My first two track days

[tcormier]

First of all, I was originally planning on doing my first track day september 5th, but a friend of mine works for the trackday organization and got me a discount to do one this weekend. Best of all, it was a 2-day! I found out at 1pm Friday afternoon, and spent the next 3 hours cleaning, prepping, and getting ready to leave. It was a very last moment decision, but I still went with it.

The track we rode was Eagles Canyon Ranch, pictured here:



Because it was so last moment, the CBR was not ready yet, so I sucked it up and took the FZ out to the track.

It was a very fun and technical track with a lot of elevation change. Turn 5 is slighty off cambered and uphill, turn 6 is downhill turn 7 is uphill followed by 8 being immediately downhill afterwards, turn 10 was slightly off cambered and uphill (about a 3 story climb they told us). Turn 11 was a bitch, but more about that later, turns 1 and 2 were fun, even though I blew the lines there up until my last 3 sessions. Turn 3 was just full out fun!

Day 1, we started off doing the round robin, and my first time out we were pushing the lean angle that I have, in the past, been comfortable with. Session 2 we went out and I just tried to ride it through the lines at the same pace the instructors took us. Needless to say, I got passed a lot. However, I happily was not the slowest individual out there!

Throughout the first day, my focus was on hitting my lines. I realized later, that the smoother/faster I was the more likely I was to hit my lines. I got better and better throughout the day. I was very glad that I had two days so that I could focus on improving two different aspects of my riding. At first, i was struggling with my line on turn four. Finally got that one down and then turn 1 was throwing me off. Got that and then turn 7 was bad. My instructor gave me some tips (I was tipping in a little late on most of the turns) and that really helped me.

I was pretty comfortable with leaning both ways much more than I had been in the past. The only problems I were running into were
a) Body Positioning
b) My kickstand!

Unfortunately, the kickstand on the FZ6 is really high up (I thought it was the peg feelers at first), and so the front end is scratched up now, but it looks pretty badass. Definitely not something that can/should be replicated on the street.

I did run off twice this day. Once at turn 7 (after the long back straight, went in too hot) and at turn 9, going too hot again. What sucks is there isn't much run off on this track, maybe 25 yards before grass and unknown-ness! Thank goodness for clutch and rear brake, or else I would've gone down day 1. I recovered both times! And learned a lot by it.

Since I was rooming with my instructor at the local hotel, he had taken some video with the gopro and we decided that the next day, I needed to first work on nailing all my lines by turning in sooner, followed by body positioning.

Day 2, we went out, and I was pushing it a little bit too hard at first (probably about 75%). I knew this was too much, so I decided I would stay at about that level, but work on being smooth for the morning, that way, I wouldn't get up over my head and crash. I started getting the lines down (except for turn 7, utnil later in the day), and I was just getting very used to that kickstand dragging along the ground, and it stopped frightening me and throwing me off my lines.

I still thought I was getting off more (apparently I wasn't really getting my butt off earlier and so now I was, but was riding slightly crossed up). So my instructor took me out during the last session before lunch and helped me with this. He was going to be following me second out of the group, so I was just working on it. I get to turn 11 in our first lap, and am focused on body position. I'm about to lean in, when I look down and realize I'm going about 10 mph faster than I normally take that turn. Uh-oh, I lean in and try to nail my body position, I hit the first apex, then go out wide, and am focusing on the second apex when I feel myself hit the candy stripes (which were very very slick) and not getting closer to the asphalt (everything was slowing down). On the other side of the candy stripes, was a good bit of gravel. I knew that I would not survive the gravel, and felt it was inevitable to hit, so I stood the bike up and ran off the track. Unfortunately, this time the tire wall was about 30-40 yards away. I pulled the clutch, rode the back brake as long as I could before I realized I was not stopping before the tires. Great. I bring my FZ6 and I'm going to go head on into tires. I decide that rather than hit this, destroy my front end, and go flying over the tires, I'd rather slide along the ground, so about 5-10 yards away, I was still doing about 20 mph, I grab the front brake to dump the bike. However, it wasn't instant. I went a little bit more and finally dumped it at about 8 mph, but 1 yard from the tires. I fall to the left (the same side that I've crashed the FZ before) and the front tire hits the tires. Thank sweet baby jesus! There was no new damage other than a hard to see scratch on the tank from where my right boot hit it as I fell off. Unfortunately, the rule was if your handle bars touch the ground, you are done for the day. However, they were short corner workers, so the people who saw me, were just spectators and other people on the track. I picked the bike up, rode it to the pits, and no one ever knew (other than my friends who just laughed at me).

I got things back together during lunch, got calm and collected and enjoyed my nomnoms. I took the first session slowly and got back in the routine of things. I get back in the hang of that kickstand dragging, then get to work on body position.

Overall I rate trackdays a 10 out of a possible 10. They are wonderful fun and absolutely great!!! I learned so much and picked up my pace by a good 15-20mph on the turns. Even though I got passed frequently in the straights haha. Oh, and I managed to hit an indicated 110. That was pretty interesting!

And I suppose, I owe some pictures for everyone:

Day 1: You can tell my body positioning is definitely not good, plus you can see the kickstand dragging a few pictures.

Oh my! Look how far off I'm getting /sarcasm



There goes the kickstand, and bad body positioning (yes I thought I was getting off the bike)!



Slightly better body position




Body position in turn 10, day 1:



Day 2:

Getting those lines better!



SLightly casual behind a slower guy on turn 8... maybe this is 'casual mode'



Not my best body positioning, but better. Unfortunately I wasn't really getting it down solidly and consistently until my last two sessions, but the photographer had left by then..



Look! I'm not looking through the windscreen anymore! Yay for getting better at this thing. Oh, and this was about 10mph faster, and that kickstand, it ain't dragging the ground!



Obligatory, oh hai there, photo:



Oh, and the yellow leathers were rented, but yellow really grew on me this weekend, mayb emake the CBR yellow?

[PhilB]

Great fun, ain't it? And definitely good for your skill set.

PhilB

[stevo_x]

Damn thats a lot of straights on that track! Looks fun and I'm glad you got the addicition! Now get some stickier tires on that bike an keep it goin!

[NeedinJustice]

Excellent!!!!

[stevo_x]

wow your kickstand hangs wayyy low. Or is that the center stand. I know most people who ride fz6's at the track take the center stand off.

Huuuge tip is dont look at your speed. A lot of people tape of their speedo so they cant see their speed. You prob could've made that corner even going 10 more than you thought.

[Süsser Tod]

That's the kickstand, sure isn't the centerstand?

Either way, that's WAY too low and dangerous!

[tcormier]

Yeah, it is my kickstand as you can see in picture 6. We almost took it off but decided the look of the front being grinded up was badass, so we kept it there haha.

I probably could have made it, but it was right before I was actually getting good body positioning down (not really getting off much like int he first few pics) so I didn't think I could. I still feel as if I did the best possible thing I could for the scenario given how the track is designed.

Next day is sept 5th for me... oh how long this shall be tempting me!