This thread is pandoras box. Since we don't get a 'vote' on what eventually goes on I guess I'll put in my .02. I'm pretty new so I'll tell the story how it all unfolded for me, and offer in some suggestions.
I work in a motorcycle-heavy office.. all but one rides. The winter after I got my 1098, one day we were having an idle cold weather conversation about how you couldn't safely use anywhere close to the capabilities of a Superbike on the streets. The conversation got me wondering about how I could go about renting track time - I actually called Autobahn in Joliet about reserving the track for a day in the Spring for the guys in my office, but the cost was prohibitive. The guy at Autobahn that I talked to told me about NESBA and SBTT.
I got out on the Internet and started looking around - keep in mind this was November 07 - and found NESBA and SBTT. I registered for NESBA mainly because of the "what to expect" information was more comprehensive on the web and overall it looked to provide more to beginners. In January after the track days were announced I signed up for a bunch of days. Unfortunately we went house shopping in the spring, and I had to lay out a 70K deposit and move our family. So I didn't actually get to use the days.. neither here nor there.
The first time I went to an event, to be honest, I was pretty intimidated. I knew NO ONE that had ever done a track day, and all I knew about it I read on the web page. When we arrived at Blackhawk Saturday morning, I didn't know where I could park, I didn't have any clue where I was supposed to take my bike for tech, etc. I ended up parking by where the entrance to the hot pit was, WAY down from the buildings, and couldn't make out the PA so I had to go ask people what to do.
(Suggestion - to take some of the first-time angst off new members, provide a track map with a legend on where to park, where TECH is, where the riders meeting will be, and so on WITH the e-mail liability waiver. Include basic information about "can you camp", "is there food at this track", etc. I'm going to Autobahn second week of July and again, I have absolutely NO IDEA where I'm supposed to set up, or where I'm supposed to go to for tech, etc.)
So .. I finally figured out where tech was, then hiked back for the riders meeting in my brand new, not broken-in yet leathers (now I show up in shorts & tshirt, much more comfortable to stand around in). The introduction Fred Duncan gave was very informative and pretty cool. After the meeting Marshall took us in for the beginners meeting. Right about 2 minutes in to it, A group was thundering past and THAT got the adrenaline started. Marshall runs a good meeting and covers the basics.
Suggestion - I wish there was an additional meeting for new riders throughout the day. Intro riders can get a recap before they head off for the day, and B riders can ask more questions while the stuff is fresh in their mind. Maybe a lunch time checkup for Questions & Answers or something? Each rider can go and talk to other people and CR's, at any time, but I think a group activity would reinforce what is going on.. some people may be too uncomfortable approaching an advanced rider and asking 'dumb questions' ... others might just not know WHAT to ask but can learn from others who are more outgoing and willing to ask questions.
The one disconnect here in what I read vs. what I experienced is "the beginners group will start at a slow pace and progressively get faster as the day goes on." Not entirely true. You ride up on a CR's ass, 9 times out of 10 they'll waive you by and you've got a clear track ahead. That's how I got myself in trouble at Putnam - passed people on the straight, had no one in front of me to follow, and I highsided my second session out. It was totally my fault, not blaming anyone, but the logic here is if riders were assigned to groups and rode in those groups at a set pace, instead of just getting out there and hammering it until they got in over their heads... there'd be a lot less incidents and attrition in the ranks..
The other side of the coin is, if you can't keep up with the pace, you'll also end up riding solo and more likely to get in over your head. If you are new to riding on the track, or to that particular track, you're NOT going to know what speed you can carry through turns or even what direction the next turn is goingn to be. I watched a LOT of videos of Putnam before I went on YouTube but once I hit the pavement I found out I didn't remember what came after what..
Suggestion - for people new to the track in either B or I, have a control rider designated so people who need to learn the track can follow them. Maybe even use a different colored shirt so we'd know exactly who to line up with before going out. That control rider would keep a more sedate (but not slow) pace, show the line, and keep things moving along smoothly. The other control riders could work normally, giving individual attention and policing the track..
It took me the better part of a day and a half to get comfortable with Blackhawk so I could get around without scaring the hell out of myself with stupid mistakes. The first session ever was totally nerve wracking. Riding fast without knowing what's coming up .. ugh. A literbike will get you in deep trouble real fast if you haven't ridden like that before.
The biggest thing I've seen that probably hurts the organization is newcomers who wreck the first few track days they do. People they know, who know they went down, will be pretty damn hesitant to get on the track themselves. On the flipside, if people come back from a track day and say "man that's awesome" and aren't quite as worried about wadding a new bike... that'll bring more members in.
I feel if a few more steps were made to help keep the beginner riders up, the better things would get. You're never going to stop everyone who is hell bent and impatient to go fast - they're bound to crash. Be happy that they get to crash on the track with full gear, instead of on the street becoming a hood ornament to an SUV, wearing nothing but shorts and a t-Shirt. Those guys, you've probably saved their lives - once they go down, even if they never do another track day, they'll be a little more cautious on the street. The rest, you're helping too because damn .. these bikes really ARE capable of amazing things that you'd never get to reach for safely on the road.
Everyone is going to get badly spooked by something or will go down at some point. It's important to try to prevent that from happening too early on.
And yes.. this is an expensive hobby and the economy sucks. I auctioned off some old inventory to raise money to afford bike improvements and track time this year. I'm sure the story is the same with different details all around the region. CAT layoffs in this area have really hurt a lot of local businesses ...
