Track day thoughts and learnings from a complete noob

[r0ckrat]

Yeah, that wouldn't be the case with the Total Control school. The requirement for the ARC series is something like 10,000 miles of riding experience, and they'll fix you from there (fewer bad habits to learn to correct.) And IIRC their track school pricing includes the track fees as well as instruction. I've been itching to take their classes, but the schedules haven't lined up for me yet.

 

[PGlaves]

My issues with a true "track day" that is untaught and barely supervised is that folks trying to learn, as opposed to those trying to practice, are mostly practicing their bad habits. Once well taught practice is good. Otherwise not so much.

Personally I would not like to repeat my same on-road bad habits at track speeds. That might not end well.

 

[mjfink420]

1st day with an instructor in the books. It was very helpful and midway through the day, they told me I should bump to intermediate. I declined, but was good to get the nod that I'm getting better. I'm looking at a 2 day course in September, hopefully that'll get me to the point where I'm comfortable riding in intermediate.

Sadly, this time there was a serious injury; I heard from others that the guy was really hurt. Haven't seen any posts detailing his condition, and don't know what happened; he went off in kind of a strange spot, maybe a mechanical issue?

I'll just say, this is one of those things, you really need to be sure you want to do this. I know the common wisdom is "I feel safer on the track" and "take it to the track" when people are riding fast on the street. Since I started going to track days, I've seen maybe a dozen people go down, and 2-3 ambulances. Riding years on the street; I've never seen anyone go down, even on roads where people are riding really fast (181, Tail of the Dragon, etc).

The only way one can answer "safer on track" is to answer "compared to what"?? If you ride "track speed" on the street? Yeah, NO question at all, you're safer doing that on the track. But in years riding, I've literally never seen "track pace" on the street (beginner level track pace). For those who haven't been, the pace at the track, even in "beginner" is INSANE compared to what any normal person would ever consider on the street. Even some of the Youtube "stars" who ride "insane" fast on the twisties (Saiyan Army, MaxWrist, etc); aren't going that fast compared to "A group" track pace. However, compared to any "normal" street pace? IDK, it's hard for me to make the argument the track is "safer".

So, what now? As mentioned, I have a few more days scheduled and a 2 day course coming up. I'm hoping to get to "comfortable in intermediate" this year. My longer term goal is to get to advanced with factory plastics. That is not an insignificant goal, A group is FAST and almost nobody in that group is on anything that even looks like a street bike anymore. My coach told me, towards the end of the day, "You can ride faster, your not trusting your bike/tires enough". I'm sure he's right, I'm trying to keep myself to no more than about 7/10ths so I have something left if things go random. If I'm breaking at 10/10 and something happens, I've got nothing left, sailing the down the track I go. Think it annoyed the coach though because I wouldn't push harder go up to 8 or 9/10ths. Our lap times (when we were riding together) weren't at all consistent because I'd get "lazy" and just lay off the throttle early in a straightaway. 120MPH is fast enough for me man, obviously I can keep twisting and go 130 (which I did a few times), but doing it lap after lap? Just a lot of risk for no reward other than bragging rights.

Is it fun? Yes, it is. Is it challenging? Yes, very; and the aspect that I'm enjoying most. Is it making me a better street rider? Maybe a little, I feel much more comfortable getting off the bike to reduce lean angle in a turn now, the less lean angle you use, the safer you are. But my cornering on the street is SO slow compared to track riding, I'm really only using body English to make it more automatic on track, you'd have to be 2-4X the speed limit on a tight turn before you'd actually need to hang off the bike. Also, I'm more comfortable pulling the brakes HARD. In an emergency on the street, that could come in useful, but with ABS, I don't see it as a huge increase. If you don't know how to trail brake, learning that on the track would be very useful on the street; but that was already 2nd nature to me (that's how I learned to ride, you stay on the brakes until you can see the exit vs the MSF "do all your braking before the corner").

