Class Wars Knalpot Racing, What’s the difference between a Supersport bike and a Superstocker?
Sunday, September 14, 2014 by Unknown
if you head to a British Superbike
race, you’ll find a whole stack of super-competitive support classes, feeding
the best riders into the premier classes. For
600cc bikes, there are three clear stepping-stones leading you into the
prestigious British Supersport class – the Triumph Triple.
Challenge (TTC), National Superstock
600 and British Supersport EVO. From trackside, or with a quick glance at the
rules, it’s hard to see a great deal of difference between the four classes,
but from the handlebars the bikes are a step apart. T3 Racing has bikes
competing in all four categories and was kind enough to invite us down to
Brands Hatch for a day razzing round in circles trying them all out.
It’s always a little awkward doing
these race bike tests knalpot racing, but you’ve got to look at it from the
point of view of the rider and mechanic. They spend all season fussing over
these bikes, developing, tweaking, and improving at every step of the way. They
know every nut and bolt, because they’ve only just checked they were tight. And
then checked again. Then, mid-season, a sponsor/ team owner/manager informs
them that they’ve got to let some unknown journalist loose on their precious
bike to ‘test’ it. Imagine your finance company or insurance broker calling you
up and demanding you let one of us come round and thrash your bike for a few
hours? We know the riders benefit from the publicity, but still, it’s a pretty nervous
experience. Walking along the garage selecting which bike to ride next can feel
like I’m a supervillan choosing which kitten to drown next. Actually, today is
a little different – I know most of the guys here as we’ve all raced together
before, but I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. The levels of banter
and abuse are abnormally high though, which makes me feel a bit better about
thrashing all their bike.
While the other three race bikes
were having fun and games with noise testing, I kicked off the day’s test with
a couple of sessions on board the TTC-spec Daytona 675R of Jesse James Jones.
The essence of the TTC class is to provide close, affordable racing, so the
modifications to the
bikes are both limited and tightly controlled. The noise-testing split provided
all the clarity you could ask for – the full race bikes were back and forth
with baffl es, while the TTC
bike sailed through. Spec-wise it’s at the level of a nicely prepared, reliable
track bike – race bodywork, well set-up suspension and no engine tuning. As I
lid up and head out I’m thinking it’s going to feel pretty damn similar to the
standard 675R I’ve been ripping round on – masterknalpot.com
Immediately there are clear
differences – the TTC bike may look and sound pretty stock, but the changes to
handlebar and footrest positions are prominent. Especially when you’ve been
riding the standard bike recently. The benefit of the higher pegs manifests itself at the first apex I hit
with any commitment. Where I would normally be shuffling my foot up the
footrest to avoid grinding through to my toes on the asphalt, my five little piggies
are untroubled. The extra ground clearance is needed too. With the suspension
set up dialed in, there’s so much more potential to push than on the standard
bike. Coming in to Paddock Hill bend, I’m a little too late on the brakes, the
rear tyre is skipping around on the bumps and the edge of track has become the
target of my fixation. I’m forced
to turn in, still with a load of brake on.
But the stiffer set up means I’ve still got fork travel left to deal
with turning, where the road bike would have bottomed out and pushed the tire.
With more support from the springs,
you’ve got a more stable platform to push from, allowing you to attack bends
harder and faster. On the way out of a turn, the TTC bike feels just like the
road bike – that smooth drive we’ve come to love the 675 for. The race bike’s
setup does hold a tighter line through the turn, so it always feels like
there’s more room on the exit than with the road bike. Pushing harder, the
limits of the standard motor begin to show knalpot racing. Drop down to second
for Clearways, the bike bucks in protest on the way in and on the exit I have
to shift up while still cranked way over. Next lap round I hold it in third,
the entry is way more settled, but I have to get on the gas so hard, so early
to get off the turn. The 675 has a wider spread of power than any other 600cc
class bike, but take anything to a track and ride hard enough and you’ll come up
against a limit eventually.
