First Track Day at Mid-Ohio

[Jay in Ohio]

First off, this was a great event!

Very well-organized.  Pretty much 100% uptime.  Great coaches.  The track was in tip-top condition.  And a great group that I rode with.  Sunny and 80F.

2nd-ly, I don't feel that I need to go again.  My goal was to see how I would do with my bike (used for commuting 95% of the time), my tires, my suspension.  The rest of the group had more sporty or track-only crotch rockets.

I rode in Sunday night and camped at the track so I could "sleep in" until 6:30a, at which point I packed it all up and dropped my gear and cases in the paddock.

The coaches kept us novices (group 7 out of 7 novice groups, by ability) in check to keep us from over-shooting any turns until the last session of the day where they followed instead of leading.  In between our sessions, the intermediate and then the advanced riders each had their 20 minute sessions while we discussed our laps with our coach.  The advanced guys were flying!

I tapped out after the 5th of 7 20-minute sessions, as the newbie group I was in progressed to the point where I was holding them up.  At that point I was the slowest rider out there.  Tapping a foot peg during session 3 shook my confidence and I never really came back from that.  That said, session 3 was my best, smoothest ride of the day overall.  Session 4 came after a lunch break and I was a little off.  Session 5 saw our group fragment as one of the guys was doing really well and the coach went with him while other coaches picked up the pieces of our group.  It was fun to see everyone progressing (but even at that, they were still going so slow by comparison).

What I forgot:

Tire gauge!  It gets hotter out there all day and pressures go up all day.  Luckily we had some great neighbors in the paddock who helped us out.  Incorrect tire pressure will make your day suck. Period.

Tether your camera for safety. (I did not lose my camera)

What made it better:

Shade

Chair (there actually was very little sitting time)

Water, Gatorade

Ice

Towel

I could type pages on this, but if anyone wants any further details, let me know.

I will say that it requires an intense level of concentration, and because of elevation changes on the track you can never see past the next turn.  You can see only a few seconds into your future.

My quads were pretty tired by days end from staying on my pegs.  If I could separate myself from the bike a little more with some hangin' off gymnastics I could probably turn harder, but I felt I was at my limit, and I needed my bike to ride home after.  My tires were fine.  Actually, by spending so much time on the edges of the tires their shape improved quite a bit since the centers were somewhat flat from commuting on straight roads.  As novices, we utilized engine braking almost 100% of the time except on the end of the back straight.  No special bike prep required in the novice group, but no fluid leaks, and full safety gear was mandatory.  Makes participation easy.

Ride on!

-J

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

Interesting perspective.  Having done only 4 track days myself, I can safely say that if I won the lottery, I would do as many as I possibly could.  It is SO much fun, and you learn so much every time, but some of that depends on the instructors too.  Many members here have actually raced, and many others go to the track all the time.  Odd that you think once was enough though.  Too tiring?  Or too scary?  Didn't think you learned enough?  Every time I ever did a track day, I wanted to go do it again the next day.  I can safely say that after learning what the combination of modern tires, modern bike, and skills acquired on the track can do, they have saved my bacon countless times on the street.  Maybe a little time and remembering the day will make you want to return in the future.  Glad you enjoyed it, and I wish you many more.

 

[Jay in Ohio]

Interesting perspective.  Having done only 4 track days myself, I can safely say that if I won the lottery, I would do as many as I possibly could.  It is SO much fun, and you learn so much every time, but some of that depends on the instructors too.  Many members here have actually raced, and many others go to the track all the time.  Odd that you think once was enough though.  Too tiring?  Or too scary?  Didn't think you learned enough?  Every time I ever did a track day, I wanted to go do it again the next day.  I can safely say that after learning what the combination of modern tires, modern bike, and skills acquired on the track can do, they have saved my bacon countless times on the street.  Maybe a little time and remembering the day will make you want to return in the future.  Glad you enjoyed it, and I wish you many more.

Thanks.

I was the only one without either a track bike or something very "sporty".  The least-sporty bike on track was an FZ-09, I think.  Then me, of course.  I was also carrying too much fuel.  I had no problem hanging in or even gaining on the straights, but those are a small fraction of the track.  The rest of the time it was me hanging off as far as I dared and keep those foot pegs from touching.  Tires were worn edge-to-edge.  This was all kinds of fun because the roads around here are not good for those kinds of shenanigans, but at some point during the day I could not seem to go any faster and I started to feel like I was holding up the faster guys.  That made me lose focus, and I started looking behind me, which is a major no-no.

