I am very excited to get back to the track.
I signed up with NESBA 9 years ago and participated in two tracks days with them. The first at Road America and the second at Blackhawk farms. I had a 1990 Hawk GT at the time. I had a lot of fun, but honestly felt lost. The CR's offered a lot of advice and encouragement.
My first track day at RA, one the CR's encouraged me to try to carry more corner speed as i seemed to be progressing well thoughout the day. So, second to the last session, a started working up some more corner speed, only a picked the wrong corner to start trying this. Turn 5 at RA
. I got kind crossed up when I paniced and started dragging the rear brake. I committed to the gravel trap. Only something happened, a heard a little voice from the mornings novice group meeting. "Look where you want to go". I am on the paint and look up the hill, and wouldn't you know it, I straightened out and continued on my way around the track. Scared myself pretty good though. I sat out the last session because I had the shakes so bad.
My second at Blackhawk, proved to be doomed. It rained almost the entire time before the lunch break. But, we did get to go out after the track dried out. I really struggled at Blackhawk. the lack of straights, had me feeling pretty frantic every session. Then I blew the motor on my Hawk going into the last turn. A wrist pin let go, and went through the cases and disintigrated the stuff inside. Day over!
The Hawk GT group took up a collection and helped me buy a new/used engine. I took my bike to JD Hord and he went through the motor and installed it. Everything was great. Only, not so much so. Had some difficulties at home, that really knocked me on my heels for quite a few years and my kids were babies at the time. I lost all interest in riding. I did not ride on the road anymore, because after a track day, it just wasn't nearly as fun as it used to be. So, I raffled off the bike with the Hawk GT group. Some guy from Canada won it, came down the same weekend to pick it up, and lowsided it the follwoing week at a track day. (he was taken out by another rider). It was a sweet, sweet bike.
Anyway, I started riding again three years ago. Started with a '07 DRZ400-SM (put about 3,000 miles on it), then traded it in on a '07 GSXR-750 (put 4,500 miles on it). Did a lot of riding with the ST.N group here in the area. Had a couple of 400+ mile days on it. IT was a great bike but I struggled with getting it to turn. (I always felt like crawling up on the tank just to feel that the front end was planted). Then I traded it in for a '08 YZF-R6....aahhhhhh...that is more like it. I really like this bike so much more. It just works better for me. Not nearly as comfortable for long rides, but I have done a couple of 300+ mile days on it.
With a bike like this, it was only a matter of time before I would want to try riding on the track again. The opportunity came last year when the ST.N group booked a day with PTT at Blackhawk. It was great. I am still slow, still have the shakes, but now I have a bike I want to progress with.
I have spent the winter months trying to figure out which track day group to join. I read pros and cons of all of them. I signed up with STT and NESBA. I only hope to participate in 3 or 4 days this year as a start.
So, I just wanted to say HELLO and here's to a safe, productive, and fulfilling track riding season.
Tim
(Located in Waterford, WI)
I signed up with NESBA 9 years ago and participated in two tracks days with them. The first at Road America and the second at Blackhawk farms. I had a 1990 Hawk GT at the time. I had a lot of fun, but honestly felt lost. The CR's offered a lot of advice and encouragement.
My first track day at RA, one the CR's encouraged me to try to carry more corner speed as i seemed to be progressing well thoughout the day. So, second to the last session, a started working up some more corner speed, only a picked the wrong corner to start trying this. Turn 5 at RA
. I got kind crossed up when I paniced and started dragging the rear brake. I committed to the gravel trap. Only something happened, a heard a little voice from the mornings novice group meeting. "Look where you want to go". I am on the paint and look up the hill, and wouldn't you know it, I straightened out and continued on my way around the track. Scared myself pretty good though. I sat out the last session because I had the shakes so bad.My second at Blackhawk, proved to be doomed. It rained almost the entire time before the lunch break. But, we did get to go out after the track dried out. I really struggled at Blackhawk. the lack of straights, had me feeling pretty frantic every session. Then I blew the motor on my Hawk going into the last turn. A wrist pin let go, and went through the cases and disintigrated the stuff inside. Day over!
The Hawk GT group took up a collection and helped me buy a new/used engine. I took my bike to JD Hord and he went through the motor and installed it. Everything was great. Only, not so much so. Had some difficulties at home, that really knocked me on my heels for quite a few years and my kids were babies at the time. I lost all interest in riding. I did not ride on the road anymore, because after a track day, it just wasn't nearly as fun as it used to be. So, I raffled off the bike with the Hawk GT group. Some guy from Canada won it, came down the same weekend to pick it up, and lowsided it the follwoing week at a track day. (he was taken out by another rider). It was a sweet, sweet bike.
Anyway, I started riding again three years ago. Started with a '07 DRZ400-SM (put about 3,000 miles on it), then traded it in on a '07 GSXR-750 (put 4,500 miles on it). Did a lot of riding with the ST.N group here in the area. Had a couple of 400+ mile days on it. IT was a great bike but I struggled with getting it to turn. (I always felt like crawling up on the tank just to feel that the front end was planted). Then I traded it in for a '08 YZF-R6....aahhhhhh...that is more like it. I really like this bike so much more. It just works better for me. Not nearly as comfortable for long rides, but I have done a couple of 300+ mile days on it.
With a bike like this, it was only a matter of time before I would want to try riding on the track again. The opportunity came last year when the ST.N group booked a day with PTT at Blackhawk. It was great. I am still slow, still have the shakes, but now I have a bike I want to progress with.
I have spent the winter months trying to figure out which track day group to join. I read pros and cons of all of them. I signed up with STT and NESBA. I only hope to participate in 3 or 4 days this year as a start.
So, I just wanted to say HELLO and here's to a safe, productive, and fulfilling track riding season.
Tim
(Located in Waterford, WI)
