Trackday vs race riders

This is probably the best bet.

 

NESBA SUCKS! Someone had to say it

 

I just do track days. I dont race, at least I have not yet. I have an old (2002) bike that was once a race bike. Bought it for a good price. I will probably never be able to ride it near a really good race pace. Hell I just run I at the track. But I really like the fact that I can run the track at pace that is not safe to run on the street and i dont have to worry about cops ticketing or grand ma turning in front of me.

For about $300 to $700 for a weekend I can ride all weekend at a pace that would have me going straight to jail on the street.

While the people that are on this forum primarily race, I joined to learn more about bikes and working on them. I read the forum a lot without posting on a subject because I am learning. I am given to posting about stuff that I know nothing or very little about. I do appreciate all the knowledge that everyone on here shares.

 

I've never seen anyone who enjoys a trackday not prefer racing once they tried it, but as far as running good parts on a trackday bike, who cares? Most guys racing also have a bunch of go-fast shit that probably doesn't make them any faster.

It's a stretch for me to buy tires & pay entry fees, so my bike is pretty damn close to stock; However, if money wasn't an isuue I'd be rocking some serious shit I don't need, too!

 

The other thing to take into consideration is you don't necessarily know how much pocket change they have to play with.

I was in AC over new years playing with about $7-800 bucks, meanwhile my buddy I'm there with dropped over 30 grand. I'd have been more than a bit pissed about that had it been me. To him he was just.....mehhh. Same idea here too, I've seen people roll up to the paddock with haulers and bikes that make me drool too and wouldn't fit into my budget. But to them, it might be a drop in the bucket. People want to throw a bit of cash at their hobby they enjoy, then so be it.

 

I call BS on this one. I've never seen this happen - ever.

 

The video evidence of you mocking me is very, very damning.

The video of the lady yelling at me was pretty funny though. That was worth the price of the GoPro by itself.

 

Some people just don't want to race. They want to spend their money, ride around at their own pace and do their thing. A lot less pressure and a lot less of an ego destruction.

Good for them.

 

You're obviously a newbie...even I have "oem plugs and filters" on my bike and I run 1:48s at Chuckwalla with a very well-setup bike. Track days are about getting better, not being fast. Come out for a race, experience it first hand and then try to decide for yourself!

 

Don't sweat the "race pace" line of thinking. I beat several guys at my very first WERA weekend, on a bike I had never rode before (New to me bike), at a track I had never been to before, and it was my first time on the track that year, coming off the off season.

Just because people are racing does NOT mean they are fast.

There's a lot of info here, and a lot of self righteous morons too, so keep that in mind as you read the various opinions. There's a few "hard core" club racing dudes that shit all over track day riders, even though some of them got started by track riding, and probably still do an occasional day here and there (Que the "Fuck NESBA" quote, which has already been said in this thread).

Both racing and track days have their place. Having done both, I'd say I do prefer racing over track days. BUT, dollar for seat time, track days are way fucking cheaper than racing. And, it's a blast to go out and ride with friends without pressure to keep pace. It's awfully nice to pit out early on a track day session because you're getting exhausted and know you're not giving up on a race. I also use track days to experiment with changes on my bike, as I generally don't like to deviate from a known setup before a race.

 

And you got this how? I was passed consistantly by much faster people that day, just like I am any day I ride on a track. I have nor will ever claim to be super duper at anything bike related except lookin good, I'll acknowlage that.

 

sounds like back when i first started in 2000/2001. Clubman class, good friends of mine Guoseph and James Eldridge, Guo was on an EX500 and James on a first gen 250. Those two battled it out AMA style the entire race, all for last place. One of the best races i ever saw! :up:

 

I had fun doing both for years. Now I enjoy simply mixing it up with my buddies at a trackday followed by a barbecue and some beers.

 

Well said.

One of the best battles I have ever had on track was for 4th/5th/6th place (2012 GNF 750-SB race IIRC).

Racing is about competition. Ultimate speed doesn't matter. What matters is relative speed. The guys racing running :38's are working just as hard, racing just as intense and having just as much fun as the guys racing running :34's.

 

That is a very valid point that some people tend to lose sight of. TrackDayMag had an excellent article on that subject a couple of years ago. It said something like "you will never get a racer to give you an honest run at a track day; there is nothing to gain and everything to lose".

I have a ton of fun at track days. I love them and do a lot of them. But I am typically 2 seconds off pace, and that is on purpose.

 

Trackdays are fun.

Racing is funner.

There, somebody had to say it.

 

As much as I hate to admit it...I'm a stellar example of what you just said.

 

"How was that too aggressive?...we didn't even touch".

 

That is what track days are all about.

The people who say track days aren't fun, are usually trying to use them as race practice. They get aggravated when they can't run their race pace lap after lap. So they say track days "arent fun". If they can't enjoy riding their bike at anything less than 10/10th's, then track days probably arent for them.

Personally, I just love being on a bike. I have fun tooling down the interstate for hours while taking long distance trips. Or taking back roads to the gym. I don't have to be riding at race pace to have fun.

To me, track days are about hanging out with friends, riding my bike relatively fast without having to worry about cops/cars/people on cell phones/etc, trying out new parts and setups and helping others improve their riding.

There is a time and place for any type of riding. If you can only have fun riding at a certain pace, or in a certain environment, then IMO you are missing out on a big part of the fun of this sport.

 

Damnit Papa.