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2nd Trackday; 1st School- The Magic Happened

I would like to say that if you’re a track newbie, get to a school. You will learn so much that you will be amazed.

I recently attended a TeamPromotion trackday on 9/30 at ViR Patriot Course. At no extra cost was their Advanced Rider Training School Level 1. I was excited to do this, as my 1st trackday with another organization was only moderately successful. This was more structured and the 1 on 1 coaching was invaluable (Thanks Gregg).

If you’ve never been there, ViR is a beautiful facility. Quiet country roads greet your arrival, and relaxing pleasant scenery while at the track. Patriot is the smallest circuit there, and as I’m told was an afterthought. It is tight and very technical.

I ran 5 sessions that day. Our group started with 4 students; we gridded up behind the White (novice) group. Unfortunately, we lost the youngest student shortly after graduation to a high-side, who was very fast earlier in the day. I didn’t see it, but Gregg said he used too much throttle on his EX-500 (BTW, I have a lot more respect for the EX-500; earlier in the day I could only catch/ pass him using my HP advantage in the 2 small straight/ kink sections).

Our instructor graduated me and the fast guy after 3 sessions and continued working with the other two during the 4th session. We all graduated by then.

By that 3rd session my speed had picked up and the instructor said he had to catch up cause I had gotten ½ lap away while leading the group.

Session 4: I took the first lap, lazily allowing the tires to warm up, and then started easing into the speed as the laps went on. Then two white group riders who were fast all day passed me and I decided to follow for a while, maintaining my lazy pace. I began to notice “Hey, this isn’t fast at all”, and in fact they were holding me up in the chicane leading to S-section which takes you back down the off-camberd right turn to go downhill.

But it was in the 5th session that the magic started to happen for me. I had decided that I needed to get home early and that I would leave the remaining 2 sessions on the track. I decided that I would just relax, not push it and take my bike home with only my tires scratched.

After getting around 3 riders, my speed began to build. Most of the day I felt it safer to stay in 2nd gear and occasionally I’d hit 3rd gear but find myself too busy and too fast. Next thing I know I’m grabbing 3rd coming down the hill AND it’s comfortable. I’m now doing 3rd gear in the 1st and 2nd chicanes and grabbing 4th gear on the back straight and grabbing Wide Open Throttle. It was then on the next lap going back up the hill in the 1st chicane that I felt something graze on the pants of my leathers. IT WAS THE GROUND!
I held that pace for the remainder of the lap, and waiting until that section came around again, and FINALLY and without trying to do it, MY RIGHT KNEE TOUCHED DOWN. Then I was doing it in 2 sections of the track knee down Wide Open Throttle on the corner exit. Next thing I know, I’m now in the mix with about 10-12 riders that was waaaaaay ahead of me. I eventually passed a few more but the session was too short to get clear track again (dang 20 minutes).

[color=#313131]My instructor went by me and gave me a thumbs-up and later told me that he was behind watching for awhi