Posted by Scott Lian on Wed, Aug 11, 2010 @ 04:15 PM
This weekend marks the first time in [my] memory that will see motorcycles take to the track at NHMS on a weekend in a fun, track day environment. Spots are nearly full and the entire weekend is shaping up to be something no one in attendance will soon forget. Rob's Dyno will be on-site for all your tuning needs, and Doug Polen's 1-on-1 School will be shaving seconds off students' personal best laptimes. I'd been waiting all year to ride with Doug, only to see this opportunity pass me by. So there's at least one more spot available, and last I heard there were a few on each day.
If you are looking to lower your laptimes at Loudon, there is no better way we could think of than the Polen 1-on-1 School... regardless of your current level of riding.
There are only 6 spots available today so head to gopolen.com and register now!
See you all on Friday night for one helluva couple of days at the track!
Posted by Scott Lian on Mon, May 24, 2010 @ 10:34 AM
Just a quick update, the forecast is calling for sun and temps in the 80s and 90s both days! Here's a quick list of last minute things in case you forget:
- Water / Gatorade
- Bananas, fruit or other snacks
- Sunblock
- EZ UP / Canopy / Shade
- Folding Chair
- A few pairs of underwear / t-shirts / socks
- Sunglasses / hat
- Energy to ride all day!
Also, we just got off the phone with the Polen 1-on-1 School, they have ONE spot available tomorrow (Tuesday) and 5 spots available on Wednesday.
There are also regular spots available BOTH days, if you haven't signed up yet... save $25 off day-of pricing by signing up now!
Do NOT miss out on the chance to ride with former WSBK and AMA champ Doug Polen!!
Read all about it by clicking here. We'll see you at the track!!
Posted by Scott Lian on Fri, Apr 30, 2010 @ 10:43 AM
The ContiRaceAttack Trackday Experience, Hypersport Trackday Experience and Sport Trackday Experiences have been extended for our May 25th and 26th dates.
Also for May 25th and 26th, the Doug Polen 1-on-1 School will be with us at NHMS for your chance to ride with World and AMA Superbike Champ Doug Polen. After taking this course at VIR with Doug, we can't recommend it enough... especially at your home track!
*For clarification, to register for the 1-on-1 Riders' School you must register for your track day with Boston Moto, and for the 1-on-1 School independently. The 1-on-1 School is working to update their schedule online, however they are 100% CONFIRMED to be with us in May!
Posted by Scott Lian on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 @ 01:18 PM
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!
Posted by Scott Lian on Fri, Feb 05, 2010 @ 09:15 PM
Last year we were fortunate enough to be joined at Virginia International Raceway by Doug Polen, former AMA Superbike Champion, 2-time WSBK champion, and 2-time World Endurance Champion... who now spends his days traveling the country with the Polen 1-on-1 Riding School.
We met Doug at Miller Motorsports Park for World Superbike Series' stop in Utah, and after talking for a bit found out that Doug and Brian Larrabure (Managing Director of the Polen 1-on-1 School) would be in Virginia around the same time we would be hosing a 3-day track event. Follow up conversations sorted the minor details and shortly there after we found ourselves at VIR watching the guys from the 1-on-1 school unload their gleaming red Ducatis.
Luckily, I was fortunate enough to get to ride on-track with Doug. I got my session with him on the South Course, a course I had never been to before. Within 2 laps (Doug observes from behind on your first flying lap), Doug came screaming by on the main straight and in my ear I hear "Ok, so get on the brakes softer and stay on them deeper... deeper... still on the brakes... ok now you're off and on the gas..." Then came turn 3, a very tricky turn where you come up over a hill (unloading the suspension) and dive back down in a mini-Laguna-esque corkscrew. "Stay on the brakes over the hill as you turn in.. see... it helps settle the front so the bike can turn..." Sure enough, a little pressure on the brakes up and over the hill as you turn left made the bike track unbelievably, and felt completlely solid. The entire morning I'd been afraid of this section, as it really feels like you're going to get some serious air time there and the last thing you're thinking of is front brake as you're leaning the bike in!
Turn after turn, lap after lap, Doug picked very obvious weak points in my riding around this particular course. Just the way your brain processes real time information makes worlds of difference, no matter how many times you tell yourself to do something in the pits, having his voice in your head in the very seconds approaching a particular turn or spot... is an unreal experience.
After my session (that was over far too quickly), I knew that this would be absolutely the best tools to lower my lap times at my home track in Loudon, NH. I assumed at the time, this would never happen... what are the chances Doug and Brian would be up near us?
Fast forward to December of 2009, I receive a call from Brian and he mentions they will be up in the area to run the1-on-1 school with Sportbike Track Time at Monticello in Upstate New York, in late May. A quick glance at our track calendar shows a two day event at NHMS on May 25-26th, and Brian says "so we'll see you there?"
I could barely contain my excitement at the opportunity to have Doug show me the finer points around my home track, a place I've ridden for nearly 10 years, and know I still have vast areas for improvement.
It would be an understatement to say we're extremely happy to have Doug and his 1-on-1 Rider's School joining Boston Moto at New Hampshire International Speedway on May 25th and 26th. If you have been waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime to get real-time instruction around our own Loudon circuit, now is the time.
Bear in mind the 1-on-1 School is limited to 6 riders per day, so a total of only 12 spots are available for these two days.
Here's the run-down of basic information:
Where? New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, NH
When? May 25th and 26th
Who? Boston Moto and Doug Polen's 1-on-1 Riding School
Cost? $199* track day entry plus $400* 1-on-1 School admission
(*Boston Moto Elite Members receive a $50 discount off 1-on-1 School admission and may use one of your banked days!!)
How do I signup?
Register with Boston Moto by clicking on either date here: May 25th or May 26th
Signup for the 1-on-1 School by calling 888.376.5361 or 818.717.8180
Note: Dates have not been posted to the 1-on-1 School's website yet, but will be soon... act now to reserve your spot!