What was your very first trackday like? - Page 5

Iceman · 06-04-2007, 10:10 AM

05/30/2007 Buttonwillow Reverse with Lost Hills
Hosted by SBW

My first lap was sketchy...I was riding around the track not knowing the corners, but feeling that I should be going faster. I ended up just cruising and started to really feel it after my first few laps.

After my first session I was excited, but decided to have a plan for the day and make some progress. I pretty much spent the whole day experimenting with different body positioning and working with Diego on my lines.

It was pretty tempting to see other riders going faster than me and knowing that i wasn't riding anywhere near my potential or maximum speed, but I had a plan that I had to stick to.

My gameplan was to ride my own ride and really make some progress in my technique while staying within my comfort zone. I knew in the back of my head that if I pushed it...I would regret it. I'm pretty methodical when it comes to riding and dont really have much money to fix my bike if I wad it up so I'm not the guy that goes out and rides like there's no tomorrow.

I didnt feel out of control at all for the entire day.

I watched 4 or 5 other guys crash out and every time it was a reminder that I had business to take care of this day.

Every session I got faster and faster and I remember at one point when I was speeding up each session I was thinking to myself "Is everyone else slowing down or am I speeding up?"...Then a couple of guys pulled me aside after the session and told me how much faster I was and asked what the deal was...I said I was just working on stuff and taking it one step at a time. It was like a lighswitch turned on and everything just clicked.

I had enough gas in my tank (energy) to ride for about an hour straight at the end of the day. Hell...I could've ridden for two hours straight if they'd let me. I wasnt getting off of that track until they kicked me off the track.

The hardest part for me was trust for the other riders on the track. I didnt trust anyone out there except for Dallas who I've ridden street with many times and it was hard for me to really open up and lay myself into a corner with the fear that someone who was pushing it would take me out. About half way through the day Diego pulled me aside and scolded me a bit for moving over and waiving other riders by so I could ride alone. I let go of that the next session and had an absolute blast the rest of the day.

It was one of the mose envigorating experiences of my life and I cant wait to hit Pahrump at the end of the month.

I'm working out my gamplan for that day in my head as I speak...it will be a blast.

DC_in_SD · 06-09-2007, 05:17 PM

My first trackday was at Streets as well, and I knew from the 1st few laps that my time in the canyons was short lived. There's just no comparison for me.

jabhawk996 · 07-03-2007, 11:20 PM

My first track day was like my first day of riding my very first bike (1973 TS185 Suzuki-Brand New, @ 15 1/2 years old).
My room mate and I signed up with CalSportBike.com at Pahrump in September of '05. He had his '04 R1 and I had my '05GSXR1000 that I had just bought.
Being resently divorced of a 20 year marriage, I was in hog heaven with my new bike.
We loaded our bikes up in his Chevy duelly and headed for Pahrump. We had signed up for the beginner class to make sure we got good information about the day and for the extra input from the staff. It started out very slow but I wasn't in much of a hurry to crash my new bike. As the day got into the afternoon the instructors suggested that I move into the intermediate class the next time I did a track day.
I couldn't have had a better time. All the staff was very helpful with everything.
My next FIRST TRACK DAY was @ Fontana Speedway.
Let me explain: In March of '06 I lost my left leg in a work related accident. I almost thought that my riding was over. I got hooked up with Pingel and the crew I work with passed the hat at work and got me a shifter for my VTX1800 and in about 3 hours I had it hooked up. At this point I hadn't gotten my prosthetic leg yet so my bike just sat there patiently waiting for the day.
2 weeks after I got my new kick stand....I mean leg. I was back on my cruiser. About a month later I was hooking up a Pingel Shifter on my GSXR.
In January I did my FIRST TRACK DAY with my new leg and the Pingel shifter. Now its just a matter of saving a little cash to do my next one.
If you know anybody that needs some help getting back into the saddle that has a missing leg....Send them my way.
After all....What goes around, comes around.

