For my birthday, Lisa and the girls purchased me a track day at Road Atlanta, via N2 Track Days. I spent a whole day with a couple of friends, blasting around this world-class race track, at speeds I'd never attained before, on two wheels or four. It truly was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life, and I am writing an article about it for publication. Below is an excerpt from said article-
A friend asked me, regarding my track day at Road Atlanta recently, "What's it like to go that fast?" So I'll try to capture the experience with words-
"Exiting the top turn 7 from full lean, it's getting the bike upright as quickly as possible, then hard on the throttle, clicking up through the gears, winding to redline in each. 'Breaking the ton' is fun, but the further and faster above 100 mph, the greater the rush. By the left hand kink at turn 8, I'm already passing 125. Chin is on the tank, throttle is pinned wide open, and I'm wrapped around the bike, clinging for dear life. Approaching 135 mph, the windshield is buffeting, the whole bike is shaking, and the roar of the big triple is screaming in my ears, either in protest or for more. The wind sounds like a tornado around my helmet as the scenery flies by in a blur at 202 feet per second. As the downhill run doglegs right at turn 9, a quick speedo glance shows I'm running 138 mph. The noise is deafening, the sensations are coursing through my entire body like an electric current. Suddenly it's off the throttle, beginning to squeeze hard on the front binders, and downshifting as I enter the braking zone. Time to set up for 10A and 10B. The rest of the course is fantastic, but all I want to do is get back around to that long downhill stretch again.
Running at these speeds (and faster I'm sure) on a motorcycle is turbulent, is explosive, is violent. And I want more."
Yes, I do. I can't afford to do more than one or two of these each year, but I'll be pinching pennies in anticipation of the next time I can get to the track.
