Laguna Seca has facinated me since it came back to Moto GP in the late 80's. It could just be me but it appears to be a little organic, like our Phillip Island track here in .au - Really enjoyed watching this Eric, I was leaning forward, left and right off the sofa, fingers and feet twitching... - Tkx!
When helping others find speed there I refer to Greek mythology of all things. In my mind Laguna Seca was designed by Medusa, the guardian protectress with serpents for hair, who lured you in with her beauty to gaze into her eyes - which then turned you to stone. Like Medusa, Laguna lures you in also, specifically to turn - in too early, almost everywhere around the racetrack, which then makes you as slow as a stone. It’s such a beautiful flowing undulating layout. Going ski there can frustrate you into hating it. Going fast there makes you never want to leave. Right now I feel like building a house in the paddock
Love the Kramer stuff. The only track it nakes sense to race up north is at The Ridge. I have a funny video racing mine at Portland international and its comical how many times I pass in the corners get smoked in the straights lol
HO LEE SMOKES, you made up a lot of positions fast!!! 😳 I really enjoy watching you work hard to get to the front. Was it P2 that you ended up in??? 🤔 Great job! Thanks for sharing this video. Keep yourself safe! 😃👍❤🏍🏁 Randy
Thanks Randy. Yes, we finished P2. I was less aggressive in traffic than Stefano was. Especially around my friends. I think that's what cost me the most. We did make up ground on him once clear but not enough. Maybe next time 👊
@@superduked33 Stefano is a beast on the track. He was here in NH for the 100th Loudon Classic and he also "guest coached" during the track day before. I was fortunate to be there. I also helped with the corner marshaling and was able to watch him in qualifying, practice and the main race. He's got some insane riding skills! 😎👊❤🏍🏁
Great one as usual 😊 Gogo , Eric!!! Next time to add some spice to the challenge you should maybe start when they have already done 1 lap, what do you think? 😂
Funny enough i was checking their website yesterday as they releases a 890RR. And of course wondering how a SDR would compare. Thanks Eric...as usual 😊
It’s not such an accurate comparison because #1 I could be Stefano Mesa’s father, and #2 while my SDR motor was two weeks off a wrecked bike on eBay - completely bone stock, that Kramer is nothing near stock. Big money behind that machine
@@superduked33 Eric as we are the same age I took it into consideration. I also saw that he could extract himself very quickly from the pack and you needed much more time. Then this is a pure track machine and the stock SDR is not the best in class even if not that bad. Yours is optimized but still. Finally if i understood properly he is a pro. Even if you were still one age is a bitch 😂 My point is that you were not far behind bro! SDR was absolutely not ridiculous
@@Latitude3324 Thanks brother. I agree Stefano carved the crew up quicker than I did. Partly due to skill, partly to respect. In my gut the biggest advantages he had on us were his transmission and weight. That Kramer shot out of turns, clicking gears one after another like a semi-automatic machine gun. My SDR, even with the radical gearing I run, spent so much more time in each gear. I think those Kramers weigh 315lbs? Stafano said he is faster on that Kramer than his MotoAmerica supersport bike
@@superduked33 i don't know how much it is in your strange mesure 😂 but it weight 140kg and the stock SDR is around 180kg. It develops 130hp knowing that everything is track oriented. I actually don't find it that expensive to be honest. The 890R is 32k€ 890RR 40k€
I’ve wondered this many times after deciding not to buy an RC8C. Thanks for sharing Eric! Did you start from the back of the grid? Made light work picking them off 💪🏼
We were very close. Some laps I ran faster times, some he did. I think his did two high 28s that weekend, but mostly he did mid to low 29s. My best laps were mid 29s. Saturday I never reached 6rh gear between turns 4 and 5. Sunday 5th gear ran out sooner, I hit 6th every lap. One more day I had 28s. I lost a lot of time over turn 1 with instability, and I needed one tooth shorter gearing (at least).