Seimper Fi....
jimi

Jonny Rocket · 07-03-2007, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabhawk996

My first track day was like my first day of riding my very first bike (1973 TS185 Suzuki-Brand New, @ 15 1/2 years old).
My room mate and I signed up with CalSportBike.com at Pahrump in September of '05. He had his '04 R1 and I had my '05GSXR1000 that I had just bought.
Being resently divorced of a 20 year marriage, I was in hog heaven with my new bike.
We loaded our bikes up in his Chevy duelly and headed for Pahrump. We had signed up for the beginner class to make sure we got good information about the day and for the extra input from the staff. It started out very slow but I wasn't in much of a hurry to crash my new bike. As the day got into the afternoon the instructors suggested that I move into the intermediate class the next time I did a track day.
I couldn't have had a better time. All the staff was very helpful with everything.
My next FIRST TRACK DAY was @ Fontana Speedway.
Let me explain: In March of '06 I lost my left leg in a work related accident. I almost thought that my riding was over. I got hooked up with Pingel and the crew I work with passed the hat at work and got me a shifter for my VTX1800 and in about 3 hours I had it hooked up. At this point I hadn't gotten my prosthetic leg yet so my bike just sat there patiently waiting for the day.
2 weeks after I got my new kick stand....I mean leg. I was back on my cruiser. About a month later I was hooking up a Pingel Shifter on my GSXR.
In January I did my FIRST TRACK DAY with my new leg and the Pingel shifter. Now its just a matter of saving a little cash to do my next one.
If you know anybody that needs some help getting back into the saddle that has a missing leg....Send them my way.
After all....What goes around, comes around.

Seimper Fi....
jimi

That is just awesome right there!

fzr400hybrid · 07-09-2007, 11:24 PM

My first trackday was freakin fantastic. Big thanks to SPEED and House of Motorcycles for putting on the Pahrump 2 day event I went to. Thank you guys sooo much for making it an incredible weekend!

SPEED · 07-09-2007, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fzr400hybrid

My first trackday was freakin fantastic. Big thanks to SPEED and House of Motorcycles for putting on the Pahrump 2 day event I went to. Thank you guys sooo much for making it an incredible weekend!

No problem at all my friend!! It was so cool to see the huge grin on your face all weekend!! You never forget your first!!

seesm · 07-10-2007, 09:55 AM

Yeah in my post awhile back I told you I was freaking scared out of my mind but I did not tell you where and such. Thunderhill at a Keigwins track day in oct of 2004 on a old Chapparel GSXR 750 that Roger Hayden flogged for a full season in AMA. I traded a modified XR50 for this so it seemed like a OK deal. That bike was soo slow my new 600 smokes that thing. My buddies laughed at how slow I was that first day. I was soo worried not to crash since I rode the new racers school because evey other session was jam packed full. (just like future SBW days will be) So a close friend at the time a former ama race winner told me, "Do not crash and you will pass the NSR deal" Well I went SLOW enough the guys did not pass me. The main instructor said to me just come back next week and we will just ride and see how you do. Well next week never came I did my next track day 4 or 6 months later and I found that same instructor and we did about 5 laps and he passed me. The strain of having someone watching you was a crazy brain deal.

Anyway there she is, my first time story. I was clumsy and slow but I new I wanted more.

TL1000R · 08-05-2007, 12:17 AM

I have never been to a track day and have heard that your first time has to be on a 6 is that true cause I have a beast of a twin.

DC_in_SD · 08-05-2007, 12:34 AM

Nonsense.. I've been riding a CBR1000RR since day one on the track.

TL1000R · 08-05-2007, 07:14 PM

Cool I would hate to go all that way and be turned away.
How do you get your bike there? do you ride there or trailer it?

