| I've always stayed out of the wets debate, I always liked the odd wet race, even on road tyres, when I bought my class A bike I also bought a set of Wets and a spare set of wheels as it was the end of the season and I had booked every single race in a 1 day event in November at Donington, it didn't rain and I had a brilliant day I raced my 620 monster in all classes even in the 1000's and finished about 2/3s down the order, I took my unused wets home with me.
After booking track day at my local (Brands) I was looking forward to the forecast rain just so that I could test the wets for the first time, which I did, in all honesty I didn't notice much difference, it was the first time I'd ridden a dd bike on wets, maybe I didn't go fast enough to warm them up or something but I didn't notice much.
I have got a photo of me on my 999s on wets at druids hairpin with my knee planted firmly down but I only rode that in the wet once maybe the extra power helps? and I don't think it was that wet or a particularly slippery day.
I am at a point in my life/racing career, 6 years racing in DD, where I wouldn't mind racing with wets, but if I'm honest when I was first thinking about racing, a stage that everybody must be at at some point, racing on road tyres and not having wets was one of the draws of DD over other classes, every thing was new and confusing and it was one less thing to worry about, I thought I'd buy a bike and come race it, the end.
I do remember a trackday me and Neal Catlin did at mallory, I had the slicks on and it was raining when we arrived so I missed the first session, Neal missed it as well having stayed in to help me change the wheels, I didn't have spare discs so had to change them as well, then it dried up and we both missed the 2nd session as well and just before the 3rd session guess what? I left the unridden 999s in the paddock and rode the DD bike all afternoon.
so,
do I want wets? Maybe.
is it right for DD? not sure.
Kev E Kev P and Trudi, Please don't leave us, my life would not have been as good without you guys in it.
Matt  |