Boston Moto Blog

Which Group Should I Ride In?

A question that comes up time and time again is “What track day group should I register for?”

We choose to employ a “self assignment” philosophy where the customer chooses his or her group based on where they feel they belong.  Throughout the day control riders watch carefully to ensure that no one is riding in a group that is not conducive to their riding style or ability.

So you might be asking yourself, what group SHOULD I be in?  We put together the following guidelines to try and help find a group designation decision that works best for YOU.

Each track day organization is slightly different, they may run 3 or 4 groups, have varying passing rules, daily schedules, rider demographics, etc.  We will use our rules employed at NHMS for reference as they are relatively typical, other organizations and different venues will have slightly different rules.

There are 3 groups, each running 20 minute sessions (3 per hour, starting at the top of the hour with Advanced, followed by Intermediate at 20 minutes past the hour and novice at 40 minutes past the hour).

Novice Group

An extra classroom session is held after the mandatory rider’s meeting. T his enables us to cover additional rules and activities for novice group riders, such as a full Follow the Leader (FTL) session run during the first novice session of the day.  In the FTL session, 5 or 6 instructors and control riders will line up at the top of pit lane (near pit-out at the end of the pit lane) with 4 or 5 novice group riders behind each instructor.  The instructors lead their group of riders around the track at a pace that is very comfortable for brand new track riders (typically, slower than your normal street riding pace). This can be compared to a group of ducklings following their mother across the road. If you are a skier, you will probably remember this type of teaching used to teach new skiers.

 

As the group proceeds down the start/finish straight, the riders following the instructor will change positions at the instructor’s signal so that each person in the group gets to ride just behind the instructor.  During the morning FTL session riders can accomplish many things:

• Learn the “way around” or "line" for the course for the first time
• Get riders their “track legs” back after riding the street, or after a long winter break from track riding
• Give your motorcycle a slow-speed rolling test to make sure there are no issues that might not have been visible during technical inspection

Sometimes, a second FTL session will be held during the next novice on-track session.  This FTL will be run at a slightly higher speed than the first one.  At all FTL sessions, a “Roving Eye” control rider patrols the track maintaining radio contact with the track control and flagging staff (a new safety feature we are employing in 2010!).  His job is to watch for any riders who may be having difficulty keeping to the correct line or keeping up with the group.  While there is absolutely no shame in this as people learn at different speeds, we will pull that rider out of the group to avoid them feeling pressure to keep up and pushing the limits of their ability. 

All riders who are identified by the control rider/track control in this way will be assigned to an instructor for coaching at a higher instructor to student ratio in order to bring them up to speed.  This typically takes just one session to get the riders’ confidence to the point where they can re-join the novice group proper.  There is absolutely no reason for the new track rider to feel pressured to push his or her limits in order to keep up with the rest of the group, and this enables them to learn at their own pace.

If you feel the nerves and are signing up for your very virst track day, the “Introduction to Track Days” program is a great way for first-timers to feel comfortable and secure during their first track outing. Check out this link for details. 

After FTL sessions are complete, the novice group will employ standard rules where riders are free to ride the track without instructor assistance if they wish (but instructors are ALWAYS on track to help when needed).  From this point on, standard novice group rules apply including:

• No passing in certain areas of the track that are considered complex passing areas and excludes any passing in corners at all.
  
• All passing should be done on the 3 areas of the track considered as “straights” and only on designated sides of the rider being passed, leaving 6 feet between riders side to side and 2 bike lengths in front before moving back to the “racing line”.  This is to avoid “spooking” the rider being passed. 
  
• If you find you are unable to pass another rider well within your comfort zone, it's always a good idea to pit-in and ride down the hot-pit before pitting back out.  This way you'll give plenty of space to keep working on your track riding.

Intermediate Group

We do not have a follow the leader session to start the day, but intermediate (and advanced) riders are welcome to join in the novice FTL (and many do), especially at the beginning of the track riding season.  We run a short 15 minute open session for intermediate group riders at 9:15 am so that the riders can have a sighting session to get a look at the track and sort out themselves and their bike.  This session is led by instructors for the first lap where they will demonstrate proper pit-out and pit-in procedures, after which riders are free to complete the remainder of their first session on their own. 

