random photos/report of my trackday.

[pantablo]

Well, I thought I would share this with everyone. I wrote this at a friends request (and also to submit this on another forum for a possible free trackday). It chronicles my first trackday back after my 10/20/05 crash at the track that left me with a broken collarbone. Enjoy.



First Trackday (after the crash)
Streets of Willow, Rosamond CA
March 24, 2006



It's a feeling familiar to many of you, I'm sure. The feeling of anxious energy you get when you're gridded up on the hot pit, waiting to be released for your first time on the track. Only this time it's not my first time. It's my first time since I crashed and broke my collarbone back in October. It's March already. That anxious feeling is compounded on my first few laps with a full group of 25 trying to get around the Streets of Willow course for the first session of the morning on cold tires and a cold track. I can't get my groove going at all. I don't feel the love at all. I don't feel I'm getting along with the track and actually start to think, by the end of the session, that I'll be packing it up by lunchtime. I've been on this track before and got on fine with it but not today. Sometimes that happens and you have to just pack it up and move on.



Stranger still that I had these same feelings the first street ride since the crash, back in January. It wasn't as intense then as it is now though because I knew the street ride wasn't going to necessarily be fast. But here at the track there was the pretense that I was here to go fast, as fast as I dared. On the street those feelings went away almost immediately.



I decide to give it a second session and it was more of the same only this time I finished the session and my arms were shaking and I felt empty like I needed food. Well, I had been sick all of the week leading up to this so there was another reason I just wasn't going to get on today. It also didn't help that I spun up the rear tire several times this session, including one that had the bike move away from me enough to lift me from the pegs and seat. 



I started to feel depressed and disappointed.  Riding on the track is one of the most pure emotional experiences for me, one where my mind focuses on nothing else. People have Yoga, meditation, whatever. This was my meditation, the way I could calm my mind, and it wasn't giving it to me. Even the company of most of my closest riding buddies wasn't helping. I decided to give it one more session and I would pack it up after lunch. I didn't feel there was any other thing to do.



During lunch I talked to a new rider on a gs500. He and I had corresponded by email from one of the boards. I was sharing some tips with him at his urging and we also discussed the GS. Funny how it works that the teacher learns something from the pupil (so to speak). I realized some things I had been doing wrong all morning. The traffic was forcing me to focus on slower riders in front of me instead of up track so it all seemed so fast and a bit out of control.  I checked my tire pressure and it was high so I lowered it. I started to be conscious about relaxing my grip, my body and my mind, which I hadn't been doing at all. I realized I had been riding tensed up.



Next session and I'm finally starting to get my groove on. I feel I'm learning the track again. T4 is different and I finally realize how much faster I can go through it with a different line. T2 was much better too when I committed to a later turn in. Finally I felt I was focusing on my riding, on my lines and on my mental health.



I spent the last 3 sessions really mixing it up with one of my good riding buddies who is very close to me in ability (but better). It was all making sense now. Looking far up track was slowing it all down and I could focus on my body position, my line. I was starting to relax. I was starting to enjoy myself and feel like the rider I was before the crash.



The last session of the day was by far my best. It was one of my all-time best as well, in terms of sheer enjoyment.  My friend and I had the biggest dogfight going on you would have thought it was for a trophy. The traffic had mostly cleared so we often had clear track, or at least clear decisive passes. I felt as fast as I had ever been. I came off at the end and was drenched in sweat from the effort of keeping in front of my friend and keeping my pace at 10/10ths. Its good to feel I'm back in the game mentally. I didn't think the crash would affect me in such a way but how could I have anticipated that?



Here's a picture a friend took around lunch and a video of the third or second to last session. In the video, my friend and I are dicing it up. He's on his Bandit 1200 and can really hustle that around. Me on my 600rr.





Video:

http://media.putfile.com/streets-32406-pablo-and-greg



photo:
skidpad


T2, 180d sharp hairpin.


T2, on exit


skidpad (last corner into front straight)

[RVertigo]

You're an inspiration Pablo.  I think I'm gonna read this again before I try to ride 2-up a second time... 

[pantablo]

thanks. btw-the gs rider I talked to is 'Leo' from this board.

[kidcoma]

Cool report Pabs. Glad you were able to find your groove by the end of the day.

[un1261]

He is back in the saddle again!!!

Glad you got your groove back...I'm in the anticipation stage. Trackday= 24 hours and counting down.

[pantablo]

you're gonna love it!


look at the focus in my eyes! I'm already looking to the end of the front straight to T1.

[Jake D]

How do you like your new helmet?  You look like Captain America in that thing. 

[pantablo]

the Arai Signet GTR is a fantastic helmet. I love it. Captain America, hadnt thought of that. I just liked that it was a nice graphic and it cost me less than the black Arai Signet GT it replaced.

[roguegeek]

You are my hero Pablo!

[pantablo]