It's been a dream of mine for several years to (1) own a sport bike, (2) ride it on the track at Road Atlanta, and (3) "hit the ton", i.e. go over 100 mph. I can now say I have done all three. I'd like to say "check- done that", but I want to do it again!
At the encouragement of my friends Jonathan Landwer and Brian Morris, I joined NESBA, the North East Sport Bike Assn, and signed up for one of their track days at Road Atlanta. In preparation, I bought all the appropriate gear, got the Triumph tuned up, and began to study the track via YouTube videos. By Saturday morning, I knew that track like my own street.
I had registered in the "novice" group, having never done a track day before, and being a recent sport bike rider. Upon arrival, the weather, which had been rainy all week, closed in again, and poured as soon as I pulled into the paddock area. "Great," I was thinking, "maybe I shouldn't have come." I did not want my first track day to be run in the rain, on a wet track. I grew anxious, somewhat afraid.
Jonathan arrived, as did Brian, and as we all got our bikes and gear situated, the rain began to subside. By the time the morning rider meetings were held, the sun began to break through, and soon, the track was drying enough to ride on. The advanced group went out, followed 30 minutes later by the intermediate group, then finally, my group. Each group had a 20-25 minute session on the track, and my group had several NESBA control riders mixed in, to insure we were okay and riding safely.
As the novice group left the starting area and began to loop around the track, my anxiety was replaced by focus. With each subsequent lap, and each subsequent session on the track, I gained confidence, increased my speeds, and took corners sharper and quicker. I was by no means as fast as most others, even in my group, but I was improving my skills, growing in comfort and confidence, and flat-out having fun. On the back straight, I broke 100 mph on every lap, and topped out at 122 mph by the end of the day. The bike was capable of much more, but for my first time out, that was plenty for me. Maybe 150 next time???
For a guy who underwent spinal neck surgery six weeks ago, I felt pretty good. I wore a neck brace every time I went out, just in case, and several riders and NESBA officials commended me on riding so soon after my procedure. One control rider even called me "Iron Man." Well, I do have a metal plate in my neck...
What a blast it was! I certainly am hooked on speed, in a controlled environment like that. Its hard to describe what hitting triple digits in mph feels like, but its addicting. That's a "bucket list item" I want to check off again, in the near future. Thanks to NESBA and my friends Brian and Jonathan for a memorable day.
