POST BHF Season Opener

[Kegger]

gkotlin;182533 wrote: What can I say! I can't remember the last time I had that much fun at the track. GREAT TIME! I rode ok for the first weekend of the year. Good to see all my summer friends.

Congrats to all the new bumps. Especially Kegger! First bump of the year, welcome to A group!

Great way to start the year!

Thank you all for coming out so early in the season and riding with us at Nesba!
BigCountry1125;182594 wrote: Congrats Kegger! If it was you running the race gas, you were moving in I.

Not me with the race gas, but my bike has 50K miles on it, so it might smell like that! Great times (not my lap times), with great people!

Again, THANK YOU to the CR's! I dont think enough people take the time to consider the emotional and physical drain of being a CR as it relates to traffic management, display of proper body position without the required pace for centrifugal force and gravity to keep you on the bike, mental processing of bike numbers and coaching tips they can give that rider at the end of a session, etc.

Aww hell - I will try to name names. (If i skip some I am sorry, my apologies to the academy)

Tony Cortese - For extensive coaching when I first started.

A name I dont remember:notsure:, I wanna say Sean, he was a polar optics rider. For B group pulls and after session advice.

Ron Hix and Brian Wink for B group hazing and getting me used to close passes and cutting inside me to teach me the importance of hitting the apex.:idea:
Also to Ron for secretly shadowing me for the bump to I.

Steve Pallela for even handed "explanation" of my indiscretions.

Nolan and Kim for suspension help on a cold cold January Saturday, as well as coaching off the track on some fun group rides.

Greg Kotlinski for showing me how hard I should be hitting the carousel

And again to Wink and all of his cohorts for my "I" group session where I was being evaluated. I cant imagine how hard it is to ride under your pace, orchestrate situational anomalies with the help of the other coaches on the track, stuff someone gently, and create situations where the riders decision making can be evaluated.

 

[j_fuggin_t]

ronhix;182592 wrote: Thanks for being a good sport ... I totally had you going though!

yea you got me pretty good BUT on the other hand its one thing when your doing it, but its another from the outside in & i value the advice and also that you took time to find me & TELL ME what i'm doing wrong :rtfm: Its great to have that instruction even AFTER your out of & in the shark tank


KEGGER!! Congrats dude!! All of the CR's you have listed helped me tremendously

 

[mpz]

I could not do Saturday because bike wasn't ready but entire day spent in the garage was rewarded with a best season opener to date. Good weather and open track unlike anything I have ever seen at BHF. Thanks to Kim and George for working with me on Sunday.

@Kim - didn't get to see you after but that T1 advice = gold

 

[greeny]

nice work craig! i knew it was only a matter of time before i saw an A sticker on your front fender!

 

[Wink]

Well folks, I for one, had and ABSOLUTE BLAST this weekend!

It was great to get so many sessions in, I think I ended up riding a few over 30 sessions, and had a smile on my face the entire time!

Looks like now I need a new second gear on my 1000, and a new rear tire and rear sprocket on my 600!

Anyhow, it was a pleasure to work with people that actually want to be worked with, and watch improvements made virtually every lap with every rider I worked with. What a JOY it is to see you all get faster and safer each session!

Truly a FANTASTIC weekend, and weather absolutely could not have been more PERFECT!

Thanks to everyone that came out, it was fun to see everyone again after the long winter.

 

[Kim]

mpz;182660 wrote:
@Kim - didn't get to see you after but that T1 advice = gold

Very happy to help - I was wondering if you were able to try it out!!! Thanks for letting me know!

 

[eE jeremy]

Anybody else counting the days until Road America?

 

[Supergirl]

j_fuggin_t;182651 wrote: Its great to have that instruction even AFTER your out of & in the shark tank

+1

Thanks for all the hints and tips, Brian, Ron, George, David, and Steve!!
I hope I didn't forget anybody.





Now how do you spell RUSTY?
The more I rode, the slower i got...

But it was AWESOME to be on the track again!

Thanks again to all of you!

 

[j_fuggin_t]

eE jeremy;182695 wrote: Anybody else counting the days until Road America?yes!!

