Hi all, I am brand new to STT. I am signed up for Sept 8 Barber, and getting really anxious. I haven't been on a track in a couple of years, and ready to get the cobwebs out. I've been to Barber for races but not on the track myself, so I am looking for whatever I can on info about the track. I have seen so many comments about the Intermediate group being the most risky, and that is the group I am signed up for. If anyone has been to Nashville Superspeedway, I was doing 1:14's consistently (before I pushed a 1:12 in to the ground :cry: . Does that kind of lap timing sound reasonable for the I group? Any advice is welcome. I will attempt to get behind someone that knows the track, but hope I can follow quick enough to learn the lines... I am having trouble concentrating on anything other than Sept 8th at the moment!!!
Welcome... I would recomend that you follow a coach in Int. (Kenny) If he is there that weekend and get real familiar with the lines.. Barber is a great track. You will be spoiled from here on out... Trust me...
there are plenty of good onboard videos of Barber (including the James Toseland one thats f'in insane!) its a really fun track, just takes a few more laps to learn than most tracks if you've watched races there you know that there really isn't a single "normal" corner on the whole track. There is elevation change in almost every single one. quick tip, T2 is so long you don't need to set up wide for it, carry a lot of speed through T1 and you'll be put on the inside line for T2
Where is this James Toesland vid?????? i havent seen it. I agree.... get with Kenny in the Int. He is a great guy and can hail the mail at BMP.
great vid advice That was a great video to watch for lines, break points, turning points, exetera. Although I dont think I'll be doin that pace . I will definitely try to find Kenny. Do you guys know what a good lap time should be in intermediate? That is, if I am holding good lines, and having good track manners. BTW, anyone know the best tire pressures for the Mich 2ct's at Barber?. I probably will start with a softer suspension setup than most. I am on a 03 CBR954, and I have set it up per the SportRider suggestion.
Re: great vid advice Good Int. lap would fall somewhere around a 1:46- 1:54 ish You cant miss Kenny he will be the one with a shaved head and a huge smile. More than likely he will come up to you before you can get to him. As far a suspension goes, and this is my opinion, is get there early and make an appoinment with Ken at Italia Superbike. Best $70-75 buck you can spend and he will go throught your entire suspension setting your compression, rebound, sag ...etc. He will go over everything with you and let you know where you stand and what needs to be done. I promise it is worth the money. If you dont go that route just becareful and get to know your suspension a little at a time.
I second everything shaun wrote having Kenny set up my suspension was great and being dragged around by Kenny is a good way to pickup speed + a good line. As for the tire pressure on 2CT I alway ask the Twins at tech inspection but I think the suggestion is 31- 31. That is what I've run on my last few events , RR, RA, Tally.HAve fun at Barber will be there in Oct, hitting Tally 22-23 Sept
Thanks so much Tom and Shaun. Great tips that intend to follow. Fresh oil went in today. Gettin fired up!
I have good luck with 29/31 PSI when running 2CT's . I did mount up a PRC front for my last couple of trackdays but still used the 2CT rear . Barber has some pretty fast turns and like someone said , T2 seems to keep you leaned over forever so I just wanted something a bit more sticky up front . I spun the heck out of the rear 2CT this past weekend whenever I dropped below a 1:50 and it slipped once in T12 starting up the hill but the front never had an issue and the rear never was out of control . The quickest I ran was a couple :46's though as the tires had a couple trackdays on them already and I did not want to push them too hard especially since I wasn't using a warmer on the PRC . I tried to stay between a 1:50-:55's and had a lot of fun . Anywhere from :45's to :55's are good Intermediate times but realisticly you will find quite a few running 2 minute laps in "I" and some of those will be safer/smoother than a lot of the "faster" riders . It's actually the guys that think they are fast that tend to make the ify close passes as they are on the edge more often . You can usually spot those guys and stay clear . Barber is wide enough that it's not as bad as tighter track running in intermediate . You'll have a blast .