This past weekend I had my first track days at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. For those of you who are not familiar with the track you can visit their website at
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, Ohio. Racing and Driving School.
Prepping the bike for a track day is very simple and includes taping up the headlights and tail light, changing out the coolant for engine ice or the like, and disconnecting the lights. Other requirements are a full leather suit, gauntlet style gloves and over-the-ankle boots. Obviously a decent helmet is required as well.
Mid Ohio is a fast track with a 135+ back straight for 600's and 160+ for liter bikes. There are some great blind corners and the elevation changes make this one of the top road courses in the country. I was very excited to have my first track day there.
Considering that I have experience with four wheeled vehicles on road courses I was able to pick up the concepts very quickly. I was able to move smoothly throughout the course, and I was even told on the second day that I was pretty much ready to move to intermediate. Definitely a confidence booster, but at my next track day at Barber Motorsports Park, I am already registered for novice class again.
I would definitely recommend trying a track day to anyone who really enjoys riding and wants to perfect their cornering skills. Check out the video below for some on-track footage at Mid Ohio!