[crash2]

What's your opinion on the following tracks:
WSIR(streets)
WSIR(race)
ButtonWillow
Cali Speedway
Pahrump


Track info: road surface, tires, winds, accomodations, rules and regulations, price, track day organizers, track feel, more technical, less technical?

I want to sign up for a few track days/school, I'm hoping someone can show me the ropes in getting started.

help me oh wise ones:bow

 

[snowmonkeylover]

only been to cali speedway. so, i have no experience outside of that. the track is very nice. the track is smooth and doesn't give any headshake unless you hit the chicane on the front straight. have a steering damper and you can get tires at the track for really cheap. fast track riders is expensive but does a great job of keeping things going smoothly. check out eyespy for any word on his MTC track days.

 

[Zippy]

What's your opinion on the following tracks:
WSIR(streets)
WSIR(race)
ButtonWillow
Cali Speedway
Pahrump

FWIW, I'll try and give you my take:

1. WSIR (Streets) - Ridden it about 4 or 5 times.
- Technical and loads of fun. Not the fastest, but great for practicing your skills. Persistant problems with track surface have apperently been fixed. Also, a couple of turns have been altered for the better, I hear. Tends to get windy up there later in the afternoon. IMO, probably the best local track to start on.

2. WSIR (Big Track) - Ridden once.
- Very fast. A few fun (but fast) turns and the rest is just balls-out blazing. Spent the whole day on this track in December and still feel like I don't really know it very well at all. Wouldn't reccomend this track for a first-timer. Eyespy could give you a much more thorough description of this track.

3. Buttonwillow - Ridding twice.
- Awesome track. Pretty fast (and flat) with some challenging spots. Seems to be pretty popular with the fast guys, so make sure you book a date with at least 2 groups (if that's a concern of yours).

4. Cal Speedway (AMA Layout) - Ridden once.
- Loads of fun. Pretty fast - Consistantly got the bike upwards of 160mph (indicated) on the front straight. Enclosed pit garages are a nice touch. Lots of crashes throughout the day - not sure why.

5. Cal Speeway (Infield Course) - Ridden twice.
- According to Fastrack Riders, this is the more popular layout. Very flat, pretty fast, lots of fun. Again, lots of crashes throughout the day. Don't know what it is about Cal Speedway. Seems to be a lot of crashing going on there - at least on the days I'm there.

6. Pahrump - Ridden once.
- Absolutely love this track. Rode it with STAR School and had a blast. Kinda reminds me of Buttonwillow. Pretty fast with some elevation changes and all kinds of cool turns. Highly reccomended.

7. Horse Thief Mile (At Willow Springs) - Ridden twice.
- Absolutely brilliant track. Brand new. Much like Streets of Willow - only better. Just like riding the ultimate canyon road without all the crap on the rode, cops, etc. Very technical. Loads of extreme elevation changes. Not the fasted track in the world, but tons o' fun. Highly reccomended. Unfortunately, so far, nobody's hosting any events at this track this year. I contacted Willow Springs Admin the other day and they confirmed this. It's a shame.

8. Laguna Seca - Ridden once.
- Beautiful track. Very fun. Pretty fast with some cool stuff (corkscrew). Rode it in the winter on a rainy day, so I didn't get much track time in. Going back for 2 days in a couple weeks with Pacific Track Time. Can't wait. Relatively expensive, but worth every penny, IMO.

There you go. Hope this helps.

 

[Zippy]

Crash,

I would seriously look into booking a day with Keith Code's California Superbike School at Streets of Willow. Great track for getting aquainted with the ins and outs of track riding and not too intimidating. Doing level one (which you will have to start with anyway) you'll be riding with people (for the most part) with little or no track experience. The good thing about starting with a school is that you won't be as likely to feel compelled to push it too hard because you'll be concentrating on the given drills and not on how fast you're going.

Often times, sessions within regular track days can feel like mini races. Riders often get sucked into riding as fast as they can to better their lap times or to keep up with other riders. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to riders pushing it beyond their comfort / skill level and ending up crashing.

The only other school I've done so far was Jason Pridmore's STAR School - day 1 at Streets of Willow / day 2 at Pahrump. This one is awesome too. But, it's really geared for the slightly more experienced track rider. I HIGHLY recommend both CSS and STAR.

 

[crash2]

thanks zippy. I'll be signing up for a Streets class for late April with Code's school. using my own bike.

Buttonwillow was my 2nd choice now. ...used to be Cali Speedway.

I'm surprised that there are a lot of crashes on the Cali Speedway. I once read somewhere that the road is nice and smooth compared to Streets but if it's crash prone, nevermind it. It's good to note that Pahrump was nice; I have a few riding buddies who signed up for Pahrump in May. I might just join them. I thought it was all hot desert, sand and wind over there.

good info. Thanks. :beer

maybe I'll see you around.

 

[Zippy]

Yea, you'll like Pahrump. It's in the middle of nowhere though. Lots of Brothels up there. :sneaky Haven't stayed in town over night but I will be because I'm planning to do a sh1t load of track days this year.

I'm not sure what it is about Cal Speedway. The track is nice and smooth, etc. My first time on the track, we had around 15 crashes for the day. The 2 other times, about 8-10 a day. They're usually lowsides it seems. And, it's almost always in my group - "B" or Intermediate.

mkinla just did a day there last week and crashed his new race-prepped R6. Poor guy, he and the bike are gonna be OK.

You'll dig Keith Code's school. I did the first 3 levels at Streets. I'm doing Level 4 at Laguna Seca on July 12th (The day after the big race weekend - Woohoo).

Have fun. You're gonna get hooked on this track day thang. Start saving your pennies, my friend.