YEA!
Did my first track day yesterday. It was a balmy 55 degrees out, and had to share the track with some rich guys and their exotic race cars.
It was incredible. The 6 is an absolute WEAPON out there.
Passed a guy on an R1 a few times (it was his first track day as well). I wish I had a picture of us in the pit area... all five of us on Yamaha's!
So a long winded write-up of the experience...
Get to the track about 11:30, after thinking about chickening out. Pull up to the only other rider out there, and he is from the
Colorado Sportbike Club He takes me around the track a few times to show me the lines and some basic etiquette.
I am REALLY tense, not being very smooth. On about my 4th lap, my toe slider touches pavement and clips my foot into the shifter. Back slides out, hooks up… ensuing baby highside sends me riding off the track. I keep it upright, pull back onto the track. After that, rode back to the pit area to pry the seat out of my clinched ass.
Lesson #1: get the toe the **** out of the way as soon as I finish my shift.
Back out onto the track after relaxing a bit. Go around a couple times, and touched a peg down going ~ 70 through a turn. Freaks me out, and I stand it up and go off road again, luckily keeping it upright again. Back to the pits I go, to think about what I am doing. The guy who is riding there pits right behind me to give me a talking to. Basically told me to slow the **** down and just work on hitting the same line in the corners consistently. Also tells me I am not hanging off enough, and need to move around the bike.
Lesson: Smooth = Fast Not smooth = Likely pain and expense
So, I relax a bit and head back out. Taking the guy’s advise, I start moving my body to set up for the turns. Hanging off through all the turns, even though I probably looked like an ass-clown hanging off the bike even though I was slower than **** all. Get a few laps in, just trying to be smooth and relaxed. An open wheel race car starts gaining on me, so I get nervous and decide to pit so that I am not holding him up. Repeat this a few times, until I get more comfortable. A few more riders show up, and I am starting to get more confident. I manage to get out there for about 10 laps in a row, get passed by the cars without freaking out. Starting to REALLY enjoy it.
Lesson: The other people out there know what they are doing, so relax.
I am starting to hit the lines consistently, and speed it up a bit. The guy on the R1 was there for the first time as well, and I was catching him in the corners and he would just let me by on the straights. One time he either didn’t see me, or didn’t want me to pass him… and I ended up taking him in the corners. WHAT A RUSH. He told me that he was trying to keep up with me and follow my lines, which was quite a compliment.
I was having such a great time, I didn’t want to stop but I was already out of gas at 100 miles. Rode over to a gas station and filled her up, got back to the track for more fun. End of the day came, and the other riders were commenting that I was really starting to rip it up out there. I asked if I even came remotely close to dragging a knee… and they said I was leaned over plenty far, but my legs were too short to reach.
Got home and inspected the tires, and there was chewed up rubber all over the bike. And I wore the tires out more in about 150 miles of track riding, than the past 3000 miles of street riding.
Lesson: Buy a trailer and some gas cans. Get ready to max out the credit cards, because this is the shiznit!
Sorry for the long ass post, I am sure most of you just skipped it. But I am PSYCHED about it.
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