Portimao review
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Zuki and I were lucky enough to do three days at the Algarve Autodrome (Portimao) two weeks ago with No Limits and I thought I'd write a review seeing as this is a brand new
track and a brand new venue for No Limits.
The price was £675 which included three days on track, four nights accommodation and bike transportation.
we turned this track day into an excuse for a ten day holiday and found our own hotel for the bargain price of £540 for ten days self catering apartment, a hire car for ten days and our flights.
No limits knocked £75 each of our track day price because we found our own hotel.
We did take a wonder down to the hotel No Limits were using and it was very plush but I'm sure Magpie and Pedro can let everyone know what it was really like because they stayed there.
Motofreight were the transport company that took our bikes but it was a 12 hour round trip to their yard to drop the bikes off so we meet them half way at a service station on the M3 to drop them off for an extra £200 each return which worked out better for us.
The track itself is dumped in the middle of a load of hills and you can't see the place from the brand new roads that surround it.
You just seem 2 drive around a corner and there it is, a bloody great concrete grandstand
that looks a bit like Rockingham due to the size of the grandstands and that's where the
similarity ends.
When we got inside the track after giving our names to the security guard (if your names not down you aint getting in) we had big fat smiles on our faces I can tell you because we'd been looking forward to this for three months.
All the bikes that the three arctic lorries had brought were parked in three garages with our kit next to them.
Our tyres were in a bloody great stack in another garage and after a little digging and some help from No Limits we found our tyres.
The briefing was at 8.30 in pit lane No Limits style while standing in 15c sunshine which
was rather nice.
I have always found Mark's (NL) briefing informative, humorous and unpatronizing and this
one wasn't any different, however, it was aimed at those that have done a few track days
which suited me and Zuki just fine and the only thing the circuit did that was different to the UK circuits was they use the blue flag to warn you that you were being caught by a faster rider.
Mark also took great pleasure in telling us there was a plunge pool in the paddock for us to use if we got to hot which was waist deep but freezing cold.
The fast group were supposed to go out first then they realized none of the instructors had been there before.
Trying to lead the fast group around when you don't know where your going yourself would of been carnage so all the instructors went out at 8.45 to try and learn the circuit before taking out the novice group for there 2 sighting laps (2 sighting laps for inters and fast as well) so they could learn it a little before they had to lead inters and fast group.
Zuki had booked novice because it was the only place they had left.
With every new track she's ever done she's always come in after her first session and said she's not sure if she likes it or not and it was so nice to hear her come in and say she bloody loved it.
She'll post her own thoughts of the place in her own words later.
I booked inters (because fast was fully booked).
We did our sighting laps and the place was a little daunting cos I wondered how long it was going to take me to get my head around the place but wobbled around for the rest of the session telling myself to go steady because I've got three whole days to work it out.
I felt a little more settled on my second session but by the third I was in love with the
place.
For the rest of the first day I took my time getting a little quicker every time but
found I couldn't get a rhythm going in inters and didn't really find anyone of similar pace to me until I very slowly caught Magpie and really enjoyed a safe and friendly tussle with him but it was the last session of the day sadly.
Before we left that evening I spoke to Mark and asked if I could be moved to the fast group for day two and Zuki to be moved to inters.
It was a yes for me and a no for Zuki because inters was rammed and Mark said he was really enjoying watching her duff everyone up with her pink *** tails flapping in the wind.
The second day we turned up at the track at 8.30, no briefing, novice group were first out a 9am sharp.
For me the second day in the fast group felt like I had to learn it all over again due to the
fact I had some PROPER fast boys to follow/watch and learnt some much better lines around the place.
By the third day I'd got my head around it, or so I thought.
I felt like I was riding as fast as I could and to be passed like I was going backwards by
some people was humbling but hearing that some of the boys passing me on 600's were only a few seconds of world supersport pace.
I don't care if that was lies or not cos it made me feel much better.
There was some properly nice bits of kit there as well a few people that made feel
positively slow, but I didn't have one single hard move put on me throughout the three days I was there, and best of it was, there wasn't a single red flag raised over the whole three days, in any group, and there was 7 sessions a day!
To sum it up.
There were 45 people in the fast group, 45 in the inters and 38 in the novice, on a track that 3.5 miles long!
Both mine and Zuki's bikes got through 150 litres of fuel which was supplied by Motofreight in 25 litre cans at 35 Euros a pop.
I got 3 days out of one brand new set of slicks that looked like someone had rubbed them down lightly with sand paper by the end of the third day and no sign of rips or tears.
The peeps on here that know me will tell you I'm not very easy on tyres.
Inters were known as the tyre shredding group which was probably down to bad set up.
All three days were in 28c of sunshine.
The cafe was cheap and not over priced like UK circuits, and they even sold beer.
Evan the marshals had a beer with their dinner.
The whole place was very clean and fresh a few of us even watched the cleaner picking stickers of the pit lane floor that newly fitted tyres had left behind.
We shock our heads and smiled as if to say you don't see that in the UK do you!
The track itself is by far the best track I've ever ridden and it makes Donington park look
like Pembray/Mallory and on the last session of the last day I slowed right down to a crawl like the other dozen people that had the energy to do the last session and had a good look at the place.
The Portuguese should be very proud of their new jewel and I took the time to clap and bow in a worship kind of style at the marshals in a weird kind of thank you jester from myself because they stood in the baking sunshine for 3 days with nothing to do and all of them clapped and nodded with big fat smiles back at me as if to say thank you.
We did have one hick up after returning home though.
Motofreight managed to lose Zuki's kit bag which had her leathers, helmet, boots, back protector, under suit, and tyre warmers in.
I spoke to Mark today and he was very apologetic and is replacing every item that Zuki lost old for new and even gave me and Zuki a free track day at Donington park as an apology.
Mark also told me he's not using Motofreight again.
That blokes a star.
No Limits did themselves proud throughout the whole event, it was so good we're going back next year.
Who fancies a Junkies foreign track day?
meeeeeee