Should you do it? Do you go really fast on the street? If so, yes, you probably should do it because if you're riding near "track pace" on the street, you're going to be FAR safer on an actual race track and have a LOT more fun riding with other people pushing that hard. Can you afford to wreck and write off your bike? If not, IMHO, you shouldn't consider it (or should get another bike you can afford to wreck). It's not at all uncommon, in fact, across the few days I've done now, I think the "low" was 3-4 bikes smashed up (per day). Figure ~100 riders (for ease of math), that's 3-4% chance per day. Another way to look at it, if you take Champ school, they'll cap your liability for 200 dollars to no more than 3500 (on their rented bikes). That's 100/day for, at most, ~7000 in coverage. That is extraordinarily expensive insurance, 100 dollars a day for 7000 in coverage implies an absolutely wild amount of claims. Put in more relatable terms, that would be 1000 dollars a DAY to insure your 70K BMW M3!

All in, I'm glad that I got the push from this group to do it. I'm learning a lot and, I must say, the feeling of hitting a corner on the right line, smoothly and SO FAST compared to what you do on the street.. It's pretty sublime, I can see why people get totally hooked on it. I just would temper that with "realize what you're getting into" and don't just accept "it's much safer" as some sort of indisputable fact. If you ride street pace on the track, assuming nobody hits you, yeah, you're safer, but let's be realistic, you're not going to do that. Bring a lot of money, buy as much protective gear as you can, don't ride at your limits unless you really want to get into racing. Be honest with yourself, if you're at 9/10ths trying to keep up with the instructor, just back off. I did that several times in my first two days when I was being evaluated for intermediate (and "failed" both times) but.. What are you trying to prove?

As you prepare to hit the track for the very first time, please remember this golden rule - "Never put anything on a racetrack that you are not prepared to throw down, said racetrack".
This may seem intuitive for those that have been doing this for a while, but I have witnessed this not being the case during my tenure as a track day coach and of course, this means you and your body, but it also means your machine, leathers, boots, helmet, gloves and anything else that rolls past pit-out. Part of a seasoned track riders experience level is a complete understanding of this and the hazards that exist when entering a racetrack.
You will see seasoned riders here on the forum constantly talking people down from taking out their liter bike for their first outing and people asking if they have the right tires on their brand-new Ducati as they enter their first track day. I spoke to a brand-new track rider at Laguna Seca years ago who was going out for his first track day on his then brand-new Ducati 848. He went into the intermediate group (his very first day on track), and within 2 sessions, I watched that beautiful bike come in on a crash truck, mangled as he had driven it straight off track and managed to flip the machine a couple of times before it came to rest. He was fortunately not injured and was very upset blaming another rider for "forcing" him off the track. Maybe he was being truthful or maybe not - never found out.
Remember that these people are sharing the track with you and not all of them have the common-sense to ride responsibly. It is the most enjoyable experience to be on the track, but we must never underestimate the inherent dangers of this sport. If you are planning to do your very first track-day, wrap your head around this possibility.

 

[collingsbob]

I did the first 3 levels of the F.A.S.T school held at Shannonville Motorsport Park when I was 67..I thought I was a good rider - I was wrong.
Day 1 was humbling…Day 2 morning the light bulb got turned on..by the afternoon of Day 2 I was dragging a knee. Day 3 was just exhilarating. I sat out the last session on Day 3 - the ‘free-for-all” session.
Every track session was preceded by a classroom briefing, and was followed by a review of a video of students in the corners…
I rented the bike - a Suzuki GSXR-600 and leathers.. I took my own Shoei RF-1400, boots and gloves.

 

[98lee]

Sounds like you’ve decide to go for the “let’s go fast” open track type trackdays (even though you had an “instructor”) where everything is about going “faster” and getting into the faster group, as opposed to the schools at a track where it is about learning to ride “better”, as so many here have recommended. To each his own.

 

[mjfink420]

Sounds like you’ve decide to go for the “let’s go fast” open track type trackdays (even though you had an “instructor”) where everything is about going “faster” and getting into the faster group, as opposed to the schools at a track where it is about learning to ride “better”, as so many here have recommended. To each his own.

"As mentioned, I have a few more days scheduled and a 2 day course coming up."

