Le cops nab our man

Used Bikes Editor Angus Farquhar is completing his last session at the European Superbikes School three day track course at the Norgaro circuit in France. He’s going quicker but is 90 Euros lighter in the pocket thanks to a run-in with the French law.

Riding his long term test CBR600 (on loan from DK Motorcycles) he rode to a nearby petrol station to fuel up yesterday (Wednesday) without refitting his numberplate or removing the tape from his lights and indicators when he left the track. The same friendly French officers then camped out outside the hotel used by the pupils to see who else they could extract a ‘tourist tax’ from.

Today’s (Thursday’s) morning track sessions saw his fastest pace yet – the result of two days of track time and classroom sessions. This final day is all track time, with the afternoon devoted to grid practice – practicing race starts.

Let’s hope his clutch survives for the long run home – which the group begins on Friday morning. They’ll be back in the UK on Sunday.

Farquhar has used the last couple of days to focus on body positioning and improving his confidence for faster corner speeds. He estimates he is around 20-30 per cent faster in the corners than he had been before making the trip.

The circuit itself is tricky, with fast straights and late apex corners. Initially Farquhar was turning in and clipping the corner 20-30 feet before the appex. Now he’s learned the layout – particularly the challenging l’escargot S bend.

The weather remains warm with few clouds.

Want to know how the CBR handles 140-150mph straights, or how Farquhar was treated by the French police? Have Your Say, here.