Supergirl;182700 wrote: +1

Now how do you spell RUSTY?
The more I rode, the slower i got...

But it was AWESOME to be on the track again!

Thanks again to all of you!

uhhh R U S T Y!! I was looking at my pictures from Redline.. damn my body position was OFF :banghead: BUT not bad for the first day of the year

 

[jigs]

Wink;182681 wrote: Well folks, I for one, had and ABSOLUTE BLAST this weekend!

It was great to get so many sessions in, I think I ended up riding a few over 30 sessions, and had a smile on my face the entire time!

Looks like now I need a new second gear on my 1000, and a new rear tire and rear sprocket on my 600!

Anyhow, it was a pleasure to work with people that actually want to be worked with, and watch improvements made virtually every lap with every rider I worked with. What a JOY it is to see you all get faster and safer each session!

Truly a FANTASTIC weekend, and weather absolutely could not have been more PERFECT!

Thanks to everyone that came out, it was fun to see everyone again after the long winter.

Well I'm glad at least ONE of the "elder" statesmen is in shape....

 

[Matt]

BigCountry1125;182594 wrote: Congrats Kegger! If it was you running the race gas, you were moving in I.

That wasn't him.. and that guy ended up getting bumped to A too. He was haulin!

 

[jigs]

Matt;182728 wrote: That wasn't him.. and that guy ended up getting bumped to A too. He was haulin!

How'd the new steed run for ya matt??

 

[ckw373]

Well, I have to say that after three solid weekends of ever increasing frustrations and blood pressure as I was working on my truck, bike, generator (which failed at the track anyway), and trailer, while everything seemed to be breaking faster than I could fix it, it was all worth it. I had an absolute blast. I was afraid that I was going to be slow while trying to get used to being in with a new tire brand, new suspension settings, and not having ridden for so long, but I just calmed down and things went just fine. The first day, I was having trouble finding CRs out on the track for a while, but that didn't last long after lunch. It was kind of funny because I got the, "What are you riding.....OH YEAH I know that bike, but I didn't see you out there" from quite a few. Then, I ran into Ron Hix.

Ron - Thanks a ton for working with me so much on both days. I had a ton of questions and you were able to explain things to me on a level that I could understand. Thanks for the mini trail braking seminar...I soaked up every bit of it and I do believe that by the end of the second day, I was running at a pace that I was starting to see benefits. I am much more confident going into corners faster than I ever have. Thanks for spending so much time talking with me.

Steve Pallela - In the sessions that I got to work with you, you made it very obvious where I could improve and go faster, no questions about it. Thanks for spending some time with me.

George Knezevich - The fifth session of the last day was absolutely awesome and I really enjoyed your feedback. Thanks a ton! I can't wait to do it again.

Matt Granzow - Thanks for the wheels. They are in better shape than the ones I have on the bike now. Maybe next time, we'll get to ride together for more than a millisecond as you blow me away during group evaluations. :wow:

Blackhawk Farms Staff - Thanks for loaning me a metric ton of extension cord to power my tire warmers because my generator took a dump.

GREAT WEEKEND!

-Chris

 

[Spitz]

oorguy:

stkr;182558 wrote: That was a great day. I wish I could have ridden, but watching from all the different areas was a nice change. Me and the Grandson were having a blast watching from the catwalk at the tower. Watching David Kim, and some of the other A-group come by pinned and then braking for T-1 was impressive. An excellent day overall.

Spitz: Welcome to the NESBA board and Organization :cheers: Please don't read the comments above as being "dickish". Those comments are always part of the Springtime fun of giving our friends a hard time for missing a great day. Nobody is judging anyone for their choices or priorities. The Spring is always a crap-shoot for the weather, so when it turns out nice, we're all pleased. We would love to be able to see all of our old/new friends back out at the track, as we have missed them all winter. Once you come out and ride with NESBA, you'll understand how we're all a big family, and the ribbing is just part of the fun. See ya on the track.

Gotcha! oorguy: By the way not to threadjack, how does your level system work? Seems its much more structured that other orgs from what i gather reading on the boards? The other org I ride with told me i should move up from Beg. to Int. my first day at the track (not that im fast, im just comfortable with my bike as i've ridden my whole life). From there I did a few more trackdays and pretty much bumped myself into advanced because i felt comfortable to hang and be predictable with those guys.