Passing rules in the intermediate group are less restrictive than in the Novice group, with passing allowed on the outside of corners.  Passing is prohibited in the turn 8 “tree house” area.  The intermediate group is by far the most popular group, and also the group with the largest range of rider ability.  This group mainly consists of track day riders with a season of track days (sometimes less or more) under their belt and they are comfortable in their abilities to ride the track at a consistent pace while maintaining the proper line.

Advanced Group

The same ‘sighting session’ for advanced group riders is at 9:00am and lasts for 15 minutes.  Advanced group rules are quite relaxed for our track days compared to other organizations, with passing allowed on either side of the rider being passed, including in corners and at any place on the track.  Because of these relaxed rules, riders are carefully vetted before being allowed to “bump up” to advanced group from intermediate. Riders new to Boston Moto track days are restricted to novice group or in some cases intermediate group (after FTL) until we can assess their abilities with a followed session. Under no circumstances are riders new to Boston Moto allowed into advanced group unless they are an LRRS Expert racer and can produce the required racing license.  Our Advanced group is among the fastest-paced you will find of any organization and as such it consists largely of licensed racers and extremely experienced track day riders.

So... Which Group is Right for Me?

Hopefully, you will already have an idea about which trackday group you should be in after reading to this point. However, if you find yourself stuck trying to decide which group fits for you, always go towards the group that is MORE restrictive.  If you feel you MIGHT be ok for intermediate, start in the novice group and have a control rider evaluate you and give his or her honest opinion.  They ride in all groups and will be able to tell you very quickly whether you can “bump up” and still be well within your comfort/safe zone.   We routinely bump riders up or down during the course of a track day so do not feel that you are restricted to a particular group for the day.

Riders may always ride in a group below their comfort level in order to work on a part of their riding without worrying about riding as fast as they normally would in their usual group, or to ride with a friend who is not ready for a more advanced group.  However, when riding in a group below your normal group, you MUST obey the rules of the group you are actually riding in. 

Riders may not move from group to group freely throughout the day.

Typically, only 1 group change is allowed per rider per day and no rider will be given stickers for two groups at once. 

In general but especially when riding in a lower group, passing infractions are treated as safety breaches and will be dealt with swiftly and according to our rules.  Each individual infraction is different, and requires a judgment call based on all available information.  It is not unusual for a rider to receive a 1 or 2 session “time out” to regain their composure.  In extreme measures and if repeated warnings are given, a rider may be asked at any time to leave.  There are no refunds given if someone is asked to leave for breaking our track day rules. 

Hopefully you have found the advice in this post informative, we look forward to seeing you at the track in 2010!

Video - West Coast Tire Test

Here's a full session from Degsy's helmet cam taken on Day 2 of our West Coast Tire Test.  Thanks to Duncan Moto for hooking us up last minute with the vholdr cameras!

Things start getting good approaching the 13 minute mark.

 

Buttonwillow tire test from Boston Moto on Vimeo.

West Coast Conti Tire Test - Day 2

If you've been following us and are interested in the Continental RaceAttack line of track tires, click here for the chance to try them out RISK FREE!  

 

 

Waking up to a layer of fog and a chill in the air, we made our way to the track for Day 2.  Mark and the guys from The Track Club had moved pits closer to the entrance to the hot pit, and had moved all of our stuff as well... they even had the bikes lined up ready for a day's thrashing... er... testing.  I can't say enough about Mark, Dean and the other Mark (Verbal as we called him) for their help getting the bikes up to snuff and seeing that we were taken care of, you guys absolutely rolled out the red carpet and we are exceedingly grateful!!

 

Superbike Tires had the fleet equipped with fresh rubber including the 636 which featured soft / soft slicks (pic below shows DOTs from the day prior). We were eager to try the soft compound after spending most of Day 1 testing a medium front, endurance (hard) rear compound.

I rolled onto the grid for the first session without tire warmers and gently made my way around the 3 mile circuit (turn by turn guide to Buttonwillow here). Through each corner slowly easing up the pac, paying particular attention to the Off-ramp (turns 1-2) and Sunset sections of the track which have a somewhat "polished" surface.

Coming in after the session, we found the hot pressures were up at 50 psi front AND rear.... the fact I was able to get these brand new tires up to temp from BONE cold with 50 psi in them safely is.... pretty impressive.  Tire warmers are strongly recommended however, especially for a new set of rubber.  Once through our first sessions, subsequent sessions saw the tires up to temp within a single lap, making them ideal for track day applications.

