A few of the racers here in Germany were talking allot of noise about this Schleiz track. It is supposed to be one of the older tracks in Germany. It used to be a TT course that ran on public roads. In fact the course still uses 2 public roads to complete the circuit. So for the weekend the block off traffic and send out corner workers. The roads have sudo-rumble strips and in some sections dotted lines. So it sorta feels like you’re running an Isle of Mann section or something (minus any close walls and buildings).

    Overall the course was open with plenty of run-off. There were lots of elevation changes to include some blind uphill apexes which challenge skills and bravery. The two public roads are very fast section that flow downhill. It was a fun feeling trying to get the bike to transition while holding the throttle open in 5th gear.

    The facilities did not include large pit garages or paved paddock area. It was more like what you expect in the US, with the exception of free electricity! The ground staff were very nice helping out with a fuse box after a faulty connection left a few of us without power.

    The track itself seemed to have allot of “character” as I’m not sure how else to best describe it. The course was fast fun and challenging. The weather was about as perfect as it gets her in Germany (even got a sunburn!)

    The first day I spent trying to learn the track. Slow but steady progression, allowed me to avoid any real scary moments and get plenty of passing practice in the “C” group (mostly street/tour riders). My fault for not signing up earlier, so that was all they had left with openings.

    By the end of the day the track was flowing well and I could start talking shift/braking points with the others and have them make sense. Yasuyo and I stayed at a local hotel only 5min from the track! They were very motorcycle/racer friendly and accepted the VAT form which made the stay even more affordable. The rooms were clean and comfortable, but most importantly the food and beer were EXCELLENT! I mean WOW good!

    So after a good night sleep it was back to the track for day 2. I ran one morning session on the Bridgestone 002s so I could have a fresh comparison between them and the 003s. This write up won’t be a completely fair comparison since my 002s included a 190 rear and the 003s used a 180.

    So the first thing I noticed was that the bike felt more nimble for turn-ins and mid corner. To the point where I almost clipped the inside of a few corners being used to the pressure needed to turn and hold the 003s. As my confidence increased and my laptimes decreased, I noticed that there was some chatter starting to develop up front entering one of the tightest sessions of the track. To fair it is a tricky section where there is an elevation change to add to other contributing suspension factors, so I can’t blame only the tires. None-the-less it was easy to just stay on the line even with the chatter.

    Another confidence factor is that I was running T4/T4 compounds on the 002s and running T3/T2 on the 003s. The T4 002s warmed up fast and seemed to hold with no hot/cold tearing at all. The 003s in the harder compounds felt just as planted and confident even with the 2 second faster pace than on the 002s. Again my caveat being that it was my first time there and each lap was a learning lap so I don’t know how much consistency was actually included in my tests.

    Bottom line is I like the 180 rear over the 190 (not sure if compounds or types has anything to do with that discovery). The 003s in T2/T3 offer equal grip to the T4 002s. I’m very eager to continue testing with them!

    The second day also offered up a few races where two of our American contingents were able to bring home trophies!!! There is much to learn from the guys running over here and many more tracks to experience.

    As always, sunny weather, friends, tracks, and motorcycles equals a GREAT WEEKEND!!!

    Thanks to Shima-chan for all the great pictures and lugging herself and baby “chibi-shima” around with her all the time.
; P

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