1st trackday

[VermilionX]

1ST TRACKDAY.

i met a lot of new people today. so that's nice.

there were a lot of riders who ate it today. street, intermediate, advance. all groups had multiple crashes. the worst one was from the advance group who ate it on the fastest turn of the track. the rider was unconcious and air lifted to the hospital.

there was 1 rider i was following and he ran off the track and i almost followed him but i corrected my target.

i had a close call on turn 7, IIRC. i ran wide and my rear wheel fishtailed when i hit the dirt but i didn't lose it.

it was scary when i was passed a couple of times really close by faster riders eventhough there was a 6 foot distance rule when passing.

i asked for tips from one of the instructors assigned for the street group for most of the morning, i followed him then he followed me. he said im doing good for my 1st trackday but i don't feel good. there were only a couple of riders that im faster, most were faster than me.

i was only able to hit around 120mph top speed on the start/finish straightaway. it was the 1st time that i actually had to WOT my throttle with a purpose.

overall, it was ok... i wasn't excited a lot before each session and we got delayed a lot since there were so many crashes. i dunno, i just felt really really slow and the crashes also bummed me out and cost me some lost of confidence after seeing rthe results of the crashes.

but anyway, im very satisfied that i got my 1st trackday and since i didn't crash and i did learn some new things. i guess it's not really so bad.

our pit...





the toughest part of the track for me, turn 4a and 4b, "The OMEGA"...


the bike of my instructor, he's part of LA sheriffs dept. he promotes trackdays and wants riders to get off the canyons...



the tracks ate my tires pretty fast. it's actually a lot more worn than the pic shows.

[pshaw118]

cool pics.  Sounds like you had a lot of fun.  Maybe you shouldn't think so much in terms of fast and slow, though.  As long as you're riding within your limits (maintaining control - i.e. staying out of the dirt), you should be happy with your performance.  I'm hoping to get out to a trackday soon.  I hope I don't end up with a bunch of people crashing around me.  That would totally ruin my day.  If you have any more pics, I'd love to see 'em.  congrats on your first trackday, homey.

[VermilionX]

cool pics.  Sounds like you had a lot of fun.  Maybe you shouldn't think so much in terms of fast and slow, though.  As long as you're riding within your limits (maintaining control - i.e. staying out of the dirt), you should be happy with your performance.  I'm hoping to get out to a trackday soon.  I hope I don't end up with a bunch of people crashing around me.  That would totally ruin my day.  If you have any more pics, I'd love to see 'em.  congrats on your first trackday, homey.

thanks.

and yeah... i asked the regulars if this number of crashes is common and they said it's a lot more than the usual. they will actually give a 25% discount if we sign up for their SOW trackday on Nov 6 bec of all the delays. i might sign up for it but i'm not sure yet until it becomes closer and if i can hitch a ride again with somebody.

and nope, don't have anymore pics. i wasn't really in the mood. sorry.

[JimT]

I know exactly how you felt. Read my blog on Ray's startriding.com site.

I felt really slow my first time too. It was better on my second trackday.

Glad you weren't one of the guys who "ate it"!

[dasesq]

Congratulations!

I think all sheriffs should ride those bikes. 

[Hawkster]

Congrats, Aldo!

It looks like you had a safe and fun day. 

I wouldn't sweat what you learned just yet.  In a week or two you'll probably find that you learned a lot more than you thought you did.

Stay safe,

H~

[JC]

How'd you run wide on 7?

[VermilionX]

How'd you run wide on 7?

i looked at the track layout... it was actually turn 6.

and i just gunned the throttle before entering it and not enough lean angle as i recall.

[JC]

Weird, even 6 seems a little awkward of a place to run off.   I mean, you're not coming out of the omega with much speed, especially given that turn 5 is a "Sacraficial turn" in order to best set yourself up for 6.   Maybe your line coming out of 5 was really bad setting you up to miss the apex of 6 as you went over the hill.    Interesting.

[VermilionX]

ooh... i have some pics from the trackday from hypercycle's website...

they're nothing amazing but it's nice to see me and the bike on the track for a change. 

i don't know what turn this is.



this looks like the omega, slowest part of the track for me...



this pic looks cool. but in reality... the 2 guys behind passed me. LOL!

[zerog]

Looking good Aldo, the color of your suit matches the color of the bike well.

[VermilionX]

Looking good Aldo, the color of your suit matches the color of the bike well.

yeah... eventhough the bike is wine red... it still looks matched w/ my red riding gear.

anywyay... im not sure yet but i'll probably attend their SOW trackday next month if...

1. my tires are still good for a trackday.
2. i can hitch another trailer ride.

[DBegginer]

Are you gonna go November 6th, I got the day off work it's my B-day and i figure what better present to get myself than this, of course i just have to figure a way to get my bike up there 

[VermilionX]

Are you gonna go November 6th, I got the day off work it's my B-day and i figure what better present to get myself than this, of course i just have to figure a way to get my bike up there 

i want to. if the requirements i mentioned above are fullfilled... i'll go.

[bluedemon750]

Are you gonna go November 6th, I got the day off work it's my B-day and i figure what better present to get myself than this, of course i just have to figure a way to get my bike up there 

i want to. if the requirements i mentioned above are fullfilled... i'll go.

well, if wify approves, i'll be there, i have space for one more bike on my truck, the downside is that i don't have a ramp,
perhaps you could borrow one.