It's not even close. If you look at the front end of Stk1000 vs the very fastest pure club racers (ie those that don't also do BSB, and club on the side for track time), the BSB riders are way faster, even though the club racers will, in most cases have better spec bikes and tyres (remember Stk1000 has to use a supercorsa tyre Front end of Stk1000 is probably 3-4 seconds a lap quicker at most tracks, so night and day There's always going to be an overlap as some of the back end of Stk1000 aren't as fast as the fastest club racers, but again on lesser machinery. Remember that most of the tail end of the Stk1000 class were once winning at Club level, whereas most of the front running guys have grown up at National Level
I'll give you a couple of examples : No Limits Super Series 1000 is probably the fastest Club class in the UK (Given it also has decent prize money) Donington Park Pole Postion 1:36 BSB Stock 1000 qualifying Donington park : Pole Position time : 1:30
Even if you assume the weather condition wasn't perfect for Quali, the fastest race time that weekend was 1:33 That 1:33.799 would've qualified him 29th in BSB Stk
That's pretty much what I said. Not sure if you're debating a point we agree with or think I'm saying something different
Young guy I know Sam West is a different league to most club racers, can turn up and be top 3 pretty much anywhere. He barely broke top 20 regularly in sstk. And he would be maybe 1 - 1.5 sec off pole. He does roads now
It is shocking the difference at the sharp end isn’t it. a few lads I know in stk1000 are mega mega fast but struggle to get in to the top 20 at times. One of them was in the 28’s at brands the other week (not messing about) at bsb and that was only good for top 20 ffs. It’s mental
That's quite a difference. So back to the original question, what in their skill set makes them ~7% quicker? Corner speed, quicker on the gas, squaring the corner, later on the brakes?
All of the above!! Most people if they tried to replicate exactly what they do at the front end, would crash.
Great control imho. And most have done from a very, very early age when falling off was fun not painful. Older you get, more you understand consequences and more it subconsciously affects you’re ability to push. But equipment helps. It’s why doing TDS and going out with a faster mate on a better set up bike can end in disaster if your bike isn’t up to it.
Aidan? Seriously quick lad, and a nice guy with it. Unlike the guy who won this year who's let's just say an acquired taste..
The equipment is part of the difference I think but tbh I think the kit you can buy and run as 'standard' these days is better than it ever has been relative to big budget race teams. A few years ago a guy turned up at Bemsee and he ran a fairly stock S1000RR on Supercorsa SC tyres and was smoking people. Likewise there is a guy who won the Thunderbike class this year on a 2005 GSXR1000 who's best lap was only 1.6s off the winner of Powerbikes.
Better riders also know how to set stuff up or what’s needed if it’s going wrong. Sometimes people just instinctively know too. What made me realise was my first year of racing. Tail end Charlie brigade, at the last round I asked the guy who won title to do a session on mine and give me some feedback. He did two laps, came back in, said ‘that’s dangerous, horrendous, how do you ride it?!’ Had suspension done over the winter, spent some money and immediately I was mid pack first race and top 5 second weekend. Made me a suspension convert
I was thinking about Cobby back in DD https://www.bikesportnews.com/news/news-detail/desmodue-heads-for-brands-hatch
Haslam did a 1:35 at Donington on a totally stock haslam race school fireblade on sports touring rubber some years ago 1:35 on sports touring tyres!!!
