Quote from: cm on November 08, 2008, 09:03:20 PM
Yup all ready to go!Ã,  Bringing the new (to me) track bike this time (next track day for the Duc is the AMS trackday on 11/24)

On the trailer with the new M4 Ti exhaust can installed (still has the old bodywork which has a little rash on the right side..will fix this winter)



And from the other side...I couldn't resist putting my favorite number on the bike and 'making it my own'...

Yellow makes RED green....

  What news from trackday CM or WillyWonka ?  Was it awesome - new personal bests !  The weather was perfect how were Ty's classes ?  Post up !

Here's my short trackday report:
The good:
1. Weather was pretty close to perfect!  A little warmer would've been great, especially in the morning but it was best mid-day

2. We had a pretty decent paddock set-up and had a few friends next to us.  Everyone was very nice and we did get a bit of wind-shielding from the giant RV/Bus that we were parked behind.

3. The SV ran well and so did Scott.  Even with the limited track time I got (I wasn't feeling well), I still beat my 748's best time that I got on the last Ducati track day.

4. I learned a few new things, especially since it's my first time in what is essentially a 'racer practice' group.  Only passing rules were the guidelines in place during actual racing...so name a portion of the track and passing is allowed (inside or outside).  Some passes were done very close (just like in racing), and some guys would even take 2-3 bikes in the same corner (I actually witnessed one pass one person on the inside, then swing out to the outside to pass someone else, and then back inside...all while entering Rattlesnake and before the hard left on top).  My most memorable one is one racer passing me on the inside of Wagonwheel but as he was about to pass the guy in front of me also, he chopped off his nose and he stood up the bike mid-corner...and I was pretty much beside him.  Let's just say I could've easily touched my elbow to his fairing as I had to mirror his maneuver AND stay on track.

5. Also learned how to use tire warmers and routine that racers do (since we were paddocked next to some racers)

6.  There weren't too many incidents.  Probably had 2 in my group (which typically has the most since the racers push so much harder) and nothing serious.


The parts that need improvement:

1.  This trackday was crowded. It wasn't too bad in Level 3/4 (combined), but Level 1 and 2 definitely had a lot of bikes out there...Over 30 bikes in each session in Level 3/4, and even more in Level 1 and 2. That's about 18-21 bikes per mile.  As an example, Ducati track days had about 11-14 bikes/mile at the last one.

2. Ty is much better during a private session.  I would gladly pay the extra $50-100 more to have him just focus on 3 students vs a dozen.  While you do learn from watching other people's videos, I could learn much more by watching video of me!  Also, we probably missed out on 1 session (not that I minded, since it was the first morning one but we could've gotten more sleep instead) while we were getting organized and sitting through the rider's meeting...

3. The rider's meeting started getting a bit painfully long.  RideSmart has several vendors that work with them and instead of just a mention that they are there, each vendor got airtime and some took longer than others.

4. I wish I felt better during the day. A combination of recovering from getting sick last week and being in a racer group with all sorts of things going near me didn't do to well and gave me motion sickness. It's different when you are alone and can focus your vision far ahead on the track with perhaps a rider to watch out for.  When in every turn someone is putting a wheel in your peripheral (or at one point, 5-6 of them decide to ride through), my eyes start focusing closer and it just does funny things to me.

Overall, if you want to go to the track for $120 (cheapest track organizer), and can find a group where you can run what the average times are, it's not a bad deal especially with the free lunch (which I couldn't even take advantage of since I was feeling ill).  If you want more space to play, a Ducati track day or even a Texas Track day session during the week would probably be better.

It was great sharing the paddock space with Scott and I look forward to the next track day.

By the way, weather forecast for next weekend is NOT good so I think winter is coming in now.  Last decent track day will be Friday and if the weather holds, I'll be at Eagles Canyon with Texas Track Days!  I am really hoping it warms up again for the 11/24 Ducati track day but if the high isn't at least in the upper 60's, I'm out.

thanks for the awesome write up

Quote from: Samsonite on November 10, 2008, 10:43:43 AM
thanks for the awesome write up

+1 - Sounds like it was intense! Really like your straight from the shoulder descriptions CM, with all the good, bad, & ugly!

And the pictures from the trackday are out so I'll share a couple! Pictures are from Hart Photography









That SV doesn't look too bad...though I'm looking forward to the new bodywork next month!

Found a couple with Scott in the frame...

I wonder if I can fit that bodywork on my bike