of Hulman Boulevard. Turn 5 is a power-down sweeper that leads to a decreasing radius turn that is going to require a semi-tight exit so you can flow through the lazy esses. This area is going to be extremely important because the MotoGP bikes will draft down Hulman Boulevard. By the way, Nicky wasn’t kidding when he said that Turn 5 was deceiving — it really tightens up!
4. Hulman Boulevard, Traditional Turn 4 Infield …
All right, after the curvy technical section of the racetrack where I was scared, let’s get in to the sweeping section of the track. That’s right, I said scared. You would be, too, if you saw how many people were still waiting for Nicky to run a few more laps. They were all probably thinking, “Who in the world is this yo-yo?” Naaa, they probably knew it was Jarrod Krisiloff, “The Ride” blogger …
… Back to the track. Turn 10 is semi-fast and really doesn’t require a tight exit because because 11 is a patience carousel-style hairpin. In this corner, it’s important to get a clean exit for the next three corners, which are all left-handers. I look at these as like tokens in a video game. About as textbook as it gets: You hit the corner apex, drift out to the right side of the track and hit the next, and repeat. This is a fun section that almost feels like the bike takes control as you hang off your seat.
5. 15 and 16 …
After the “PlayStation” section of the track are Turns 15 and 16. A quick right-hander into a tight-tight-tight left-hander back on to the frontstretch. If you have seen my ride video, it doesn’t look that difficult because it appears that there is a lot of track on which to to accelerate. Wait, come race time the exit is going to be much tighter to keep the riders off the wall. After you get through the “PlayStation” portion, the rider is going to be faced with a “S”-like section that leads to the most important part of the track, the front stretch. In the “Traditional Turn 4″ portion of the track, a rider can make huge gains in Turns 15 and 16 down the straightaway through Turn 1.
That’s my lap around the track. Next week I hope to have a few videos from my new bike camera — that is sweet!
Ride safe.
JK
As I mentioned last week, I planned my wedding the same weekend as the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, or as I like to say it, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway planned the Inaugural GP on my wedding weekend …
Wedding Tip Number One: Check with your place of work before you set a wedding date.
My fiancée and I had been struggling with a date on which we were going to commit our lives to each other. There were a few factors that we needed to consider before we actually set the date.
Introduction:
Hi! Welcome to my blog. I really couldn’t come up with a more spectacular entrance to my redbullindianapolisgp.com blog.
My name is Jarrod Krisiloff, and I am extremely pumped for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP. I am an avid rider and a speed junkie who coincidently planned my wedding the same weekend as MotoGP. So throughout my “weekly” blog, I’ll be delivering updates on planning your wedding around a motorcycle race, places to check out around Indianapolis on your two-wheeler and just about any other topic that comes to mind.