0
I woke up at 5am after a really crappy night's sleep, rubbed my eyes, and saw 34 degrees on the thermometer. F**K! Was I really going to ride my dumb freezing ass to the track? I survived the ride, the upside being 50 degrees later in the day felt like summer. On arrival I got a few pity offers to help prep for tech, but no coffee or blankets. After yanking the luggage, mirrors, fuses and plate, I taped all the lenses and was ready to go.
Eric's attitude in the Basic School rider's meeting set the perfect tone for the day, he acted like a little kid excited to hit the track.
Steve did a thorough and energetic job explaining the material in class, which went long in the morning because of a garage incident. We finally got on track for 2 short follow-the leader sessions before lunch. It was a good warm-up considering the chilly track and tire temps, and essential instruction of the proper line for those who didn't know it*. I would have been really impatient at this point if it had been warmer, but I do know the classroom info is important, even more so because it is prep for actual racing.
* I do think more time in class illustrating the proper racing line would have helped many of the newer riders. My trackday experience (mostly Tony's, a few with Boston Moto) meant most of the morning was an easy review for me, the exception being the additional flags and safety procedures of racing.
[edit:] I almost forgot what a great job Steve did explaining the importance of correct body position/torso support to enable a light, relaxed grip on the bars, which then gives you a much better feel for what the motorcycle and tires are doing. It took me until last year to understand this was the most important riding advice EVER for me (I can be a slow learner/listener). He also stressed the importance of smooth inputs, which also took me years to get. All great points to review, and crucial for newer track riders.
After lunch they combined our group on track with the Novice racers, and that rocked! We finally had a chance to really get on it, and I've always loved traffic and passing opportunities. I felt good, fast enough, and competent, but reminded myself that plenty of riders out there weren't nearly as comfortable on track and not to get cocky.
15 minute track sessions alternated with more class time the rest of the afternoon. I still have to grow a bigger pair and hit the gas harder on corner exits, but my braking felt good and the back end was dancing around a little into T1 and T3 and I decided to back off a bit.
We got an unexpected final session on track before the RR, a good chance to stay loose and keep the heat in the tires (PP2ct's if anyone cares). I had a great final session except for breaking one of my passing rules making an agressive move on the right side of T5 over the hill, where I know many riders drift right to set up for T6. To avoid contact I hopped the rumble strip (never saw it there before) into the dirt, into the grass with the bars wagging, then back on track to complete the pass. I gave a quick "sorry" wave in T6, but the guy behind me now may have been too pissed to notice.
Rookie Race: I felt good, ready, nervous about the start (never practiced one) but excited about the rest of it. Rode an aggressive warm-up lap like I wanted to, gridded up (3rd wave), arms out. Green flag for wave 1 (MM), visor down, and instantly fogged from all my heavy breathing. Visor up, green flag for wave 2 CRAP! visor down, first gear, squinting through the fog, and knew I missed a good start when the guy behind me went screaming by. I pulled a small wheelie to compensate, got it down and passed a few back into T1 and T1a. This was going to be fun!
The rest of the race was pure awesomeness, I had a blast passing, feeling fairly fast but staying in control. I wish it had lasted 8 laps, 20 minutes even. I don't know where I ended up in my wave, but I think there was at least one guy I never caught.
I haven't slept well since. It's going to be a long wait until May.
PS: good meeting a few of you from NESR (Dan, Corey, Brett, Jim on the phone) in the Boston Moto corner, and everyone in class as well.
Reply With Quote
. She's really good about "letting" me do what keeps me happy, but I'll have to ease into this one a bit more than usual. Who knows, she may already have her suspicions, she did ask "honey, was that you?" over my shoulder as I watched the cell phone vid of the RR start.
Originally Posted by brady