On my first day there (where our "newbie" group had an instructor for 1/2 the day), I asked about classes (and it's when I signed up for their more advanced training) and their advice was "get a few days on track, get comfortable, then get into classes". This isn't unusual:

"Wayne Maxwell, an instructor at a track I went to a bit (he went on to be Australian SBK champion several times). I was selling my road bike to finance a race bike, and asked him if I should do the training with him on the current road bike or the race bike I didn't have yet. He was firm - get the race bike, do at least two track days, then book in for coaching with him"

And, honestly, from my experience so far, I'd tend to agree with that. The track is overwhelming, yes, my first day there I spent ~3-4 hours in a classroom. Retained very little because everything was so new. Yes, I know I need to know the line, but, right now, I'm just trying to get around this track without dying. I feel like I have enough experience now that I have some mental capacity left to actually try to implement suggestions/coaching.

That said, every school I've spoken to (Champ is the one I'm going to do), I've yet to find one that wasn't about "going faster". Maybe it exists, and, of course, some of it is semantics, is the goal "go faster" or "ride better"? Does it matter if the end result is "going faster" and "riding better"? FAST does look different, unfortunately, seems it's only offered in Canada?

.I thought I was a good rider - I was wrong.
Day 1 was humbling…Day 2 morning the light bulb got turned on..by the afternoon of Day 2 I was dragging a knee. Day 3 was just exhilarating. I sat out the last session on Day 3 - the ‘free-for-all” session.

If "good rider" means "get around the race track quickly", oh man, am I right there with you! It's amazing how different the pace is, I thought I could "ride fast" on the street, but "fast" on the street is "get run over in novice" on the track. What I'm not connecting yet is getting around the track quickly and street riding, the skills are obviously related but I'm not seeing one directly lead to improvement in the other. The one area I can connect right now is body position; getting off the saddle to the inside reduces lean angle at 30MPH and 100MPH. Less lean angle means more margin for loss of traction (sand in the road, for example) so I can see some potential safety improvement there. Oh, as as mentioned before, really hard braking, not something I've practiced much on the street, critical on the track, and another where it could help if things go sideways on public roads.

The biggest hurdle for me is the speed. I'm just not used to triple digits at all. I mean, I've done it before, but more the "exit ramp" or "wide open road" blast for 5 seconds. Not 20 minutes! I'm just not comfortable with it yet, I'll see a number over 100 on the dash (on the track) and wind up just rolling off the throttle. Not because I can't make the turn or don't have enough confidence in my brakes, I just don't see the point in pegging it down the back straight. I never really found that fun on the street, and even with the threat of a trip to jail removed, I still don't really find it fun to just hold it WOT and hang on. Relatively low risk of something going wrong, but, if it does, incredibly high risk of it being real bad. And I don't feel like I'm learning anything, anyone can hold the throttle open. What I like are the turns, that I find really challenging and interesting on the track, and that's where I really want to get competent.

 

[98lee]

The track is overwhelming, yes, my first day there I spent ~3-4 hours in a classroom. Retained very little because everything was so new. Yes, I know I need to know the line, but, right now, I'm just trying to get around this track without dying. I feel like I have enough experience now that I have some mental capacity left to actually try to implement suggestions/coaching.

That said, every school I've spoken to (Champ is the one I'm going to do), I've yet to find one that wasn't about "going faster".

What I'm not connecting yet is getting around the track quickly and street riding, the skills are obviously related but I'm not seeing one directly lead to improvement in the other.

The biggest hurdle for me is the speed. I'm just not used to triple digits at all. I mean, I've done it before, but more the "exit ramp" or "wide open road" blast for 5 seconds. Not 20 minutes!

You just confirmed my point.

You have been going to “schools” that are intended to introduce you to riding open track events.

The kind of schools that some here have recommended are designed to improve basic skills whether on the street or the track. This type of school would not put you out there “at speed” until you have learned, understood, are comfortable with, and demonstrated competence of each skill set with lots of practice of each skill set at lower speed before gradually increasing speed. But if the skills get sloppy at higher speed, they would insist at reducing speed and concentrate on getting it right. It is about the skill, NOT the speed.


