My thoughts on Putnam today

[cbrjess0815]

Ok, here is my write up for the trackday I did with NESBA for the first time today.

Well as most of you know, I won the free trackday that Mello could not attend. After waking up late(which of course meant arriving late), I made mytrek up to Putnam yet again this week. I got there for the 2nd half of the riders meeting. The pits were packed and there was a very cool setup by NESBA. After registering I went and got my bike to take it to tech where I met a very cool control rider Matt G. He teched me and we agreed to out and lay some laps down. blah blah, ya know the drill, but everyone with the NESBA staff that I encountered today was exceptionally nice, helpful and overall very cool.

Well first session starts and I havent even unloaded anything so i just roll out on cold tires and cruise around the 1st lap, and as soon as hit the 2nd lap, instant red flag and the session is stright up OVER due to what looked like a funfilled pileup in either 2 or 4(I'm guessing 4 as its always crash central in the mornings for I) So I come back in and eat some Mcdonalds breakfast that my buddies went and picked up. I become friends with my neighbors who hopefully will sign up on here, they were very cool peeps. The novice group is out at this time and I hear red flag again, and look up to see a very pretty 08 CBR like mine rollin down pit lane demolished on the left side(turn 4 again). So I go check the bike out and he needs a rearset because his is just gone! I sell him stock one for $20 so he can get back out there on the track since he was there for both days and have made yet another friend! lol

I will say one thing, I have never met so many friendly people as I did today. Like, everybody is always nice at trackdays, but NESBA peeps are all pretty effing cool. It amazed me how some of them had never even heard of other organizations.

anyways, so 2nd session finally rolls around after more red flags, and I go out in I and start to get some speed up again, when suddenly I hit a wall o traffic. I mean 10 people all clumped together going like high 20's and low 30's. I wasnt kidding when I said I was gonna get lots of pasing practice today!! I was getting a lil frustrated with taht session but i just got off the track and got back on when it was clear. It never took long to catch up to a pack though..

Then novice goes out, and Jarvis is riding in novice so I send him out with "have fun" and all that blah, and go wandering. Next thing I know I see his bike brought down to the pits. He crashed in deadbear cuz he scared himself when he finally drug knee and sat up and ran off the track and dumped it pretty hard in the dirt. needs teh basics, a clipon, rearset, some TLC... but he did hurt his shoulder and would not have past the med exam to get back on the track even if we got his bike back together so he ended up packing his shit and rolling out. He did get refunded some since he crashed in the morning and nesba is going to let him redeem his free trackday next season since he didnt make it to the 2nd day.

Third session rolls along and its almost exactly like the 2nd with just lots of crashes and a few red flags.

The session after lunch really had me frustrated, I was very tired of trying to pass a bunch of riders like I was trying to deal with harleys or something. some people were being some major corner campers and their lines were astonishingly distastrous!!!

So after that I told Matt how i was feeling(I was considering loading the bike and just coming home) He said to wait til next session and we'd roll out together and go play. It seems I wasnt quite so crwded after the folowing session. Perhaps all the crashers had been weeded out, but Matt ended up helping me alot and I progressed quite a bit some new techniques and body positioning and the drive out of corners. oh and of course turn 7.. SOOOOO much help there!

All in all it wasnt a bad day.. the afternoon was great, the morning sucked. It would have been nice to work with matt right off the bat instead of dealing with traffic non stop, but im glad I didnt pack up and leave. Hopefully Matt signs up on here soon! He said he's got some pictures for me!!

Thanks NESBA for the free trackday! It was the perfect birthday present!

[Bucky Badger]

Ok, here is my write up for the trackday I did with NESBA for the first time today.

Well as most of you know, I won the free trackday that Mello could not attend. After waking up late(which of course meant arriving late), I made mytrek up to Putnam yet again this week. I got there for the 2nd half of the riders meeting. The pits were packed and there was a very cool setup by NESBA. After registering I went and got my bike to take it to tech where I met a very cool control rider Matt G. He teched me and we agreed to out and lay some laps down. blah blah, ya know the drill, but everyone with the NESBA staff that I encountered today was exceptionally nice, helpful and overall very cool.

Well first session starts and I havent even unloaded anything so i just roll out on cold tires and cruise around the 1st lap, and as soon as hit the 2nd lap, instant red flag and the session is stright up OVER due to what looked like a funfilled pileup in either 2 or 4(I'm guessing 4 as its always crash central in the mornings for I) So I come back in and eat some Mcdonalds breakfast that my buddies went and picked up. I become friends with my neighbors who hopefully will sign up on here, they were very cool peeps. The novice group is out at this time and I hear red flag again, and look up to see a very pretty 08 CBR like mine rollin down pit lane demolished on the left side(turn 4 again). So I go check the bike out and he needs a rearset because his is just gone! I sell him stock one for $20 so he can get back out there on the track since he was there for both days and have made yet another friend! lol

I will say one thing, I have never met so many friendly people as I did today. Like, everybody is always nice at trackdays, but NESBA peeps are all pretty effing cool. It amazed me how some of them had never even heard of other organizations.

anyways, so 2nd session finally rolls around after more red flags, and I go out in I and start to get some speed up again, when suddenly I hit a wall o traffic. I mean 10 people all clumped together going like high 20's and low 30's. I wasnt kidding when I said I was gonna get lots of pasing practice today!! I was getting a lil frustrated with taht session but i just got off the track and got back on when it was clear. It never took long to catch up to a pack though..

