There's something I've been meaning to do for the past several years, but each season comes and it seems I've always made excuses to myself that have prevented me from getting around to it. Trackdays. Why would I not want to do one? There's no traffic, no squirrels running across the road, no oncoming cars taking their half out of the middle, no gravel, no police. But there is a racetrack, a bunch of very skilled riders show up, and there's a huge opportunity to improve your riding, if you take advantage of it. I suppose that I had certain preconceptions: track days are too expensive… I don't own the right kind of bike… some speed crazed nut is going to punt me off the track and I'll crash my prized BMW… but I was so wrong. More on that later.

Let's take a moment to assess my riding. I've been riding a number of years, I love to tour but aside from taking three weeks off two years ago to live out a dream of circling the country I never seem to have the money or vacation time to do much more than day trips. Even so, the best thing about owning a motorcycle is getting out on it, going where my wheels lead me, letting the bike show me around our back roads. And every so often, I'll get a wild hair up my butt and want to let loose. Riding in Northern California is bliss. We have world class roads, beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, and friendly people. There are more great roads than time to ride them all, and its always a pleasure to find a new twisty piece of snaking, smooth tarmac that stretches on for miles. You enter a zen like state, hyper focused on the road, and the surroundings. You're living in the moment, the bike is no longer a clunky machine, its an extension of your own body. It reacts to your inputs but you're no longer thinking, "apply the brakes, turn in, twist the throttle", not the actions that need to be made to make the bike go along the road, you just focus on where you want to go and without thought you go there. It becomes no more difficult than walking.

Sometimes its fast… at least, to many people it is fast, especially in the eyes of law enforcement. Sometimes I do like to think I'm fast but there's always someone faster. It doesn't happen a lot but every so often another rider comes from behind. I see him in my mirrors, stalking me, looking like a jungle cat sizing me up, waiting for the best opportunity to pounce. We'll ride around a few corners, I'll come to the realization that the rider on my tail is just plain faster, I'll wave him around on a short straight, and several corners later… he's gone. And he was safe too. How'd he do that?

The truth is I am a reasonably quick, safe, and competent street rider. I've spent years trying to refine my road craft. I read everything I can get my hands on about how to ride safely and try to consider how to apply what I learn to my riding. But the guys who are faster, and still safe, seem to all have something in common: track experience. So it would seem that I'm stagnating. There's always room for improvement, and a great way to improve would be to book a track day, sooner than later.

So, which track provider would it be most wise to go with? I spent some time talking to friends, and based on their recommendations felt that Zoom Zoom would be the right organization to test out the track day waters with. I heard lots of positives and zero negatives about them. Zoom Zoom packs their days with a number of instructors (2:1 ratio in the C group) and I really wanted to take advantage of as much instruction as possible to get the most out of my first trackday. It all sounded great and so I booked a day at Reno Fernley Raceway for a reasonable $160, minus a discount for being a member on the SCR (www.sacramentocrotchrockets.com) forum. Because this would be my first day and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, I opted for the C group, knowing that with Zoom Zoom when the C group isn't on the track, its in the classroom. I didn't think I'd be a slow rider in the C group, but was more interested in using this day as an opportunity to learn, to improve my riding, as opposed to just riding as fast as I could, and the classroom instruction seemed to make Zoom Zoom the right choice.

Booking the day on Zoom Zoom's website was simple but possibly the biggest mental hurdle in getting to the track. Its all about committing to the day. Once the reservation was made I was able to get into the mindset that, "I'm going to do a track day." I then figured that it would now be best to make sure I had all the necessary gear and that both my bike and I were properly prepared for the day. (Yeah, yeah. Reading it back that sounds backasswords to me too, but that's how I did it.) Do I own motorcycle specific boots? Yes. Gloves? Check. Helmet? Uh huh. Back protector? Yeap. Leathers? Hmm… I own a two piece jacket and pant combo. I was thinking I should get a one piece suit but was told that the two piece would suffice, so long as the jacket zips to the pants with a 360° zipper. Mine does. So check. Do I have a way to transport my motorcycle to the track? Yes. I own a trailer that I've installed a motorcycle chock and tie down points in, so I could trailer my bike to the track without hassle. How about like minded, supportive friends, with track experience? I already knew several of the riders on the newly improved SCR forum. I was a relative newb to the group but had started participating on the forum, and was already friends with several members. I went on a couple group rides, and without exception found that the core group were all genuinely friendly, skilled riders. And they care about each other. So check that box too. My bike's coolant would need to be changed out with Water Wetter and because I'm no mechanic I opted to have my local dealer, A&S Powersports, do that for me. If I tried to do it myself it would have resulted in a messy puddle in the garage, my neighbors would have heard me cursing myself, my wife would have rolled her eyes and condescendingly told me that I should have just taken it to the dealer (I'd still love her, just the same), and I would have ended up looking like a fool at the dealer when I showed up in the middle of a hack job and asked them to fix it. It saved a lot of time and aggravation for me just to take it in and pay the $100 to get it changed. Additionally, my tires were well past their prime, and so I got my tires changed. This brings up an important point to consider. Start looking at bike prep early. I took my bike to the dealer a week prior to my track day, and while changing my front tire, they noted that my front rim was bent, wobbling on the balancer. I wasn't expecting this, having not felt it on the road, but was uncomfortable with the idea of taking the bike home like that. I certainly was not going to take it to the track with a damaged rim. It took several days to get a new rim shipped to the dealer and installed on the bike, and for a couple days I was worried that it wouldn't arrive on time. Lesson learned. Get any maintenance that the bike needs done early… Unanticipated repairs may cause you to miss your track day. In my case, no real harm was done other than to my wallet, they got my rim in on time and I got my bike back on Thursday. Phew… Minor disaster averted.