 

[Kordyte]

Spitz;182760 wrote:

Gotcha! oorguy: By the way not to threadjack, how does your level system work? Seems its much more structured that other orgs from what i gather reading on the boards? The other org I ride with told me i should move up from Beg. to Int. my first day at the track (not that im fast, im just comfortable with my bike as i've ridden my whole life). From there I did a few more trackdays and pretty much bumped myself into advanced because i felt comfortable to hang and be predictable with those guys.

It 'works' just like any other trackday org, we do run three groups, Advanced, Intermediate, & Beginner. However, it's generally understood that the faster two groups here are harder to get bumped into compared to other orgs. You can't really compare them apples to apples, so YMMV.
Basically, if you're a faster rider in the A group where you are, you'll probably be okay in our A group. If you're medium or slow in your A group, try out I group for the first session, and if you're smoking everybody you'll get bumped to A during that day.


I'm glad all you guys had a good weekend! I'll be out there in June with you guys.

 

[dlockhart5x]

The only free pass to A group is holding a Expert race license.
All others earn it through the bump system.

This system is tough but it creates some darn fast, good riders and if you are at/near the front of A you would likely be fast enough to qualify for a AMA grid

ps. sounds like a great weekend at BHF
I'll catch up with my NESBA pals later this season

Nelson Ledges is calling in a few weeks

 

[lplonske]

BigCountry1125;182639 wrote: Thanks Again Lee for letting me borrow your front stand. You were a life saver! Thats the one thing I love about NESBA, there's always someone to lend a hand

no prob bro! i loaned out all kinds of goodies this weekend and i've borrowed more than my share in the past, thats why nesba rocks!

 

[Gonzo511]

Blast!!!

It was my second track day at BFR and I thought it was so far the best track day I ever had. The day started off a bit stressful for all in my pits but after the 1st session all was good.

Question: If a CR taps his tail to follow him and his line, waves you by after a lap or so and then breaks camp, is that a good thing? I took as a good thing because I guess I wasn't really doing much badly that required some coaching. It happened more than once in the day. At the end of the day CR David advised me not to fight the bike when she want to lean. I guess it's a comfort thing still and it was the 1st time on that bike at BFR.

All in all I love NESBA and BFR. My wife was really surprised at the hospitality she received from the BFR staff especially Tom. Thank you.

Joel

 

[mikdivad]

stkr;182558 wrote: That was a great day. I wish I could have ridden, but watching from all the different areas was a nice change. Me and the Grandson were having a blast watching from the catwalk at the tower. Watching David Kim, and some of the other A-group come by pinned and then braking for T-1 was impressive. An excellent day overall.

All in a days work, Jim.

To get it right, the back end comes off the ground just enough on braking to cause the tail to get light and waggle around a bit. The key is to not to let that freak you out, but to stay relaxed and allow the bike to move underneath you before it settles down for corner entry. You want to get as close to the limit of traction as possible... or at least that's what Jordan keeps telling me.

Joel, it was great meeting you and your family. I'm glad I was able to give you some advice that Brandy had already pointed out that day in your riding... I guess your wife really knows best. You were riding well, and your lines improved in just that one session that we worked together. Hope to see you at the track again soon.

 

[Morrand]

Good to see everyone out there again. And really good to be able to do it from on the tarmac again rather than from the sidelines. Turns out having a working engine is a real plus at a track day.

It's also nice to have a bit of flexibility in your legs, so you can do things like get your feet on the pegs when leaving the grid. It is not very much fun to be starting into T1 and trying to figure out where you can hook your inside foot in order to keep it with you all the way through.

Had a little trouble in T2 halfway through Sunday: took the inside line on someone, with permission, but badly, and got to have that entertaining thought, "Oh, f---, that's not asphalt I'm headed for," as I bore down on the marshes inside T3. Not a proud moment, but good for a chuckle about a quarter of a minute later when it all worked out, and an apology to the outside rider afterward.

Otherwise it felt really good to be back on it and to have such a nice day for it.