Wow...what a great weekend at Monti. Absolutlely perfect weather! Huge thanks to all the Novice riders on Sunday. You were a great bunch and the improvement I saw as the day progressed was nothing less than remarkable. Hope to see a bunch o' you at the Full Monti on Oct. 11th.... And thanks too to all the Rider Coaches who I saw taking lots of time working with folks after sessions and in the afternoon. And thanks for being (mostly!) on time!!! Good day...good times!!! Dave
Best Monti's yet! Great job of keeping on the clock despite a few incidents... pretty amazing considering the capacity crowds both days. Can't wait for the Full Monti! Jim B GSXR 600 #99
+1 What a great couple of days. Anyone else a little sore? Tons of fun working with the advanced guys on Sunday and even more fun working with the Novice group on Monday. You guys rocked. (and I WILL be bumping a couple of you to intermediate the next time I see you... you know who you are )
+∞! I had a great time at monticello this weekend and it was awesome hanging with the BoMo crew. I hope to make it t the Full Monti next month!
Love Monticello! Weather was perfect. A few things though. Event was way overbooked! 50-60+ people in each group!? There was a constant freight train of riders and big difference between fastest and slowest riders. (crash truck out way too much) What is the limit for amount of riders per group? I have run the course with and without the bus stop on the back straight and I think it is safer without it. The chicane is blind and hard to judge where to start braking (leaned over in the kink).....plus people tend to overshoot straight in the path of people turning in. Creates a hazard and bottleneck. Without the chicane, braking point is clear and done straight up. Not a problem. Leaving the track was a nightmare! Many people throwing up an arm last minute on the right side of the track then crossing the line to exit. Exactly what we are told NOT to do! Did I mention too many people?
+1 There was a coach that was out of control as well. He almost took me and 2-3 other riders out...not good!!!
I coached in all 3 groups on Sunday and Intermediate and Advanced on Monday. While we certainly had quite a few people in attendance on both days, I was able to find open track to ride with the students I was coaching, no matter the group. For some reason, y'all seem to want to ride together in a big pack and nobody is willing to pit in and go out in a clear spot. :?
Guys... Thanks for the feedback. Sometimes an organization can be a victum of their own success! I know that Dave and Kevin look at these posts and are always trying to tweek the program. As far as the control rider riding out of control...did you have the chance to talk to David? Do we know who it was? We could come up with all sorts of explanations about why it seemed that way but, bottom line, if you were made uncomfortable by something a staff member of STT did, we really want to know... Hope to see you at the full monti next month!!!
After the session a few of us went up to another coach and described the whole incident and also described the coach who was out of control.
John as this is your first post I am not sure if you are being helpful or just promoting the other club that does not run the chicane on the back straight. I spent the entire day working grid (I was the guy in the cowboy hat) I can tell you the track capacity was not full in any group. In fact he 66 course can hold even more riders safely. While standing on grid I did observe riders bunching together in large groups but I also saw large breaks where there where no riders on the front straight for long periods of time followed by riders riding almost alone. Riders rush the grid with all their buddies in tow then wonder why there are so many riders on track when a single rider will wait and pick his spot to enter what seems like a empty track. We ran 20 min groups. Other clubs run 15 but we feel 20 min is better. Many riders had a good time this past weekend and I hope you were one of them, if not send the event director a email so he can address it as well as put a name to a face. k
Had an awesome time on Sunday. North CCW was amazing. It looked really packed before we were released onto the track, but once out there, it didn't seem like there were that many people.
I am not promoting any other organization. (I ride 3 others) STT runs a great day, very organized and I will be back for sure. I hope it didn't come across as negative at all. Constructive criticism should be welcomed. My personal preference is not to run the back chicane...others may like it. BTW, what is max capacity for each group? See you on the 11th for the full Monti!
A Novice rider's point of view... I rode Sunday's North course CCW. I had a good time and the track was a blast. I found the instructors approachable, friendly, and very helpful. With that said, I do have to say that it did appear to be chaotic out there at times. And that it was very crowded. This is coming from my limited experience of riding a few track days with the Southern division. It looked like pre-gridding was optional, with most riders crowding up at track entrance. This had two negative effects: 1) riders first out on the track would be coming around by the time the rest of the gaggle hit the track. 2) if a rider wanted to pit in to wait for a clear track, it was hard to make it through the crowd to get back on. Mind you, I'm an inexperienced Novice with only a handful of days under my belt, so my opinions might not matter. I would prefer, though, to see a little more control established over the event (maybe it's my military background talking). I did see several non-riders encroaching on the hot pit area...climbing on or over the wall. I do indeed plan to attend more STT events (both Eastern and Southern)...and I'm hoping to squeeze in the October date at MMC. Thanks for listening...hope I didn't offend anyone. See you out there...hopefully soon. Brad