DOCGB - new

Desmo Dom has been coming to the DOC Track Days ever since the first one, and is always the fastest man out there. Despite riding an elderly bevel 900SS, no-one has ever laid claim to passing Dom. He himself reckons that on his very first visit to Cadwell, the legendary Edgar Jessop got into the first corner ahead of him, but Dom had him on the second bend, and has never been passed since.

If you ever get within sight of Dom you are doing well, but he has always managed to make it to the line first.

You might be able to beat Loris Capirossi, but do you reckon you have the right stuff to take on Desmo Dom?

Ducati UK's 999 gets some grief from Stuart Robinson at the Mountain
(reproduced by kind permission of fresh-orange)

Team FMoB would like to formally apologise to any in the intermediate group that were frustrated by a Fat Bloke on a Bevel getting in the way - especially those on modern tackle overtaken in the bendy bits. You know who you are!

A truly, truly glorious and most excellent day.

After I'd borrowed some gloves (thanks Andrew!) I went out for the first session - which was decidedly ropey. I had little slides on both tyres and the front end felt most peculiar in the slower corners (and my slow is positively

pedestrian compared to some) but it definitely didn't feel right and I was

thinking of coming in when it was decided for me by the clutch lever starting

to go all floppy. Turned out the clutch cover was coming loose - and both

tyres were about 5psi down. At this stage I was thinking of changing the Team

name to Team 3P - Piss Poor Preparation.

A bit of twirling with an allen key (thanks Roger!) and the loan of a foot pump

(thanks for that too) and all sorted. Hurrah. As a result the second session

was way, WAY better. Came in rather hot and bothered but feeling like a

Driving God (copyright Top Gear).

Third and fourth sessions went much the same way. The bevel just about

stayed with most of the two valve belt drive stuff on the straights.

Diicult to say on the corners as that's mostly about confidence, but it was way

outclassed on the bend after the Goosneck and on the new hairpin (I had to

adopt a differt line to everybody else!) Had some fun with an R1100(?) and a chap

on a Harris - to whom I offer a genuine apology for making a bollox of the

braking at the end of the back straight. Must have baulked you terribly. I

Glad to finish the fourth session as my concentration was going and I was

getting rather ragged round the edges.

So what do I do? Obvious really - I borrow somebody else's jolly expensive

brand new toy. A 999s to be precise Thank you Ducati UK!

Forced to change groups as all intermediate sessions booked and I thought

I'd be less of a hindrance in novice than in the experienced group. I was last

out as I had to run in and change wristbands and then run over to where the

bike was. Not easy in borrowed leathers (Thanks Danny!) It was at this point

that somebody pointed out the oil on my boots (yeah, thanks) but I was so into

the bike that at that point I didn't really care. (Later exam of the bevel

showed a weep from one of the front rocker covers. Could have been interesting

The 999 riding position is less extreme that the bevel, room to move around

- comfortable even. Sounded way too quiet of course, but I'm sure that 'can'

If you have not ridden a 999s and you like sports bikes then you must go out

and beg borrow or steal one immediately. It is an absolute missile - with me

on board more V2 than Exocet...

So easy to go fast on. I saw 130 on the start /finish straight without any

real effort. And the brakes are SOOPERB - I was screaming like a banshee

braking for the hairpin. Hilarious.

I now have a little appreciation of the forces experienced by proper racers.

A super super machine that has immediately leapt onto my fantasy wish list.

I want one, and I want it NOW!

After I came back in (sorry for the little stoppie Peter) and calmed down,

the heavens opened. AFTER packing up, for once. So, bikes on trailer, and a

nice dry drive home, talking complete bollox with my Suzuki riding mate about

how great we'd been.

Thank you to Graham in particular for organising things - and made some nice

comments about the exhaust note of the bevel - and also to Gaz. The throwaway

'flying fox' comment was most illuminating. Having gone and looked them up

on the web I find that, amongst others, there is a Little Red Flying Fox,

native of Australia. I assume that there must be a Big Red Flying Fox too?

I also learned that fruit bats are the largest of the bat family (humph),

spend most of the day asleep in trees and although good flyers (hurrah) are

clumsy at landing (boo).

Apparently we simply crash into the shrubbery and hope for the best...

PS Please take with a large pinch of salt any impression that I may have

given re any sort of riding prowess. Any such impression is entirely erroneous -

see penultimate paragraph re bragging' rights...

PPS. I LOVE THIS CLUB!

Here are some pictures from past events to whet your appetite for 2006

Chairman Gaz gets his knee down (But for him, it's not a long way to the floor!)

If you need Adobe Acrobat Reader you can click here or the image below to download it.

You can see professionally taken pics from the 2004 Trackday using the following link to our trackday photo gallery:

You can see professionally taken pics from the 2005 Trackday using the following link to our trackday photo gallery: