Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > Castle Combe circuit video

[skidlids]

Can safely say the DD brake (singular) is not a patch on the full pfm 6-pot setup I had on my Fireblade, even so I still found myself just knocking it down a gear at the bottom of the rise and then braking just after the crest using the wide entry line to add a little extra braking distance.

I think my top speed on the 583 with 15/41 gearing reving to 9k and a decent taiil wind is no better than 125mph, so if Nick was doing 140mph I may as well be in a different race.

[NBs996]

Kev, I've not got a prayer of doing 140 on the monnie!
I reckon it wasn't much more than 120, but will have to do the maths to work it out.

[skidlids]

My speed estimate is based on the fact I was running standard road gearing for a 600SS and was reving it to 9k which is a little more than the standard redline from what I recall. I have seen various writeups saying the 600SS was good for 120mph so I presume I was going a touch faster as I approached Avon Rise flat out in 5th.

[WeeJohnyB]

Nice one, so were you upright or banked over when braking?

WeeJohnyB

[NBs996]

yep, all of those!

But when I'd worked out what was less hazardous to my health, I scrubbed some speed whilst banked over by shutting the throttle early so I could start braking while upright and trail the front brake into the turn for Quarry.

So wjb, tell me what I shoulda done... if you can imagine yourself on a monnie, doing about 120 approaching Avon Rise... over to you!

[Edited on 6-6-2005 by NBs996]

[WeeJohnyB]

nah, you're asking too much. I'm genuinely trying to remember. I still have an image in my head of it being a dodgy section with undulation, two changes of direction and braking as well as a corner that tightens up, so I think I was on the brakes whilst banked over, but could easily be wrong.

Anyone got any lap times?

WeeJohnyB

[ali]

Originally posted by WeeJohnyB
Nice one, so were you upright or banked over when braking?

WeeJohnyB

I was lent over all the time while braking, and I kept leaning over until I hit the ground.... Arse. On the other hand I was flat out over Avon Rise and then for another 5m or so every lap, so it was bound to happen eventually!

[ericthered40]

Originally posted by ali

I was lent over all the time while braking, and I kept leaning over until I hit the ground.... Arse. On the other hand I was flat out over Avon Rise and then for another 5m or so every lap, so it was bound to happen eventually!

[NBs996]

I'm a little bored this eve, so I've just worked out my top speed approaching Avon Rise...

Assumptions/errors:
The needle was waving around the 9000rpm mark, so I've used 9000 for the calc;
Can't account for the expansion of the rear tyre due to centrifugal 'fling' cos I didn't fancy leaning over to measure it!
So the number is tending towards the low side.

top speed = 121.0463mph

now I'm bored again.

[Edited on 8-6-2005 by NBs996]

[skidlids]

Simon Knowlson told me that he approached the same point of the circuit at 170mph, I think Dallas tried this and when he then missed his braking point by a couple of feet it was crash, bang wallop and no more track time for the ZX10R that day.

Nick from what you say and what I think my top speed was there isn't much in it apart from the extra couple of seconds it took my bike to get there.