Thanks Curtis. Still bumps in 4 if you nail the apex, still the whoooops over the rise of 1, still a dip in 6 but I'm sure the last two are by design, lots of post-paving grind marks all over which makes no sense. Lots. But the traction is so good that your knee gets pulled back on contact. Feels like your knee slider is made of soft rubber. I kept checking my leathers thinking I put the slider in the wrong place. Never experienced that anywhere else. You can't tell from the footage but sometimes into turns 11 and 5 I broke so hard the front tire would drag then bite, hop in the air, land, drag then bite, hop in the air, at least six times before the apexes. But it always worked out. Love that f'ing track
@@superduked33 Wow! Thanks for the interesting description! I could see the grinding marks. The rest, like you said, wasn't evident from watching but is interesting to learn!
That’s my buddy Gavin. We train together and race together. He also helps me designing some of the suspension parts that I sell. …so you can understand why I backed out of that pass on him going into the Corkscrew. :-)
YES!! AHRMA gets all sorts of cool bikes from the past. You could end up racing a Panigale against a TL 100R, against a Triumph triple and a one off electric bike built by some dude in his garage, and a KTM Superduke all at once. In fact all of those bikes were in this very race!
Those dive bombs into T8 at PIR?! Woooo you are feisty! Haha (just found this video, as I’m picking up a used 1290 for street and track shenanigans- Phillip
Watching the KTM's torque totally smoke about 10 bikes off the line is hilarious! Kudos for keeping the Beast in check.
Warp mode activated...
No shit this bike is a freaking animal. Bone stock motor / air filter and Akra map. Done
great to see a racer with a Super Duke :) I'm racing with my Tuono at the moment and had the gen1 and gen2 SDR. :) Nice footage and well ridden!
Laguna Seca has facinated me since it came back to Moto GP in the late 80's. It could just be me but it appears to be a little organic, like our Phillip Island track here in .au - Really enjoyed watching this Eric, I was leaning forward, left and right off the sofa, fingers and feet twitching... - Tkx!
When helping others find speed there I refer to Greek mythology of all things. In my mind Laguna Seca was designed by Medusa, the guardian protectress with serpents for hair, who lured you in with her beauty to gaze into her eyes - which then turned you to stone. Like Medusa, Laguna lures you in also, specifically to turn - in too early, almost everywhere around the racetrack, which then makes you as slow as a stone. It’s such a beautiful flowing undulating layout. Going ski there can frustrate you into hating it. Going fast there makes you never want to leave. Right now I feel like building a house in the paddock
Happy you didn't cut the video before the wheelie. I think a wheelie video may be needed soon
Ringing the 1290r out with out hitting the rev limiter nice. Dam that looked fast plus you were hitting all the apex’s.
Well, not ALL the apexes…. pushing hard on the brakes got the tires hopping a bit, which did put me behind schedule a few times that race. :-)
@@superduked33 And I enjoyed watching you get back on line rather than continuing late. Very subtle and nice.
Love the Kramer stuff. The only track it nakes sense to race up north is at The Ridge. I have a funny video racing mine at Portland international and its comical how many times I pass in the corners get smoked in the straights lol
I feel your pain
Scything through the pack there Eric!
HO LEE SMOKES, you made up a lot of positions fast!!! 😳
I really enjoy watching you work hard to get to the front. Was it
P2 that you ended up in??? 🤔
Great job! Thanks for sharing this video.
Keep yourself safe! 😃👍❤🏍🏁
Randy
Thanks Randy. Yes, we finished P2. I was less aggressive in traffic than Stefano was. Especially around my friends. I think that's what cost me the most. We did make up ground on him once clear but not enough. Maybe next time 👊
@@superduked33 Stefano is a beast on the track. He was here in NH for the 100th Loudon Classic and he also "guest coached" during the track day before. I was fortunate to be there. I also helped with the corner marshaling and was able to watch him in qualifying, practice and the main race. He's got some insane riding skills! 😎👊❤🏍🏁
Awesome vid...
Great one as usual 😊
Gogo , Eric!!! Next time to add some spice to the challenge you should maybe start when they have already done 1 lap, what do you think? 😂
OMG
Funny enough i was checking their website yesterday as they releases a 890RR.
And of course wondering how a SDR would compare.
Thanks Eric...as usual 😊
It’s not such an accurate comparison because #1 I could be Stefano Mesa’s father, and #2 while my SDR motor was two weeks off a wrecked bike on eBay - completely bone stock, that Kramer is nothing near stock. Big money behind that machine
@@superduked33 Eric as we are the same age I took it into consideration. I also saw that he could extract himself very quickly from the pack and you needed much more time.
