Heh - yeah - thats the one....primer grey with one exit pipe! - he made it look effortless - he was there with another lad on an old gsxr too - who i might add was also quick....
Oh jesus, a lap in the wet scared the hell of both myself and the bank account! I'm quite experienced at going sideways in Jap cars that like to slide around and I dont mind bashing up but in a Porsche that doesn't do sideways without spinning it was positively horrifying!!
The other guy was Simon Mulley, he used to be a guide for Byrne-up bike tours back mid 2000's. A very quick guy on a bike, always had the precision of a surgeon with a scalpel when going for tight/risky overtakes, spent his life riding the welsh roads. often I 'd just hang back and let him go. he was the guy that got me into the car instructing gig. A nutcase off a bike (and on). His love of riding the Ring waned after losing mates to fluids, and he himself had a few bad offs here, preferring to do the Doc Scholl courses instead of Tf as Andy instructs on thaat so the pace would be about 8 min. Trouble is once the pace picks up you really are in the lap of the gods as to fluids. I did ask him about Andys times before and he had tagged onto Andy in very quiet Tf and andy was regularly/casually doing 7-30 and Simon was busting a gut to keep him in sight inevitably pushing it but after coming round the last corner Andy would already be in the pits.
You need to carry more speed in then provoke understeer by applying too much lock as the back goes, then the back wont come round as both ends are sliding in harmony. Saying that the Ring is not the place to practice it. LOL
I'm not remotely interested in practicing that next to armco in my shiny new wallet buster I'm really looking forward to getting out in the car as I'm a lot more comfortable chucking it around now. Last year was the first time in decades I've felt like a complete novice driving a car, it was so different to what I was used to.
Thats incredible that he can casually do 7'30''. I'm looking forward to getting a tow this year but I'm also apprehensive as I dont want to start pushing too much as I get a bit obsessed.
Can't recall, it wasn't far from the Ring and it was a guesthouse run by a Brit and his American girlfriend who used to ride an R1 and she left us standing when we pulled out of the house drive. Will have a look over the next few days at the photos and see if I can catch the name of it.
Arh poor old Brendan, lovable rogue with the great dane. We stayed with Bren and Suz the 1st month they opened then a friendship grew from there, they were the ones that persuaded us to buy the place out here. Many tales of him but best lest off forums. We are in a village called Demerath, about 11 miles south of the track. just off the road that leads to Cochem. Bren on my bike; Me out playing with Bren probably 2008
That was Bren and Suz, Sliders. She was quick, Bren taught her to ride on an Aprillia rs250, but soon progressed to an R1. As quick as Bren, but with more sense of mortality.
Bren and Suz, and the dogs, all sadly missed. Nice picture of Bren .... agree about the stories ! I've never taken any of my bikes on the track, far too dangerous for me but have done plenty of car laps. Bren showed me the way round. Top lad Might need to pop in this year, I'll try you first for digs
I remember one weekend I had blatted out with a mate to the ring, obviously stayed at Sliders. First day there my mate on his R1 decided to tag onto a local, 5 km later he was crying over his smashed bike. He spent 2 days lashing it up with spares from Bren. Meanwhile Bren had a big smackat 150mph when a bike with pillion cut across him going into Hohrerain. Suz was on crutches as she had recently broken a leg from a spil in spain on a trackday. So left to me to ferry the smashed bike back to Sliders in there van while collecting Bren from hospital with his Suz hobbling about on crutchs. Crazy times.
You'd be welcome, if not Sliders has been taken over by a lovely young brit biker couple, Pete and Polly. He's ex-RAF aswell but I think his time in service he was working rather than drinking and playing footie. You don't have to go on the track to have fun. He waa naturally gifted on 4 wheels.
Thanks Roy. I wonder if they've fixed the swimming pool ! At one point I wondered whether Bren had signed up to the local air ambulance frequent flyer club.
Me and Andy filled it in, it's just part of the patio now. New years eve Bren and Suz would have a big party. Everyone bought fireworks and the pool sat empty bar a few inches of ice in the bottom. We would get the biggest rockets we could and all thow them into the pool. The rockets would spark up and start racing around the wall of the pool in both directions as it was oval. Lets say it was interesting when the rockets left the confines of the pool.
