Moto-Brian

Hey man, no problem. Trust me, people take a lot of stuff out of context and I know first hand. I never get butt hurt over the internet. But, the part that sits best is when someone says something like you just did explaining. Goes a long ways and gets my respect so, thank you. Judgement calls are something that can be right or wrong. But, they need made and I tried to take things in consideration. Just didn't seem to make sense... Hated leaving on a down type note, but I felt that we had a successful day for the most part and hopefully everyone went home satisfied. It was a long and HOT day and I think a lot of people were beat. I know I over worked myself a tad and didn't prepare as well as I should have prior. I took a 12 hour long nap when I got home!!

I appreciate it. I probably don't do as much as I should and ride maybe too much. But, if the Intermediate class stuff helps, it is my way of giving back. There is a great and easy balance of free track time and still helping via coaching, instructing, classroom, etc. I firmly believe that since all are volunteers, they deserve free play time. But, the customer comes first.

The girls take it up to the office and sort and organize. I have the tally report with people's names and related to the number we assign on the decal. So, if the guys say it is Advanced #21, I know to look on the advanced sheet and under the 21st signup and know who it is. I get the paperwork... It's always at the track. Just at the front office at the top where the gate is... The flight wasn't delayed at all. That's why I was blitzing through the paddock in the safety truck up to the office. They had it sorted and took maybe a whole 2-3 minutes. They (flight) weren't waiting on me in any way. We knew Life Flight was coming and i started the process...

Hahahaha!! How about free lunch for anyone signed up?

I know I'll get flamed for commenting on something I am not a part of. But, two things... One, qualifying should NEVER be a part of crediting points. Some qualify well while others race well. Qualifying should be used to seperate riders. If needing to split grids up, use qualifying as a way to do that and run two races. Double points is great and allows the event to accomodate larger entry amounts and accomodate different ability levels. Second, flat track form in supermoto on these small bikes is fine. I don't think it is the fastest way around, but we used to have road racer style in bug supermoto and it was fine. Bottom line is the rider. Doesn't matter the style. If you are locked in on the rider and distracted by his foot, you need to focus on your racing and looking ahead. If he is riding like an idiot from what has been said, doesn't matter if he rides like a supermoto rider, a road racer, an MX rider or a damn Circus Clown. If he rides well, it isn't an issue the way he rides. If he rides like shit and is being too aggressive, don't blame it on the style - blame it on the rider. As for the deal with corner workers, they are volunteers usually. And for the most part, they see cars and big bikes on the big track. Corner workers are like the EMT staff at the track. They put up with the heat, sun, rain, cold, assholes, etc. If they need some education, fine. But don't slam them - educate them. Easy. The club sounds like it needs some direction. I know that when I have spoken up, the response was to bring things up end of year. That's insane. Organizations will make rule changes and adjust policy at any point within a season if it makes sense and helps out as a whole. To have to wait until end of the year, you easily could burn bridges with potential new sign-ups after one race. Taking what I am reading here, if there aren't things changed immediately, they will remember the last event and potentially pass on doing any more. Just like racing, you are only as good as your last performance. That's all I got.

Thank you very much for the help. I was a little scattered as these types of things cause me some flash backs and I was a little frazzled...

It was VERY serious. Rider complained his back was very sore and he was struggling to breathe. Mid-Ohio made the call to Life Flight as I think was the best choice. We had a lot of confusion as I had to get a few pieces of important paperwork that was located at the top office - Medflight needed copies. Any time someone is injured like that, they take it uber serious. Which is a great thing as it also can be looked at as piece of mind for when someone crashes that Mid-Ohio has some really awesome emergency staff on hand. When loading him, he was moving his feet and was a little loopy as he wasn't answering every question. Probably a mild concussion (I hate to guess as I am not a doctor or trained to understand those things). But, all in all, it was handled very professionally and timely. Also, I have seen people die at the track and the bike easily could have been ridden away. The bike itself didn't look bad, but I believe that it either struck him or he was hit by another rider...

The reason for the cancellation which was my decision was based on a couple of factors. One, Life Flight lifted with about 30 minutes to go. So, by the time we'd do any calls, the Novice Group would have been the only group to ride that last hour. Second, with what happened in that group, I just felt it wasn't the best thing to do and that shutting it down made best sense. Yes, everyone got a shortened event by one session, but at the end of the day I made a call that I felt made sense. The instructors all agreed from whom I asked and since it involved the Novice group, we felt it was the best choice.

Guys- You can show (Suggest early like 2:30-ish and see if there are any walk ups available. They are first come, first served. I know several guys doing so...

lemme know. I can bring down almost anytime. if you want both, i will make it work.

3.504- I can meet easily. I am due to Comp next week...

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

He should be. But for tires, Woodard will be there to do tires and swaps...

