www.zxrworld.co.uk

On Saturday I headed up to Scunthorpe to have a crack at Speedway!

We were on a mini training track on 125-160cc bikes rather than the 500cc methanol snorting monsters, and had an instructor who'd ridden for Wolverhampton for about 18 years. He was great, but you were welcome to just ignore anything he said and jump on a bike and get some laps in - it was all very relaxed...

Probably because it's so completely alien to a road rider it's unbelievable! All you had was a clutch lever to get going, then there were no brakes or gears, and you don't even get a footpeg on the left hand side. Getting your head around making the back lose grip around the corners was HARD. Normal apexes and race lines were absolutely useless, and learning not to snap the throttle shut was a challenge even though I don't do it on the road!

A highside soon knocked this into me - winding me like the school bully had just had my dinner money away...

It was an excellent day out and a great laugh, and highly recommended! It's very physically demending even if you don't fall off - the main pain coming from trying to keep your left leg up and forwards all the time. It was well before the 4 hours was up that everyone was done for - in the words of one of the other people it looked like a 50 Cent gig with everyone doing their Rapper Walk!

All for the princely sum of £50!

"So how did you get on, Jamz???"

I'm glad you asked! Here's a pic:

Oh alright! That was some 12 year old putting us all to shame!

This is me on my first or second time out (I did get a bit more flambouyant towards the end!):

fkin brilliant.
where do i pay to have a go of that! is there a few places that do it, or just scunthorp? and can you just turn up or is it a booking thing?

jake wrote:fkin brilliant.
where do i pay to have a go of that! is there a few places that do it, or just scunthorp? and can you just turn up or is it a booking thing?

I think you need to book 10-12 people in a group, and at Scunthorpe all the kit and bikes were included! If you were fit enough you could stay on the track for 4 hrs in theory!

I'm going to try and find a closer stadium that does it. I suspect most of them will have some sort of training program on the go... maybe Wolverhampton do it?

Most of the others wore their old leathers or synthetics - a damned good move as it turns out, because there's absolutely no padding or armour in they kit they gave me, and they looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if I could possibly have any.

Strange feeling of deja vu on reading this.

Do you know Tony and Lucie?

deviant wrote:Strange feeling of deja vu on reading this.

Do you know Tony and Lucie?

If Lucie is Grib (and Tony might be CouchCommander?) from The Rev Counter then I was with them!

yep, tony being couchcommando, albeit I know them through the performance bikes forum.

small world eh?

deviant wrote:yep, tony being couchcommando, albeit I know them through the performance bikes forum.

small world eh?

That's the buggers! I think they're both from Nottingham way. I'd never met them before - just seen them around the forum. They seemed pretty cool - everyone did, actually!

Do you have a web address for who you done it through? Scunny's only down the road from me.

fantastic - looks like you had a blast

bollox wished i'd had took you up on the offer now mate looks like you had a great time.

Brett wrote:Do you have a web address for who you done it through? Scunny's only down the road from me.

http://www.scunthorpespeedway.com/mini.php

All the details should be on there. Maybe we should book a day for ZXR World to have a go?

My shoulder and ribs are still fkd though!

they do speedway in coventry, dunno if they do training though

http://www.coventrymotorspeedway.com/

gem

Thanks lads, now I just have to round up a posse.

I got Foxhall stadium about 20 mins away from me, must go and watch some stuff there some time! dunno if they do training but its something ive always wanted to have a bash at!

Looks like you had fun!