[bigred875]

First time on the track

I got to the track late Thursday night because I left late. Got to bed around 12 oclock then up at 6 to get ready for the class.

I took the Penguin class this past Friday!! WOO HOO!! It was awesome I had the best time!! Thanks to my teammates Steve and Tim for all of their help this weekend and for showing me the ropes. I could not have done it with out them!!

The school was a good time I learned a whole lot!! There were around 26 people in the class and the right off the bat the instructor says...let's see there are 26 of you so the means that at least 2 or 3 of you will go done during the class..lol he says this before we get on the track lol They were saying that 1 in 12 go down. Guess what lol he was right .. bye the end of the day, 3 had gone down ... I wasn't one of them .. at that point . We did around 2 hours or so of class time then did some easy paced follow the leader in groups of around 3 and 4 people per control rider. Then back to the classroom for the written test. Then we did some open practice until 6 then back to the class room for the final meeting. This class was worth every penny¡K. I was beat after all of the track time .. man I need to get in better shape

Now Saturday was just as hectic as Friday because of all the paperwork you have to get done. I got out of class late on Friday and couldn't pre-register that night so I had to wait until Saturday morning. So up at 6 in line at 6:30 to get my lisence..then another line to get my transponder (little red box you strap on your bike that times your laps) then another line to register for a race. That ran up to 8 clock so I missed my first practice session .. but I made it to the second session, but I was having a problem with my bike popping out of 2nd gear when I down shifted. which makes taking corners with no power pretty hairy. I think it is a combination of me pussy footing the shift and that EX's are prone to that anyways. I just hope it is more me then the bike. Well during my first timed practice session I remember 3 laps.. I think they may have been more but not too sure but the times I do remember were a 1:50, 1:48 lol and one 1:38.. And of course my friend got the 1:50 and 1:48 corner 3 on a little vid and a couple crappy pics of the 1:38 time in corner 3. But all in all I don¡¦t think that is too bad for my first time at the track. My goal was reached during this practice session...dragged my knee On corner 2 .. Oh ya and I ran out of gas in turn 11 coasted right after 12 and had to push the bike to 1 then around the wall and back to the pits..not fun and 1 of the 2 dumbass rookie mistakes this weekend lol ok 3 rookie mistakes. lol

At noon time the Rookie race started .. this was a requirement of the class and all you had to do was finish this race and you pass.. I did ok..I was stuck behind someone who was a little slower then me and every time I tried to get around him I thought he was gonna cut my line off then on the straights his bike out powered mine..so I just stayed behind him for the most part and kept my lap time at a blisteringly fast 1:40 lol I finished 7th out of 13-15..not sure how many...

During one of the races my teammate Tim blew up the motor in his EX which sucked big time….but we pulled through ok. He used my teammate’s Steve’s bike for one race and mine for another(turned a 1:33 babying it around the track……I have a lot of room to improve ) But during all of this he pulled the motor out, then headed home to get another motor he had...

Ok then at around 4ish it start to get cloudy…I was over by 11/11a helping out the corner worker and just after a race stopped I felt a couple of drops of rain. My teammate was working 12 for this race and the following but when I felt the rain I had a feeling it was gonna pour in a couple of minutes then dry out…well I started to head back to the pit and only made it just off the track then it started to down pour..I started running and I was soaked before I got past the 2nd building. By the time I made it back to where we pit(right under the Winston Cup lap timing pole) everything was drenched and it was raining sideways. My teammate’s tents were getting all out of shape and everything inside was getting soaked..me and my brother were holding the screen room tent thing so it wouldn’t take off but it flipped over anyways. This was miserable…. So we packed up and headed home. I had signed up for one race on Sunday…AM. LW Grand Prix…. So I got up early and headed back up to the track.

When I got there Tim and Steve had Tim’s bike back together with the new motor….they put it in..in the rain. I missed both practice sessions. Get ready for the race…grid up nice and early ready to go…they start scanning the transponders..SON OF A…… I took it off the night before cuz I wasn’t planning on coming back and forgot to put it back on my bike (rookie mistake #2) I had to go back to the pit and get it… So I missed the practice lap. They start me late ..being this is my first race I pit out behind the group cuz I didn’t want to jump right into the mix off all the madness. I’m going around the track..feeling pretty good. Lol… The day before I had kinda just been pussy footing around the track..so I was gonna try and kinda push a little harder this time….haha famous last words So I get to the straight and I’m giving the mighty EX all she’s got…I brake and dive in to turn 1 nice and smooth….take 1a real nice and dragged my knee through 2..get it and up shift brake down shift twice to set up for turn 3…lol I hit the brake for turn 3 and was thinking I had been goin like a girl around this thing all day yesterday…so I make the executive decision to let off the brake and dive into the corner..lol Make long story short, Trump would have fired that executive..lol I lean the bike over get the knee on the ground..thinking wow this is kinda fast..then BAM!! Front end folded and into the tire pit me and my bike went..lol It wasn’t bad at all though. I got a little rug burn kinda boo boo on my right knee from it sliding into the suit and I broke the windscreen and brake lever on the bike. The custom frame sliders the previous owner(Chris Bruno) made worked great..(thanks again Chris!!) lol So I got through 1 lap of my first official race..lol

All in all it was a great time. I bought one of the $25 pics from one of the guys out there..too bad they don’t have a soft copy… But there was another guy that has some pic I might be able to get and post up. Along with the crappy ones I have once I get my laptop to see the camera….

So 3 cherry’s popped this weekend….1st time on the track…1st time dragging a knee and first time crashing on the track….Can’t wait until the next weekend….

[bemused]

congrats, Ryan!

lotsa people talk about doing it, you've actually done the deed.

great write-up, by the way.

[Suf Daddy]

Since I've never done it........ on a bike.........what is the transition (the bump from the NASCAR oval to the hill part of the road course) like on a bike? Its just as you exit to oval track surface coming to the track out cone on turn 3.

Does it throw you or its is something you adjust your line for to lessen the impact?
curious
-Suf Daddy

[TLRMan]

What bump?
There's no bump there......

[bigred875]

Originally posted by TLRMan
What bump?
There's no bump there......

lol...

Suf Daddy - Ya there is a bump in that transition along with rippled pavement from the NASCAR car's braking.

[jersey_devil_68]

get some good suspension and you wont feel a thing

[bigred875]

Originally posted by jersey_devil_68
get some good suspension and you wont feel a thing

what a stock EX shock isn't good

[VinceF2]

Originally posted by jersey_devil_68
get some good suspension and you wont feel a thing

Like a nice Penske

[bigred875]

Originally posted by VinceF2
Like a nice Penske

some dick stole the one outa the bike I bought

[VinceF2]

Originally posted by bigred875
some dick stole the one outa the bike I bought

I hear it's a nice one too

[VinceF2]

BigRed's crash as told by our teamate and my cousin Steve:

[bigred875]

lol..didn't seem that fast at the time

[PinHead]

That was good.

[Stoneman]

HA!!!

[bentbryan]

Awesome!

[Jank]

So that's what that smell was...