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My first track day


ltljohn

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I did a track day this week. It was a non sport bike day Details here. Riding on the track in a controlled environment let me really explore the capabilities of my bike. The schedule was 20 minutes on the track followed by 20 minutes of classroom then 20 minutes to get hydrated gear up and get in line to go back on the track. We had 7 sessions on the track it was a long day but well worth it. I found that as the day progressed I no longer thought about the bike I just "felt" it and I finally started to work as one with the machine. While I will probably never ride as fast or aggressively as I did on the track it is nice to know what I and my bike are capable of. I learned trail braking and now will practice it and improve my skill. I really improved my body position and looking through the corner to get the right position in a turn. The experience will make me a better rider. The instructors are first rate professionals, very approachable between sessions and really helpful both on and off the track. The program is well done and has a great flow with a good balance of track, classroom and break time with no wasted time. It was was also a heck of a lot of fun, I am still grinning.

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beemerman2k

I was also at that track day, along with Matt Sturgis and oldironken I decided to simply observe and enjoy the company of motorcyclists rather than ride, but I did bring my camera with me and got to take a lot of pictures.

 

 

Pictures from the Track Day at Thompson Speedway.

Edited by beemerman2k
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Great story John! :thumbsup: I've only done one track day but remember that grin well. :grin: James, you take very nice pictures too! :clap:

 

Pat

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Oldironken

Matt talked me into giving it a shot and it was well worth it. The differences between my first run and my last were significant, the classroom sessions were well done because they introduced a new skill each time instead of doing a brain dump and leaving us to sort it out.

 

I was impressed by the on-track instructors as well, they rode through the herd looking for teachable moments among the riders. Being able to follow one at a good pace for a lap was very instructive. Like John i've been working on my skills on each ride.

 

 

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I've had the good fortune of attending a few track days and come away with great experiences each time.

 

My first CLASS course with Reg Pridmore taught me how to ride with my lower body, relieve pressure off my arms, treat the handlebars with minimal inputs.

 

I'll never forget that ride on the back of Reg's bike, never feeling him shifting. As Reg said, it's all about smoothness. Try to ride as if you have a passenger and your goal is to never let them feel a shift.

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Exploreinman

Wow, this looks very interesting. Wish they had some of these in the southeast that were more accessible to where I live.

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beemerman2k

Thank you, Tewks, as you can see I am very partial to BMW motorcycles. Tried to get a picture of everulyvine of them, though I missed many of them.

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Glad you all had such a good experience. Pictures were nice James, however, you missed Little John dragging a knee! :grin:

 

I remember my first track day well - learned a lot of valuable skills. The result of my 2nd track day had me fly out in a helicopter, total loss of the bike and well let's just say multiple broken bones, metal rod/pins, collapsed lung, and a few months off from riding. All good life lessons. :thumbsup:

 

Edited by Endobobdds
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Matts_12GS

John and Ken, I'm glad you guys got as much from this as I did. I was able to knock a lot of rust off the edges and unlearn some bad habits that have crept in lately. It was a great day for me, and I'm glad that I was able to convince some friends to come along and learn with me. Now, gentlemen,, We need to go ride together and keep each other honest with what we learned now that we have a common language!

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Bill_Walker
I was also at that track day, along with Matt Sturgis and oldironken I decided to simply observe and enjoy the company of motorcyclists rather than ride, but I did bring my camera with me and got to take a lot of pictures.

 

 

Pictures from the Track Day at Thompson Speedway.

 

Nice photos. I'm guessing you couldn't get to a corner viewpoint.

 

It looks like they didn't even require everybody to tape up their lights, although several did so. That's surprising.

 

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Wow, this looks very interesting. Wish they had some of these in the southeast that were more accessible to where I live.

 

 

Check out this link for Sportbike Track Time. They have at least 4 locations within 3 hours of Atlanta. I would recommend starting with the Little Talladega Gran Prix track as it is mostly turns with a couple of straights. They have instructors that will work with you. I have ridden my GS there quite a few times.

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beemerman2k

That's correct, Bill. I was in a small booth a long the longest stretch of the track where the bikes could reach their highest speeds. I'm guessing the booth I was in is where a flag waver would be in an actual race.

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Oldironken

They told us to just tape the mirrors because they did not want us to look behind us, only forwards.

 

I don't know how many times i glanced down at a blob of blue painters tape during the day which served as a reminder to keep my eyes up and forward.

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