Track Dayers

Any track day guys in the southeast? I’m in north GA Maybe hitting Jennings some time soon.

 

All about the track in Florida

 

Opposite coast here but I've been going to the track regularly for many years.

 

I hit Jennings in January and this was the result from turn 14. I Recived sweet new ankle jewelry!

 

When is your next track day? I live right behind turn seven at Road Atlanta. Open invite

 

Damn. That sucks but we all know what can happen out there. And we do it anyway because it IS that much fun. Heal up well, fix the bike and get back out there

 

I’d like to check that out. I got this job that eats up all my time. It is really messing with my track time. Haven’t been in over a year. I might try to get back into it after summer. I miss it terribly. Also been spending all my money on the taco

 

Yeah man, I took some time off and crashed fiat time back. What do you ride? Your near Daytona, are you going to the Daytona 200 this weekend?

 

What tracks have you done out west?

 

Track in the pic is Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. I've also ridden Buttonwillow, Willow Springs (Big Willow & Streets of Willow), Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, NV and Fontana.

 

I’ve heard of a few of them. What’s your favorite? I have dreams of COTA and Laguna. Turn one looks pretty crazy fast. I live next to Road Atlanta and ride it pretty frequently. It’s definitely my favorite track. They did add a dumb little kink on top of turn one that is kind of annoying. Lots of crazy elevation change.

 

My favorite was probably Streets of Willow but Chuckwalla is my home track and the one I've ridden the most. They run both directions there too and the track should be getting enlarged in the next few years. It's already at 2.86 miles.

 

06 zx10r. I’m about 45 mins south of Daytona. I’d love to go to the race but riding around in that traffic in 1st gear all day would drive me nuts. I’d rather be in 3rd with WOT at the track. Never even been to bike week. I got spoiled at the track being able to do whatever I want. I get bored in the street in florida. Everything is flat and straight. Been to moto Gp in Indy a few times...AWESOME

 

I've ridden my bicycle at COTA.

 

See ya around.

 

Every time I see a thread like this, I start itching to get another motorcycle. At 65, though, I fear my track days are over. I haven't been on a bike since 1987, but think about it every day, and memories of track days and racing still get my adrenalin pumping. I did my first track day on a '74 Z1-B Kawasaki; a bunch of riding pals and I looked into renting a track so we could "let our hair down" without worrying about tickets or oncoming traffic. We ended up renting the North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, NC, about 1-1/2 hours south of where we lived in Raleigh. This was 1984. In order to afford the track, we advertised at local bike shops to get enough interested riders to join us. Ended up costing everyone about $75 each for the day. The rental included corner workers and two ambulances (two so that if one was used, riding could continue while the first one was gone). We also had the event catered by a local BBQ place that sent a truck down with their grill and all the fixin's.

"The Rock" is a one mile banked (12 degrees) D-shaped oval. It has an infield course that you entered 2/3 way down the back straight and exited back to the oval in turn 4. Total length including infield course is 1.6 miles, and you could really haul ass on the banking in turns 1 and 2. We had so much fun (nobody fell down) that we did it again the next year and the year after that. We split the riders into three groups to suit riding styles and experience. One group included guys who just wanted to say they'd ridden The Rock, even had some Gold Wings and Harley dressers. Second group were those who wanted a bit more speed but weren't crazy or had bikes not up to pushing the limit (cruisers and older bikes). Last group were the Banzai guys.

I loved it so much, I sold the Z1 and bought a 1985 (new) 900 Ninja, went to a WERA riding school at Roebling Road, Ga. and got my competition license (I rode a friend's 600 Ninja), and roadraced for two years in the WERA Endurance Series, in lightweight and middleweight Superbike classes. Raced at Roebling several times, Talladega Motorsport Park, Summit Point WVa., Nelson Ledges, Ohio (a 24 hour race), and Road Atlanta. Stopped riding altogether after a couple of serious O-SHIT! moments on the street that made me realize I wasn't going to be an old man if I didn't quit. Plus, I was starting to collect a few "written comments" from the local PD and highway patrol which were getting expensive.

My last motorcycle trip was one with a couple of buddies, we rode the spine of the Appalachians from NC to Maine, with a stop at Watkins Glen, where I got to do a track day with the California Superbike School. I did a program where you could ride your own bike instead of one of theirs. 1st and 2nd pic is me at The Rock, on one of the infield turns. 3rd one is a lousy pic of me in Turn 1 at Watkins Glen:

 

This is awesome! My 1st bike was an 84 900 Ninja when I was 17 back in 89. I rode the hell out of that bike. I put 30K mikes in it the 1st 6 months I had it. If I wasn’t eating, sleeping or working I was riding.

 

30K in 6 months??? You must not have eaten, worked, or slept much. It took me two years to get 45K, and I rode it every day, rain or shine. Two trips from NC to Daytona, and every road race I was in, I rode the Ninja to it, plus the road trip to Maine and back. I didn't even have a car the first year I had the bike. It was a fantastic bike, wish I still had it.

 

I was barely 17 and I was obsessed with that bike! And back then at that age, who needed sleep?! Lol

 

I may have to take you up on the road atlanta invite! I want to get mine out to mid-ohio sometime. Apparently its kind of weird on a bike, and i need to see what thats all about