Trackday
Yesterday was my final trackday of 2015 after deciding at the very last minute to book onto No Limits' last UK event of the year at Snetterton. Suffice to say conditions were mild but extremely wet.
Due to arriving a little bit later than expected my sighting laps were completed on Metzeler Racetec RR tyres mounted on BST wheels. Any further time on track was quickly aborted as quite simply the Racetec RRs are rather unsurprisingly dreadful in the wet. With Arai wet visor and Dainese oversuit on, the easy decision was made to fit my HP Forged Wheels with Metzeler Racetec Rain tyres already mounted. All electronic settings were then placed in 'Rain' and compression and rebound (front and rear) were softened to take into account the wet conditions and the inevitable lack of heavy braking and aggressive acceleration. DTC was left at '0' in order to work out what a good baseline was for the wet tyres.
What followed was a very enjoyable, if particularly wet, trackday. Given the conditions there were very few people on track, and with a slightly higher than usual attrition rate, most of my laps were ridden in complete isolation. I've had some experience riding the S1000RR on a wet track this season but not like this. With rain tyres fitted, and the bike properly set up for the conditions, the BMW is very easy to ride fast. That's not without saying that the back end would still step out occasionally due to my rather abrupt throttle input whilst trying to drive as hard as possible out of the final corner onto the start/finish straight. Given the wet conditions the bike would quite easily hold a line and as the pace quickened and heat was generated in the tyres one could start to push.
I could happily brake and accelerate hard but the key was just doing so in a progressive manner. Smooth application of the brakes was essential but what I certainly found useful was downshifting slightly sooner in the wet to use the engine to help slow the bike. That and shift my body position earlier to balance the bike; particularly prior to corner entry. This was certainly aided by my new HP race seat, which unlike the OEM seat, does not become slippery when wet. The BMW, with wets fitted, responds well to a constant throttle mid-corner which in turn allowed me to stand it up a little earlier when exiting before opening the throttle wider. The traction control certainly helps matters and just as you start to feel the rear wet tyre spin up under power the flashing DTC light indicates to back off the throttle. Reassuringly I experienced no issues whatsoever with DTC calibration given that I was using a rear 190/60 Metzeler Racetec Rain tyre. I didn't bother with chasing lap times as I was more than content just circulating on my own and avoiding the pooling water at certain points around the circuit.
In the wet, or dry, this bike is exceptional on track and so enjoyable to ride. Overall a really good trackday and a nice way to finish off my 2015 season.