Courtesy photoSpring Mountain Motorsports Park in Pahrump, NV.
It’s been almost a year since you’ve purchased that shiny new sport bike, and, along the way, you’ve had your share of scares. However, you also feel you’ve learned quite a bit as well. But what’s the next step? Are you content to just rip around on our local roads and continue to take unnecessary chances with your safety, as well as the safety of others?
There is nothing else on the road an average person can buy that accelerates, handles, or brakes like a modern day sport bike. The speeds these bikes are capable of are nothing short of unbelievable, but where can you go to enjoy these speeds and awesome handling characteristics without fear of a speeding ticket? Where can you go to safely explore the limits of the bike and improve your riding at the same time without worrying about someone pulling out in front of you? There’s only one place you can go without any of those worries — The racetrack.
Track days are an awesome experience and a great way to both explore the limits of your bike and improve your overall riding skills in the safest possible environment. Not to mention the increased confidence you’ll have in both your riding ability and your bike’s capabilities when you transfer those skills back to street riding.
Track days are a lot of things, but one thing they’re definitely not is a race. For most people who don’t know any better, when they hear the words “track day,” they immediately think “racing.” At first glance, it may look that way to someone attending his or her first track day as a rider or spectator, but that’s not what’s going on. There is absolutely nothing at stake at a track day.
There is no first place, second place, last place or placing of any kind for that matter. There is no obligation or incentive to do something you’re not capable of or comfortable doing. It’s simply an event that allows you to work on better braking techniques, cornering techniques, body positioning, throttle control or whatever you feel needs improvement without the worry of cross traffic or hefty fines from the local cops — there just happens to be no speed limit.
I’ve heard lots of explanations as to why a person chooses to not do a track day, and the number one excuse is the cost. While a track day definitely isn’t considered “cheap,” it’s not quite as expensive as some may think when you consider the alternative consequences if you were to ride this way on public roads. A typical track day cost anywhere from $140-$300 depending on the day of the week and the track location.
In Las Vegas, we have the luxury of having a racetrack, as well as one in Pahrump just over an hour away. There are also at least two in southern California, one in Utah and at least one in the Phoenix area so the options are out there. So come on out, have some fun, and learn a little something along the way because it may just save your life one day. See you at the track!
