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
Last Friday, I got an e-mail from the company that said this …
“We would like to invite you to participate in the first track lap on the new MotoGP track. This will be done in association with the Nicky Hayden Historic 1st Lap that is taking place on April 7th.
A select group of people from the community will meet at the base of the Pagoda around 10:30am and the track lap will be at approximately 11am. Please bring your bike and park in the oval track garage area (you will see the other bikes parked there). We will be finished no later than 11:45am. Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is another rider within the company who needs an invitation.
Thank you,
Ellie”
I had been out of the office for quite a few days, so I was extremely excited about this particular e-mail. After arriving late on Sunday night and waking up early, I couldn’t wait to fire up my bike and head to the office. I sat there at my desk, anxiously awaiting 10:30 so that I could head over to the frontstretch for this ride. Then at about 9:45, I got a phone call from IMS Senior VP Mel Harder, and he asked when I was coming over to the track because he wanted me to lead the ride! I said, “I can come over whenever you want me to.”
I was honored and pumped, and jumped on my bike and rode on over to the garage area, dismounted and walked to the pagoda, where there was a large group of riders anxiously awaiting the opportunity to hit the track.
The ride was a lot of fun; I wasn’t the very first rider because even I couldn’t be trusted to keep a safe pace, so they put two of Indianapolis’s finest at the head of the field. When the ride was over, three of us went out to Rick’s Boatyard and enjoyed a nice lunch.
Later that day, I sent Mel another text message thanking him for putting the ride together and asked him when I could come over and do some laps at a decent pace (above 30 mph). He quickly responded, “How about 3:30, when Nicky is done?” I responded, “I’ll be there!”
I searched around the office for some cameras and found a small camera that was perfect to mount on my bike. I got it all fixed up and headed over to the track.
Once I got there, Mel and IMS engineering chief Kevin Forbes asked how many laps I was going to take, and I said “I don’t know, until I get bored.” Kevin quickly responded, “One lap?” I responded back, “No way, at least three!”
I really didn’t realize that Forbes’s crew was set to convert the track back to the traditional oval for the world’s biggest race, but I figured that “The Ride” blog deserved serious content!
The laps were awesome. I was extremely timid for the first lap since I hadn’t been on my bike in a while, and I wanted to be sure not to eat it. To be honest, it was my first time on a motorcycle on an actual racetrack, so I wasn’t exactly confident. Each lap I got a little braver but still kept a conservative pace.
So where’s the video? The video player actually ran out of battery so I didn’t get a thing. Sucka! Click here to watch the video. Enjoy.