 

Mark helped sort us out, setting the pressures to 32 psi (front) and 28 psi (rear).  Now that the tires were dialed in, I was eager for the next A group session.   It took a few laps to come to grips with the bike feeling a bit different (wow, there's GRIP!), but the pace started to ratchet up very quickly after that.  By late morning I was able to hang with most everybody in the A group, save for a handful of local racers on big bikes who were blisteringly fast.

The 636 proved the bike of choice to push our limits on... lap after lap, session after session, the tires and bike answered the bell with rock-solid stability and confidence (if it weren't for a few excursions onto the slick candy-striping in the esses, I didn't feel either end slip throughout the entire day).  Degsy and Denno echoed these sentiments across each tire type and bike application (we actually had a blast on the 900RR!) with none of us experiencing a single instance of the wheels getting out of line on day 2.

 

During lunch we had the opportunity to sit down with Javelin Broderick, a very impressive young gun racing WERA Expert on the west coast.  Javelin is 14 years old and currently running 1:55's at Buttonwillow, only a few seconds off the lap record at the track.  Making the switch from Dunlops to Continentals for 2010, he became a fan of the ContiRaceAttacks after shaving 2 seconds off his personal best lap times.  Aside from going quicker, he was also attracted to the contingency program which has payouts in more classes (actually every class) than any other brand.

Unfortuantely the audio quality from our video interview didn't come out as we'd hoped, but you can read the full transcript of our talk here.  We look forward to following Javelin on twitter throughout 2010 and wish him the best of luck!

 

 

Mid-afternoon we sat down to discuss our thoughts thus far... and yesterday's initial impressions were backed up by today's experience.  Offering incredible stability and confidence while trail-braking, the front feels very neutral and predictable, similar to a Pirelli.  The rear tire is where the real impression was made.  Providing a direct connection between throttle inputs and the rear tire, it hooked up on corner exit time after time; similar to a Dunlop rear (although it's been a while since we've ridden on them). I have never felt as comfortable on the gas driving out of a corner as I felt throughout this test. 

 

Derek had a chance to sample the tires at the end of their life when the 10 track-day-old set on the ZX-10 started to go off... and his found them to be very controllable while allowing him to ride with confidence even after grip started to fade.  He returned to the pits after his last session on the old tires, saying matter-of-factly, "yep, they're done." This some light on one of the biggest concerns we have about any set of rubber: how it communicates once optimum grip starts to fade. Similar sentiments have been echoed by other riders' we were able to talk to, all conveying how they appreciated the predictable nature of the tires.

 

The final few afternoon sessions were spent recording some on-board video (which will be up shortly) before it was time to pack up and start making our way back to the airport.  This test left us very impressed with Continental's ContiRaceAttack tires, both in DOT and Slick form (especially the soft compound!) 

We have a suspicion that the stiff carcass (particularly on the rear), ample edge-grip and front end stability will lend themselves very well to our home track - New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  Without over simplifying things, the RaceAttacks combine everything we loved about Pirelli tires (communication, outstanding grip) with much increased longevity... and we're betting the stiffer carcass will make life much, much easier with regards to setup... alleviating the need somewhat for optimum high and low speed damping settings...  providing more control exiting corners.... especially those with harsh transitions like Turn 10.

Regardless of how we feel, it always comes down to each individual rider to find that balance of comfort and performance when choosing a set of tires.  On April 22nd (Open Test for LRRS Licensed Riders) and April 27th (our first Track Day) we'll be providing the opportunity for anyone to come and put these tires through their paces in our own back yard... all you have to do is sign up for our demo day...Once you try them (and see the pricing...) chances are you won't look back.  

 

We'd like to thank (yet again) Mark Duncan from The Track Club and Superbike Tires.  Without his efforts far above and beyond our expectations, this never would have been made possible.  Thanks Mark, we look forward to staying in touch throughout the season!

Highlights from Day 1 - Conti Tire Test

We've been sharing our pics and thoughts on facebook and twitter, but here's a quick recap of the day's events.

 

Sun peeking through clouds as the morning promised to dry away the rain that hit the inland empire last night was a welcome sight as we made our way to Buttonwillow Raceway Park for a day of riding with TakeIt2TheTrack and finally getting to sample the new ContiRaceAttack tires we've been hearing so much about.

First up was helping Mark from Superbike Tires unload the bikes, after which we got our very first look at the Continentals.

 

 

The first thing that struck us was how solid they felt, the tires were noticeably stiffer and meatier than the Pirellis we're familiar with.  The carcass felt similar to a Dunlop tire in our hands, we'd soon find out the similarities didn't end there..