The two most telling statements are:

Yes, I know I need to know the line, but, right now, I'm just trying to get around this track without dying.
and
What I'm not connecting yet is getting around the track quickly and street riding, the skills are obviously related but I'm not seeing one directly lead to improvement in the other.


The answer to those questions lie with the school, the instructor, or the student. (Or all three).

 

[mjfink420]

The kind of schools that some here have recommended are designed to improve basic skills whether on the street or the track.

Would you consider Champ School in that category? That's the one I'm signed up for (later in the year). Also signed up for YouvsYou, a higher level training from Evolve but I'm pretty sure that one is going to be "You haven't died yet, let's teach you how to go faster!!". Honestly, Champ school looks like it's most about going faster on the track too, but wanted to get your impression if that's more in keeping with the recommendation?

 

[r0ckrat]

Would you consider Champ School in that category? That's the one I'm signed up for (later in the year). Also signed up for YouvsYou, a higher level training from Evolve but I'm pretty sure that one is going to be "You haven't died yet, let's teach you how to go faster!!". Honestly, Champ school looks like it's most about going faster on the track too, but wanted to get your impression if that's more in keeping with the recommendation?

I would consider ChampSchool targeted more towards riding faster - their other program "ChampStreet" is more focused on street survival skills (avoidance, emergency situations, advanced control.)

All of them (any class you take) will overlap with the bike control aspects, but from reading the descriptions, ChampSchool is going to be geared to performance riding without consideration for on-street hazards or situations, teaching you to maximize the speed potential of the motorcycle.

From their website: "ChampSchool is an immersive, 2-day curriculum that builds upon two overarching principles called “Champions Habits”: How the best riders in the world ride -and- how a modern motorcycle is designed to be ridden." i.e. - the bike at the limit, and how to learn and follow the fastest line.

 

[mjfink420]

So, the "Ken Hill Masterclass" is coming up at CMP (my local track). Anyone have any experience? Sounds like a lot of overlap with Champ school, and it does mention both road and track skills. It's also a screaming deal compared to Champ, 1400 for two days?! That's pretty reasonable, just the track fees and garage (both included) would push you close to 300/day.

Any opinions or first hand experience? Anyone in the area want to meet up for the class? I'm on the fence, probably 75/25 (leaning towards doing it), if anyone here is going too, that might seal the deal!

Ken Hill - Precision Track Day

The Masterclass curriculum follows Ken Hill’s Order of the Sport, which teaches the six fundamentals of motorcycle riding and techniques used by the world’s top rider. The scalable, step-by-step methodology is designed to help riders of all skill levels become faster, safer, and more confident...

precisiontrackday.org

 

[98lee]

MJ,

This looks like it might be more valuable to you than your previous track sessions. It looks to be a more organized teaching/learning environment with emphasis on specific skills.







Make SURE when they get to the “Identifying correct bike placement” and “Establishing precise bike placement” (the proper line) segments, that you ask them WHY it is important and how it could possibly be relevant when riding the twisties on the STREET. You had mentioned several times that you did not understand this. If you can get that answered, so that you fully understand it, the class would be well worth it.

Have fun!

 

[mjfink420]

MJ,

This looks like it might be more valuable to you than your previous track sessions. It looks to be a more organized teaching/learning environment with emphasis on specific skills.







Make SURE when they get to the “Identifying correct bike placement” and “Establishing precise bike placement” (the proper line) segments, that you ask them WHY it is important and how it could possibly be relevant when riding the twisties on the STREET. You had mentioned several times that you did not understand this. If you can get that answered, so that you fully understand it, the class would be well worth it.

Have fun!

Thanks! I do think, at least from what I can see, like it seems to be a blend of street/track skills which, honestly is a lot of what I want. I enjoy track riding (actually going this coming weekend if the weather holds; anyone going to CMP on Saturday?), but I'm kind of at a loss for my "goals" right now. Getting faster on track is an obvious and easy to measure goal, and I think because of that, it's kind of become at least a part of my objective. And I guess there's some ego and/or excitement about getting better at that type of riding, but I'm well aware that if the goal is "get faster" eventually that's going to be a trip to the hospital. So I'm trying to find other things to focus on. Sounds silly, but I'd like to be able to drag my knee with good body position. I know it's juvenile and doesn't mean much as to skill, but I'd like to be able to do it.