Link- I apologize for not catching the sarcasm and not directed towards Andy. Please understand that we all go out of our way to help. I hope we can meet and enjoy this sport together. Rhill - the plan is for an intermediate classroom For sure this time! Come on over! This is for anyone novice to advanced.

Not even close to a correct assesment of the newer generation KTMs. Post 2006-2007, they are solid and do not have the issues that plagued them before. As for the 450, there are several versions and simply saying a 450, doesn't give us an idea of what it is. You mentioned dual sport/enduro. That would be an XCF or XCF-W version. An SXF version will not make a great dual sport/enduro to some. The XCF is essentially the same as an SXF version but with different suspension and tank. The XCF-W has a different internal gearing and suspension also. Enduro, think XCF-W. GNCC, think XCF or even SXF if you are really good. Also depends on the year. The newest 450 versions post 2011 are the ones you want. The pre dated ones are a tad heavier and less power. But, very solid and VERY dependable. I had three 450s through the period of being with KTM and I can say with complete honesty that they are definately the best off road machine you can buy. As for the SX/MX versions, if you buy the newest generation 450 SXF, it is arguably the top choice for that application as well. Prior to 2011, they were a little bit behind, but had the strongest motors. Just lacked the ability until they introduced the linkage...

Not sure why there is a need for name calling here and especially after Aforrest4's comments that you are responding to. Novice riders and beginning Intermediate riders are not ready for passing as structured by the rules in a Twilight. They tend to get spooked, tend to not hold lines very well and tend to be very unpredictible. it doesn't mean they suck, doesn't mean they aren't good riders. This is a generalized statement. Therefore, the safety aspect is what is being considered and why you need at least 3 Intermediate events under your belt. Are there guys with one event that are more than ready? Sure! Are there some with 5 events that still are not ready? Certainly. Heck, there are some Advanced riders that aren't ready. The point is there has to be some sort of metrics that we measure by and these cover those. If you feel you will be fine, feel you can fall into the idea of being very predictible, consisitant, and comfortable, then come out. Just understand that you may get some coach to pull you aside and want to work with you to improve. If that happens, they see something that may potentially be a risk or something they can help you with to be a better rider. And that is what trackdays are intended to be for. It is simply to become better riders and increase one's ability. No need to call names, no need to slander coaches. Aforrest4's comments have been nothing short of PC than anyone else's. And, he has been accurate in his accounts and comments. Please respect him for providing assistance and for being out there to help others. That's what it is all about.

Next, KTM Suomy. I advertised this earlier. This was worn to try on. That's it. It's like new. Get a sticker and cover the KTM and get a damn solid Suomy Vandal for next to nothing. Asking $125 SIZE MD SHIFT Jacket. SIZE 44/54 or Large as noted on jacket Asking $150 Comes with an interior liner that removes and is quilted. One of my all time favorites. Fits great. Details: -1.2-1.4mm premium grain leather -Articulated aggressive race design for superior comfort -KorMax stretch aramid panels for flexibility and abrasion resistance -Leather accordion panels in key flex areas for unrestricted movement -Full-length and short connection zippers for attachment to compatible Shift pants -Removable/washable quilted full-sleeve liner -Custom ergonomic zipper pulls and snaps for ease of use -Semi-auto lock zippers in forearms to retain strength and closure in the event of a crash -Perforated neoprene panels inset within collar for greater comfort and flexibility -Ballistic nylon panel inset within the front base of the jacket to allow it to fold for the rider when in the articulated attack position -Removable CE approved shoulder and elbow armor -Integrated memory foam back padding for added protection -Reflective piping for added visibility -Integrated pocket for a back protector

Arai is sold!

Awesome and exactly as stated. A majority feel the way the staff you interacted with do. This is why everyone should come. Understand the guidelines and understand the rules. If you feel you fit? COME OUT AND PLAY! If you feel unsure? Sign up and come up so we can help you over the hump. Or, PM me and I will give you my number to discuss. Simple as that. We have open arms and welcome everyone. Even Novice riders to come and hang and see what it is all about. We do not accept Novice and 1st time Intermediate riders for the safety issue, but I am sure you can all agree that it is due to the issues I explained and not all about the lap time...