 

 

After unloading and setting up, we headed over to the riders' meeting.  This was not Mark's event (we'll be riding at his event tomorrow), and fortunately the guys from TakeIt2TheTrack were kind enough to extend their hospitality.  After the meeting we proceeded to registration where we found out... we'd be riding in the "A" group today.  New track, new bikes, new tires, advanced group?  No problem.

 

 

First session's up and the ZX-10 Mark arranged for us (his personal bike!) was sporting tires with 10 track days on them.  We were somewhat shocked, but figured this would be the perfect opportunity to sample the tires at the end of their life. Derek spent most of the day on the imposing '10 and eventually found their limit just after lunch as the tires finally dropped off.  Here's what they looked like to start the day.

 

 

After the first few sessions, a ZX6R (636) showed up sporting Ohlins cartridges in the forks and a stock rear shock, and we were informed this would be another option for us to try.  The bike featured the ContiRaceAttack Competition (DOT) tires with a few track days on them, but showed plenty of life left.  I hopped on this to get acquainted with the track.  The 636 would soon become the bike of choice for Denno and me as we instantly felt at home on the bike, the tires, and as the day wore on... the challenging Buttonwillow track.

Initial impressions discussed between Degsy and me proved we got the same feelings from very different bikes, running different type of tires, at different stages of wear.... the front tire has loads of grip and feels like a stiffer version of the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa, whereas the rear tire (not lacking for grip either, but both biks were also fitted with "Endurance" compound tires, the hardest offering) felt quite similar to a Dunlop rear, stiff but with good grip and confidence inspiring feedback. 

We experienced absolutely zero squirm or pogoing from the back of either bike despite Buttonwillow's bumpy surface.

Session after session we spun laps... eventually a '98 CBR 900RR was fitted with fresh slicks and Dennis gave it a spin.. and fell in love with it's wheelie happy nature. 

Buttonwillow Day 1 from Boston Moto on Vimeo.

We took turns on the used slicks, semi-used DOT's, and fresh slicks getting more comfortable with each lap.  Reflecting on the day mid-afternoon, Denno couldn't recall a single instance where the tires gave the slightest wiggle.  

That's about where we left off, leaving the track after a day of riding many bikes, and sampling both DOT and Slick offerings... the only "negative" we've been able to find arose when the ZX-10 and 900RR were each fitted with fresh tires... these tires absolutely need to be "scuffed" in with care.  Preferably with the aid of tire warmers, it was a good 4 laps before we felt fully confident on the new rubber... not surprising given the tremendous wear properties we bore witness to.  

We're knackered but quite satisfied with the first day of the test.  Much, much more to come.  See you all tomorrow....

 

West Coast Tire Test - Finally!

Our bags are packed and we're ready to go... plane leaves in a little over 3 hours!

Throughout the course of this trip we'll be updating our Twitter (text) and Facebook (pics) accounts independently with all the latest from Buttonwillow.  And of course, we'll have a blog recap at the end of each day.  Thanks to Ted from Duncan Moto for hooking us up with a couple Vholdr video cameras to capture all the action!

Here's what we'll be studying on the flight....I wonder what the Ben Spies method would have to say about this track...? Whatever the animal, it looks like fun.

 

West Coast Conti Tire Test Update

As mentioned in our last installment, the Laguna Seca event was canceled due to inclement weather.  We will be heading to Buttonwillow Raceway this weekend to ride Sunday and Monday, but some locals got to take advantage of a different venue option found at the 11th hour by The Track Club's Mark Duncan.  Motorcycle USA were there and here are their first impressions of the ContiRaceAttack tires.  Click the image below for the story.

West Coast Continental Tire Test - Postponed!

Despite crossing fingers and wishing otherwise, weather is not cooperating for the 2-Day tire test at Laguna Seca.  Due to this and other factors beyond our control, it has been postponed... but all is not lost!  I'd like to say thanks to Mark from The Track Club for being so communicative and accommodating, unfortunately travel arrangements are never fun to change, but thanks to some lengthy discussions with Virgin America regarding flights... we're set for testing at the end of the month at Buttonwillow Raceway.  Unfortunately that means no corkscrew for us, but we're excited that we will still get a chance to check out the new ContiRaceAttack line of tires and report back on what we find.  As always, we'll keep the blog updated with all the latest news and developments!

