My First Track Day

[kocook]

Started to put this in General, but realized it goes into the Vintage forum.:003:

Was at Barnes & Nobles, picking up a Christmas gift card the other day. Wandered over to the books about motorcycles. Spotted Pridmore's book "Smooth Riding..." and gave a quick check. Lo and behold, I was in a photo of his early instructional efforts. It was my first track day--there weren't many to be had back in those days.

Click on the photo to expand.
http://curvecowboy.com//images/sm_Cook_First_Trackday76.jpg (http://curvecowboy.com//images/Cook_First_Trackday76.jpg)

If I remember right, it was 1976 and Pridmore had just won the first AMA Superbike Championship. I believe John Ulrich was there taking pictures and riding as a student to write an article for Cycle News. Likely this photo came from him. BTW, he had a stopwatch and clocked me as the fastest student. Was truly a pleasure beating out the KZ1000's and a R90S on this.
http://curvecowboy.com//images/sm_1974R90_6_1976.jpg
For the track day it had a better top triple-clamp, and Konis with new springs on the rear--courtesy of Reg Pridmore.

[Deans BMW]

Kent, that is way cool.

[DarthRider]

Kent, my second track day/school was in 1992 on a new Ducati 900 SuperSport.
Venue was Texas World Speedway at Bryan.
It was a Pridmore C.L.A.S.S. school, Reg was head instructor, his son Jason no.2.
I had been riding and racing for almost 35 years then...but *that* was the day I learned to ride a motorcycle !
There were 5 of us from Ft. Worth with Ducatis who took the class together, then stayed in the Hill Country for 3 more days as a sort of self-instructed "Grad school", practicing our new "Pridmore skills"...especially lower-body steering.
Take *that* Mr. Code !
Man, I'd love to do that weekend again.

[kocook]

Dave,
That sounds like a fantastic weekend. The Ducati SS was such fine motorcycle.

[Elsie Smith]

Wow, interesting picture from 1976! Even guys with jeans on participating :-)

My first and only track day (so far) was also with Reg Pridmore in '05 at VIR aboard my
R1150RT. Two days back-to-back...

whew, glad I got them in before Reg retired! Even got to do two very fast laps of the track
on the back w/him.

Here we are at the beginning starting down to turn one.

http://elsiesmith.smugmug.com/photos/236417955-L.jpg

[DarthRider]

I did the 2 hot-laps behind Jason, a top-notch pro road racer and *very* good instructor.

I nearly didn't do it...most any experienced rider just hates to "ride bitch" but several people talked me into it and I was very happy I did !

The point of the 2-up ride is to demonstrate the liquid, silky smoothness they practice - and teach - for all control inputs.

100-120 MPH into the first big sweeper. Just grit your teeth and "trust the tires". Short straight to relax and gather your wits a bit before the hard right hander where, as the edge of my right boot sole skimmed the macadam from my lofty (and terrifying) perch on the back of the big Beemer K100, my only thought was that either the throttle had stuck WFO and Jason couldn't slow down, or...that he was having serious personal problems and was going to off himself and take me with him !

But a slight drift to the left with a barely discernable "chittering" of the non-existent right side chicken strips was all there was. Well, that and the smoothest total control I had ever witnessed with any machine. Full throttle to total trailing throttle with maximum application of brakes, a hard corner, then back to 100% acceleration ocurred so seamlessly - and quickly - I might have missed them, save the total shift in G-loading, attitude of the bike, and alternately pressing HARD on the tank as I reached-around Jason (no comments) to avoid slamming him into the instruments, then holding on tight & hard in acceleration mode, hoping he was gripping the bars tight enough to avoid us both being ejected rearward !

The first lap was an eye-opening thrill ride, the second a concentrated, extreme learning experience...and both laps complete, total FUN !

Had they allowed it I would have happily gone through the line & 2-lap ride-rotation until we were out of gas or the tires blew, but alas no, the line was too long and everyone else wanted and needed to learn his important lessons as well.

Pridmore's entire premise in C.L.A.S.S. is that many of the exact same techniques pro racers use to go fast, can & should be used by street riders to be safe in their world.
Smooth is difficult but should always come first and foremost.
Fast is much easier.

[Elsie Smith]

Hey Dave, my experience behind Reg was pretty much the same as you've so eloquently described (except we were on a Honda).

No time for sightseeing, actually was watching his hands on the throttle/brakes. Hardly any discernible movement.

Helps when you have the controls set up right. And, as you pointed out, the practicing the techniques after track day was
most enlightening. So cool your picture's in the book!

[DarthRider]

So cool your picture's in the book!

Elsie...what book is that ?

[Elsie Smith]

Elsie...what book is that ?

Oops, replied to your post, but meant Kent's picture. Had a blonde moment :-)

[DarthRider]

Oops, replied to your post, but meant Kent's picture. Had a blonde moment :-)

What ! You mean I'm not in a book ?
Damn...

[Wild Will]

Neat old photos Kent!

[dee jones]

Kent that is really neat.The picture you came across had to stir up some great memories for you as well as the rest of us.. Reg Pridmore set up my second R90S when he had RPM in Goleta, Ca. It was a fine handling machine.Thanks for the pics.:020:

[DarthRider]

Reg Pridmore for President !

[Deans BMW]

Reg Pridmore for President !

Bro Dave......all was not as it appeared.

[DarthRider]

Bro Dave......all was not as it appeared.

Granpa Hoon...whatever do you mean ?

[Wild Will]

Out with it, Hoon, and don't be niggardly with your words.

[Deans BMW]

His racing and riding was second to none, a super nice guy as well.

Lets just say that bike building and bike set up was not his....how can we say it.....not his area of expertise as were his riding skills.

[DarthRider]

His racing and riding was second to none, a super nice guy as well.

Lets just say that bike building and bike set up was not his....how can we say it.....not his area of expertise as were his riding skills.

Dean-O...I didn't want him to build me a race bike, I just wanted him to be President !

[Deans BMW]

Dean-O...I didn't want him to build me a race bike, I just wanted him to be President !

+1

[DarthRider]

Him or Hillary...:028:

[dee jones]

This discussion could be taken to a different level.