After two trips to the track and a lot of practice on the street, I feel like I finally at least understand body positioning in a corner. I know what I'm trying to do; I don't do it well all (or even most) the time, but I at least know what (and what it feels like) to do it in the general direction of "right". Kiss the mirror, lock my leg in, the triangle, it's starting to come together, and my movements are starting to get a little more fluid and automatic.

I was actually out in the twisties on the XR today, and line selection was one of the things I was thinking about. On the street, I feel like I have a pretty good idea for where I want to be (and why), I don't always do it (sometimes for good reasons, the road I was riding today had all sorts of rocks and sand in some of the turns, for example; and sometimes not for good reasons, just being lazy and/or not planning my turn as well as I should have). On the track, it's still a bit of a mystery. Actually, that's not entirely true, at CMP anyway, I do know where I'm supposed to be, just not the "why" I should be there. It's not automatic (like street positioning is usually for me), I really have to think about it on the track. So, yes, hoping to get some education on it for both street and track and hopefully it'll start to "click" with more time and experience.

Have fun?? It's funny, like I said above, I do enjoy the time on the track. But "fun"; I'm not sure that's the word that would be at the top of my list. I mean, it's a blast to go that fast on a motorcycle, but.. I'm not a kid anymore, and the track, while a MUCH better place to do 125MPH (about where I top out on the back straight at CMP), I'm old/wise enough to know that this is high stakes fun. One mistake at that speed... No reason to spell it out.. Bad. I find the track riding to be educational and exciting, but also high stress and exhausting (mostly from the stress, it is physical, but I'm in pretty good shape and I'm slow, so I'm not really tiring myself out horsing the bike around). If I had to use a term, maybe "cathartic"? I'm super happy I went going home in the evening, and I feel like I'm making progress and riding better each time; I enjoy that part.

But the actual riding? It's got its pros/cons. I don't love having so many other bikes so close to me, really not a fan of seeing bikes wreck or come off the track in a wad; I know it can/does happen all the time on the street, but it's very "real" when you see it happen 100 yards in front of you. Or see a guy laying off to the side of the track his bike in pieces and the ambulance heading out. Again, this is just part of the sport of motorcycling, but just becomes very "front and center" when you're on a track. It was much easier to pretend away the risk on the road. I've had a couple of laps where everything "came together" and I can see why people love and chase that feeling, it's pretty incredible!

I see it, at least for me, as a different "area" of motorcycling. Like dirt bikes vs street bikes; both involve motors and 2 wheels, but the skills, technique, risks; very, very different from one another. Right now I'd say my passion is still "street biased"; I really love the feeling of being able to go wherever and whenever I want; and the way that street riding presents non-stop novel challenges. Dirt in the road, cars, new roads, rain, other bikes (or today's ride, packs of bicycles!). The continual changes, at least for me, add a lot of interest. Unfortunately, they are also the reason that street riding is so inherently dangerous, you can't predict nearly as well what the next turn will bring compared to a track.

 

[mjfink420]

In case anyone is interested and/or going, I did sign up for the Ken Hill Masterclass and will be there a week from today. Number 86 on a Tuono 660; if you're going either for the class or for the track day, stop in and say hi!! For anyone interested, still a few spots left:

Ken Hill - Precision Track Day

The Masterclass curriculum follows Ken Hill’s Order of the Sport, which teaches the six fundamentals of motorcycle riding and techniques used by the world’s top rider. The scalable, step-by-step methodology is designed to help riders of all skill levels become faster, safer, and more confident...

precisiontrackday.org

Really good vibes so far, talked to the team before signing up about my goals, seems very much in line; "this isn't a race school it's a skill school". We'll see, but I'm hopeful it'll be good for my skill level and improve my overall skill level on the bike.

I've now spent about 10 hours riding a bike on track (total across all the days I've been). Yesterday I took a long ride on the S1000XR and was trying to really focus on the skill crossover, what did I learn on track that I'm bringing to street? I'm starting to find a few things.

