My first track day, AWESOME!

I did my first track day Sunday.:thumbsup: I can tell you I will be doing more of them. The track is small, it's actually a Kart track, 1 mile 10 turns. second gear on the whole track. top speed of about 80 on the straight. You share the track with the karts on for 30min. then bikes for 30min, which is probably a good thing, that tight of a track flat wore me out!!!!:strong: The kicker though was the price $35 to ride all day. IMI Motorsports - Home

 

congratulations!! 35 bucks thats a great deal!!! i think its a very addictive drug for sure only takes one to get hooked LOL. counting the days until i can do a second track day unfortunately its 165$

 

Track days are priceless IMO. I payed 220 for a track day at Mid Ohio- 3 months in advance, only to have it rain nonstop that one day till I left. I can tell you I was miserable, My gear was soaked, and there was no energy left. But Boy did learn how to be Smoooooooooooooooooth. You had to be on that track, this was back when Mid Ohio still had concrete patches on the race lines....
It is pretty cool you cut your teeth on a small track with a little bit of cash. Spend the money and go for a big track- you'll only benefit!

 

Congrats on taking the plunge. You're on your way to learning what the bike and yourself can do. MSF and street miles will not teach you anything like going to the track will.

Hit the leg press machine, maybe that will help you getting the fat girl around the track! 10 turns in one mile must have been brutal but for $35.00...I'd go too!

Congrats again!

 

So for someone that has never been to a track day, is it crazy? People flying by you like you don't know what your doing making you nervous. I have no idea I am just wondering, almost seems intimidating to me. Or do people know that there are first timers out there and take it easy. I have seen some videos from bike cams and it looks crazy how close they get to each other in those turns and at that speed. Or does it just look worse then it really is?

 

Yeah 35 bucks!? Damn that's a good price. And a small track to boot that was probably technical as all get out.

Can you imagine Two?

I'm have tempted to drive to Colorado for that action!

BZ

 

Hey WC, It's normal to be nervious. My first track day took a couple sessions to calm down because of people passing (on the straights only) but they were much faster and experianced at track riding so it was only natural.

My recommendation is checkout NESBA : Northeast Sports Bike Association
See if they have any events in your area and go to one and sit in the pits and observe and talk to riders. You'll see what its all about and when your ready sign up for the "intro' class. Thats two free 20 minute sessions on the track with minimal bike prep.

Also goggle "Sport Bike Track Time" They are another track day org that has a great Beginner class. Very structured and monitered with some classroom stuff to help inroduce you to the track. I wished I had done this before I dove in head first lol! But at the time I didn't know they offered this.

Two4One has ridden with other track day orgs so he can chime in I'm sure.

There are all types of track days from complete free for all's to structured groups, all in what you want.

BZ

 

Based on your comments concering the track being "crazy" and possibly being intimidated, you are best to follow Bubba's advice and do a track day with a group who emphasises safety, structure and progression much like NESBA does. I have ridden with 4 different groups now, one being defunct, but NESBA was by far more geared towards safety and rider progression. There are org's that will monitor you, orgs that will kinda' monitor you and org's that will simply take your cash and let you on the track. You have to do your research to determine your best fit for your location and tracks offered.

If you are spooked by the thought of bikes being close to you in all situations, perhaps you're not ready for it? It's just a comment, not a criticism. I have no idea what your riding experience is. Everyone has a different level of comfort and safety. When I first started, I was completely comfortable with people near me in a "competitive" situation.

If I can give you some advice on a personal level, make sure you buy all the gear right away. If you can afford it, buy yourself a back protector, chest protector and compression shorts. Having suffered broken ribs, a nasty thigh hematoma and a broken shoulder blade on different occasions, I could have saved myself a lot of pain.

No padding between you and the pavement = OUCH!

Even with the risks involved, there's no doubt I would recommend everyone to hit the track. Just be smart about it and you'll learn a ton.