Come to our track days. It's a hoot. Rusty's comments are out of line and are not the norm with us all. We are here to help and these are track days. If Rusty thinks more and more slower guys come and have not made it fun, he is being arrogant and really has no business out there. This is a fun day and a fun time. What is really cool is that you do get to ride with faster riders and potentially learn a bit. These comments that have been made worry me and even the director. Trust me when I say that we welcome everyone. Yes, we have some rules and guidelines. But they are totally acceptable and easy to understand. The issue here is that you are correct when saying it has been painted to be more and more of an "A" group and that is not true. These have always included the Intermediate guys and that's what is so cool. Are there issues out there each track day? Yes. Is there issues in the groups during a normal track day? Yes. No matter what, there is going to be someone that feels they wasted their time because they didn't get clean laps or get race practice. For those guys? They call it WERA. CCS. ASRA. AMA. That's where you can run as fast as you want and do whatever you need to in order to get your aggression out. This is a track day and managed as such. We want to help. There is nothing more awesome to me when I can take a guy and show him some secrets or the proper line and he is amped to see his lap times drop and increase his comfort level because he is running the most efficient line around the track. That's what "COACHES/INSTRUCTORS" are out there for. The ones that say to stay home? Find someone else to help you out. It will be much more rewarding and more in line with the perception and management of the PTR events and the staff involved.

6' rule in Intermediate and 3' in Advanced. Typical of every track day company out there. Inside passes and the like allowed in Advanced. If people complain, it is usually because they are not used to it. But, if an instructor says it was close, it probably was. Point is this. If you are well educated, have decent ability and can be patient, you can pass when possible cleanly. WERA race practice is exactly that. RACE practice. These are track days. Plenty of top shelf AMA guys at our track days and they do just fine.

This isn't correct again, Rusty. There are plenty of motard riders out there that I know would probably give you a threat. The status of that motard and that rider is what we use to evaluate. A blanket "NO" is not correct. It is a tough call. A 450 just isn't going to have the top speed, but we had a Hypermotard only running a buck-twenty and he was running faster than most. So, the answer is to call and ask or to ask here in a PM to me and I will talk to Todd. I can promise that I can run my Hypermotard almost as fast as you can run that well prepped racebike. Does that mean you should bump down to Intermediate? Please stop on here and let's have the guys show and we can discuss. Or if they do not want to waste the time of travel, PM me offline and I will discuss. I will give you my phone number and we can talk. There are plenty of "motards" out there that can handle it.

That's a tougher call. The difference in speeds makes it tough. At that stage, it is a deal where I would suggest that you give at least 6' on both sides everywhere around the track. Don't apex the kink for example on the back straight. Stay in the middle. The issue is closing speeds and even for advanced riders, that can be tough if such a high differential. I have seen PLENTY of motards out there for these events. Twilights are more geared to Intermediate riders with experienced than Advanced riders. As mention by OSU, we have plenty of slower than 1:45 in Advanced. But, they are smooth, capable and predictable. That's what we need. I cannot be passing a guy that is making three apexes out of the Keyhole for example... That would constitute a potential move down. Also consider this. You may be slower and EVEN A LITTLE IN CONSISTENT. But, if a coach sees this and instead of blasting you and yelling at you, but takes you out and works with you and you get consistent, guess what? You were ready and just needed a little help. Bottom line is this. If you feel you may be on the edge in YOUR MIND, come anyways. Then, make it a point to get with a coach and we will help you out. Simple. You aren't going to learn anything all alone and on your own. Yes, we all start somewhere. But it is the people along the way that help that make us better or not. COME UP TO THE TWILIGHT!!!

No. No you will not. Come play and come by and see me. I will be the #10 Ducati 1199. I will help in any way I can. We all start somewhere and some of us (Even coaches) aren't as fast as we tell others to be. This is a very bad thread and not representative of the event. Please come. But, do consider the ability to be smooth, consistent and predictable. Be honest and be fair. Leave the ego behind and just make sure that you are not a first time Intermediate rider and have a few under your belt. The idea is that we need those things for everyone's safety. Trust me when I say it is a challenge at EVERY track day. But if you self evaluate, I am sure you will be fine. Come play!

Rusty - please refrain from discussing this situation and scaring customers. This is insane. The first level novices may break the 1:50s. BUT, I can promise they cannot do it consistently and in traffic. I as a part time race director will promise anyone on here that they will NOT be sent home unless you are erratic, inconsistent and unpredictable. Come see me or Todd Snyder if concerns or you have a coach hammering you on this. Now, if the fact is that you are any of these issues other than speed, yes. We may send you home or ask you to pull out and we will discuss refund if applicable. DO NOT USE A LAP TIME AS A MEASURING STICK. We evaluate in terms of ability and progress as a rider. An average Advanced rider is riding at 1:38-:40-ish pace. 1:47-1:50 is fine if you can be these things I describe. Remember - as an advanced rider, you should have the ability to pass safely even slower riders. Now, you enter Advanced and run 1:49s or 1:47s, we may bump you down to Intermediate in the regular days that we run. And, the comment of ruining faster riders' track days is pure snob and will not be tolerated. This is a track day. Not race practice. I have yet to have a track day ruined by a slower pack of riders. Reason being is I am capable of passing them and moving along.