The 20 or so Bangkok participants convened at the Motoaholic Dealership (Thaksin Monument) for the BIRA track day at around 8:00am. To my surprise we left promptly at 8:30am after a short briefing on the route to be taken for the day. This was to take us over the Talat river ferry crossing (Prapradaeng pier) to Sukhumvit and then to route 34 and the Bang Na highway.
Mileage was 8,880 kilometers when my number was attached to my motorcycle front mudguard at the departure point. I was #18 which, I hoped, would be a lucky number for me.
We had a short photo shoot while on the Talat ferry river crossing, and we stopped at about 9:30am at the Esso petrol station at Bang Na, just out of Bangkok, on route 34 to Pattaya. This proved to be quite a long stop as we had to wait for some late starters. However, it did give everyone time to relax, eat and drink as needed.
There were one or two intermediate stops for petrol etc., but by 12:00 noon we were able to stop alongside a reservoir after following a super twisty road that traversed the edge of the reservoir. The reservoir is a little west of the main 3144 / 7 route to Pattaya and well worth a visit for those with time to spare.
Lunch was taken a short trip away and afterwards we made our way to BIRA Circuit for a quick look before travelling into Pattaya and to the hotel. Our hotel, the Icon Place is, I believe, owned by the Pattaya Kawasaki Big Bike dealer who additionally owns many motorcycle shops around the town. It was new and comfortable and not expensive.
I had breakfast after a walk along the beach road, and it consisted of rice and egg from the nearby 7-11. We checked-out early and made our way to BIRA Circuit in plenty of time for the day's events.
We spent the morning with motorcycle training (lecture and handling on small bikes). The small bike handling practice is something every biker should do and perfect. It has helped me tremendously, and it has hugely improved my self confidence and low speed control (needless to say, the one in the short video clip is not me!)
After the handling practice we had lunch at the circuit and a short rest. Then the moment arrived - we were taken to the track on our own motorcycles. Participants were split into a small number of groups, and each group was taken to a corner where we were told how to take the corner. Cones were placed at appropriate places to help track positioning. We were then encouraged to ride through the corner(s) several times, and thus gradually build-up confidence and ability. We moved to another corner and repeated the process.
Once we had become reasonably proficient we were lead around the track while gradually increasing speed. This continued for several laps and until the instructors came into the pits allowing participants to ride freely - whoa!
This was super and could continue as long as you felt able. I came into the pits two or three times to rest and take stock of what I was doing right / wrong, and then returned to the track. I gradually improved but, to be frank, never felt as though I had "mastered" the circuit - there always seemed to be one corner I would get wrong. Fortunately there were no mishaps and everyone survived (although I did see one or two bikes traversing the grass)
I did, however, learn a tremendous amount and my confidence has grown substantially. Huge thanks to Kawasaki, to the dealers, and to the staff and trainers who are just great.
Training ended around 5:00pm and we made our way in convoy to Bang Saen for a super seafood dinner.
The return to Bangkok was wonderfully wet but no-one cared - it was such a great weekend. Mileage on return of 9,303 kilometers (weekend mileage of 423 kilometers). First stop - a shower and sleep. Second stop - Soi 66 car wash! Number 18 was obviously a lucky number for me!