I found some onboard video of this track and it looks like it will be a solid venue to get some testing done.... check it out for yourself!

Elite Memberships - Sold Out!

We would like to welcome the 2010 Boston Moto Elite Members!!  When first conceived, we weren't sure how popular this program would be... with the recent addition of the weekend dates to our schedule, the response has been overwhelming! 

Edit: Elite Memberships are now SOLD OUT!

 

We're looking forward to a great 2010 for all you Elite Members and we're doing everything we can to get you the Track Time - Period. you've come to expect, at an unbeatable price.

You've already seen the value of using your banked days for our August 14th and 15th weekend event, and if you haven't caught it... the Doug Polen 1-on-1 Rider's School is offering a $50 discount off their tuition to all BoMo Elite Members! 

 

 

Keep an eye out right here on the BoMo Blog for updates to the Elite Membership Program and more.

Want a track day without missing work? We now have two.

We have added 2 more days to our calendar at NHMS for this year, only this time... you won't need to check with your boss before signing up.

No you're not delirous, yes... pigs may in fact fly after all.  We have just booked the only WEEKEND 2 DAY Motorcycle Track Days at Loudon in 2010!

August 14th and August 15th we'll be turning laps at NHMS, come and join us there!  We're going to try and make this special... beyond being a weekend, so stay tuned for updates on promotions, dealer partners, and other cool stuff for this very special 2-day track event.... the only one at Loudon this year.

Registration for these weekend track days will be $249 per day.  For all you Boston Moto Elite Members (or those that were trying to find 5 days off from work to join!), YES YOU CAN USE A "BANKED" DAY and incur no additional cost.  

The quick math for those who have waited to sign up for Elite Membership, sign up now and save $150 (BM Elite Membership = $175 per day over your 5 days) over regular registration when you ride both days of this weekend event!  Best of all you'll have three more days to use throughout 2010!

Now you can enjoy Track Time - Period. without missing work!

 

Track Tires - What's Next? ContiRaceAttack Test!

Many have heard that Boston Moto will no longer be the Pirelli race tire vendor for the Loudon Road Racing Series for 2010.  While this was not our plans for 2010, a silver lining has presented itself.  There has been much attention being paid to the new-for-the- US ContiRaceAttack line of tires.. and it's got us a bit intrigued. 

First approached in 2009, we were intrigued by a new-to-market tire brand and began to do some digging into what the new ContiRaceAttack lineup was receiving for early reviews.  We scoured the internet for feedback, including developments on the WERA boards and elsewhere... and were unable to find a single negative review regarding the performance of the tires.

After this positive initial impression... we were curious to try them for ourselves.  Even more so, it would be better to have the opinion of a trusted top-shelf local club racer... the trouble is... there aren't a whole lot of chances to test tires before the riding season starts up in New Hampshire. 

So we turned to the West Coast distributor, SuperBike Tires to try and get some feedback.  I called up Mark who runs the show on the West Coast and found out he's also involved with The Track Club, a track day provider in California.

After more than an hour on the phone, Mark (who is also a Dunlop vendor and former Pirelli vendor) had me convinced we needed to try these tires ourselves and generously suggeste we come try them on for size.

 

We were excited, and wanted to find out more.  Next up I called Victor Pena from Next Level Motorsports who began carrying Contis in the South East CCS Region towards the end of 2009.

Victor again, echoed the positive feedback of the tires, reaffirming that the ContiRaceAttack offers the grip of a Pirelli tire, with the durability of a Dunlop while providing durability nearly double its nearest competitor...

Thanks Victor and Mark for your insight.  Feedback from vendors carrying multiple brands with real world experience working with club-level riders and track day junkies is invaluable.  

We heard vendors' experience and have seen actual rider reveiws from the horse's mouth and well, we're beginning to see a trend here.  Here's some of that feedback from the racers themselves (courtesy: Next Level Motorsports), and click the banner below for Tom Vosnick's reveiw.

So are we convinced yet?  Not entirely... but we are very curious, and excited to get some track time on ContiRaceAttacks before the start of the 2010 season... and we'll be doing just that in 2 weeks, joining several moto-journalists at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA for a 2-Day Tire Test where we'll push ourselves, and these new tires to the limit.

The best part, the 2-day event won't just be our chance to try out the new ContiRace Attack's... we're hoping to bring  a multi-class LRRS expert champion along for the test...

Stay tuned.