Then novice goes out, and Jarvis is riding in novice so I send him out with "have fun" and all that blah, and go wandering. Next thing I know I see his bike brought down to the pits. He crashed in deadbear cuz he scared himself when he finally drug knee and sat up and ran off the track and dumped it pretty hard in the dirt. needs teh basics, a clipon, rearset, some TLC... but he did hurt his shoulder and would not have past the med exam to get back on the track even if we got his bike back together so he ended up packing his shit and rolling out. He did get refunded some since he crashed in the morning and nesba is going to let him redeem his free trackday next season since he didnt make it to the 2nd day.

Third session rolls along and its almost exactly like the 2nd with just lots of crashes and a few red flags.

The session after lunch really had me frustrated, I was very tired of trying to pass a bunch of riders like I was trying to deal with harleys or something. some people were being some major corner campers and their lines were astonishingly distastrous!!!

So after that I told Matt how i was feeling(I was considering loading the bike and just coming home) He said to wait til next session and we'd roll out together and go play. It seems I wasnt quite so crwded after the folowing session. Perhaps all the crashers had been weeded out, but Matt ended up helping me alot and I progressed quite a bit some new techniques and body positioning and the drive out of corners. oh and of course turn 7.. SOOOOO much help there!

All in all it wasnt a bad day.. the afternoon was great, the morning sucked. It would have been nice to work with matt right off the bat instead of dealing with traffic non stop, but im glad I didnt pack up and leave. Hopefully Matt signs up on here soon! He said he's got some pictures for me!!

Thanks NESBA for the free trackday! It was the perfect birthday present!

Jess,

It was a pleasure meeting you today...I wish I would have had a little more time to chat with you. I could really tell you were frustrated by the traffic and really wanted to have you do a run with the Intermediate Captain because it seemed as though you were right there as far as pace goes.

I too was amazed at all the bikes hitting the dirt today...it always seems that at the end of the season that people are trying to push beyond to get that "fast time" or "move to the next level"...either way...not much fun for everyone.

Thanks again for coming out and I certainly appreciate the kind words regarding how friendly and helpful NESBA is....I also wondered if you got an opportunity to go up and watch the Advanced group roll around?

Stay safe in Basic training....and THANK YOU for serving our country!

[cbrjess0815]

It was a good time for sure.. I did watch A for a lil bit. I dont usually stray far from my pits at trackdays though. They all looked like they were running a high pace! Maybe next time I can join them I wish I could have stayed for the 2nd day but I'll just have to wait for next season!

Have a good day tomoro! Hopefully you'll stay dry!

[madcat6183]

Sounds interesting, and a good writeup with some insight.

GLad you made it safe and hope Jarvis heals quickly and his bike doesnt take as long as mine has to get back on the track!

[Kyle Hunter]

I figured you would run in A. Like you told me we've been to that track enough times that it shouldn't be a problem.

[MidgetTodd]

agreed, my first time with nesba and first time at putnam as well .... good time , good people. brian and fred great guys they go out of thier way to help and good control riders too , the girl CR on the pink honda with the pink mohawk DAMN fast and cute Im in love .alot of crashes but no major injury so its all good the only prob I had was with putnam and had nothing to do with nesba but everytime someone was off the track they threw the red and stoped everything , a lil overboard when the track is completely clear and rider is up walking around with thumbs in the air

but great day thanks brian and fred and if you guys do midohio or some other ohio tracks next season Ill deff join up

[Moto-Brian]

agreed, my first time with nesba and first time at putnam as well .... good time , good people. brian and fred great guys they go out of thier way to help and good control riders too , the girl CR on the pink honda with the pink mohawk DAMN fast and cute Im in love .alot of crashes but no major injury so its all good the only prob I had was with putnam and had nothing to do with nesba but everytime someone was off the track they threw the red and stoped everything , a lil overboard when the track is completely clear and rider is up walking around with thumbs in the air

but great day thanks brian and fred and if you guys do midohio or some other ohio tracks next season Ill deff join up

Putnam's policy is throw a red flag anytime a bike rolls off the race surface. Has to do with some deaths that have occured with bikes and them being overly safe... Will never change and even though it sucks, I see why and understand completely...

[Mr Anderson]

Sounds like fun. Can't wait for trackdays.

[ninjachk08]

great job jess!

[jbot]

sounds like you guys had fun! i want to get to putnam one of these days... might have to since i'm not going to midohio anymore (won't get to play with the good people of STT if I did... also, no trailer lolz)

hope everyone is ok that crashed... there were a few crashes at grattan over the weekend as well, but only a couple people were bad off enough to not be able to finish their day.

[rusty]

Putnam's policy is throw a red flag anytime a bike rolls off the race surface. Has to do with some deaths that have occured with bikes and them being overly safe... Will never change and even though it sucks, I see why and understand completely...

not true.i ride last monday with stt at putnam,and they not throw red flag if the rider is ok ,and the bike is in safe place.nesba i more strict,like they not allow pass inside in I level, thats sucks,but control riders can?they have few slow riders in I level ,but not that bad as stt have.monday with stt i was in A,and with nesba I ,but the speed was same,wish i can pass inside .the A level was flying,my friend brian run 1:16 lap.

[MattKatz]

SOunds like you had fun overall.

I have now put a clause in my 600RR FS....I am going to try to find myself a Track bike as well....I think I will have a lot more fun out on a controlled course than I do on the srteet.

Time for a new hobby.

[Moto-Brian]

not true.i ride last monday with stt at putnam,and they not throw red flag if the rider is ok ,and the bike is in safe place.nesba i more strict,like they not allow pass inside in I level, thats sucks,but control riders can?they have few slow riders in I level ,but not that bad as stt have.monday with stt i was in A,and with nesba I ,but the speed was same,wish i can pass inside .the A level was flying,my friend brian run 1:16 lap.

It isn't due to NESBA being more strict... Trust me. It's a Putnam policy and typically, if a bike goes off the track surface and crashes (handlebar to the ground), it causes a red flag...

Even in the races held there...