View Poll Results: What was your very first trackday like?
Nerve Racking but ended up awesome!!	26	44.83%
Nerve racking the whole day	4	6.90%
Perfectly wonderful....I rocked!!	24	41.38%
Average, sure could have been better	1	1.72%
I crashed out early....doh!	3	5.17%
Voters: 58. You may not vote on this poll

06-04-2007, 10:10 AM	#41
Iceman Canyon Carver Tournaments Won: 1 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Santee, Ca Bikes: 2002 CBR 954RR (Sold), 2004 GSX-R750 Age: 27 Posts: 820 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 2 (21)	05/30/2007 Buttonwillow Reverse with Lost Hills Hosted by SBW My first lap was sketchy...I was riding around the track not knowing the corners, but feeling that I should be going faster. I ended up just cruising and started to really feel it after my first few laps. After my first session I was excited, but decided to have a plan for the day and make some progress. I pretty much spent the whole day experimenting with different body positioning and working with Diego on my lines. It was pretty tempting to see other riders going faster than me and knowing that i wasn't riding anywhere near my potential or maximum speed, but I had a plan that I had to stick to. My gameplan was to ride my own ride and really make some progress in my technique while staying within my comfort zone. I knew in the back of my head that if I pushed it...I would regret it. I'm pretty methodical when it comes to riding and dont really have much money to fix my bike if I wad it up so I'm not the guy that goes out and rides like there's no tomorrow. I didnt feel out of control at all for the entire day. I watched 4 or 5 other guys crash out and every time it was a reminder that I had business to take care of this day. Every session I got faster and faster and I remember at one point when I was speeding up each session I was thinking to myself "Is everyone else slowing down or am I speeding up?"...Then a couple of guys pulled me aside after the session and told me how much faster I was and asked what the deal was...I said I was just working on stuff and taking it one step at a time. It was like a lighswitch turned on and everything just clicked. I had enough gas in my tank (energy) to ride for about an hour straight at the end of the day. Hell...I could've ridden for two hours straight if they'd let me. I wasnt getting off of that track until they kicked me off the track. The hardest part for me was trust for the other riders on the track. I didnt trust anyone out there except for Dallas who I've ridden street with many times and it was hard for me to really open up and lay myself into a corner with the fear that someone who was pushing it would take me out. About half way through the day Diego pulled me aside and scolded me a bit for moving over and waiving other riders by so I could ride alone. I let go of that the next session and had an absolute blast the rest of the day. It was one of the mose envigorating experiences of my life and I cant wait to hit Pahrump at the end of the month. I'm working out my gamplan for that day in my head as I speak...it will be a blast. __________________ Alex S. "The undisturbed mind is like the calm body of water reflecting the brilliance of the moon. Empty the mind and you will realize the undisturbed mind" - Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi "G's up...Ho's down!" Last edited by Iceman : 06-04-2007 at 10:14 AM.

06-09-2007, 05:17 PM	#42
DC_in_SD Squid Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Diego Bikes: 05 CBR1000RR Age: 41 Posts: 141 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 2 (10)	My first trackday was at Streets as well, and I knew from the 1st few laps that my time in the canyons was short lived. There's just no comparison for me. __________________ Doug '05 Honda CBR1000RR (race) PCIII, Akropovic Exhaust, Penske 3-way in back, Ohlins cartriges up front, HotBodies Bodywork, Vortex Rearsets, Pazzo Levers, Galfer Wave Rotors, Galfer Braided Front Brake Lines.

07-03-2007, 11:20 PM	#43
jabhawk996 Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Apple Valley, Ca Bikes: '80 XS650 Street Tracker; '99VTR1000; '02VTX1800; '05GSXR1000 Age: 51 Posts: 27 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 0 (10)	First track day....TWICE *My first track day was like my first day of riding my very first bike (1973 TS185 Suzuki-Brand New, @ 15 1/2 years old).* *My room mate and I signed up with CalSportBike.com at Pahrump in September of '05. He had his '04 R1 and I had my '05GSXR1000 that I had just bought.* *Being resently divorced of a 20 year marriage, I was in hog heaven with my new bike.* We loaded our bikes up in his Chevy duelly and headed for Pahrump. We had signed up for the beginner class to make sure we got good information about the day and for the extra input from the staff. It started out very slow but I wasn't in much of a hurry to crash my new bike. As the day got into the afternoon the instructors suggested that I move into the intermediate class the next time I did a track day. *I couldn't have had a better time. All the staff was very helpful with everything.* *My next FIRST TRACK DAY was @ Fontana Speedway.* Let me explain: In March of '06 I lost my left leg in a work related accident. I almost thought that my riding was over. I got hooked up with Pingel and the crew I work with passed the hat at work and got me a shifter for my VTX1800 and in about 3 hours I had it hooked up. At this point I hadn't gotten my prosthetic leg yet so my bike just sat there patiently waiting for the day. *2 weeks after I got my new kick stand....I mean leg. I was back on my cruiser. About a month later I was hooking up a Pingel Shifter on my GSXR.* *In January I did my FIRST TRACK DAY with my new leg and the Pingel shifter. Now its just a matter of saving a little cash to do my next one.* *If you know anybody that needs some help getting back into the saddle that has a missing leg....Send them my way.* *After all....What goes around, comes around.* *Seimper Fi....* *jimi*

