Friday, June 27, 2008

My first track day

For Christmas my parents gave Nick and me a motorcycle skills class at Pacific Raceways. It wasn’t a course on racing or race technique, rather it was a day to build road riding skills in a controlled, car-free environment.

We arrived at the track this morning at some gosh-awful early hour for check-in and bike inspection.

checking tire pressure

The day was divided into 20-minute segments - classroom, break, track time. Nick and I ended up in different sessions somehow, which we thought would be interesting, since they were teaching different skills in each one. My section focused on the S-M-A-R-T cornering technique (Scan, Mark, Adjust, Relax, Throttle). We learned how to read whether a corner was an increasing radius, constant or decreasing radius turn by looking at the vanishing point and other clues. We practiced picking lines and smooth throttle control. The best part of the day, though, came at the end when we started to shift body position on the bike in order to go faster and keep the rubber down.

Nick’s class focused on the A-R-T part of S-M-A-R-T. Unfortunately, someone’s bad judgment ended his day early and left the Superfriend in shambles. I still had riding lessons left, so I kissed him on the cheek and handed him the camera. (No worries! Nick is fine, and he’ll get to go back in September when his bike is fixed.)

I had so much fun that I’m now contemplating the choice between a new pair of shoes and another track day. Oh, the dilemma!