A day at the track
Looking like I know what I’m doing
Image Credit: Timothy Di Lorenzo of Studio 546
Ever since I bought my first sports bike, it’s been gnawing at the back of my mind... I even went so far as to drop some money on the required gear, despite it taking years before I finally did it. Track day... I had bounced the idea around in my head after a year with my GSXR600. Yeah, going fast on the road is great and all, but there are so many variables beyond your control. Sand or gravel in the road, other drivers, cops... I wanted to ride somewhere I didn’t have to worry about all those constraints. I did some research and found a couple of track organizations in my area; Tony's, Penguin and Fishtail. Not a cheap day, but safer and it's an experience. I bought a two piece suit when they went on sale; Dainese leathers with a back protector, and some Dainese gauntlet gloves too. I had bought a used pair of Sidi boots a couple years before and the helmet I wore was still good.
Well, as it happens the season came and went without actually doing a track day. I did ride once in the suit around town, and while I definitely looked badass dressed up like a Power Ranger, it was wicked uncomfortable and the pants pulled at my crotch something awful! They were just flat out impractical for anything but the track or tearing up mountain roads, and we just don't have mountains in New England. So, I ended up selling the GSXR to make room in my garage and I was left without a track friendly bike. Sure, I could have taken the Ducati ST4s out, or the Dorsoduro, but neither are great track bikes and if I sent the Ducati down the track without me on it, it would have meant I’d have some expensive plastics to replace. The gear hung in my closet for another year. The jacket got some use on those cooler days, but the pants... They just hung there and cursed me for letting them collect dust.
I also ended up selling the Dorsoduro in the spring of the following year and picked up a lowered GSXR750. I returned it to stock height and rode it around, with the idea of a track day once again itching somewhere at the back of my skull, but I kept making excuses. “I don't have a way to get there without riding it”, or “It's too expensive” and “I don't have time”. I was stalling and all the while the pants hung there, mocking me every time I opened the closest to get a jacket or gloves out, telepathically calling me a pussy. I was getting comfortable on the GSXR however, and I was even using almost the whole tire on it. And then winter came...
That winter I moved in with my girlfriend down in Northbridge, MA, and through my travels realized I was only 20 minutes away from Thompson speedway. The motorcycle groups I was in were getting flooded with track rats, and after all that time pussy-footing around, I bit the bullet. I signed up for a track day in late August with Tony's Track days. I made the plans and went to the internet for track prep questions. What should I wear? What should I bring? What the hell do I even do? Reddit and some forums (as well as the aforementioned FB groups) answered all of it and more. I ended up buying some compression tights and top, a ton of water, and borrowed my dad's truck.
The night before I had the plan to get dinner in Worcester and rent a U-haul trailer to tow the bike and the rest of my kit and gear down. We got Bibimbap, which is goddamn good Korean food, and as we walked out of the restaurant I thought it would be prudent to check if the truck was wired for trailer lights..I'm glad I did, because it wasn't. We ran to the U-haul center where my girlfriend ate her food in the truck while I put the necessary wiring on. The employees of the U-Haul center were super cool and let me borrow all the tools I needed to get it all together. Crisis averted, except my Bibimbap was now cold. We went home that night, I ate my cold food and loaded the trailer up. Before I left the following morning I made sure I had everything I needed. All my safety gear, the bike, tape, tools, zip ties, food and water, the key to said bike and a tent I borrowed from my friend.
Packed and ready to go early on a Sunday morning
I woke up early and stopped by a gas station to top the bike's tank up. While there is gas at the track, it costs an arm and a leg. I drove to the track through the winding road that leads through the Douglas state forest and arrived at Thompson speedway. Pulling up to the track is intimidating the first time; trucks with serious race trailers, lots of people around who clearly know each other, and then there’s me in a borrowed truck and a rented trailer. I signed the waivers and paperwork and got to talking with a kid who had ridden his bike there. I offered to share my tent with him since he didn't have anyone with him or anywhere to hide from the sun.
He repaid the favor by helping me set the tent up, and around that time is when the panic set in. Bike inspection is first. You line up and workers make sure your bike is safe to go. They check to make sure the tires aren't worn out, the chain isn't about to snap and has enough slack, that your brakes aren't shot, the suspension works, and that your bike isn't pissing fluids all over the pavement. They passed my bike, the only exception being how my GoPro was rigged up and slapped a red group sticker on the bike; the newbie group. I missed the track walk because I was busy getting the GoPro safely mounted to the bike, and I deeply regretted missing it. The instructors take you out, and you walk around the track as they show you the racing line, the tip in points and the apexes. After that it's the riders meeting and from there you’re sent on your way. First time track riders are required to go to another meeting with the group instructors who go over the rules, the track layout and which flag means what. Then it's a go around of the track playing follow the leader to learn the racing line.
Tire Shredding
Then you're pretty much thrown to the wolves. Then you get back to your pit and check the bike over, drink some water and then another kind of optional class from the instructors. All the classes after the first are “actual” classes. Body positioning, counter steering, braking points, best line through corners, while not required are highly recommended. After this you get a small break then another session on the track. That ended up being the rhythm of the day. Track session, class, short break, track session, class, short break, etc. until the end of the day. And let me tell you, I was hooked! Seeing how much better you can get each session, focusing on certain techniques, your body position, your turn in, how you turn in, how you roll on and off the throttle... The instructors are accessible and there for you to ask questions, and if you're feeling froggy, you can have coaching for some extra cheddar. I was glad I had brought a case of water as I had drank half of it by the end of the day and still had that nice ever so slight dehydration headache. I rushed home after to unload the trailer, return it and drop the truck off. I had work the next day, and I was sore in places I didn't even know a person could be sore. I regret that I had waited so long to do a track day, and decided to up for another at the end of September the next day.
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. I was chasing a overheating issue, When I adjusted the valves, I forgot to plug the fan back in
The second track day went even better than the first. It didn't fly by as fast, I learned more and even dragged my knee on a corner for the first time. Regrettably though, I won't be starting the season right away. My GSXR got totaled in an accident the Tuesday after the track day, and I got turned into a speed bump.
Not so much as dragging my knee, more like my knee kissed the ground
My advice if it's your first time? Do the track walk. DO IT! Attend every class they offer. If an instructor wants to talk to you listen: don't let your ego get in the way. You're not Rossi or Marquez, you're going to be slow and you will be passed a lot. Drink water! A lot of water. As an instructor so eloquently said “If you're not pissing, you're not drinking enough”. Eat something besides granola bars all day: your gut will thank you. Bring a friend, a “Crew Chief'' if you will. They’ll help you put everything up and take everything down, as well as be your ride home if you stuff it; or more importantly be able to call your family if things go real south. You don't need a 1000, you don't even need a 600. I was on a 750 and getting passed by SV650's and 300's. The 750 was overkill and I was mostly in first gear for almost the entire track. Most importantly have fun; it's not a race, it's just for fun and making you a better rider on and off the track. I'm chomping at the bit to get back out on a track, but I want a more suitable bike. My pipe dream is a Ducati 748.They’re high maintenance Italian bikes, but they look amazing and sound so goddamn good. I'll be keeping an eye out for a good price on a 600 or a track prepped SV. But we all know I'll probably end up with the 748...