So, without either making a drastic change in my riding style, or just changing bikes altogether (not gonna happen!) I think 1 and done and I'm good.

I can say, though, that on my way home my lane position on the street was much more precise, and eyes forward and vision was more thoughtful/effective.

-J

PS - I have a pair of barely-used size 36 leather race pants with knee sliders, that zip to almost any jacket if anyone needs them.  I never fell down and I didn't crap my pants at any point, so they are practically new!

 

[Jay in Ohio]

I forgot in my OP...

My bike had a large, aftermarket windscreen that I use daily since I'm kinda tall.  I re-installed the original for track day.  The tall one was too shaky/flappy over 110mph, and somewhat intrusive to my space if I wanted to tuck.

I'll be putting it back on now.

-J

 

[Bugnatr]

BTDT

My first track day was on a FJR at Sears Point in northern Ca. I did learn what the Feejeer could do but also learned the FJR is a bit piggy ( more like a hog) for the track.  My FZ6 and FZ1 were much more suited for the track but the most fun was on my 990 Supermoto.  

Track days are so awesome and I miss them but my current rides are the Super Tenere and a Wing who just aren't at home on the track.

Do they rent track bikes at the class you took?   If so, throw a leg over one and go work on your riding skills as the track is the best place for improving your riding ability.

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

Glad you enjoyed the day, Jay.  About a couple of things you stated;

   The first (and next couple) of track days I went to, there were several touring BMWs with non-removable saddle bags, a couple Hardly Ableson's, and a Gold Wing.  Every one of those guys was cornering better and smoother at the end of the day than when they started in the morning.  The Gold Wing guy was flying around the corners.  (A bunch of us could get him on the brakes, though. That's a lot of bike to get slowed down).  It's not a race.  It's about learning what you and your bike can do, and improving your skill set.  But mostly, it's about fun.  And Reg Pridmore told us not to even think about what was behind us, or if we were holding somebody up.  (We had mirrors removed).  Your only concern should be what's in front of you, and to just take care of that.  If someone is faster, they will find a safe way to pass you.

   I know how it feels to be the slow guy.  My last track day was on a tight track, on a day after races were held.  A bunch of the racers stayed an extra day to get practice in.  I was on my '98 SuperHawk (not the greatest track bike), and I was one of 5 or 6 people that wasn't on a dedicated race bike.  Thirty-five or forty R1s, ZX-10s, and Gixxer 1000s with race plates, that had been on the same track the day before, can make a guy feel pretty inept.  But they were polite, passed safely, and never gave me grief for being slow.  They all understood, and had been that guy themselves.  I was exhausted at the end of the day, had a blast, and learned a lot.  I couldn't have asked for more.

 

[Jay in Ohio]

...But they were polite, passed safely, and never gave me grief for being slow.  They all understood, and had been that guy themselves.  I was exhausted at the end of the day, had a blast, and learned a lot.  I couldn't have asked for more.

Yeah, I will say that everyone was very cool.  No one was trying to intimidate anyone and there was only a little bit of hot dogging - which was actually fun to watch.

I haven't completely written off a future track day, but it won't be a regular thing.  I am completely satisfied that I learned more about me and my bike, though.

-J

 

[Goodman4]

I did my one track day with the FJR at Barber, but I might consider going back on the FJR. I felt like it had enough to hang with the others. I did feel a little out of place but it was weight not performance. It was faster than the sub liters on the straight's but then I lost out in the curves. I don't remember feeling overly intimidated by other riders that day, but it was tough finding how much I should push it.

This year I did California SuperBike School levels 1 and 2 with 1 on the rented BMW at Corvette Museum and 2 on my MT10 a few weeks later at Barber. I oddly had an experience that maybe felt like yours on the BMW. I felt way too aware of other riders around me and didn't know when to pass or get out of the way. There were some good times but really it was a rough day for me.  If I hadn't paid for Barber already I would have been done.

It must have just been a learning thing, cause Barber was just a blast. I had a great day and I'm shopping for leathers now so I can do more track days. You learn something every time. You first learn how terrible you are and then you learn how to get better.