Trackdays – A Love/Hate Relationship

Where do I begin…anyone following this blog (basically myself and sometimes Howay) knows that I’ve been waiting all fall/winter to hit the track…and was it a long wait. April 10th was that fateful day. Equipped with a true track bike this year, I WAS ready…to take on all that NESBA intermediate had to offer…at least that’s what I thought.

Ten days before 4/10 all weather channels/sites forecasted rain for both my scheduled events, mainly Friday. I found myself nervously checking the weather on my iphone everyday to the point where I had to force myself to give it up to God and trust Him with it. I mean come on, God can calm the storms with one word, what is weather to Him other than another one of his subjects? I was reminded of all my worries from last year’s trackdays and His faithfulness when I prayed then. Even on Friday morning the forecast was for rain that day, but putting my trust in God, I loaded the bike in the trailer at 4:30 am and headed down to NJMP.

I arrived at 6:50 am, found a great spot on the paddock for my rig and settled in. I got tech/registration out of the way first and headed over to do the 09 R1 Demo. Excited that the weather was holding out (sunny) and finally being able to get on the track after so many months of waiting and prep, I lost track of my priorities…more specfically my daily devotions with God. Since I started riding, I always did my devotions before going out for a ride because ultimately God is more important than riding and i knew that my life was in his hands and if he wanted me to crash my bike, he could easily arrange for that. So prior to today I had a healthy fear of the Lord, but more on that later.

From TrackPics

Thanks to NESBA, I got to mount my new GoPro camera to the white 09 R1 demo bike that I took out. Although I’ve ridden Howay’s R1 before, I’ve never had a chance to really throttle a Japanese liter bike, especially on the track. Either I’m just really used to the power delivery of my bike or I’m just a big chicken, but the new R1 scared the crap out of me. Everytime I changed gears on the straight that thing would pick up speed like it’s about to take off. After nearly running off track the first time down the straight, I decided to ease off the throttle earlier and give myself some room to breathe before T1. Luckily for me the R1’s slipper clutch worked beautifully and allowed me to execute my panicked downshift without a hiccup from the rear tire. The remainder of the session was pretty tame which ended without a single scuff mark on my new knee sliders. The new R1 is a fantastic bike with a very unique sound that’s easy to ride and will easily satisy any speed freaks.

After finishing the demo session I felt extremely nauseus. I then realized that I forgot to eat something before heading out on to the track. *Note to self: EAT SOMETHING BEFORE GETTING ON TRACK!!* Feeling quite miserable, I had to use the next twenty minutes to scarf down as many saltines as i could while removing the kickstand to install the belly pan and get the bike fully prepped. Barely finishing the bike I hear the call for the intermediate group. I quickly attached the GoPro, hopped on the bike and headed over to pit lane. I’ll let the below video to tell the rest of the story.

What the above video does not depict is the fear i experienced at every turn while nursing my bike back to the pit. As I rolled into the paddock, the director took a quick look at my bike, told me to fix my brake lever and re-tech. He then proceeded to tear off my Nesba tech sticker, but it felt more like he was tearing off my pride. After I got off the bike I quickly assessed the damage and determined what I needed to get it back to riding form. Only two parts needed replacement, the right footpeg and the brake lever. I had a spare peg but I had to ask around for a spare brake lever (I knew I should’ve invested in some good folding levers). Luckily a guy with a 1098R and an 848 had a spare brake master cylinder with a lever attached, which he graciously lent to me. I quickly assembled everything and headed back to tech. Just as I was re-teching they made the call for session 2. Through God’s grace I ended up only missing 1.5 sessions all day because of the crash; however, it did take a couple of sessions to regain my confidence with session 2 being the scariest of them all where I was riding the bike like I was riding for the first time in my life. I even contemplated asking to be moved to the beginner group for the rest of the day. By session 4 I was really glad I stayed in intermediate.

From TrackPics

From TrackPics

I picked up my pace, figured out my braking points and gears and even found myself making passes while not being passed too often…not bad for my first time out in intermediate or rather, better than I had expected. But most important of all, I regained confidence in my tires. I was reminded that the crash had nothing to do with my tires being bad; it had everything to do with my mental preparation.

From TrackPics

As I was pitting in after my fourth session I saw Jesse standing by taking pics. When I got back to the trailer Jen, Jason and Isaac were there waiting. Their company was greatly appreciated and really made the rest of the day more relaxing and enjoyable, especially because they brought lunch and helped me pack up at the end of the day. Jesse even drove the car home for me, although you would’ve thought he was driving a tractor trailer from the way he was making his turns! At least Jesse has a greater appreciation now for people towing trailers and promises not to cut them off while honking his horn.

From TrackPics

From TrackPics

A couple of days later as I was starting this blog and reviewing the timeline of 4/10, I suddenly realized I forgot to do my devotions all together that day. That’s when it hit me…the crash was a sign/reminder from God that He is still God and he demands my respect, especially when I asked so fervently for good weather which he provided for me perfectly. Although my first trackday this year was not what i expected, I believe God really spared me from something worse and gently reminded me that I need to put him above all else, even my passion for riding.

From TrackPics

From TrackPics