1) Body position. I'm still not good at this, but I do find now that in every corner, I'm getting off the seat and inside. I actually still have "chicken strips" on my XR because I'm leaning the bike less (and my body more). I do think this likely increases safety because less lean = less risk. Might increase my risk of a ticket, can't imagine the cops like the "kiss the mirror" position very much and look extra hard at a rider doing that.

2) Speed awareness. This is kind of a double edged sword; but everything on the street feels "slower" now. I remember my first time at 75-85 on a highway, it felt FAST. And before riding on the track, I'd never really lost that feeling, I had hit over 100 on my XR before, but, very rarely, and that felt insane fast. On the back straight of CMP, I'm topping out around 130MPH and finally starting to get some comfort at that speed, which makes 60 MPH feel very "slow and safe". I think this is probably mostly a good thing, I'm looking MUCH further down the road than I used to (which is likely where most of the reduced speed feeling is coming from) and feel like I have tons of time on the street to adjust to or avoid a problem up ahead. The other edge of this is obvious, I really have to watch my speed on the street!! What feels like "stuck in the mud slow" could be WAY faster than allowed. I actually setup my radar detector control system (JBV1) to alert me when I'm pushing too far over the speed limit, that's been very helpful.

3) Reaction time. Goes with the above, but things happening in front of me on the road that used to get me that "pucker" moment, not so much anymore. I feel like I have gobs of time to react to stuff happening in front of me. I was on a crazy twisty road this weekend where cars often have trouble holding their lane in the corners. Whenever that happened in the past, I'd get that "oh crap" feeling in my throat. When it happened this weekend, I really didn't even flinch, just rode right around them and kept on my merry way. I just felt like I had gobs of time to adjust my line/positioning (most cars are going ~15MPH on these corners, I was going ~25MPH) where, in the past, I'd had a couple of times where I'd get very tense; this time I just looked for open blacktop and rode around them, no big deal.

4) Skills work. This isn't directly a "track benefit" but I've done a few rides in the past few weeks where I go out specifically to work a skill. Last week I spend an hour on a dead end street doing U-turns as tight as I possibly could (slow speed, just pushing the bars to the lock and getting comfortable with that feeling). I've done a few days of this now, where I head out and plan for 30-60 minutes doing a "drill" on the bike. U-turns, threshold braking (stoppies are "exciting"), body position drills (round and round in circles until I feel like I've got my position "right"), weaving in between stuff in a parking lot, etc. I never really had much drive to do this before because I really had no application of these skills. Riding on track gives me a place where you actually need these skills regularly, but there are certainly times (the bad ones!) on the street where this stuff could be useful, up to "save your life". I'm much, much more confident at breaking hard now, my first few times on track, when the front started to "squirm" from brake pressure, I'd let up; now I have a better sense for what's normal when you're grabbing a handful of brake and feel far more comfortable with the bike squirming under me. Not something you want to have to do on the road, but something you absolutely want to know how to do!

Coming back from a great ride this weekend I also realized something else. I really do love road riding. I like track riding, maybe it'll grow to "love" if I can get good enough and comfortable enough. But man, I love riding on the road! The point the bike in a direction and go, the "random" that makes it dangerous but interesting, the views (I was up on the Blue Ridge this weekend) and the new stuff you can see. Yes, it felt slow, but the constant changes of conditions and scenery give you something else to focus on. I'll try not to gush on about the XR, but.. Yeah, wow, what a machine for crushing miles and enjoying the turns when you get there!!

 

[mjfink420]

Some video from my most recent trip to CMP. Man there was a lot of traffic, glad I got to experience that to get more used to it.. Still makes me nervous in those bigger packs and passing people at 100MPH+!

 

[mjfink420]

For anyone thinking about it, the Ken Hill school was fantastic! Highly recommended, and, while I wouldn't tell Ken this, honestly underpriced for what it is. 2 track days, a garage for the entire event, and 1-1 coaching for ~1400 dollars?? Fantastic value for $!

I'll start with the warning. This is not the school to attend if you're not looking to ride fast on track. We spent a ton of time on track discussion, apexes, lines; stuff that's very track specific. I would have been totally lost in the class if it was my first time on track. Many of the students were racers and SERIOUSLY fast, like "blink and they're gone" fast. I was towards the slower end of the group, but not the slowest; but I'd strongly NOT recommended doing this course if you've never been on track before. We lined up and went to "full send" within a few laps on our first day.

