The never-ending saga that is tyres in DD
ok, I know some of you hate it when people who don't even race or race in DD stick their size 10's into the arguement, (size 8 in my case), but I was there at that first meeting Skids mentions above. I may be wrong, but I think Skids and I were the only two who raced in DSC at the time, (I'm sure there were others who used to race), but although I was never intending to enter (it was designed for newbies), I was asked to act as an advisor on some of the more practical aspects.
Tyres got a lot of airtime back at that meeting and a lot of emotional arguements ensued. I say emotional, as the judgements made were subjective, not objective. Nobody in the room had raced. Nobody had raced on that tyre. I was suggesting DD copied the race formula I was experienced with in the CB500's who used Bridgestone road tyres. These tyres were proven to work, were cheap, already available through Holbeach by the van-load and still to this day produce laptimes for a 50bhp machine with no suspension other than a bedspring of 1.46 around Cadwell (think it might be 1.45 now). The reason pirelli was chosen was IMHO purely because people used the brand on their road Ducati's (not that tyre mind you) and the sexy link of the brands - Bridgestone was never a sexy brand.
The word safety is raised above and has been many times before and no doubt will be again. How can you tell me that it is 'safe' to ask a rider to ride to their limit and beyond in race conditions on a road tyre on a cold and wet March morning with no tyre warmers. Any racer will tell you it's madness, most wouldn't go out under such circumstances. In my first year in CB5's, wets were not allowed, but warmers were. I am by comparison to some of my lunatic competitors a fairly smooth rider, so I actually enjoyed the wet races on dry tyres as I knew I could beat others I normally wouldn't and that some of them would fall off. I have watched DD'ers tip toe around a corner in the wet and sat at The Hairpin and the Mountain at Cadwell watching good riders fall off and take others out with them.
What price 'cheap' racing when your bike is in bits, the guy next to you in the paddock's season is over because you took him out and you are sitting in a hospital bed - all for the cost of a set of warmers or wets.
Wets last ages, you can get a couple of seasons out of them if used correctly. They are great fun, they make the racing better and safer and it's great to put your knee down in puddles. It's exciting to be watching the conditions and making the decision to change tyres right at the last minute and getting down to the holding area to see who has chosen what tyre - all part of racing, same as the big boys do.
If you want a cheap option, then leave class B as it is, but class A has moved on since the series began and is attracting racers to the series who are not 'Ducati' people and certainly not novices. For Class A I would go for full wets, warmers and ANY treaded tyre make.
As for cost, I would suggest most of the Class A boys and girls already have front and rear stands, they probably have warmers for their other track bikes and a set of wets will cost a little over a couple of hundred quid and last them at least a full season, probably more.
WeeJohnyB
PS - I suggested 748 racing ages ago - go for a 748 AND 749 series (same grid but choice of bike), stock bikes NO CHANGES except rear sets and race can - simples innit, no engine mods, no suspension mods, no arguements, no huge complex rule books, just take the mirrors off and race.