Last Track Day of the Season Approaching Fast!

Wednesday September 29th will be our season-ending trackday event and surely not one to be missed.  This event sold out last year and we're anticipating the same for this year as sign ups have been rolling in.  Don't miss out on this final hurrah for the 2010 Boston Moto season at NHMS, where all the details of 2011 will be unveiled!  We'll see you at Loudon in a few weeks! 

2011 Boston Moto Elite Track Day Membership Info Posted!

Due to overwhelming demand for additional Elite membership availability, we have posted initial details for the 2011 Elite Membership Program on our website (click here).  We have taken input from long conversations with current and prospective members and have come up with "The Evolution of Track Time," our best effort at providing everyone with affordable, flexible, rain-guarantee protected, maximum track time.

Next year will include track days at the best tracks on the East Coast, flexible "tiered" membership options, and as you have all come to expect, the absolute most... "Track Time - Period."

Members from 2010 have first opportunity to renew for 2011, and additional spots are LIMITED.  When they are gone, they're gone.  Don't miss your chance to become an Elite member... and have your say on our schedule for 2011 heard! 

 

RIP - Peter Lenz

The road racing and motorcycle community lost a bright young star this past weekend when 13 year old up-and-coming USGPRU star Peter Lenz passed away from injuries sustained during the USGPRU MotoGP support race. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lenz family. A memorial fund has been established in his honor, you can learn more by clicking on the image below. Rest in Peace Peter.

 

August Weekend Track Days Update

Registrations have been coming in a few per day steadily, a quick look in the shop showed there are only a handful of spots available per group.  This event will be completely booked very soon, don't miss out!!! 

Also to add to the excitement.. Rob's Dyno Service (robsdyno.com) will be in the pits at NHMS August 14th and 15th for Boston Moto's weekend track days.  For those looking for a dyno tune, Rob has offered a $25 discount on mapping services ($175 - Simple Map / PCIII, $275 - Advanced Map / Bazzaz, Ducati) during the event.  Pre-registration is strongly encouraged!  If there's enough interest a dyno-shootout is also in the works, RSVP or register for your map by emailing rob@robsdyno.com!

2010 Loudon Classic Wrap Up!

Congratulations to Scotty Greenwood who rode to an impressive win in the 87th Loudon Classic on Sunday.  You certainly have earned it Scott!

TeamConti was well-represented throughout the weekend, securing numerous top four finishes to lay claim to the Continental contingency payouts that are up for grabs in every race, every class, regardless of grid size. 

Top earner again - Ryan Nolin #178 took three more top four finishes (including another win!) and was able to run successive races on a soft-compound rear tire without tearing suffered in earlier rounds, a result of getting his rear shock dialed in by Peter Kates of GMD Computrack. 

Jason Markham #336 took home an hard fought 5th place in Supertwins, missing out on the 4th spot after stretching his ContiRaceAttack Slick rear tire through three weekends of racing (taking two wins in the process) and a full day of testing... all aboard his hulking RC-51 superbike.  While this demonstrates the longevity offered by Continental tires that's creating a buzz through the paddock, Jason admitted after the race his strategy should have included a new rear tire in between morning practices. He conceded "One of the things I like most about the ContiRaceAttack tires are their smooth and linear feedback.  Even once the tire went off and the bike started to move around, I was able to comfortably finish off the race.  I just wish I had a fresh tire on so I could have pushed even harder." 

 

We'd like to congratulate ALL racers who took part in the 87th Annual Loudon Classic, and we're looking forward to Round 5 of the Loudon Road Racing Series.  Especially July 13-14th where we'll be at the track Tuesday and Wednesday, offering FREE test and tune on ContiRaceAttacks for those who are curious how the Contis stack up.

May 25th and 26th NHMS Track Day Update

Quick reminder: Both days are filling up fast, and there's only one week left for early registration pricing.

Don't forget, Doug Polen's 1-on-1 School will be there, only 6 spots per day (12 total). Last we I checked, about half - 3/4 of the spots were full.  Registration requirements are below, you MUST register for the track day and the Polen school separately:

1) Register for your track day at the BoMo Shop here
2) Register for the 1-on-1 School through their website here

Spring Rubber and Track Time Special!

After a long, painful winter's wait for spring... the 2010 track day season is just around the corner!  To celebrate, we're offering the following rubber and track time specials for the 2010 opening event at NHMS on April 27th and 28th.  

 

 

Race Tires:

ContiRaceAttack Competition Set + Track Day - $450 (Click to Order)

Available in 120, 160, 180 and 190 section sizes.

Street Tires:

 

 Multiple popular brands of street tires available for these packages! 

Track Day Experience - Hypersport Street - $475 (Click to Order)

Track Day Experience - Sport Street - $500 (Click to Order)

Available in most popular sizes, size availability varies by tire choice.

Qualifying Street Tires:

Hypersport: Bridgestone Battlax BT-003, Continental ContiRaceAttack Street, Dunlop Sportmax Q2, Metzeler Sportec M3, Michelin Power Pure, Pirelli Diablo Rosso

Sport: Bridgestone Battlax BT-021;, Continental ContiSportAttack, ContiRoadAttack, ContiMotion and ContiForce; Metzeler Roadtec Z6 Interact, Michelin Pilot Road 2; Pirelli Diablo Strada

 

Full Line of Continental Street Tires Now Available!

With the arrival of the ContiRaceAttack Competition and Slick line of tires, we saw a hole for the track day enthusiast looking for a capable track day tire that could also serve as a high performing (and longer wearing) street and track tire.  We are extremely pleased to announce that we will be offering the full line of Continental race AND street tires!

You've all heard about our ContiRaceAttack Competition tire thoughts... but for those of you looking for one tire to serve your street and track needs, the following options are now available by special order.  Unlike the race and track only offerings from Continental, the street tires have been available in the U.S. for quite some time, garnering a reputation for incredible grip and longevity.  Beginning with the RaceAttack Street through the ContiMotion, the tires below are listed in descending order of grip and wear characteristics (The RaceAttack Street is a hypersport street tire offering maximum grip for street and track day use, while the ContiMotion is a sport touring tire offering grip and increased longevity and wet weather peformance).

Street tires are by Special Order Only!  Allow 2 weeks for processing.

ContiRaceAttack Street (Starting at $296 per set)

 

ContiSportAttack (Starting at $320 per set)

ContiRoadAttack (Starting at $320 per set)

ContiMotion Sport Touring (Starting at $190 per set)

Other options include the specially designed Super Motard ContiForce SM tire, offering increased cold weather performance, quick warm up times, at an incredible value.

ContiForce Supermoto (Starting at $278 per set)

 

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!

West Coast Conti Tire Test - Day 2

If you've been following us and are interested in the Continental RaceAttack line of track tires, come and see what the fuss is about at any of our NHMS Track Days. 

 

 

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!