one track day in. and trying out for a ducati team !!,,,,tips please

Good afternoon all,

The location was castle Combe. The team was Logiui moto, guy is called Richard Llewellin

Many of you know Rich and for those that don't he's a Mercanic and a wizard on ducatis engines and a all round top bloke.

It was a wet morning and as I said before I only had slicks. So I was sure I wouldn't be able to run my bike.

Richard had a friend with him who had 2 bikes on wet set up. He very kindly offered me one to learn the track on. I was naturally worried about doing this incase I dropped it. But he reassured me they had be down more that once and it would be fine.

So never ridden in the wet I trundled off and did my sighting laps and just followed the group around.

Before all this I got my 999 sound tested. Passed at 105db.

It was a open class day so we could drop in and out as we pleased. So I did a few more laps in the wet and started getting the hang of wets on this Ducati SS ? I think it was a SS. Anyway, I started hanging off the thing and trusting the tires. I was having a grate time.

The track started to dry up and brought the SS back In in fear off wrecking his wets.

Then with a bit excitement I went back to my bike witch was already ready to go on warmers,

I lined up ready to go out and had to wait 10 mins before I could go out. The tyres had lost most of there heat at this point witch I was well a where off.

Richard (who is also a instructor at castle Combe) had been teaching me the track. I had been following his lines on the sighting laps. So now I was going to follow him about for the first lap then go at my own pace.

The track was now dry with just the od damp patch here and there. Mostly on the straits.

I did the sighting lap trying to work as much temp into the rubber as poss. Then I was off at a good pace. The bike felt good I had an empty track ahead of me and I was really enjoying been at one with the bike.

With each lap that passed I was picking up the pace as I put more trust and heat in to the tyres. Looking to clip each apex marked with a cone. One corner I liked was quarry corner! Just after the strait with a little right then left. Then quarry!

Unfortunately this is where it ended for me. I trusted the track and tyres just that bit to much. I high sided on the Exit of the corner, launching me off the bike at a rate of knots. Where I then slid up the track on my back for aprox 50 meters followed by my not so mint 999 witch stopped right next to me.

What felt like hours but was only a matter of seconds, I had the marshals and fellow bikers around me. Then the standard head still don't move drill. But all I could think about was my bike. And if the on sight Photographer had got the horrible mess on film.

Some time later I ended up in bath hospital where I'm sending this from now!

Iv broke my toe, thumb and my spine! The brake is so called stable but there is a hair line crack going around to my spinal cords. If they don't operate il spend the next 8 weeks with a back and chest peace. With no guarantee of full repair. If I have Sergiry I run a high risk of spinal cord damage loosing feeling or motor functions



Needles to say I'm feeling low and worried about work as im self employed. I wasn't going to reply to this forum for Obvious reasons,, but after reading back through the posts. Some of you guys have gone to a lot of effort. So I felt compelled to keep you all up to date.

Iv been riding bikes for 15 years its in my blood. My dads side of the family are speedway champs. And It's basically all I'm good at. Some of u might disagree now

I have a wonderful girlfriend and mum and dad who really don't want to see there son end up in a wheel chair for the rest of there lives.
Thing is when I was 16 I had a car pull out in front of me and I almost lost a leg then! that was on a bike too. Most thought I was nuts for getting another bike back then. So this time I'm quitting while I'm ahead and still have legs.

I guess I just don't have what it takes to be a good racer. I have this real problem where i just cant take it easy. Iv always got to be pushing it to limit! And I guess I did. Thing is it Takes a real pro to know where the limit actually is. Something I just don't have clearly.

 

All good gear. Alpinestar 2 peace leathers, a-star back protector was a life saver liturgy!! . X-light lid. Crap boots tho one of the blow apart they were nothing grate oxtars! Old type.