Posted by Scott Lian on Wed, Sep 01, 2010 @ 12:03 PM
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."
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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!
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 Thu, Jul 22, 2010 @ 01:52 PM
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!
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 Wed, Feb 17, 2010 @ 10:13 AM
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.
Posted by Scott Lian on Sun, Feb 14, 2010 @ 09:24 AM
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!
