A Track Day in Massachusetts

Yeah, it's kind of amazing and hard to believe but they do have them. A good friend of mine and forum member- John Gamel (ExGman) just completed a track day out at a fairly new venue in the middle of the state. I've never been and although I hear the stories about the days, mainly in New Hampshire, it sounds like a great experience.......Oh yeah, again, here in Mass where powersports activity usually triggers a 911 call

The next cool thing is his write-up on this event has been published in this months ON. Here is the digital link-

https://www.bmwmoa.org/news/421471/A-Massachusetts-track-day.htm

The instructors are, from what I'm told, are some of the best and it sounds like it was a well run operation.

A big thanks to John and the editorial staff at ON for their efforts in bringing the story to print.

om

Track day

Ray Tubbs weekly email thing gives link to story with pictures not included in magazine article. What I would like to know did he get to do a hot lap with side bags and top case?

Read your post closely see you had same link and see in pictures from story side cases on

not that hard to believe...there are many tracks and many organizations that use them for track days in every state. just have to look for them!

they are way too much fun to do and are very popular with all kinds of riders. all three of my KS's have been on track. great way to combine learning new skills, honing your riding and having safe fun!

last monday on my K13S
https://youtu.be/YATggN7D7aE

SW-Motec luggage racks make great camera mounting spots.
https://youtu.be/ABUXDUqt3PE

still a "rookie", but loving the learning!

179212 said:

Ray Tubbs weekly email thing gives link to story with pictures not included in magazine article. What I would like to know did he get to do a hot lap with side bags and top case?

Read your post closely see you had same link and see in pictures from story side cases on

Click to expand...

Some people ran the day without taking bags and cases off. I left my tank bag and luggage in a trackside garage:

I have done a TON of track days in the car. How does a motorcycle day compare? Were there many (any) dropped bikes/offs on the grass, etc?

Motorcycle race days often have at least one ambulance ride. From the article, this looks more civilized, but from the photos it's hard to tell. Can you please tell us more?

R65_Steve said:

I have done a TON of track days in the car. How does a motorcycle day compare? Were there many (any) dropped bikes/offs on the grass, etc?

Motorcycle race days often have at least one ambulance ride. From the article, this looks more civilized, but from the photos it's hard to tell. Can you please tell us more?

Click to expand...

Steve - I don't know how to compare an automobile track day to a motorcycle track day. I've only done emergency maneuver training with a 4-wheeler, so can't make a good comparison.

During our track day the ambulance never had a single customer.

A couple of people ran off into the grass a couple of times I heard, but I never saw anyone do this. That said, I was heavily concentrating on what I was doing. At a certain point during the day, it rained heavily for about fifteen minutes. This occurred during the time when the blue aka fast group was riding. You can probably see the raindrops if you look at one of the photos in which the rider (my pal Jeremy) was riding his RnineT in a black Aerostich outfit, and a hi-viz Schuberth helmet. I learned later that a Wethead GS rider had run off the course into the grass, and slid to a stop on his left side during this rainstorm. No injuries, and little damage to the GS. When this occurred the flaggers activated the lights, waved the flags and everyone cut speed and returned to the pit area.

Safety was a major focus of this day. If you have read any of Ken Condon's writing, or maybe looked at his Riding In the Zone website, you'd see that this is his primary focus in all things involving motorcycles.

I've talked with some of my MOA friends about what a great experience this was. I'll be going back next summer when it's offered again because it was one of those fundamental experiences which taught me so much about riding. I don't know where you are, but a trip to Central Massachusetts for a track day, followed by some riding into MA, NH, VT and the Adirondacks in NY could be a mighty good long weekend. Just sayin...

John

thanks. We seem to have a similar school (I need to re-read your article) near me in WV at Summit Point. I actually know someone in our car club that races, so I'll check with her as she must have gotten started this way. I'd like some more experience leaning the bike in the turns at some speed, but I have no desire to go nuts on speed or wheel to wheel. Despite our best safety efforts, we had three incidents of cars into the tires this last weekend, which is very exceptional.

MA looks like a nice track, but I'd have a long way to travel through NYC and all that to get there. Might take me all summer to get there all on the backroads.

BTW, how much was it?

R65_Steve said:

John

thanks. We seem to have a similar school (I need to re-read your article) near me in WV at Summit Point. I actually know someone in our car club that races, so I'll check with her as she must have gotten started this way. I'd like some more experience leaning the bike in the turns at some speed, but I have no desire to go nuts on speed or wheel to wheel. Despite our best safety efforts, we had three incidents of cars into the tires this last weekend, which is very exceptional.

MA looks like a nice track, but I'd have a long way to travel through NYC and all that to get there. Might take me all summer to get there all on the backroads.
.
BTW, how much was it?

Click to expand...

Steve,
you were at the MARRS race last weekend? i was in the ITS/ITB run group. two of those cars in tirewalls happened right behind me at the start...

there are several organizations that run MC track schools/days at Summit. weekend before the MARRS race I was on Jefferson one day and Main the next with https://www.motorcyclexcitement.com/. you probably recognize the Main track from the video's i posted above. have done 5 days with that organization on my MC's and will keep going back. I have no intention of racing MC's...just learning the performance envelope of the bikes in a safe controlled environment is the goal. racing cars is enough!

who do you do tracks days with in your car? i instruct with SCCA, BMWCCA and occaisionally ACA.

Marshall
ITS#71

mlytle said:

Steve,
you were at the MARRS race last weekend? i was in the ITS/ITB run group. two of those cars in tirewalls happened right behind me at the start...

there are several organizations that run MC track schools/days at Summit. weekend before the MARRS race I was on Jefferson one day and Main the next with https://www.motorcyclexcitement.com/. you probably recognize the Main track from the video's i posted above. have done 5 days with that organization on my MC's and will keep going back. I have no intention of racing MC's...just learning the performance envelope of the bikes in a safe controlled environment is the goal. racing cars is enough!

who do you do tracks days with in your car? i instruct with SCCA, BMWCCA and occaisionally ACA.

Marshall
ITS#71

Click to expand...

Marshall.....I knew your username looked familiar...you'd know me from Dorki or my black 944. I was instructing with NJ BMW on the Shen and we had THREE cars into the tires. Two before lunch on Saturday. One actually found the concrete. I need to look at your videos a little more. I saw 130 on the main straight. I have no intention of doing that. Maybe if I braked at the tower. LOL

Yes, motorcycle excitement was what I was looking at today.

R65_Steve said:

Marshall.....I knew your username looked familiar...you'd know me from Dorki or my black 944. I was instructing with NJ BMW on the Shen and we had THREE cars into the tires. Two before lunch on Saturday. One actually found the concrete. I need to look at your videos a little more. I saw 130 on the main straight. I have no intention of doing that. Maybe if I braked at the tower. LOL

Yes, motorcycle excitement was what I was looking at today.

Click to expand...

yikes...y'all had a mess on shenny also.

that video was on the silly fast K13S..hard to resist the long main straight...i was rolling off at about the start bridge....

here is some from day before on jefferson riding a much more sedate K75S.....

https://youtu.be/PH2fShVO6p4

Roger Lyle runs great events with his MCXcite group. kind of a family focus.