Nordschleife lap Rechnung 2012-21159

Hi,
I just got home from a motorcycle trip to the Eifel which included a lap of the Ring. May I pass on to you a few observations of my experience. Upon arrival I was surprised not to be stopped and asked what I was doing there. Instead of which I was confronted by a wall of over excited people milling about at the entrance blocking any further view of where to go. It was not obvious where the track entrance was as I could not see it. All these people in the entrance should be cleared out as they are a danger to themselves and others. I was also disappointed at the point of entry to the circuit to be told to proceed through the barrier then stop and remove my on board video camera. My reward for this was to receive loud orders over the public address system to not stop where I had just been told to.
I also think Euros 31.90 is very poor value for one lap on what is in reality a Porsche track day. 2 wheels and 4 on a race track at the same time is a deadly combination. It should be organised into groups of one or the other but never both.
By the way what happens to motorcycles in the wet when they lean over on all that paint sprayed all over the track ? Glad it was dry.
Regards,
Keith Philpot
Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix race marshal
Member of the Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists
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Lunch

Another pee break in Belgium - best place for it.
Just thought that in a car you say 270 miles to go but on a bike its only 270 miles left.

Belgium

To my mind Belgium is in the same category of useless creations such as wasps and mosquitoes. They never make themselves appealing. Now they have a stupid system at gas pumps with no signs to explain how it works. In order to save time by paying at the pumps and avoiding going inside to queue up and pay you have to go inside to queue up and get someone to explain how it works.
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Nurburgring

Oh yeah that's the Grune Hoelle over there. We've just done our £30+ single lap but no video as they are Verboten ! What a rip off. Voices at the K rally were unanimous that it is far too dangerous and to be avoided. Well, all race tracks are dangerous - it says so on every ticket. This track is a pussy in comparison to the IOM mountain course. You could quickly learn it in sections as it flows. Having ridden in the Eifel for a few days you come to expect vicious bends after any straight so no surprise that a race track here should have them. As for the " ruthless " Porsche drivers, well, if you dawdle about all over the track yes you will be in trouble. Even with my small amount of track knowledge I was getting friendly waves and blinker thanks as I stayed way off the racing line and blinkered right all the way round. The only time it could have got dodgy was when I was smack on the kerb at the inside kerb bang on the line right after a blind entry but even then drivers had ample warning that I was trying to stay alive and help them so no worries. Upshot ? Isle of Man is the real deal, Nurburgring is a chav heaven.

Ultimate Oh Shit moment

Yesterday I unkindly mentioned Pratt of the Day. I take it all back. Get this. A bloke was putting his K up on the centre stand on the sloping car park when it went over with his leg caught in the centre stand. Net result leg broken above and below the knee. Oh it kept going and skittled the bike next to it too.
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But first lunch

Of course I ordered lunch so I've missed the bunker tour.Bunker, schmuncker...

Those Germans and their bunkers

Here we have another lovely bunker - this time built in the 60s to keep politicians safe. After the bomb dropped all they had to do was stay inside for 200 years and it would be safe to come out.

Germans lurve sidecars

Sun coming up on misty morning in Blankenheim

Just checked Ethel ok after a wet and misty night in the open but why worry - its her country after all.

Flyingbrick Prat of the Day award

A bloke did just fall off his bike at 0 mph in hotel carpark and smashed his mirror off.
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Funny what people notice

At Blankenheim I was amazed at the attention Ethel was getting for the various home comforts she has. The handlebar muffs were very closely inspected to nods of approval, the Airhawk seat was a wow and great mirth followed a demonstration of captive visor wiping cloth on fetching pink stretchy key ring coil.
Confession of the night was that someone else also lost a complete topbox from a K75 - this time a groovy alloy number vanished on autobahn. Watch out behind these bikes.
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Flyingbrick rally Blankenheim

Ethel loves it here. She's going to have her satnav wiring sorted out, tickover done and pannier grommets ordered. What a lucky girl.
BTW nearly recorded my 4th stationary highside stupidly doing a u turn on car park slope - got away with a good swan taking off impression.
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Settled in nicely at Hotel Schlossblick

Arrived in Blankenheim at last

Trip turned into a bit of an adventure with satnav crapping out around Brussels. So faked it and turned up here !

Welcome to the Ardennes

Wonder why Hitler chose to come through here ?

A really interesting part of Belgium

Yes still here and getting away from Brussels

The best thing about lunch in Belgium

Angelic Bulldog project

Just realised I was a bit harsh concerning the streamliner project I saw the othe day so here is their website www.angelicbulldog.org.uk
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Not been there yet but got the T shirt

The VMCC sent my Festival of 1000 bikes T shirt. Thinking of getting my start number 641 put on it.

Nice Norton replica

At the recent MACH2012 show at the NEC this replica was on show built by a bloke called Uttley.He is also building a 400 mph streamliner with 2 Honda Blackbird engines but it looked such a shed build I couldn't bear to look too closely.

The day something did go BANG and smell of fish

Riding along on Ethel smoke suddenly poured out of the front. Examination showed it was coming out of the headlight and inspection revealed burnt out HID bulb unit. Not impressed by this. Anyway HIDs4U offered a replacement bulb + power cable but suggested I buy a whole new kit for refund under warranty in case it is something else. So that's what I've done but having reverted to the old H4 bulb I'll quit whilst I'm ahead and look at it after the Germany trip.
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Simson AWO

Delighted with surprise present from my friend Wolfgang in Suhl. Now to find the real thing...

Jenny Tinmouth

Delighted to have the opportunity to talk with the lovely and very shy Jenny Tinmouth today. She is the fastest lady around the TT course at 119 mph. I asked her how she learnt the 37 mile Isle of Man circuit. First off she had tuition from Milky Quayle but then photod freeze frame images of bends from Guy Martin on board video and drew each bend herself ! I was impressed and told her that in his book Riding Man Mark Gardiner had earlier also drawn the bends but it took him a year on foot and bicycle to do it.

New paddock stands front + rear

Went down the car boot for a USA style letterbox but came back with nice pair of chunky paddock stands for £20. The rear stand has rubber cups to go under the swinging arm instead of those orrible hooks on the old stand that score the swinging arm. Tried em out - great, proper endurance racer stuff !
Better still yet more ugly original stuff removed as stand bolts binned with brake side replaced by stainless Allen bolt, to retain hugger, and chain side left blank.
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First proper ride on ZX6R after winterwork + Texport leathers 1st ride

Wriggled into leathers and shoved the ZX6R out of the garage a bit worried at how stiff it was to wheel about. Front brake came on and off ok so reckoned just more bedding in of linings needed. As soon as we got moving the Texport leathers suddenly fitted right - precurved arms + armour makes for orangutan style moving about off the bike. I'd got a one piece Extreme Racing undersuit on with the Forcefield back protector underneath it. This makes it better to shrug the suit on unaided. Anyway it straightaway started to hail ! Then it went clear then hail again. And so it went on all the way round. Oddly I wasn't bothered as I was so pleased with the fit of the suit and its ventilation. I always run hot no matter what I try so this was great. Anyway the ZX6R is transformed following the new Hagon rear shock + overhauled front forks. No more bone juddering crunches just smooth, supple suspension. Strangely this calmed my riding down as I could settle into a smooth rythmn and enjoy the ride. I nodded my contentment at GS riders and got doowot stares in return. Aha, I get it now - we only acknowledge posing twats just like us then.
Funnily enough I'll be on a Beemer all week so maybe I'll give them the who-the-fuck-are-you treatment then !
Arriving home the bike was much easier to wheel about so suppose its the new pads just bedding in.
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