A Weekend Running the Track

I spent this past weekend in Munford, Alabama, riding the Talladega Grand Prix racing track with N2 Track Days. I've been a member with them for the 2-3 years, and they put on excellent track day events across the east. This weekend would be no different.
I had not done a track day since July 2013, and had never done an entire weekend. I was both excited and a little anxious. I knew I would learn a lot from the N2 people, and the riding would be thrilling, but I also knew the dangers involved in this sport. I didn't want to "go down", didn't want to damage man nor machine. Still, the anticipation of riding my cycle on a race track at speed outweighed the fears.
Several of our CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Assn.) KneeBenders chapter came over Friday night for the event. Jonathan, our president, actually an N2 regional director, was here, as was Monte, his wife Lynn, and Test, who had not registered to ride, but spent the weekend with us in the paddock. We set up our camping sites, got the bikes and CMA tents situated, then prepared for a fun, fast weekend on two wheels.
Saturday morning began with registration, tech inspection, then a preliminary, mandatory rider's meeting. The event director, John Cook, went over track rules, meanings of the different flags, and hand signals of the corner monitors and control riders. Introducing the control riders, he explained their roles on the track during sessions. They served as coaches, referees, and guides. Riders are divided into three categories- Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice (my group). The novice riders attended another meeting, while the other two groups prepared to ride.
My friend Jonathan was the assistant event director, and he led us in the novice meetings and on the track. Another friend of mine, Brian Morris, is now a control rider as well, and took me and a couple others on to coach during the event. I learned so much from him over the weekend, his one-on-one coaching and mentoring was invaluable.

Our first sessions on the track were slower and well-supervised Saturday morning. As the day progressed, the control riders gave more tips on our riding techniques, by leading us around the track, pointing out race lines, braking/downshifting zones, and often following behind us, observing our ever-improving riding abilities. I could write a separate blog post on the techniques I learned from Brian, over both days. N2 control riders have to be among the best coaches I've ever had in rider training schools.
We rode seven 20-minute sessions Saturday, and I was spent that night. A nice shower, some late night fellowship and ministry (see my other blog), and I was off to bed. Sunday brought new riders for the day, another round of tech inspection and riders' meetings, then back on the track. We had two a.m. sessions, followed by an 11am "quiet time" in which CMA held a Bible study for anyone who wanted to attend.
Bikes and riders were back on the track by noon for another set of five afternoon sessions. Under Brian's coaching, as well as a couple other CRs (Quentin & Samir), my speeds kept coming up, my body positions improved across the bike, and my lean angles in the corners got deeper. I never "dragged a knee" as they like to call it, but judging from some photos (not this one), I got close!

Rain set in mid-afternoon, so after three post-lunch sessions, I called it quits, and began to pack up. Some stayed, and rode their final sessions in the rain for the experience. I was exhausted, yet satisfied, so Test, Monte & Lynn, and myself decided to head east for home. Jonathan had to stay to help break down N2's equipment. Lynn had ridden all the way over on her Ninja 250, but we convinced her to let me tow her bike home with mine. We all hit the road, with worn-out bodies, grit-covered bikes, and smiles on our faces. Many new skills, improved others, deepened confidence- a weekend well worth the expense and time. I'll definitely "pinch pennies" and try to do another weekend with N2 in the near future.
I believe every rider should.

2 Days with 2 Friends

I spent a Friday and Saturday riding the mountains of North Georgia and North Carolina with two old friends from my youth, Lyle Branton and Jimmy Jimmerson. We live in three of the four corners of Atlanta- Lyle lives on the southside in the hometown of us all, Fayetteville, while Jimmy lives on the top end, in Alpharetta, and we live out east, in Dacula. We met up toward Jimmy, at a little Mexican eatery, then rode north.
Our travels first took us up to the Georgia/North Carolina border town of Hiawassee, where Jimmy's family owns a mountain cottage we would spend the night at. We took the long way around, to and through Helen, on up mountain roads into town and up the mountain (literally) to the cabin. After dropping our gear, we took off for a ride over to Dillard, where an annual Barbeque cook-off and Bluegrass festival was kicking off for the weekend. We wandered around, sampled a little of the local fare in BBQ and "pickin' & grinnin'" before hopping back on the bikes and making our way back to Hiawassee by dark.
We stayed up into the night, talking, laughing, reminiscing together. Anytime I can get with these guys is time well-spent. Lyle and I have been best friends since we were both 12 years old, and I befriended Jimmy at church in my 10th grade year. After high school, I introduced them to each other, and they in turn became fast friends over the years as well. We've been there for each other's life events over the decades, be it marriages, childbirths, adoptions, family crises, career changes, child graduations. I've heard it said that if you go through life with a couple of close friends, you've done well. That is certainly true of the three of us. Many friends have come and gone in each of our lives, but the bonds we share have stood the test of time. "A cord of three strands is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

We were up early Saturday, cleaned up the place and hit the road, tackling the fantastic twisties and sweepers found throughout the hills of North Georgia and North Carolina. The guys had to stop in for some more BBQ at the festival in Dillard, and we found ourselves judging in the cook-off for the "People's Choice Awards"! That made for a fun, rather filling, afternoon, with more foot-stomping Bluegrass ringing in our ears. We took to the roads again, into North Carolina toward Otto, Scaly Mountain, and back into Georgia through Rabun, Mountain City, and Clayton, before making our way south to our homes again. A few hundred miles, many memories made with good friends.
Proverbs 17:17