at the track and work just fine for
canyon rides and daily commuting
as well. And, as Roadracing World’s
Chris Ulrich demonstrates at new-
bike intros and photo-shoots, it’s
possible to ride fast on stock tires!- It's Too Expensive...
A friend of mine got a ticket
on the street. It cost him $489,
plus another $60 to go to traffic
school and keep the violation off
his record. How many track days
would that have paid for?
5. I Don’t Have Experience And
Won’t Know What To Do...
No one is experienced or re-
ally knows what to do when they
start riding on the track. Going to
the track is the only way to get ex-
perienced at the track. And most
track day organizations have new
rider schools or orientation pro-
grams for just that reason.
6. I'm Not Fast Enough...
Good track day organizations
and track-based riding schools
provide a place for even the slow-
est riders to learn the craft and
get faster. And many have USM-
CA-certified coaches to help get
people up to speed.
7. I Don't Have Any Way To Get
My Bike There...
You can rent a truck or trail-
er, or bum a ride with friends. And
you can ride your motorcycle to
the track. You can carry every-
thing you need in a backpack or
tank bag. I've done it, and so can
you...
8. I Don’t Have Track-Ready
Riding Gear...
If you ride on the street, you
probably already have a full-face
helmet that's not too old, say no
more than five years. Most mo-
torcycle-specific boots will serve
just fine for track days, and a
good set of street gauntlet gloves
will be fine. You can often borrow
gear you lack—including leath-
ers, boots, and gloves—from a
track-riding friend, who will prob-
ably be excited that you’re going
on the track. You can also buy
new or used gear. Or rent gear
from some retailers, or from many
track day organizations; call or
e-mail and ask about that ahead
of time...- Something Else...
Most excuses for not doing
a track day are based on the idea
that somehow a motorcycle track
day is complicated, with a million
ways to get it wrong. It's better to
focus on how much you already
know. You know how to ride, you
know how to go around a corner,
you know how to twist a throttle
and use the brakes well enough
to hustle down a twisty road at an
entertaining pace. Think of a track
day as an event where you can
take those skills and put them to
use on the most awesome, fastest,
and safest twisty road you've ever
seen. Just get out there and ride! - The Best Overall Answer To
Excuses is...
Track riding schools and in-
dividual coaching operations that
supply the motorcycle, riding gear
as needed (leathers, boots, gloves,
helmet), technical support in the
pits, and USMCA-certified rider
coaches and control riders on the
track. Examples include Yamaha
Champions Riding School (YCRS)
with Yamaha sportbikes at se-
lected locations across the coun-
try; and the California Superbike
School (CSS) with a fleet of BMW
S1000RR sportbikes nationwide.
Prices will vary for one-day and
two-day programs, and typically
cost more at high-end tracks like
Laguna Seca and Barber Motor-
sports Park.
Other schools, individual
USMCA-certified riding coaches,
and track day organizations may
offer similar programs; look up or-
ganizations in your area (see pages
74-75 of this Trackday Directory)
and contact them. Additionally,
some schools and track days will
rent individual bikes, and a few
sportbike rental companies will
provide track-ready bikes for use
at track day events like those run
by Fastrack Riders.
In any case, signing up for
an all-inclusive program or for a
bike-rental can be an effective way
to try riding on the track without
doing anything but signing up and
showing up, without needing your
own bike and riding gear.
(Top) Yamaha Champions Riding School (YCRS) has a YZF-R6 fleet ready and waiting. (Below) The changing
room at a YCRS event at New Jersey Motorsports Park, where students try on and select riding gear. Photos by
Ray Bradlau/thesb image.com. (Bottom) Tire crews attend most track-day events. Photo by etechphoto.com.
RWRoadracing World, Trackday Directory 2019—