Then this is a pure track machine and the stock SDR is not the best in class even if not that bad. Yours is optimized but still.
Finally if i understood properly he is a pro. Even if you were still one age is a bitch 😂
My point is that you were not far behind bro! SDR was absolutely not ridiculous
@@Latitude3324 Thanks brother. I agree Stefano carved the crew up quicker than I did. Partly due to skill, partly to respect. In my gut the biggest advantages he had on us were his transmission and weight. That Kramer shot out of turns, clicking gears one after another like a semi-automatic machine gun. My SDR, even with the radical gearing I run, spent so much more time in each gear. I think those Kramers weigh 315lbs? Stafano said he is faster on that Kramer than his MotoAmerica supersport bike
@@superduked33 i don't know how much it is in your strange mesure 😂 but it weight 140kg and the stock SDR is around 180kg.
It develops 130hp knowing that everything is track oriented.
I actually don't find it that expensive to be honest.
The 890R is 32k€
890RR 40k€
@@Latitude3324 Purchase price was not my measure. You'd understand if you knew the owner.
I’ve wondered this many times after deciding not to buy an RC8C. Thanks for sharing Eric! Did you start from the back of the grid? Made light work picking them off 💪🏼
Yes, they gridded me at the back. And it's my own fault really. I signed up late as usual because apparently I love a challenge
Oopsie doopsie i sandbagged my diasy , hehe
What were the average lap times of the Kramer compared to yours?
We were very close. Some laps I ran faster times, some he did. I think his did two high 28s that weekend, but mostly he did mid to low 29s. My best laps were mid 29s. Saturday I never reached 6rh gear between turns 4 and 5. Sunday 5th gear ran out sooner, I hit 6th every lap. One more day I had 28s. I lost a lot of time over turn 1 with instability, and I needed one tooth shorter gearing (at least).
Awesome riding! That first lap was sweet! What's it like riding on the new surface?
Thanks Curtis. Still bumps in 4 if you nail the apex, still the whoooops over the rise of 1, still a dip in 6 but I'm sure the last two are by design, lots of post-paving grind marks all over which makes no sense. Lots. But the traction is so good that your knee gets pulled back on contact. Feels like your knee slider is made of soft rubber. I kept checking my leathers thinking I put the slider in the wrong place. Never experienced that anywhere else. You can't tell from the footage but sometimes into turns 11 and 5 I broke so hard the front tire would drag then bite, hop in the air, land, drag then bite, hop in the air, at least six times before the apexes. But it always worked out. Love that f'ing track
@@superduked33 Wow! Thanks for the interesting description! I could see the grinding marks. The rest, like you said, wasn't evident from watching but is interesting to learn!
Awesome! Who’s #18 on the other SDR?
That’s my buddy Gavin. We train together and race together. He also helps me designing some of the suspension parts that I sell. …so you can understand why I backed out of that pass on him going into the Corkscrew. :-)
Was it a Suzuki TL 1000R that poor thingh at the start? Great job btw.
YES!! AHRMA gets all sorts of cool bikes from the past. You could end up racing a Panigale against a TL 100R, against a Triumph triple and a one off electric bike built by some dude in his garage, and a KTM Superduke all at once. In fact all of those bikes were in this very race!
Wow! Talking about "traffic" at the start (how did you end up starting in the back???). What was your best laptime on this chase?
Stefano told me I did a mid 29 Saturday. Several 29s Sunday. I feel confident 28s we’re in the cards - if we only raced Monday…. :-)
@@superduked33 These are amazingly quick times around LS! Doing these on a 1290 Duke R is just mindboggling to me (could it be the rider?! LOL)
Good rider can make any bike fast
Dude you pass almost everybody in just 1 lap, or the bike is very good, or you are an amazing pilot or both!! anyway GREAT FIRST LAP!!
Thanks brother. Nothing quite like riding a bike that is setup well for you.
My GP2 is the same way, that bike rewards you for diving deeper and deeper into the corners on the brakes. It's insane.
Those dive bombs into T8 at PIR?! Woooo you are feisty! Haha (just found this video, as I’m picking up a used 1290 for street and track shenanigans-
Phillip
I love kTm😁
If you would have started closer to the front, I bet you would have taken the win.
I like your thinking... ;-)