My second track day with Zoom Zoom at Sears Point ended with success. But the way it started did not make it seem like it would be a good day. When I showed up at the track at 7am sharp it was bitterly cold and dark. I couldn’t have known then that I would be the second person to even hit the track that morning. The A/B+ group was supposed to be first, they told us that they would “dry up the line”, but that’s not how it worked out. Me and the rest of the B-/C group headed to the hot pits upon hearing an announcement over the PA. Following an instructor and with other eager but concerned riders behind me I was thinking to myself, “so which of these damp patches is going to spell doom for us later?” After two sighting laps they black flagged us and we all came in without ever even attempting to get up to speed. The fog was not abating and it was hard to see from one corner to the next. We sat. We waited. We rubbed our hands together and peered out of our trucks and trailers at the sky to see if the Sun was going to burn through the Marine layer or not. As 11 O’clock crept closer finally there was hope. And when the sky was bright enough, the A/B+ group hit the track like a swarm of screaming bees. They got 15 minutes of fury and then it was our turn for 15. Imagine telling your children they can only go outside for 15 minutes of play after having been cooped up inside for hours. We all ran to corners and tried not to run over each other in the process. It was madness. The first session turned into a wad of bikes and riders all trying to pass each other at the same time. I was heartbroken that I could not work on the basic skills I needed to work on.
From there it turned into half hour sessions. We could see the sky clearing and with that the fear that each session would be the last one we got lessened. So the sessions turned into lap after lap of concentrated effort. No one was crashing and the only stoppage was a deer hopping around in turn 11a during the faster riders session. The advice about taking it easy on a cold track and cold tires seemed to have really sunk in with people. I tip toed through turn 2. But as the day went on, we turned it up. The A/B+ group seemed to attack the track as if it was responsible for the delay. My early disappointment dissipated like the fog and I forgot about everything but body position, braking, and what I most eagerly wanted to concentrate on, reference points. I rode until my legs burned. The combined B-/C group was allowed to pass both on the inside and the outside, which was new to me. I was passed a lot, but did some passing of my own.
In the end I was so excited to have had another day on the track that all of the mornings problems seemed like a vague annoyance that could be brushed off. I met some more cool people, rode as hard as I safely could, and got some real practice in. I couldn’t have done it without my friends Genelle and Michael loaning me a part at the last minute and they even stopped by the track to say “hi” to me and their other friends! I also got help from Rodney to unload the bike the next day (I did manage to load it all by my self this time!). It’s times like these when you just have to be thankful for having good people around you. Now I look forward to the 2009 season and taking each next step towards being faster, smarter, and better.
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