I'm going to say it now, in case you don't read the rest of this article, participate in a track day! If you've contemplated a track day, get out there. If you haven't thought about one, start now. I participated in my first track day in September of 2000, along with some other brave souls from DC Cycles, with the help of our den-dad, Roach. It was an experience that definitely changed my view of riding.

Before track day, my bike didn't know what it felt like to lean over, something I know it was designed for, but it's faithful (or shall I say fearful?) rider was not about to attempt. My bike also didn't know the word speed. Ok, so the GS isn't the fastest bike, but she held her own out there.

I am a beginner rider, and had only about six months under my belt before taking to the track, but I knew I wanted to race, and had to find out if I could really handle being out there. The night before track day, I was sitting around a campfire with a couple of experienced road racers, and my nerves were starting to get to me about the upcoming events of the next day. As I sat and listened to them talking about their experiences of the past weekend's races, I was struck with fear, so I dismissed myself politely and headed for some sleep. I was lying in the back of a trailer on an air mattress thinking to myself "what the %$^# am I about to embark on? Am I a complete nut (or just a little one)?" I woke up the next morning and was freaked out! To be honest, I was ready to puke my guts out. I've only been riding six months, what the hell am I thinking? The track suddenly looked a whole lot different to me standing in the paddock area. Let me tell you, it is much scarier looking when you know that you are going to be on it!

Ok, so the girl side of me isn't worried about crashing, isn't worried about being the fastest, isn't even worried about the bike…I'm worried about embarrassing the heck out of myself. What if I do something stupid? What if everyone stands on the side of the track and laughs at me? I've got the slowest bike out there and I know I'm going to be miles behind everyone else. I quickly got over this fear.

Now, I can't comment about any of the other track days, but if you can do a Cycle Sport track day, I highly recommend it. Joe and all of the control riders from CS were the best. They were extremely safety conscious, made sure we all knew what was going on, and made my first experience on the track one to remember. I can't tell you what a help it was having people I knew there. That alone helped me through all of the nervousness I was feeling. Some how familiar faces make everything better. The first time around the track was a parade lap, which basically meant a slower pace to get everyone used to being out there, to see the track, feel the turns, and get an idea for what your line should be. I came rolling into the pits after that first session with the biggest smile I had ever had saying "I want to do this all the time."

Next was our first twenty-minute session. I was in C group, which meant the bikes were the smaller CC classes, and people who felt uncomfortable riding in the faster groups. On my first lap around, a control rider flew past me and tapped his helmet, which meant to follow him. I followed him around the track for two laps. After that, he waved me past him as he followed me for two laps, gave me a thumb's up, and I kept on going. He met me in the pits afterwards to tell me what I did right, and what I needed to improve. On my next session I did not have a control rider that I was around, and still didn't feel comfortable on the track; actually, I felt a little bit panicked. I started to feel like I didn't belong out there and came back to the pits really disappointed. Being able to talk to the other racers made me feel better, though. I realized that racing isn't something you pick up overnight, and even the best racers feel like that every once in a while.

Well, as the day went on, all I can say is WOW! I never thought I could lean my bike, but let me tell you, I found out just how well she handles. I leaned the bike and rode the bike faster than I ever had. Yes, I made some dumb mistakes, but I handled them well, and learned from them. At one point, I shifted down too many gears and slid the rear end…that scared the living crap out of me, but I got out of that jam and learned what I did wrong…and, I have to tell you, I'm glad I did that on the track and not on the streets.

The aspect of the track I liked the most was I could safely push my limits and feel comfortable doing it. I learned a lot about what my bike could do that I thought it couldn't do. I learned that I could be a more confident rider and handle situations that I didn't think I could handle. And I learned that I want to race motorcycles. Not all of you will decide to race, but if you want to improve your street riding and your confidence on your bike, get your buns out on that track the next time there is a track day. It is well worth the money and the day off of work. And, don't forget to check out our track day pictures in the photo section of the Web site!

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