Riding a Superbike on a Racetrack

Last week I was able to do something that I’ve only dreamed about doing. For over two years, I’ve wanted to ride a motorcycle on a proper race track. I wanted the experience of riding on a track. The nearest one is Brainerd International Raceway (BIR). Due to time, money, and logistics I have been unable to ride there until now.

I’ve ridden at DCTC on their driving course many times, but it is a small one mile course with 17 corners (depending on configuration). It’s a fun place, but it’s a not a competition road course aka race track. Its primary purpose is for driving training. By comparison, the 2.5 mile course at BIR has 13 corners and is much wider with a better maintained surface.

We did not ride the 3.1 mile course which includes the one mile straight. A prudent move by KTM. A mile is long enough for nearly every bike and especially this one to achieve top speed. I think that with 175hp, 95 ft-lb torque, and 400lb weight that the RC8R would get very close to 200mph in that distance (if not more). Imagine a couple dozen novices trying to brake at that speed for turn 1.

 

KTM, an Austrian motorcycle manufacturer, scheduled a track day at Brainerd last week with the local support of the Minnesota KTM dealers. Because of my contacts with in the RiderCoach community (thanks Trish!), I was offered a chance to ride as a guest of Starr Cycle. I didn’t hesitate to take the day off to go. A chance to ride someone else’s superbike on a track is a rare opportunity that should not be missed.

 

The inside of the truck below.

As I was gushing to a friend about the chance, he said it sounded like fun and wanted to come with. He doesn’t ride, but has a lot of free time. It was great to spend the day with him drooling on bikes. The weather, as you can see in the photos, cooperated nicely. It was sunny and warm. A bit too warm after lunch when it reached up to 102F!

KTM brought the RC8R Superbike for us to ride.

What an amazing bike! There were fourteen RC8Rs and two SMT 990s (not pictured).

 

I did not get the chance to ride the SMT. KTM had us divide ourselves into three different groups: novice, intermediate, and expert. Seeing as I have never been to a real track, I chose novice. I think it was a prudent move. The RC8R broke a lot of unofficial records for me: most expensive bike ridden ($16,500), biggest engine by a hair (1190cc v-twin), best brakes, best suspension, best tires (track tires are nice!), and of course fastest bike.

 

The plan was to ride for twenty minute sessions, so each hour you’d be riding for twenty minutes and then resting for forty. I’ve had similar schedules at DCTC. I think twenty minutes on a bike working that hard physically and mentally is good enough. I was always surprised when they waved the last lap flag. The time flew by as all my attention was in the moment focused on riding. We teach in the BRC that riding is a 90% mental activity. At track speeds, your mind is focused!

Above: I’m putting on my gloves next to the #2 bike.

 

Above: Pulling away for my first session. The first four laps one of the lead riders took us around at a slow to moderate pace, so we could get used to the track and the bike.

This is a shot of my second session starting

Most people seemed to carpool. A few even rode their bikes.

Some of the expert riders even brought their race bikes to play with.

Above: The bike with the #195 is an SV650 race bike owned by my friend Dave.

Above: two other personal bikes. The guy in the background used to work at St. Croix Ural. I was surprised he remembered me as I haven’t been there in over a year. Then I thought that a guy showing up in the middle of January on a sidecar might leave an impression. He likes sport bikes in additions to Harley’s.

 

Some of the expert riders going out. They were FAST! (and brave). Hanging off of the bike in a turn at over 100mph takes some confidence. By the fourth session out, I felt comfortable doing it too. Fun!

KTM also bought us lunch and provided water and Gatorade. Many of the riders hid in the shade between sessions. Did I mention it was hot?

I didn’t notice the heat when I was riding, but worked pretty fast to remove my helmet and my track leathers between sessions.

Above coming out of turn 13. The RC8R would very quickly get up to 105mph in second gear. Amazing machine. I did not find the end of third, but I shifted into fourth and fifth once just to see they were there. :)

Above: My friend Dave in the same corner on his SV650. The SV650 and the RC8R weigh pretty much the same and both have v-twin engines except the RC8R has about 2.5 times the power. A fact that demands some respect. The brakes were very impressive too – hardly more than one finger was required. I still continued using more, so I could get more feedback from the lever.

With the schedule as planned we should have each had six session on track. I only did four. Just after lunch, one of the novice riders crashed with a high side in turn 12. Apparently, he was still at max lean and opened the throttle too much. Witnesses say both him and the bike were four to five feet in the air at nearly 50mph. Ouch!

The bike was badly damaged, but the rider was able to walk away. He was wearing street gear which mostly protected him from damage. His coat was torn on the shoulders, back, and elbows. The pants were torn on the knees, and the helmet was rashed nicely on the back. The rider was wearing regular heavy duty work boots rather than motorcycle boots and suffered two sprained ankles. He has mostly recovered now and is pretty confident his motorcycle insurance will cover the damage to the bike.

The BIR track staff spent some time cleaning the surface of the track from oil and other fluids, so we all missed a session. I’m not complaining as the heat was starting to get to me. I welcomed the extra break to take all of the riding gear off, sit in the shade, and relax. After lunch, I rode two more sessions and then skipped the final session. I started to recognize that I was getting too hot and tired.

I love the shadow and reflection in the shot below.

This is my favorite picture of the day.

I had fantastic time riding the KTM RC8R at BIR. A huge thank you to Trish, Starr Cycle, and KTM for the opportunity.

 

I am still working on the video, so watch for that later.