07-10-2007, 09:55 AM	#47
seesm Canyon Carver Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Auburn, California Bikes: (2) 2007 R6's, lots of minibikes and a Bobcat ready to work... Posts: 949 iTrader: (1) Rep Power: 3 (13)	Yeah in my post awhile back I told you I was freaking scared out of my mind but I did not tell you where and such. Thunderhill at a Keigwins track day in oct of 2004 on a old Chapparel GSXR 750 that Roger Hayden flogged for a full season in AMA. I traded a modified XR50 for this so it seemed like a OK deal. That bike was soo slow my new 600 smokes that thing. My buddies laughed at how slow I was that first day. I was soo worried not to crash since I rode the new racers school because evey other session was jam packed full. (just like future SBW days will be) So a close friend at the time a former ama race winner told me, "Do not crash and you will pass the NSR deal" Well I went SLOW enough the guys did not pass me. The main instructor said to me just come back next week and we will just ride and see how you do. Well next week never came I did my next track day 4 or 6 months later and I found that same instructor and we did about 5 laps and he passed me. The strain of having someone watching you was a crazy brain deal. Anyway there she is, my first time story. I was clumsy and slow but I new I wanted more. __________________ MotoElite.com / Snap Dragon Photos / Fast50s.com / Slide Motorsports / Advanced Metal Finishing & Powder Coating / greateryamaha.com / Bell Helmet / leovinceusa.com / Gpr Stabilizer / Mike Wymer Perf. / Kevin Greene /Oury Grip / www.sportbikeswest.com / Catalyst Reaction Susp / Elka Shocks / Race Tech / Inhouse Susp / two2cool / Works Connection / motionpro.com / Tech Spec / SupermotoUSA / axialvideo.com / bickleracing.com / Got Moto Parts

07-09-2007, 11:24 PM	#45
fzr400hybrid Newbie Join Date: May 2007 Location: valencia Bikes: 90 FZR400 hybrid, 93 Suzuki RMX250 Age: 21 Posts: 25 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 0 (10)	My first trackday was freakin fantastic. Big thanks to SPEED and House of Motorcycles for putting on the Pahrump 2 day event I went to. Thank you guys sooo much for making it an incredible weekend!

08-05-2007, 12:17 AM	#48
TL1000R Newbie Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Carlsbad Bikes: Suzuki TL1000R Posts: 34 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 0 (10)	I have never been to a track day and have heard that your first time has to be on a 6 is that true cause I have a beast of a twin. __________________ Never Sacrifice the thrill of life for the comfort of Existence! Adrenalin, The most dangerous drug of them all!!!

08-05-2007, 12:34 AM	#49
DC_in_SD Squid Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Diego Bikes: 05 CBR1000RR Age: 41 Posts: 141 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 2 (10)	Nonsense.. I've been riding a CBR1000RR since day one on the track. __________________ Doug '05 Honda CBR1000RR (race) PCIII, Akropovic Exhaust, Penske 3-way in back, Ohlins cartriges up front, HotBodies Bodywork, Vortex Rearsets, Pazzo Levers, Galfer Wave Rotors, Galfer Braided Front Brake Lines.

08-05-2007, 07:14 PM	#50
TL1000R Newbie Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Carlsbad Bikes: Suzuki TL1000R Posts: 34 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 0 (10)	Cool I would hate to go all that way and be turned away. How do you get your bike there? do you ride there or trailer it? __________________ Never Sacrifice the thrill of life for the comfort of Existence! Adrenalin, The most dangerous drug of them all!!!

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