An unexpected email from Europe requesting my immediate presence, a quick phone call to the Boss, who says, "Punch the button," and I was off to Nevers, France, to ride Ten Kate Honda's 2007 World Championship-winning CBR1000RR Superbike and CBR600RR Supersport racebikes.
It started back in August of last year. I wrote a blog entry dreaming about getting James Toseland's Honda CBR1000RR for a long-term test bike. That got enough of Ten Kate's attention that they emailed me and said that if I happened to be at the Magny-Cours circuit south of Nevers the Monday morning after the final race of 2007, I could ride the team's bikes. That was the preceding Thursday; the resulting command to go ahead meant a flurry of reservation-making and ticket-buying. Not long afterward, I was in the stands at Nevers, soaking in some SBK action and anxious for the finish. Watching the races was cool, but I was there to ride.
First was Kenan Sofuoglu's Honda CBR600RR that Sofu rode to a record eight wins in a single season on the way to the 2007 title. A handful of Euro-journos and I got our chance to ride the bike on a busy little 16-turn circuit adjacent to the main Magny-Cours track. The Ten Kate CBR revved more freely than any other Honda 600 I've ridden, a characteristic magnified by a quarter-turn throttle with a very light pull. Tucked in down the straight, the only thing I didn't like about the bike was how hard I had to stomp down on the quick-shifter when working up through the gears. On the unfamiliar track, I really appreciated the 600's very light and nimble feel. Many times, when my corner-entrance line was late, I would give the bike a frantic flick, only to find that it would change direction easily, almost effortlessly. In that way, the CBR's agility and stability compensated for my lack of track knowledge.
We then rode 2007 SBK champ (and now MotoGP rider for Tech 3 Yamaha) James Toseland's CBR1000RR on the actual Magny-Cours circuit, a track composed of fast straights followed by heavy braking. In that setting, the 1000 was impressive, really fast and dead stable. Even my throttle application was well-damped: When I would whack open the throttle exiting turns, the electronics would increase power only when the tire could handle it. It wasn't exactly high-side proof, but the effect was quite noticeable. On the other end of the straightaway, phenomenally powerful and progressive brakes would reverse-engineer that speed. Like the Ten Kate 600, the CBR1000RR felt considerably lighter than the stock version and vastly more powerful.
Next, we got a ride on Noriyuki Haga's No. 41 Yamaha YZF-R1, which was way more wicked. Crack the throttle on this bike and the power delivery is much more aggressive. Haga apparently prefers to ride unplugged, with little use of the traction control. Electronic aid or not, there's 200-plus horsepower on tap at the rear wheel; that thing wanted to go!
Compared to that beast, my next ride was like a walk in the park. After riding Nitro Nori's R1, Yamaha World Supersport rider Broc Parkes' YZF-R6 felt like a minibike. The controls were comfortable, the bars were a little wider than those on Sofu's 600, plus I had learned a lot about the Magny-Cours track layout, so I was able to rattle off quick laps and have a blast. I remember thinking how light and nimble, almost transparent, the R6 felt. The gearing was perfect for the track, taking out the guesswork and allowing me to focus most of my attention on traction. A fine ending to my day in Nevers-Nevers land.