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Shameless plug for KTM Race Orange Events at Mid-Ohio...


Moto-Brian
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  • 3 weeks later...
Looks like 8/10 and 9/27 were added to the schedule.

7/21 Novice and 7/25 Intermediate is sold out.

If it winds up being as much fun as I think it will, I might be willing to have another go on 9/27.

If you do decide to try for the 25th, let me know and maybe we can meet up in Lodi and carpool or something.

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If it winds up being as much fun as I think it will, I might be willing to have another go on 9/27.

If you do decide to try for the 25th, let me know and maybe we can meet up in Lodi and carpool or something.

I'm shooting for two days myself...time and weather permitting.

I'll let you know.

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  • 4 weeks later...

That was one of the most fun days of my entire life.

This event was run extremely well by both Mid-Ohio and the guys from KTM. They had everything ready to go at all times, and kept a very good schedule, with everyone getting 6 20 minute sessions. At first I didn't think that sounded like much, but with my newbness and the extreme heat it wound up being a perfect mix of learning and skill-execution.

The instructors were very helpful, particularly in addressing concerns with specific corners, and the Novice class time was a nice overview of body positioning and on-track skills to practice. We wound up having something like a 1:3 ratio of instructors to students in Novice, so I was able to get some good feedback on my riding and my line selection.

The track is incredible. Smooth and flowing, but with some fairly technical sections as well. T8 especially was just so much fun to crank it over and carry some speed through there. I didn't feel even slightly comfortable the first couple of sessions, but by the third I had relaxed and started to get the hang of the layout. By the last session I felt really good, and had an absolute blast pushing a little bit later in the day.

The RC8R is the real deal - absolutely one of the best bikes I've ever ridden. The biggest compliment that I can give it is that after 2 sessions I was completely comfortable on the bike, and I really didn't think about it the rest of the day. It simply took my (clumsy) inputs and did exactly what I wanted, when I wanted. I will seriously consider an RC8 the next time I'm looking for a bike.

Again, I can't say enough nice things about both Mid-Ohio and all the KTM folks, especially Brian. If you're thinking about signing up for a trackday but are a little apprehensive about taking your bike or not getting enough instruction, this was a great introduction, and I'm definitely planning on coming back.

  • Upvote 1
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I just signed up for August 31 date. I'll be in the novice class. I only live a half hour from the track and have been to Mid-Ohio many times. I can't believe I'm going to finally get to ride the track, on a RC8R! I'm stoked!

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From the site it looks like you can sign up for Novice, Intermediate, or Advanced. What are the guidlines for picking a class?
My understanding is that your class depends on how much track time you have. I have none so I'm in Novice.

Exactly... Have you ever been on a track? If no, I would strongly advice novice.. If yes, what group were you in? Were you in Novice? How was that pace? Were you bored or were you overwhelmed? If you were bored jump up to Intermediate.. If it was perfect or you felt overwhelmed, stay in novice!

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Exactly... Have you ever been on a track? If no, I would strongly advice novice.. If yes, what group were you in? Were you in Novice? How was that pace? Were you bored or were you overwhelmed? If you were bored jump up to Intermediate.. If it was perfect or you felt overwhelmed, stay in novice!

This.

They allowed people to adjust what group they were in after the first couple of sessions based on thier individual pace and comfort level. There were also sub-groups within each session based on 2~3 riders pace level. I was very comfortable in the middle-quick novice group, and had a good chance to push myself a little bit in the later sessions.

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I've considered doing a track day for a while, but I'm not interested on prepping my bike for a track day. If I do one it would be something like these KTM days.

Can anyone tell me the difference in the instruction between Novice & Intermediate? How novice is novice?

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Never been on a track you belong in novice.

Having ridden with Tpoppa several times I believe he is fast enough to ride in intermediate but starting there for your first track day is not advisable. Unless you can get your own personal riding coach for your time in intermediate. I don't think anyone should be left alone to ride at will their first time on a track, even if you are allowed to pick a group your first time I would highly recommend novice for your first time.

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I don't think anyone should be left alone to ride at will their first time on a track, even if you are allowed to pick a group your first time I would highly recommend novice for your first time.

Is that the difference between Novice and Int?

Do you follow instructors around the track in Novice, and ride your own pace in Int?

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Brian,

How do you setup the 1:1? Is that just part of the class?

This video is from the Mid Ohio site...I just watched the first 3 min. Is this pace typical for the Novice group?

Just pick an instructor and ask for some help. That's what they are there for.

As for the video, not really sure. The deal is that even though you may be an accomplished street rider, taking the novice class is ideal as it teaches a few things that are important for track riding. Remember one important thing - street riders develop some seriously bad habits when street riding. Track requires some changes and some insight into those habits and how to avoid them any longer. That's why riding track days helps become a better street rider than vice versa...

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Is that the difference between Novice and Int?

Do you follow instructors around the track in Novice, and ride your own pace in Int?

Also having ridden with you, I'll echo UP's sentiments in that you could probably match the pace of the intermediate group, but I would definitely agree with Brian that it was quite a bit different than riding on the street.

I found the real difference between track and road was that it is a different skillset, with different things to think about. Even in Novice I was riding quite a bit faster than I ever have on the street by the 3rd session, just because I knew exactly what was around the next corner, and had no concerns about street stuff. This type of riding was much more about getting good body positioning, finding the right line, and working on being very smooth and keeping good consistent throttle through the corners.

By the end of the day in Novice (last 3 sessions) the instructors were moving aside and allowing individuals in the sub groups to lead and set the pace. By the last session I was out by myself and riding at a (for me) quick and comfortable pace, and most importantly I was having a blast.

Even if I were to do a second day (which I will) I would still sign up for Novice, I would probably just put myself with one of the faster Novice groups.

Regardless, if you try it and are bored in Novice, I'm sure they would have no issues moving you up after a session or two.

Edited by Hailwood
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From the track days I did i think it was three novice track days before moving up to intermediate. the class room stuff gets redundant but it allows you to move through the groups up to the fastest one before making the jump also talk with the instructors they will tell you if you are ready or not.. if I remember correctly they tend to wait till after lunch to move people up if its really needed otherwise they do like hailwood said and just let you go..

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