Track Day Stories
My Impressions from My First Track Day - May 24th, 2004
Man, what a rush!!! A track day is the best treat you can give yourself if you own a sportbike. It is also the easiest, safest, and best way to learn more about yourself, your riding, and your bike. Here are my impressions of the first trackday, as a "newbie" track day rider, to someone who has never been on the track before:
First off, NEVER go to the track with BRAND NEW tires that are not scuffed in and try to lean much at all. The track, with it's wide width, makes turns look a little less sharp than they really are. You have a lot of places to pick a line, and with new tires, and leaning too much, a low-side is very possible......I destroyed a new one-piece suit, ripped a glove, put two holes in my side fairing, ground down a footpeg and handlebar, broke a brake lever, and hurt my pride. Don't mean to scare you, but I've NEVER had problems with new tires on the street. I guess the ride to the twisties warms them up enough to not have any problems with new tires on the street. Anyway, take it easy your first couple of laps to let the tires heat up. If the guy in front of you takes off, or you get passed.....don't worry about it. You aren't there to impress anyone. Main reason to get on the track for a trackday, especially for a newbie to the track, is to have FUN and to learn your bike and your riding abilities by pushing the bike more comfortably than you would on the street. If your bike has the ground clearance but you still have "chicken strips" on your tires, they will probably disappear within the first couple of sessions....er...laps. 8)
Gear: Don't skimp on it! I had been buying "cheap" gear and then gradually upgrading over the last year. Such as my back protector (which you need at CMP), I started off with a $50 UFO and upgraded to a Bohn just before the track day. My boots are the only things I didn't need to upgrade (Alpinestar S-MX+). Anyway, my suit was a low-end Tecknics Chicane one-piece that I only paid $330 for new on the 'net (never upgraded and was my first suit). From a low-speed (40-50 mph) low-side, it busted out at the seems twice in the right thigh, once on a forearm, and busted out a shoulder. Fortunately, a guy had a used Fieldsheer one-piece in my size for a good price, so I bought it and finished out the day. My gloves were some Tecknics with the carbon knuckles, and I have to admit that I'm glad they had the carbon in them. So, on gear, buy good stuff, but if you don't have good stuff for the time being, something is better than nothing, and you can gradually upgrade over time. For the trackday, you will need a one or two-piece suit (zipped together with at least a 9" zipper), boots, gloves, back protector, and a full-face helmet that is DOT and Snell 95 approved. At least, off the top of my head, I think that is what they require through USDESMO for CMP. You can find all the specs for gear and bike prep on US Desmo's website: US Desmo.
Bike prep: Make sure you have tires and brakes in good condition, take the antifreeze out of the bike and put in either straight water or water and Water Wetter (I used H2O and Water Wetter). You can tape up a lot of your stuff, but if you happen to lay it down, you don't want to have to replace any of it. I'd remove the tag and tag holder, turn signals, mirrors, and if you can easily take off the tail-light and headlight assemblies, I'd do that, too. I ran brand new tires and brake pads on the track, and you can definitely tell they wore.
Riding on the track: Leave your ego at home! You want to have a good day and not ruin anyone else's. Since I dropped my bike....in front of everyone, that hurt the ole pride and ego a bit, and I think that hurt some of my day. I was riding in the middle "green" group, and did a few laps at a moderate speed, until I felt more confident in the tires sticking like they were supposed to. My problem while on the track, and probably since I had dropped the bike, became..."let's get my lap times down". I lost my site of being smoother, learning the bike, and learning my own abilities. I went through two sessions with this mentality, beat myself up, wore myself out, beat the bike up a bit, and had very wide swinging lap times (up to 15 seconds difference). I regained my composure and stressed riding smoother and learning the bike. I got my lap times within 5 seconds of each other and felt like I was fighting the bike less. So, go in there with the attitude of having fun, and learning yourself and the bike. You have nothing to prove to anyone, and trust me, you won't be anywhere near the fastest guy there, so don't try.
Give you an idea of track times, I never broke the 2 minute mark, but turned a 2:01:55. I'm happy with that, as it was my first time on the track, and I need to learn my bike and my limits. A buddy of mine who races WERA was turning 1:54s, but Frank Shockley from Touring Sport in Greenville who has been on ESPN racing at the Boxer Cup in Daytona was taking leisurely 1:42s. So.....go your own pace, and HAVE FUN.
Preparation: Get a good nights rest, don't go to the track with a hangover, take plenty of water and Gatoraid with you. If you have any questions about the track or how to pick a line in certain turns, ask some of the guys that you see with the group that is sponsoring your track day, and they'll point you out to someone who can assist you. Your first couple of sessions will be just learning the track, so I wouldn't even worry about getting any assistance until at least the third session.
Anyway, that is some of my two-cents worth of advice for a newbie at the track. Some people may disagree, but, that's life. Just remember, be careful, be safe, and have fun.