First Track Day of 2011

Been just over a week since I have made a new post so I am slacking slightly!  :)

I just got back yesterday from my first "Track Day" of 2011 and am planning on sticking to my goals of doing at least 5 this year and also one "New Racer School".  As for this track day, it did not start of wonderfully for multiple reasons.  One of those reasons is that I did not get anyone to go with me, whether to spectate or participate.  That means no videos or pictures of me doing my thing out on the track!  :(  It also means that I ended up having to ride my motorcycle down to the track and back on top of using it on the track!  Don't matter a whole lot to me, I've done it before and I'll do it again but leaving Klamath Falls on Monday morning (due to working Sunday and barely having the time to get my bike ready for the track) was a bit scary .....

I left my house at just after 4am to attempt to get to the track on time but the roads were covered in snow and ice and I still had to stop at the store to get a couple things!  The fastest I could go in these conditions was 25.  Luckily, the roads cleared up shortly after I got out of town but it was so F'ing cold that I had to actually stop a couple times simply to warm up so I could continue to use my limbs for operating the motorcycle.  This was my 2nd stop to warm up and the sun had just started to come out and it was absolutely stunning.  (Cell phone pic doesn't do it any justice at all)

All this caused me to be late to the event.  Normally, you get 7 20minute sessions to get out on the track and have some fun but because I got there late I missed the first 3 and then I missed one other one due to technical difficulties with my baby. 

My first session out was very disappointing.  I felt super slow, I never touched knee even a little, and kept getting passed.  Came off the track a bit upset but calmed myself down and talked with some of the other guys there for Track day as well.  I gave myself the benefit of the doubt since I haven't been out on a track since November 2, 2009  and because of everything I was going through personally barely did any riding through all of 2010.  Well, apparently, I was right because my second session out went 10 fold better.  My body position felt better, the corners went by smoother and I was definitely improving my braking into the corners.  Yay!!!  It made the session when I broke 140mph on the straight and didn't even feel concerned of the 1st corner coming up.  :)    :)     :)    All worth it now at this point! 
The next out for my group I'm headed for the entrance and feel shaking in the front and that's when I realized my neck bearings needed to be retightened, so I missed that session. 
Last session of the day was another fantastic one, got to play a little cat and mouse with one of the guys I met there and it really added to the fun of the session.

One of the concerns of riding the bike down there that your using on the track is, since your pushing yourself on the track, the chance of going down is rather high and if you do then how do you get home.  Well, I did not go down, had a great time and rode home with much better temperatures and road conditions then when I rode down!  So, first trip to the racetrack this year...................SUCCESS!!!!!

Oh, and almost forgot!  A picture of the rear wheel after session 2!