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yeti 14-Dec-2004 14:24

Cartagena tips please
 
Off to sunny Spain with some of the lads in Feb, Cartagena to be exact.

Have heard and read it's a very twisty technical track and it can be a killer on tyres, when JR tested there on the Rizla he was only getting a max of 6 laps from a set of tyres - ok so he's got a bit more poke than my trusty ol 996.

It's been suggested that running slicks would be a good option, I currently run Super Corsa's but have never run on slicks, any observations?

Have any of you got a track guide I could beg, steal or borrow? I know I've got four days to get my head round the place, but would rather do some preparation beforehand.

How smooth is it? Got my suspension pretty dialled in but not if it's bumpy.

So for those of you who have been there, any tips?

DMC 14-Dec-2004 15:42

Very smooth surface, suspension can be set up reasonable hard. It's only hard on tyres because you are powering out lots of corners cranked over, slicks won't last any longer than super corsa's.

Very tight track, to get the best out of it you would need to alter your gearing.

Number one tip for this track is GO VERY SLOW ON THE FIRST DAY. It's a very technical circuit, some of the corners make you think you can go faster than you can, but don't!.

Corners 1,2 and 3 are the most difficult, they set each other up. Get one wrong and they are all wrong. Turn 1 is a reasonably fast right hander after the start finish straight which leads onto a slower right hander which you have to exit on the right hand side of the track to make sure you get round turn 3, a bitch of a left hander.

Fantastic track if you take the time to learn it. When I was there at least 8 people came off on the first two days because they went fast too quickly. Nobody came off on days 3 and 4 (which says a lot).

Don't worry about trying to learn the track before you go, it's one of those tracks that takes lap after lap to get right.

Rattler 14-Dec-2004 15:56

Quote:

Originally posted by yeti
Off to sunny Spain with some of the lads in Feb, Cartagena to be exact.

any tips?

Yeh - don't crash in front of me!!!

Tim:frog:

Steve M 14-Dec-2004 16:01

And don't forget your keys!!!!!!!!!!!

JPM 14-Dec-2004 16:30

Q. Will Tim ever live down the "keys" incident?

Steve M 14-Dec-2004 16:35

Quote:

Originally posted by weeksy
Quote:

Originally posted by STEVE M
And don't forget your keys!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, don't run slicks. Pointless. (more info if you want it.)

I think we do

yeti 14-Dec-2004 18:49

[/quote]
3 riders, all Club racers, tested back to back Pirelli Supercorsas and Pirrelli slick at Silverstone late this year. None of the riders noticed any difference in feel/grip and lap times were no different...[/quote]

Makes a good point, so why in your opinion do peeps run slix in the first place? Sounds like I gonna stick to SC's

yeti 14-Dec-2004 18:51

[/quote]
Yeh - don't crash in front of me!!!
[/quote]

It won't matter where I crash Tim, you will have forgotten your keys in any case....:lol:

Sorry mate, couldn't resist that one! First rounds' on me.....:sing:

Rattler 14-Dec-2004 20:47

I ran slicks last year - only on trackdays of course - and I reckon they're worth a second or so a lap - just because they gave me so much confidence.

Now if you put club racers in the same position - as per Weeksy's comments - then they're probably confident and skilled enough already to not notice a great difference wih confidence alone (if they weren't - I don't reckon they would have been up for the test in the first place).

In reality for us non-racers, I reckon you will go faster with slicks on because of the added confidence you can gain - in reality you could probably go just as quickly with SC's or similar, but you probably won't feel like you can.

This seems like one of these racers vs trackdayers threads again!!!

Tim:frog:

Rattler 14-Dec-2004 20:49

Quote:

Originally posted by yeti

Yeh - don't crash in front of me!!!
[/quote]

It won't matter where I crash Tim, you will have forgotten your keys in any case....:lol:

Sorry mate, couldn't resist that one! First rounds' on me.....:sing: [/quote]

and the second and the third!!!!

I've just got to remember the right keys for the right bike!!!

I might just take a Monster too!!! Whatdayareckon???


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