40 minute sessions are amazing! Plenty of time to ride, come into pit, talk about what's wrong, ride again. Over and over for 2 days. It was awesome! And exhausting!

We had about 12-16 students in the class. Quite a few of them were coaches (training with Ken, attending the class, but serving mostly as control/lead riders when we were on track). Very individual attention, Ken talked with me several times about technique/areas for improvement, areas where I'm doing better, etc.

On the not so positive, 3 students did go down, 1 which ended their weekend. Nothing terribly serious, but 3 out of 16, not super great odds. All those who went down were in earlier session on day 1; do NOT push your first 2 sessions on track. Seems that the few days I've attended, nearly all the accidents are in the first few sessions. Cold tires, too "gassed up" to get out there, tons of people on the track (as the day wears on, many go home). Whatever the reason, the first/second session, think "Danger" in your head and realize you have many rides ahead of you if you can keep it shiny side up. There was a regular track day going on in between our time on the track and there was one rather spectacular crash, a billowing cloud of black smoke. Seeing that over the track put a feeling of dread into everyone, thankfully the rider was fine. Bike caught on fire but the rider was able to seperate from it.

Overall, I loved the event! If Ken does it again next year at CMP, I'll do everything I can to get there! The value is amazing, Ken is an absolutely fantastic teacher, and I had a great time.

Hoping I can get 1-2 more days this year on track to help the learning solidify, but may not be able to, we have a lot of other commitments coming up.

Video:

 

[mjfink420]

Thought I'd provide an update on this thread, both for those who are interested and to prove I'm not dead!

I'm now about 10 track days in from the first post. I've done around 1/2 of those days either in a formal training setting (the Ken Hill Masterclass and one advanced training program with another org, one 1/1 day with a coach) and 1/2 of them as "let'er rip" track days. It's a lot of fun and a completely different side of motorcycling, at least for me, compared to street riding.

I'm getting better slowly. There seem to be two ways to get good at riding fast, slowly or quickly, but if you choose "quickly" bring many bikes, because you'll be throwing lots of them in the dirt. I'm about ready to move to intermediate or fast intermediate (depending on the track day org), I'm kind of looking forward to it, but also enjoying being on of the faster riders in my current group. The biggest thing pushing me to move is the wild speed differential between riders in novice/slow intermediate; closing speeds can be extreme at times (you'll see that in the beginning of the video linked below).

On the positive side, if you want to learn to go really fast on a motorcycle, this is the place. It's also a fun atmosphere, being around dozens to ~100 people who actually want to talk about motorcycles and aren't looking for a reason to run away when you start talking bikes is a blast! Also, the "family" aspect of track riding is very real; this is a very, very dangerous sport, you show up, be respectful of others and don't be "that guy" for a few weekends, people will want to bring you into the circle and make sure you're having fun and as safe as possible out there. You show up and be "that guy", you'll be shunned and pushed away, nobody wants to get hit by an idiot out there, prove you're not and welcome to the club. I've made a lot of new friends, not something that comes easily for me, and for that I'm really grateful.

That said, this is not something to be undertaken lightly. The risk level on track is huge. This past weekend at CMP (Carolina Motorsports Park) we got the Saturday statistic on Sunday morning; just under 20% crashed out on day 1. And 2-3 of them were ambulance rides. 2 were hit from the rear type accidents where the guy in front did nothing wrong and then suddenly was flying through the air. Now, to be fair, this weekend was the "worst ever" in that particular track day org's history, but I can promise you, if you roll a wheel on a track, you're going to see people crash, I've never been to either a track day or a class on track and not seen someone hit the dirt. The good news is that most people aren't injured beyond a bruised ego and bike damage, but crashing, sadly, is kind of part of the deal for many/most who start down this path.

