Loudon..again.

            Taking my motorcycle up to Loudon for a track day was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. It was amazing being able to open up the throttle on my bike and to use the bike the way it was intended to be. The day started off with signing in at the racing pit and getting all the stickers you need such as your number and class. After all that you have to tape up all the mirrors, turn signals and brake lights on the bike so they don’t shatter in case you crash. After that we took the bike over to tech to have everything on the bike checked out and got the ok to use it on the track. From tech I went to a conference room to be briefed on all the procedures on the track such as what different flags mean, passing rules and how to enter and exit the track. Next we were off to gear up and get ready for our first session on the track.

            The initial feeling of getting ready to enter the track was just pure adrenaline and once I got out there onto the track, the feeling got even better. For the first session it was like a game of follow the leader so everyone could get a feel for the track and get used to it. During the second session while going around an uphill left turn, I scraped my toe slider against the pavement and the first thing that went through my mind was “Oh shit, I’m dead”, but I pulled up real quick and kept on going. The next time I got to that turn I felt my toe slider scrape against the pavement again but this time I leaned into the turn even more, making it scrape harder and thought to myself this time, “Oh shit, this is awesome”. Throughout each session I would lean a little farther into the turns and go a little faster each time around the track. The leader of our session, David Sadowski Jr., was a professional AMA racer and every time I would catch up to him on the track he would look back at me, turn back around and just speed off like it was nothing. Through all the session on the track I got in 86 miles on the track that day and loved every mile of it.

            In between track session our group would have a twenty minute class that would talk about the basics of racing. The first class was about finding the “line” on the track which is the most effective path on the track that will give you the fastest time. The second class was about  how to pass people on the track whether it be on the inside or outside. The next class was about clutch less shifting and how to blip the throttle. Blipping the throttle is increasing the rpm’s right before downshifting to better match the speed of the engine and the crank. The last class was about body position and how to use your body weight to further lean the bike in turns.

    All in all this was an amazing experience that I will never forget. This will definitely not be my last day at the track and maybe, just maybe in a few years you’ll see me on TV racing at the Isle of Man TT.