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track day Recommendations

Zwicker

Zwicker

Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2011
Location
Concord
Moto(s)
83 CB1100F
81 CB900F
06 GSXR
93 Honda XR650L,
06 Triumph Speed Triple
Name
Matthew Z
HI, looking for a track day event, for beginners. There are several different companies that put them on; superbike coach, fun track datys, carters etc. which one is the best for a first timer. Additionally, which track is best for beginners; thunderhill, laguna Sec, or Sears Point? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Matt
 
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All Cali providers offer beginner level track day. Most of the time it's labelled as c group for first time track riding. Cartes formally keigwins did b- as equivalent to c group. I prefer thunderhill east becuase I been to that track more often then the other ones but that's me. The price is usually cheaper then Laguna and Sonoma but down side is, it's a longer drive up there
 
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Track Days

I like Let's Ride as a track group... among others. All tracks can offer you new things to learn, and a lot to learn at that! So, as a beginner, all the tracks will give you a vast learning opportunity.
Don't be afraid to approach instructors, they are there to teach you lines, body positioning, smoothness and speed...

That being said... My favorites are Sonoma and Buttonwillow. :thumbup


OOO you are in Concord.. I'll teach u! hahahahahha

I'm wanting to head to a Let's Ride event sometime soon... I aim to instruct with them, but won't have $$$ for track days for a bit. LOL
When you decide, post up when you go... You may meet others in the area heading to the same events.
Track prep gets easier as you go. Safety wire your oil plug, use h2o for coolant, CHECK YOUR AIR PRESSURE, etc.
I LOVE the track!!!

Lady Dragon
 
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Carters has a two day novice school at Thunderhill. my first track day was the novice school with Keigwins. half an hour in class then a half hour on track. it's expensive but you really get to know Thill and your bike.
 
Zwicker said:
HI, looking for a track day event, for beginners. There are several different companies that put them on; superbike coach, fun track datys, carters etc. which one is the best for a first timer. Additionally, which track is best for beginners; thunderhill, laguna Sec, or Sears Point? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Matt
Click to expand...

I went through this 8 or 9 years ago and am now an avid track day junkie.

Your first time on track can be pretty intimidating. I have run with just about every provider and FWIW, California Superbike School (CSS) is hands down the best place to start. First off - its a school (not a track day) with tons of on-track and in classroom training and review. You run in groups of very similar ability, supervised by on-track riding coaches. You don't need to bring your own bike and all the prep and track paraphernalia is taken care of for you.

I did CSS Levels 1 & 2 at Laguna Seca and Sonoma (there are 4 levels each of one full day of instruction) before I did my first track day.

My first track day was at Thunderhill with PTT (great guys and gals). Then I alternated between track days and CSS Levels 2 & 3.m now running mid pack A group and still learning. I go back to CSS for a refresher every couple of years and each time come away with a better understanding.
 
Pick the track you know the best. Which one can you visualize a lap of? If you know the layout its one less thing to worry about. Your going to be nervous to start with. I did Laguna for my first day & had a blast. Each track has it's own challenges & each have good/bad things that come with riding them.
 
Keigwins.
There's a nice little promotional thread going on further down the page.
 
First timer.... id not venture to a track with drastic elevation changes.
Laguna and Sonoma are some of the most technical tracks in California.

Buttonwillow should be considered the best the beginner track IMO.
 
Zwicker said:
HI, looking for a track day event, for beginners. There are several different companies that put them on; superbike coach, fun track datys, carters etc. which one is the best for a first timer. Additionally, which track is best for beginners; thunderhill, laguna Sec, or Sears Point? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Matt
Click to expand...
That's a loaded question.

Determine the track, do you like high speed corners and long fast straights or do you prefer tighter corners and harder braking? Thunderhill vs. Sonoma.

Check in to the format of C group. Is the first session with an instructor to familiarize you with the track? Check in to the passing rules for C group between the providers to see if anything makes you uncomfortable.

Time of year - Willows can be hot, like 100F+ hot. Look at the forecast and drink lots of water the day before. The sun can be blinding at Sonoma late in the year.

Suspension Tuners - It's definitely worth working with Dave Moss, Jason Haus, etc. to setup the suspension on your bike at the very least. You can also work with them all day. The tire guys (CT Racing, etc.) usually have a calibrated tire pressure gauge and air you can use.

Work with instructors, they know the tracks and how to ride them.
 
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Crispietogu said:
All Cali providers offer beginner level track day. Most of the time it's labelled as c group for first time track riding. Cartes formally keigwins did b- as equivalent to c group. I prefer thunderhill east becuase I been to that track more often then the other ones but that's me. The price is usually cheaper then Laguna and Sonoma but down side is, it's a longer drive up there
Click to expand...

Yup I was just looking at Carters. They have some availability in October.

Matt
 
LadyDragon said:
I like Let's Ride as a track group... among others. All tracks can offer you new things to learn, and a lot to learn at that! So, as a beginner, all the tracks will give you a vast learning opportunity.
Don't be afraid to approach instructors, they are there to teach you lines, body positioning, smoothness and speed...