Also, not entirely "normal" (certainly not as normal as crashing) but last year, end of the season, the motor let go in the bike I bought to ride on track. That was exciting, rear wheel locked up skidding to a stop anyone?? I got very lucky with that one, I didn't get hurt and, even more lucky that Aprilia covered the engine under warranty (riding on track/closed circuits is often called out as an exception to the warranty terms, you blow it up on track, you're on your own). Took a few months to get it back, and I had a few days scheduled, so I wound up getting another bike (Street Triple) which has now become my "A" track bike. I take them both with me though, losing an entire weekend because of a mechanical issue is expensive, time consuming and not all that rare. So, perhaps another warning, track riding seems to lead to motorcycles breeding in your garage!!

I'd tally up how much I have invested to date but, honestly, I don't want to know. People say "Boat" is an acronym for "break out another thousand"; having owned a boat, I'd agree with that. Riding motorcycles on a track is cheaper than owning a big boat, but they're closer in cost than you might think!! And just like boats, the bigger (more powerful) the motorcycle, the more they cost to run on the track; a liter bike at advanced pace can run through a front and 2 rear tires in a weekend with a heavy (and fast) rider on it. Bring money.

Overall, I'm mostly happy that many here gave me the "push" I needed to give advanced training and track riding a go. It's not something I'd recommend to most riders, but I certainly see the appeal for those who really want to dig deep in the sport side of motorcycle riding. The speed, precision and aggression on the track is simply not even in the same zip code of what any sane person would even think of doing on the street; it's an entirely different animal. There is some slight overlap between riding well on the the street and being fast on the track, but it's much smaller than I thought going in, they are far more different than they are similar.

OK, that's enough of a book. If anyone has questions about gear, orgs I've ridden with, classes or are looking to do your first day and would like to meet up (particularly at CMP, Road Atlanta or AMP, the closest tracks to me), please feel free to reach out. I'm not fast, so don't ask me how to shave seconds, I don't know, check back in a few years!

For those who made it to the end, here's the reward, some of the action from the Thunderdome this past weekend. I recorded 3 sessions on track and caught 2 accidents on camera, including one directly in front of me.

Next confirmed day is VIR on April 28th with Precision Track Days; if anyone is going, give me a shout!!

 

[RPGR90s]

I've been lucky to have attended about 15 Track Days over the past 25 years. The first one was CLASS, by Reg Pridmore, at Grattan Raceway in western Michigan.
It was phenomenal.
Major lessons learned was becoming smooth and letting my arms relax, to steer the bike more with my lower body.
I got to ride on the-bike with Reg after one of the sessions and it revealed just how smooth one can be when up-shifting and downshifting. I use one of the instructor's take-aways to this day, pretending I have a passenger and I don't want them to feel me shifting.

 

[mjfink420]

Well did I have an awesome weekend!

Remember what I said about it being a small/tight knit group? Well, somehow wound up with an invite this past weekend to a private event for coaches and CR's, what a blast that was! We had Champ instructors for 2 days and open track. It was truly a once in a lifetime, so grateful I got the invite and was able to make it work. Totally different view seeing it from the instructor's point of view, talking about how to teach and how to correct mistakes before the turn into crashes. Also, the Champ guys were awesome; given that the group was 99% experts and me, it was deep into the more advanced stuff; over my head, but I tried to learn and retain as much as I could.

I got obliterated on the track. Just absolutely smoked by the coaches. And had an amazing time, it was great to get more experience with passing/tight riding, and many of them took pity on me and would lead me for a few laps to help dial in the lines. I was turn a few good laps down at intermediate pace, I was very happy with that; the improvement over the past year in my track riding has been pretty dramatic. If I could improve my times as much this year as I did last year, I'd be winning MotoGP.

Pictures or it didn't happen:

 

[r0ckrat]

They are priming you for low-lever instructor material... LOL!

Pretty soon you'll be instructing the intro group for free track time...

 

[mjfink420]

They are priming you for low-lever instructor material... LOL!

Pretty soon you'll be instructing the intro group for free track time...

Oh no, I was a stow-a-way, not like I was good enough to be in consideration to be a coach/CR! Maybe someday, I would be interested in doing that when I get to the skill level required and actually have some good advice to pass along, but I need to get a LOT better before that's anything but laughable.