Friends. You can't have too many on a track day.

I took Friday, the day before the my track day, off. This wouldn't be necessary if the track was close, like Thunder Hill, but Fernley's about three hours from my home, and I'd be spending the night in a motel near the track. Friday morning I got up, disconnected and taped over the lights with painter's tape, taped over the wheel weights with duct tape and removed the mirrors. I packed, loaded the bike into my trailer, took along some essentials: my tools, my riding gear, some cash, and three largish bottles of Gatorade and snacks, drove to Fernley and checked into the motel. I had some time on my hands so I asked for directions to the track. I drove out and from the paddock area saw a left hander disappearing straight up into the hills. "Holy crap, I'm going to ride this track tomorrow." I thought to myself. Up to that point I didn't feel very nervous, but now anticipation and butterflies were beginning to set in. Was I in over my head?

That evening some of the guys from SCR started arriving in town, and so I went out to meet them. It was good to see familiar faces: Logan, Jamie & Mike. And good to meet new people too: Mark, Darren, Megan, & Roberta. Everyone was buzzing with anticipation about the next day; we couldn't wait for what was coming. That night I shared my room with Mike. I tried to sleep but it was a restless night. Normally I'm out like a light and sleep soundly until my alarm wakes me. Not this time. Friday night was the longest night I've had in a long time. I remember waking in the middle of the night thinking, "Why is it still dark? Surely it must be time to get up now." But the clock only read 2:30. It took a long time, too much time, for the clock to get to 5:15 and the alarm to go off. But despite that, when it did I didn't feel very tired. I just couldn't wait to get to the track.

We got up, ate a light breakfast, packed up, checked out of the hotel and made our way to the track by 7:00. Some of the SCR members camped on-site and so the area we would stay in throughout the day was already claimed. We unloaded our bikes, registered and got the bikes' tech inspections out of the way (thanks to SCR member Cody for the VIP treatment for all SCR riders with Zoom Zoom) and hung out for a while. Our day was about to begin, promptly at 8:00. And it did. In a classroom.



Getting registered & tech'd couldn't have been simpler. Of course, getting the VIP treatment for being an SCR member helped. Thanks Cody!!!

We were called in and Vik, one of Zoom Zoom's instructors, took charge of the first morning's classroom instruction. Vik was instantly likeable. He had a speaking quality that made me feel like he was talking to me, personally, as opposed to a room full of people. He was informative but at the same time entertaining, interspersing his presentation to the class with jokes. He went over the various flags, their meanings, reminded the riders that we weren't racing, informed us on appropriate passing, told us that to start we would follow an instructor who's lines would look wrong at first but were right, and brought up Zoom Zoom's 'no crash' policy (crash and your day is done). Vik was encouraging, and got the group fired up for what would be many riders' (myself included) first track day. It was quickly apparent that the people at Zoom Zoom don't just love riding, but also love to teach others to ride well and are good at both. We were in the class for at least 40 minutes, but somehow it flew by, the C group was called to the track, and we were dismissed from class. Time to play.





Early session wobbling. While enthusiasm is present in abundance, lack of speed is noteworthy.

I went out to my bike, pulled on my gear, had one last, quick once over the bike, fired it up and rode to the staging area. For the first session in the C group, they were sending riders out in groups of three with an instructor leading. I got in behind an instructor on a yellow GSXR and a rider on a yellow Speed Triple fell in behind me. It was soon our turn to go out and for the first time I was riding my bike on a real race track!!! I followed the rider on the GSXR, followed his lines and tried to start learning the track. At first the pace was very slow, and I was able to follow without any trouble. Our leader kept looking back to see that we were keeping up, and gradually increased the pace as we continued. Before long, he gave the signal for me to drop back and let the rider on the Speed Triple in front, and I obliged. We continued to ride faster until we reached what I felt would be a spirited pace on some of my favorite back roads. Soon, our 20 minute session was over, we rode into the pit area, and our leader waved us over to speak with us. "Have you guys ever ridden this track before?" he asked.

