I searched and couldn't find a answer. would be the closest and best track to do my first track day at. i live in east Tennessee. im currently in the pain in the rear process of getting a suit but when i do im wanting to get off the street and onto the track. can anyone point me in the right direction.
East TN? Road Atlanta, Barber Motorsports Park, Talladega GP , National Corvette Museum, JenningsGP, NOLA Motorsports Park, Roebling Road Raceway, Carolina Motorsports Park, Pittsburgh International Race Complex, New Jersey Motorsports Park, NCBIKE,Putnam Park Road Course, etc. The closer ones are going to be NCM, Barber, Tally, and Road Atlanta.
IMO.. NCM in Kentucky would be the closest. Nice track, only ran it once. My last track day. Ever make to Indy, yell. Normally have a spare room. Suit,, what size, might have one if the person who wanted it doesn't show up.
Depends on what part of East TN...because you can go from Knoxville straight to Birmingham and be at Barber in about 2.5 hours. Best track in the South btw...
I live in West Knox. Here are approximate travel times. I put this list together when I was in your shoes looking for tracks near me. I've only been to VIR and have dates scheduled (cancelled) for NCM and Barber. I may have missed some tracks. NCM - 3 hrs 15 minutes Barber - 3 hrs 30 minutes Talladega - 3 hrs 30 minutes Road Atlanta - 3 hrs 45 minutes CMP - 5 hrs VIR - 5 hrs 30 minutes Putnam - 6 hrs Roebling Road - 6 hrs 30 minutes Summit - 6 hrs 45 minutes NCBike - 7 hrs Jennings GP - 7 hrs 15 minutes Autobahn - 8 hrs 15 minutes Pitt Race - 8hrs 15 minutes Gingerman - 8 hrs 30 minutes Grattan - 9 hrs 30 minutes
Barber and Tally are both awesome tracks and they love Michelin tires!!! Sportbike Tire Service currently have some awesome deals on Michelin tires---give us a call at 734-210-8859. Stay healthy and be safe!
Highly recommend Barber, and Tally as well. Barber is cream of the crop, you won't regret going there, I assure you.
Thanks for the locations. I just got My suit gloves and boots. Just need to buy tires and wait for this covid stuff to be over with and I’ll be able to attend. I think I’ll shoot for barber. Seems to be a favorite for first time track day attenders
Any advice. I’m not a fast on the street rider. Just thinking of attending makes me excited and fearful. I’ve never pushed the limits of a tire. I thought about finding a large parking lot and practice proper body position and switching from a left turn to a right. Would it be best to wait and lear it on the track or try in a lot.
I am a newbie as well, having only done a weekend at VIR so take this with a grain of salt. But here are my suggestions. First and foremost, this is for fun so have fun! And be safe not only for yourself but for those other folks on the track with you. The rules are there to aid in everyone's safety. 1. Ask questions of the CR's (or instructors if there are classes). 2. Ask the CR's to give you pointers. They will show you the line and then observe you during the day. Keep asking! 3. Take your time and work on those things that are being pointed out to you. Whether it's throttle control, braking points, turn in, whatever. Slow down to go fast! 4. Don't try to be fast immediately. There are a ton of things to master. You are going to be nervous. Let fast come naturally. 5. You are going to be nervous. Let it all soak in. 6. There are a ton of things to learn and perfect. You will not learn it all nor will you come close to perfecting everything. Focus on the big things that the CR's and instructors point out to you. Get better at those. I was so nervous on the first day. I couldn't sleep the night before and had a ton of questions. The track venue I used was awesome and the instructors were great (Jake Zemke was one of the guest instructors!). As I got over my nerves, I realized how much I didn't know about riding fast on the track. It is very different from the street. Putting all of the things together is so difficult and while I may understand how it works, making all the parts fit together is so hard. And while focusing on one thing you forget about the other ten you are supposed to be doing. Have fun, learn lots, rinse and repeat. Edited to add: If you have good tires on, you should not be pushing their limits. Most tires today can handle so much more than what us mere mortals are doing. Unless we make a mistake and then that is not the tires fault.
Is there anything you wish you would of took the first that you overlooked. I planned on taking just lots of drinks, my pop up tent and chairs, some food and a fan or two.
Since I posted here I have been to a few more tracks. Currently, I have run Barber, VIR, Putnam, and NCM. VIR, Barber, and NCM are top-notch and offer cool courses with Barber being the most well kept with great pavement. All of them are challenging and offer loads of fun. Putnam is a fast course with clean site lines. But technically not on par with the other three. Short and fast. I am planning on Grattan in mid-July. What do you folks think of Grattan compared to say NCM or the other tracks I've listed here?
Sorry, I just saw this post and you are spot on. I was lucky because I went to VIR with some friends and seasoned track guys. All I had to do was show up and they hooked me up. Here are the things I think that will make a day trip excellent. 1. A cooler full of water, Gatorade, watermelon (or your choice of fruit), a couple of power bars (I also had a few candy bars), beef jerky. This is just so you can keep hydrated and get some energy. The jerky was great to tame my stomach down a bit and added sodium. 2. Shade/chairs. Before my weekend at Barber I bought a 12'x12' canopy. It is a lifesaver. 3. Bring some tape, tools, etc to take care of little things that may pop up. I did not tape over my wheel weights after changing/balancing tires and didn't have duct tape. The tech guys were great though and hooked me up! 4. Plan for power if you need it for air compressors, tire warmers, fans etc. I will start bringing my RV to weekend events so it'll be thrown in there.