Desmodue report from Assen

[Zimbo]

Thursday morning, 6 AM, alarm clock goes off. Van has been stripped of racking and anything non essential, purchased bulb kits, headlamp beam bender thingys, warning triangle etc, packed my bag, and after a quick breakfast it’s off to Phoenix’s to pick up the race bikes etc.
By 9 the bikes are loaded, along with enough tents, sleeping bags and cooking / eating equipment to keep a small army going. Spares, tools, jerry can for fuel, paddock stands, leathers and helmets, somehow it all goes in and I leave for London to collect Slob. He adds another set of leathers and helmets, a couple more tents and sleeping bags, and we head out for Dover and the ferry, which we make 20 minutes before it leaves – phew!
Once in Dunkirque we turn left and follow the coast, quickly into Belgium, a stop for fuel coffee and sandwiches, spend an hour in a traffic jam, and eventually we cross into the Netherlands. More coffee, press on, and at last we get to Assen in the dark. Follow signs for the TT circuit, which is absolutely massive and very well organised. They’ve spent a billion pounds on the circuit and it shows!!! Collect tickets, scrutineering and practice passes etc, and into the paddock about 11pm. The paddock is enormous and is filling up fast. Find CK / AK’s pitch, which is our meeting point, and park up.
First problem, the paddock is completely block paved, not that tent friendly. I’m ok, I unload Dessie and set up my mattress and duvet and sleeping bag and pillow in the back of the van next to Max, but Slob’s having trouble getting his tent pegs in!!! An hour and a half later he gives up and crawls into an unsupported tent, anchored down only by his body weight, and we get some much needed sleep.

[Zimbo]

I’m rudely awakened about half seven by bikes riding past. Hundreds of ‘em, and every one sounds exactly like a Ducati on open cans. I slide the van door open, and find that this because every one is in fact a Ducati on open cans. In the daylight the size of the operation becomes apparent, there’s hundreds of tents and caravans, can’t have been much under a thousand bikes in there, and almost every single one a Ducati, every type you can imagine from a number of 250 desmo singles right up to an ex-WSB full spec 996 and everything in between – bevel drive 750s and 900s, lots of SS’s, hundreds of sports bikes, and a good many monsters! We set up the camp, unload the rest, and head into town for supplies. Ingredients purchased, we find beer is £8.50 per case of 24 bottles, with a second case for £2.50, so we buy a couple and head back. Fried breakfast and beer, prepare the bikes, and wait for the riders to fly in. We discover a solution to the tent peg dilemma, and erect all 4 tents using wood screws into the block paving – job sorted!!!
Doug appears at lunchtime. He’s got track time booked for Friday afternoon, so we check the bike over one last time, fuel up, check tyre pressures etc, and he heads out with the rest of the DD lot.
Lap one and Mike Atack leaves the circuit into the gravel on the new tight left hander. He paddles out, on his next lap he finds four more DD bikes in the very deep gravel in exactly the same place. All escape except for TP, who’s chain has come off and broken the crankcase. That corner was treated with lots of respect from then on by everybody!!!
After the session we make minor adjustments to rear tyre pressure and rear shock preload and rebound as the back tyre is tearing up a little, and out for the second session. TP’s crankcase has been repaired with chemical metal, but he’s brought back to the pits again with an oil leak. Doug’s lap times improve lap by lap and he comes in at the end of the session fairly happy. Day over, we get chilli and rice going on the stove and get stuck into the beer. Phoenix and Ade arrive at last by hire car from the airport, more beer, and bed.

[Zimbo]

Saturday – hot and sunny yet again!!! Yet more bikes are arriving, more tents going up. We prepare the bikes, chains lubed, tyre pressures checked, fueled, scrutineered, and out for first qualifying. Both bikes go well, Lin is learning the track and Doug’s times continue to fall. Lin wants a gearing change so I put a bigger rear sprocket on to improve drive out of corners. Second qualifying session late afternoon and all goes well again, Doug is happier with his suspension changes, Lin’s times are slower with the new gearing so we go back to the old 15/44 we had used in the morning. Ade cooks dinner, and we decide to walk the circuit. This takes time, it’s 2.9 miles of hard and very grippy tarmac, I am very impressed with the series of straights and very fast corners, what a fantastic circuit, I can’t wait to ride it!!! When we get back we consume lots more beer, a few hours with Tonio and his French camp drinking rum punch and red wine and more beer, fall into bed.
Sunday, race day. Hot and sunny again. We’re not racing till the afternoon so I wonder round the paddock and marvel at the bikes on show – I fall over three Paul Smart reps within ten yards, there’s sport classics and SSs all over the plave, some very nice Guzzis, loads of classic singles, all sorts of interesting stuff, must have been getting on for a thousand bikes in the paddock. We find that ticket sales for the day have reached approximately 12,000 – no pressure then!
The race comes round fairly quickly. The DD bikes run out on to the track, sounding like an F16 on taxi as they exit the pit lane. Round the track and form up, brolly dollies for the first three rows, lovely! No sighting lap, the lights go out and they’re away, a huge wheelie from one SS and they pour into turn 1 four abreast. A couple of laps in and the race is red flagged, we can see an incident in the far distance on a very fast section of the circuit but can’t see who it is, so it’s an anxious wait untill the bikes come round again and we can account for both our bikes. It turns out the faller is Dominic Clegg, a likeable and very enthusiastic lad, he’s lost the front of his SS on a very fast corner. Turns out he’s simply ridden off the edge of the tyre, he’s still on the standard 120/60 rather than the 120/70 the rest of the field run. Anyway, he’s OK and the bike’s not too bad but his race is over. They restart, and the rest of the race runs without incident, Doug does pretty well I thought and runs Dessie hard, Lin comes round last but still picks up valuable points. The winners are presented with trophies on the GP podium by Pierre Terreblanche, Ducati designer.
We watch a bit more racing and have a couple of cold beers in the circuit café bar, then pack up the van and head home, sad to leave. A stop for dinner in a small town after 150km, then on to the ferry with a stop for chocolates and fuel in Belguim, plus an unscheduled look at the centre of Antwerp due to a wrong turn, catch the 2 am ferry, drop Slob off at 5am, and home by 7, tired but very very happy. It’s been a fantastic weekend, and we’ll be back next year, oh yes!!!!

[Zimbo]

Last, some pictures here

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=17644

[slob]

Originally Posted by Zimbo

Last, some pictures here

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=17644

Corr, brilliant, reading that it almost feels like I was there.

[slob]

...and next year we're taking our own bikes so we can get some tracktime in on Friday.

Yes but if you bring chips none of us will care!!!!

Originally Posted by benson

Yes but if you bring chips none of us will care!!!!

Chips are queen indeed!

PS my fella wants a Buell.

He he he - and tell your fella to go get one then!!!!! I've had a big grin on my face since I bought it - just had the first service and a new race can and a rather tidier rear end (oh wish it were real life!!!) - I LOVE IT!!!! Similar but oh so different to the monnie - just a dream and I don't actually regret selling the CBR400 to part finance it!!!

There are also some very good finance deals out there at the mo.......WHy d ie in credit?????

[Tonio600]

Good write up Zimbo, I wish we could do it again next weekend...