from 1000 to 750...

[VermilionX]

NICE UPDATE

my mechanic called me and gave me a number of a guys he knows that has an extra space on his truck.

this is great! i'll be at the tracks this monday.

[blues2cruise]

How far away is it to the track?

[VermilionX]

How far away is it to the track?

WSIR is about 70 miles from me.

it's not a big deal if im just going there... i already went there before and watched a race and talked to some racers.

but it is a big deal if im participating in a trackday.

[CNF2002]

could allways put a nice chunk into your Motorcycle loan...

no not really... i have GAP insurance. and although higher than before, im ok w/ my monthly on the bike.

GAP was useless before since i made huge down payment.

i didn't make a very huge downpayment on my current a bike. i also didn't buy extended warranty since i also lost money on that before. but, i made sure to buy GAP insurance.

x2. You'd save a ton of money in interest over the longrun. GAP insurance is a waste of money IMO, if you have to finance your down payment should be at least enough to cover the initial depreciation. I can't imagine it being more than a thousand dollars on a 10K motorcycle. The money you spent on GAP you could have divided up throughout your total loan and added it to your minimum monthly payment, thereby paying down your loan faster and saving you lots of interest, instead of letting the bank collect on the interest of the GAP that you probably rolled into your financing.

Sorry PS: Glad you are finally getting to the track. Look forward to hearing about it. 70 miles each way IS a long way to go after spending 3-4 hours riding around hard on a track. I agree with trucking it.

[VermilionX]

10/1/06

...went to the guy i talked to and we loaded the bike on his truck.

wow! it's so hard to load a bike on a high truck like the F350. i gave him $40 for all the trouble of helping me get there.

i'll sleep early tonight... i have to wake up around 5a bec we leave early at 6a tomorrow.

i hope it's not gonna rain tomorrow at WSIR and i hope the wind won't be too strong.

big day tomorrow. im very exicited.

[VermilionX]

10/2/06

1ST TRACKDAY.

i met a lot of new people today. so that's nice.

there were a lot of riders who ate it today. street, intermediate, advance. all groups had multiple crashes. the worst one was from the advance group who ate it on the fastest turn of the track. the rider was unconcious and air lifted to the hospital.

there was 1 rider i was following and he ran off the track and i almost followed him but i corrected my target.

i had a close call on turn 7, IIRC. i ran wide and my rear wheel fishtailed when i hit the dirt but i didn't lose it.

it was scary when i was passed a couple of times really close by faster riders eventhough there was a 6 foot distance rule when passing.

i asked for tips from one of the instructors assigned for the street group for most of the morning, i followed him then he followed me. he said im doing good for my 1st trackday but i don't feel good. there were only a couple of riders that im faster, most were faster than me.

i was only able to hit around 120mph top speed on the start/finish straightaway. it was the 1st time that i actually had to WOT my throttle with a purpose.

overall, it was ok... i wasn't excited a lot before each session and we got delayed a lot since there were so many crashes. the crashes probably bummed me out and also how i don't feel confident.

but anyway, im very satisfied that i got my 1st trackday and since i didn't crash and i did learn some new things. i guess it's not really so bad.

our pit...





the toughest part of the track for me, the hill of turn 4a and turn 4b also called "The OMEGA" bec of the shape...


the bike of my instructor, he's part of LA sheriffs dept. he promotes trackdays and wants riders to get off the canyons...



the tracks ate my tires pretty fast, very noticeable even only after 1 session, so much wear compared to streets. the shade actually makes it look not as worn out as it looks in-person.

[TR7]

Congrats Verm. Thats quite cool.

[VermilionX]

Congrats Verm. Thats quite cool.

thanks.

it's just ok. not too good, but more importantly, not bad either.

[NorthernPete]

Grats Verm, you actually made it...but as for only hittign 120...thats still quite fast bra.

glad you had fun, take what you learned to your next track days!

[Mintbread]

Track days are a real reality check, aren't they?
You think you are pretty fast on the road but get put back in your place very quickly on the track. Happens to everyone.

That tyre looks pretty chewed up considering you were taking it easy on an unfamiliar track. I told you they were soft...