Track day at VIR – epilogue

May 1, 6:29 PMDC Motorcycle Travel ExaminerMark Poesch

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On the long drive home Sunday morning, I was able to reflect on the prior day on the track.  It really was a perfect day: the weather, the track, the group, the trainers, and each of the sessions.

I was also able to reflect on my bent left rotor, and imagine how the day might have been different if it hadn’t been damaged in transit.  The gixxer broken in half came to mind….

Riding a 168 HP, 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, 0 to 100 in 6, and 0 to 140 in 10 seconds monster, with full front brakes, I suspect that I would have felt pressured to keep up with the big boys.  Why not?  I have one of the fastest bikes on the track.

But, with half my front brakes missing, I had a really good “excuse” – enforced self-discipline, you might call it.

On the track, when things go wrong – and if you’re pushing your limits, they will – there is some margin for error:

• Grass in the turns instead of an oncoming car.
• Run-off area instead of a guard rail, gravel, gully, or ravine.
• Predictable “traffic” instead of soccer moms on their cell phones.

You’ll learn new skills.  You’ll be more comfortable moving around on your bike; getting your butt off the seat, getting your knee out in a turn.  You'll have a better sense for the line through turns -- on the track and off.

Friday after coming off the track, the weather was perfect, and I was able to get out for several hours before the sun went down.  Getting your knee out in a turn just means that you’re allowing the bike to stay more upright, giving you more margin for maneuvering in the turn – you don’t have to be beyond the speed limit for it to matter.  But on three separate occasions in different areas of the county on Friday, on turns where I got my knee out, I also saw cops less than 50 yards down the road!  A coincidence?  Perhaps.  A warning?  Perhaps.   Certainly, regardless of the speed, a motorcyclist coming around a turn off the seat with his knee out is a red flag for any cop.

Someone once wrote:

Motorcycling is an ego-driven venture. Whether it's our quest for freedom and the open road, the need for speed, group riding or solo, motorcyclists are living life on the edge and know it.  Some revel in it.  The trick for any rider is to find a healthy balance between that drive to live on the edge, and the sensibility to step back from the edge before it’s too late.

A day on the track will affect that balance.  Both during the day, and after, keeping your ego in check will make the difference between the best day ever, and a trip to the hospital.

Ride safe!  On the track, and off!

Catch the whole series:

• Track day as a journey to self-discovery
• Track day at VIR – first-hand report – the first warm-up laps
• Track day at VIR – session 2 – taking it up a notch; stay on the line!
• Track day at VIR – session 3 – out in front of the instructors
• Track day at VIR – session 4 – picking up the pace
• Track day at VIR – session 5 – the best session yet!
• Track day at VIR – session 6 – death of a gixxer
• Track day at VIR – session 7 - final session! – taking advantage of the run-off area!
• Track day at VIR – conclusion – confidence without discipline spells disaster
• Track day at VIR – epilogue – lessons learned on and off the track

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