That being said... My favorites are Sonoma and Buttonwillow. :thumbup


OOO you are in Concord.. I'll teach u! hahahahahha

I'm wanting to head to a Let's Ride event sometime soon... I aim to instruct with them, but won't have $$$ for track days for a bit. LOL
When you decide, post up when you go... You may meet others in the area heading to the same events.
Track prep gets easier as you go. Safety wire your oil plug, use h2o for coolant, CHECK YOUR AIR PRESSURE, etc.
I LOVE the track!!!

Lady Dragon
Click to expand...

RIght on! ill check out lets ride. Would love the company, probably going in October. I just rebuilt my engine and am taking it to get dyno'd in the the next few weeks.

Matt
 
OldMadBrit said:
I went through this 8 or 9 years ago and am now an avid track day junkie.

Your first time on track can be pretty intimidating. I have run with just about every provider and FWIW, California Superbike School (CSS) is hands down the best place to start. First off - its a school (not a track day) with tons of on-track and in classroom training and review. You run in groups of very similar ability, supervised by on-track riding coaches. You don't need to bring your own bike and all the prep and track paraphernalia is taken care of for you.

I did CSS Levels 1 & 2 at Laguna Seca and Sonoma (there are 4 levels each of one full day of instruction) before I did my first track day.

My first track day was at Thunderhill with PTT (great guys and gals). Then I alternated between track days and CSS Levels 2 & 3.m now running mid pack A group and still learning. I go back to CSS for a refresher every couple of years and each time come away with a better understanding.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I will check out California super bike school. They are the group i hear about the most.

MAtt
 
/dev/null said:
That's a loaded question.

Determine the track, do you like high speed corners and long fast straights or do you prefer tighter corners and harder braking? Thunderhill vs. Sonoma.

Check in to the format of C group. Is the first session with an instructor to familiarize you with the track? Check in to the passing rules for C group between the providers to see if anything makes you uncomfortable.

Time of year - Willows can be hot, like 100F+ hot. Look at the forecast and drink lots of water the day before. The sun can be blinding at Sonoma late in the year.

Suspension Tuners - It's definitely worth working with Dave Moss, Jason Haus, etc. to setup the suspension on your bike at the very least. You can also work with them all day. The tire guys (CT Racing, etc.) usually have a calibrated tire pressure gauge and air you can use.

Work with instructors, they know the tracks and how to ride them.
Click to expand...

I prefer high speed corners and long fast straights theoretically. But that may change!
 
Zwicker said:
RIght on! ill check out lets ride. Would love the company, probably going in October. I just rebuilt my engine and am taking it to get dyno'd in the the next few weeks.

Matt
Click to expand...

Let's Ride

10/08/2018 - Buttonwillow Raceway
10/08/2018 - Buttonwillow Raceway
*Buttonwillow Raceway, Clockwise Configuration #13*A, B, C group format.Novice Rider School is avail..

$165.00
 
I'll say it again:

1) California Superbike School
2) then do track days - all of the CA providers (PTT, Zoom Zoom, Kegwins, etc., etc) are great but you just cant beat CSS to get you ready to get the most out of them.
 
Whammy said:
First timer.... id not venture to a track with drastic elevation changes.
Laguna and Sonoma are some of the most technical tracks in California.

Buttonwillow should be considered the best the beginner track IMO.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but that's terrible advice! Buttonwillow is notoriously difficult to learn because the track is so flat you can't determine which way it will turn next. And while Sonoma is a technical track, Laguna Seca is one of the least technical tracks in the state.

In my opinion, Thunderhill is one of the best tracks in the state and the one I'd recommend for a novice. It has a good mixture of technical and high-speed sections, the elevation changes make it interesting, and it's relatively easy to get track time there. You can have a lot of fun the first day you're there, but there are enough challenges that you won't get bored riding there anytime soon.

My advice for the OP is to attend a novice-oriented track school for their first time on the track. I would suggest either the California Superbike School or Carters at the Track (formerly Keigwins at the Track). Personally I prefer Carters/Keigwins because you get more 1:1 attention than you do a CSS. Once you've attended a school and know the basics of track etiquette and safety then you can sign-up for any track day you want.
 
OldMadBrit said:
I'll say it again:

1) California Superbike School
2) then do track days - all of the CA providers (PTT, Zoom Zoom, Kegwins, etc., etc) are great but you just cant beat CSS to get you ready to get the most out of them.
Click to expand...


I will say as someone who was riding the equivalent of C group for maybe 6 TDs back east before moving out here to California - track day orgs out east give extensive coaching as part of the track day - i've gotten video, tows through the race line etc - this is present across all levels of people riding beginner to expert.

Out here - i've only ridden with 2 track orgs and moved up to B group but there is no instruction, no help with race line. It did look like one org was putting C group folks through a slow pace following an instructor on the race line during the morning sessions and the 2 orgs i rode with had a race line course during lunch but the coaching is nowhere near what i was used to back on the east coast - it's more of a free for all.

If you want to ride the track and see what it's about - sign up for a C group with an org and have fun.

But as oldmadbrit suggests - if you're really looking for significant rider improvement (as i am) - look into superbike school - i'll be doing that next too i think.
 
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