"No, not me anyway." I replied.

He then stated that he was moving along at a respectable pace for us first timers and wanted to work again with us in the next session. Excellent! We exchanged names, Joe was our instructor on the GSXR, and Bob was my peer on the Speed Triple. It was then time to head to the next class.

In our second class, Vik discussed throttle and brake control. He highlighted that, for most riders, just using the front brake should be sufficient except if we go off the track, in which case we should only use the rear unless we want to crash. He also discussed at what point in a corner we should start rolling onto the throttle to make a good exit. Again, Vik used humor to keep his audience interested and, much sooner than I would have thought, it was time to head out for our second session on the track.

Again, I lined up behind Joe on his GSXR, Bob behind me, and we headed out onto the track. This time the speeds were faster than before, and we started to keep a pace faster than I'd generally go on a public road. I was still trying to learn the track, but having Joe in front, leading the way, helped tremendously. I tried to use the second session to learn the track better, and started to get a feel for where some of the trickier corners were. At the end of session two, we rode back in, were told that the line Joe was riding was the fastest way around the track and headed to the third class.





Joe leads the way. I'm slowly learning the track.

Vik again took the lead in the class three, and this time touched on reference points, something that I've never really considered before. But on a track, riding the same corners over and over, we have the opportunity to take note of where we should start braking and where we want to turn into the corner. Depending on the rider, the bike he's riding, and his speed, reference points may differ, but we can use elements of the track like the curbing to determine where we should brake, turn in and aim for the corners apex. Class three concluded, again sooner than I thought it would, and Bob and I soon met again with Joe.

This time Joe let Bob and me ride in front so he could better observe our riding. I got out in front, rode around the S corners following the front straight, rode around the two lefts, rolled decisively onto the throttle on the exit and… completely blundered my way through the next series of S corners, coming to the realization that I was carrying way too much speed into them, I hammered on the brakes and was embarrassingly passed by a rider on a CBR F4i who witnessed my moment of glory turn into a ham fisted moment of ineptitude. Call it a reminder swiftly delivered by the track gods: slow down, chill out, learn the track, speed is secondary and will come in time. I also found a tricky left hander that I kept running wide in, I think it was turn 10. You enter a longish, sweeping right, on the throttle, then brake, turn into a much tighter right, followed by an even tighter left. Apex the left hander correctly and it's a straight shot through the following right handed corner to a subsequent left. Run wide and your speed is significantly reduced as you turn left-right-left. It took several laps, but eventually I started to get it. And it was very satisfying to get it right. At the end of the session Joe told me to try and concentrate more on some of the specific corners that I consistently got wrong. He also observed that when I blew a corner, I knew it and seemed to give up on it. Don't do that. Keep looking through the corner, aim for the apex even if I'm going to miss it. Concentrate.





Speeds are increasing, but where'd that apex go?

After the third session we broke for lunch, I had a hot dog and visited with friends. The morning blew by and I felt bad that I hadn't had much time to spend with many of the SCR members who I was sharing the paddock with. But when I wasn't riding, I was trying to take full advantage of Joe's advice and Vik's classroom instruction, and there just wasn't much time to socialize. So I tried to take a moment to relax, introduce myself to a few people I didn't know, and before long. It was time for the fourth class.

This time Vik wasn't involved, but the topic of instruction was body positioning. Greg, the instructor, had an R6 set on a stand outside and, with the help of another staffer, demonstrated weight transfer, how best to look through a corner, foot placement and how to use your legs to lock yourself into the bike during cornering. He placed emphasis on the fact that the balls of the feet should be on the pegs, not allowing the toes to hang down below the pegs, and that the legs and lower body should be doing the bulk of the work in supporting the upper body, allowing the arms the freedom to make inputs operating the motorcycle. When finished, he encouraged anyone who had further questions to jump on the bike for additional instruction. He was thorough and, once again, it was soon time for our first session after lunch.




Bob and I met up with Joe and, once again, Joe followed us around the track. This time, all the instruction we were getting seemed to click. We were among the fastest now in the C group and safe. However, there was a problem. Passing. I was hesitant to deviate from my line to pass and would come up on a slower rider, follow him, and would only pass when we came to the track's two straights, trying to use my BMW's power to muscle around the slower rider. Toward the end of the session, Joe attempted to demonstrate how to pass safely, making a quick, clean move around myself and a slower rider I was following on the inside approaching a corner, but still I was hesitant. I was only passing very cautiously when I was certain that I could get around, but was far too conservative. When we got back into the paddock Joe thought that maybe it would be a good idea to ride in the B group. 'Really? Do you think we're ready?'

