The Lone Muser
Living every day to the limit
Monday, September 23, 2013
Heading Out on the Road Again
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Riding on a "Real" Race Track - Circuit of the Americas Trackday
The Track
If you like to ride on the track you can appreciate the difference between a good track and a not so good track - there are no "bad" tracks :-) Well The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is at the top of the good list. In fact, it's at the top of the best of the best list. You can read all about the track at their web site but the short version is that this is a $700M facility and for that kind of money you can build a world class racing venue!If you read my post about seeing my first MotoGP race then you recognize that this is the same track. So I got to ride on the same track following the same lines as the best racers in the world. I was nowhere near as fast of course - in fact I was comically slower - but who cares, I was there.
The Event
This was the track day that almost wasn't. A day after RideSmart started selling the slots for the event COTA decided to cancel ALL of the track days they had sold. A minor rebellion in the micro-society of racing enthusiasts erupted and COTA's Facebook page was flooded with lot's a "how dare you" posts. A few days later our event was back on - but only our event. COTA made it clear that we were a test case and if there was every going to be another track day it would be because we showed that we could basically act grown up while we were there - despite feeling like a bunch of kids. There were rules about everything including which direction the cars had to be parked in the parking lot! None of the rules really took away from the actual event though so I don't think anyone really felt put out.RideSmart secured the weekend of June 1-2, 2013 and I bought both days. If this was going to be my only chance to ride a track like this I was getting all I could. The price was steep, nearly $500/day but the event was sold out in 3 days! It seems a lot of other riders had the same thoughts as me and got in while the getting was good. There was a lot of 'horse trading' going on right up to Sunday morning as guys who waited too long tried to find someone selling their slot.
One thing a price like that does is weed out the casual track day riders and guys who just can't afford to toss almost a grand into a single weekend of playing. I can say that the ratio of Ducati's to everything else was the highest I've ever seen at a track day :-) Guys that can afford to run a Ducati around the track can afford this kind of event and they were there. I showed up with my trusty 7 year old Honda CBR 600RR. It wasn't a match for the big bikes, and I wasn't a match for the fast riders, but I can guarantee I had just as much fun.
I rented garage space to make things simpler (and add to the illusion of being a real racer). I had a little bitty space to call my own but it was really all I needed.
Preparing for battle in my garage |
Riding on the track
Saturday was perfect riding weather and the track was even more perfect. Warm sun got the track up to temperature before Noon. I don't think I found a single bump on the entire track and trust me when I say I used most of the track. This track is very technical, lot's of blind corners, tricky transitions and some very high speed sections that end with amazingly tight Formula 1 style hairpin turns. The first day is spent just figuring out how to get around the track and even after 2 full days I still struggled with a few corners.The track has great elevation changes which is rare around here. The track showing the elevation and top speeds of the F1 cars.
The view from Pit Out up the hill to Turn 1 |
Sunday morning started off with rain but that ended by around 9:00 and the track was dry by 11:00.
The rain kept the temperatures down but the track was still just as 'sticky' for the speeds I was riding. I rode super conservative the whole weekend because I didn't want to ruin things by falling off the bike. The RideSmart rule that if you crash you are done for the day also helped keep me from pushing more than about 60-70%. The thought of tossing a $500 day out the window just wasn't appealing at all :-)
A few shots of me cruising the track...
A couple of videos
A single lap as recorded by my GoPro...
The view of the bikes screaming "literally" down the front straight just outside my garage on Pit Lane...
Pam took a few panorama's of the event as well. They won't embed here but you can see them on these pages...
The Front Straight
Tent City on the other side of the garages
A "walk" through my garage: Entry -> My Pit -> The Middle -> Exit to Pit Lane
I have to say this weekend was as much fun as I've ever had riding the track. The combination of great conditions, a perfect track and the smoothness with the way the event was run created a perfect storm of ingredients to create an awesome event.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Seeing My First MotoGP in Person
First let's talk about 6th Street...
The view from my balcony...
From the street...
The races...
A few pic's of our view...
The sound of these bikes is mind boggling and ear plugs are a must. We managed to get some pretty nice shots of the riders in action including several of the winner Marc Marquez (#93), a rookie in only his 2nd MotoGP race. It's rare for a newcomer to do that well because the bikes are so specialized that it takes time to learn how to get the most out of them. Either this guy is a really fast learner or he's a mutant. I'm voting for the mutant party because anyone who routinely drags his elbow at 150 MPH just can't be human.
I was pulling for Valentino Rossi but his Yamaha was no match for the Honda's at this track. If it had to be a Honda I'm glad it was Marquez.
Some pic's of the stars in action...
Thursday, October 11, 2012
A new toy
The old phone had reached its limit so it has been retired.
The replacement: White Samsung Galaxy S3, 32 GB.
Sweet!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Trans-Siberian Orchestra 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Barber Trackday
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Home Again
Picked up a souvenier from the trip, T-shirt that shows Utah does have a sense of humor after all...
Except for being in the middle of the downwind smoke from the forest fires in Alpine Arizona for a couple of days the ride was awsome. I can't wait to get back out and do it again.
I'll put together a small video later in the week.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Durango to ????
Then I ran into this in my path and decided to call it a day in Tucamcari, NM...
Drivers coming from that directions said there were 60 mph winds and large hail in that thing.
Catching up on pics
Glen Canyon/Lake Powell
Monument Valley
Huge rock outcroppings stand above the plain...
The road...
Hmmm...
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Glen Canyon dam bridge
There is something subtly unnerving about being 700 feet high even if you can't look down.
No news IS good news
One of the great side effects of riding around the wilderness is not hearing all of the daily news. Unless World War III starts I doubt I'll miss anything worth knowing. If it does start I might just stay out here.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Wandering Literally
I've decided to change my route to loop south to Monument Valley and skip the Canyonlands area. Sitting in Escalante now waiting for lunch. All of those winding roads wear me out.
Fail of the day - recorded the ride through my all time favorite road and didn't have an SD card installed!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
In Salt Lake City
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Made it to Santa Fe
Long day of riding into the wind but it feels good to put day 1 behind me. Pam comes through with another great place to stay. Wish I had more time to check out the shops and art studios.
Ran into a guy riding an older model BMW who left Key West 5 days ago - that is stamina.
Riding in West Texas is all about WIND
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Did "The Ducati Experience" today in Dallas
Of course I could get used to having my own umbrella girls too...