'Well, you get some open track, start to get into a rhythm and then get slowed down by traffic. I think you'd have a better time in B and really get to focus on the riding without worrying about passing, but its up to you.'

We decided we'd give B a shot, and if we weren't B riders, we'd be B- riders. Because we got bumped into the B group, we had little time in the paddock. Bob & I didn't go looking for the next class, we had just enough time for a few sips of water and it was back to the track to ride. B group was much, much better. We weren't the fastest guys in the B group but weren't the slowest, either. I passed a couple guys, got passed by a couple guys, but didn't get hung up by traffic, and was able to focus on the track. And what a difference it made. This was easily my best session of the day. I really started to understand the track, nailed a few corners, saw 130mph flash on the speedometer on the front straight (you're not supposed to look at it, sorry) and haven't had that much fun on a motorcycle in a couple years. We returned to the paddock and I got a sense for how much I had improved over the course of the day. I couldn't thank Joe enough. I felt that if it weren't for his instruction during the course of the day I'd still be floundering in the C group trying to figure out how to ride around the track. He could have simply led Bob and me around the track in the first session, left us to ourselves, and blasted around with the A group riders the rest of day but instead took us under his wing, spent the entire day with us, and took us from track day novice wobblers to competently circling the track. We were still far off a racing pace and certainly not the fastest guys on the track, but we had improved immensely, were making friends, and were having a great time doing it.





B group. Bob follows on his Speed Triple. We're getting faster, still. Apexes are beginning to be understood. We're learning quickly and we're having a blast!!!

We rode through the final two sessions and Joe continued to give constructive criticism but, admittedly, I was starting to fatigue was riding a bit sloppily, especially during the final laps of the last session of the day. Even so, I built new confidence, made friends, had a great time and considering the personal instruction I received, got tremendous value for Zoom Zoom's price of admission.

After the final session, I rode back to SCR's area of the paddock and started packing up. I made a point of introducing myself to several of the SCR riders I hadn't met before who I just hadn't had an opportunity to during the day, Cody, Mike and Logan helped me load my bike into my trailer, I picked up my photos, taken by Joe of 4theriders (www.4theriders.com), a number of which have been used in this article, and, seeing Vik in the paddock, took an opportunity to thank him for his classroom instruction and mention that I was especially grateful to Joe for spending all day with myself and Bob.





At the end of the day, making new friends and having fun is the best thing about getting to the track.

Zoom Zoom was further going to host a barbeque in the evening, but I was driving home to the Sacramento area, had a long drive ahead, my wife was home, and I was eager to get on the road. So I drove home, tired and satisfied, happy to have done something I put off so long.

There you have it then. My first track day. And what of those preconceptions, mentioned earlier? Track days are too expensive Wrong. Not only was I able to ride on a track, but I got classroom instruction and personal track attention from a racer, who helped me to actually learn the track and improve far more quickly than if I were left on my own. I really can't think of it being better value and wonder how Zoom Zoom can make money considering what I got. … I don't own the right kind of bike… Nope. My K1200R's not a sport bike. So. What. I didn't get left behind, certainly wasn't the slowest out there even to begin with, and had a great time riding it on track. You don't have to own a YZBXRR to have fun on a track day. …Some speed crazed nut is going to punt me off the track and I'll crash my prized BMW. No. No. No. Crashes do happen on track days. One of the SCR riders even had a mild off (he didn't get hurt). But guess what? Crashes also happen on the street and when they do they're more likely to cause you serious pain and suffering. Maintain your lines and most of the riders around you will be safe. You don't want to crash and neither do they. Just use your God given common sense, trust the riders you're sharing the track with, and you should be fine. I was. And I never had an "Oh, CRAP!!!" moment (err… that is, excepting the aforementioned S corners in the beginning of the day, minor crap moment, that's all… honest). And speaking of the people, no one was a nut. In fact, everyone who I dealt with approached their riding in a reasonably serious manner, everyone was encouraging, they genuinely wanted me to do well, and no one was condescending even despite that fact that many of the riders I was with had far more experience and talent.

In short, if you've been thinking about doing a track day but haven't pulled the trigger do yourself a favor and do it. Get your gear together, get your bike together, and sign yourself up. Nothing will improve your riding quickly like a track day. I really had one, and only one, regret after my first day was done: not having done one sooner. It'll be the same for you.

- Mike Chiara

May 19, 2008