Most Embarrassing Moment at the Track

Welp, guess mine isnt as great but ill play:

Im still fairly new to riding motorcycles, about 1 year and 7 months in now.
On my 3rd track day to Jennings, I decided to add some funny stuff to my bike and helmet(Ricky Bobby Quotes: "If you aint first Youre Last" on my bikes windshield and "Shake and Bake" on the back of my helmet).
It looked like I needed new tires but was low on funding at the time and was being cheap, so I bought a pair of tires from a friend, old tires that were hardened.

Well after the first couple laps of the first session of the day, I pushed it a little too much out of a turn and my bike washed out.

The guy with the "IF you Aint First youre Last" on the front windshield screwed up, who would have thought.

Broke a clip on and a rear set.

CR asks if I want him to see if anyone has spare parts, but I just couldnt Even...
I felt like an asshat with the stickers on my stuff lol

 

ive got a few embarrassing stories but most of them were from riding street. but, this past december at jennings i topped off my oil in my R6.I put my oil cap back on but didnt saftey wire it. first lap the cap came off. the session got red flagged bc of me but i was completly unaware. i went straight to the pits instead of rolling through hot pit. when i hoped off the bike, my leathers and bike was soaked with oil on the right side. not to mention i sprayed a few guys that got stuck behind me out on the track. lol lesson learned

 

I remember that; I thought your safety wire broke, though?

 

This thread is worth reviving. I'll add mine:

My first-ever track day was at Grattan in 2013, early in my second season of riding motorcycles. I was so nervous, climbing on my old Z1000 that Saturday in my ill-fitting second-hand leathers. I crashed out the first session of the day, during the "ride the edges of the track" drill - grossly misjudged the apex of the Bowl, but stayed leaned over, and went off on the inside of the corner. Tried to ride it out and get back on the track, but there's a pretty good lip on the asphalt there and I dumped the bike at about 30 mph trying to climb the front wheel back onto the track. On a positive note, this might make me the only person in history ever to lowside on the right side of the bike on the inside of a left-hander.

The bike was fine and passed tech inspection again, but I had sprained my left wrist so badly I couldn't pull the clutch lever. My weekend was over. I was so humiliated I haven't done a track day since.

But this season I'm coming back! Wish me luck.

 

^^^ Grattan event is coming... a little over two weeks until your chance at redemption!

-Tom

 

LTyson..... Where are you? Still in turn 5 at Barber?

 

Last session of A, last day at Barber 2013 (October): I had been chasing Tiller all day (who is half my age and is now clearly faster) trying to put a pass on him so I could talk smack all winter, but was being unsucessful. On the back straight, with the checkered showing, he checks up and I quickly pass him, stand up and pat my ass at him - with my right hand - and totally blow the brake marker and run off the inside of the the next turn...laughing the entire time in my gopro that's on my helmet...hold the bike up and make it back on the track without crashing...it was epic...

Note to self: Pat ass with left hand in future....

I did something similar at NOLA (without the asspat) trying to stay in front of Trevor at the bus stop and completely skipped the next turn in 2014....

 

You have the video?!? Upload it ASAP!

It was even better that I went right back by as he was trying not eat grass :lmao:

 

Novice "DOH!" Moments

OH -- so many -- where to begin???

2014 was first season of track days (I'm in Novice) -- 1) on the North ACC course on a loaner bike on one of the dealer days -- coming into turn 5 thinking "my line is perfect" and start to roll on and... nothing! Roll on more and .... Nothing!!!! Realize in a nano second that I'm out of gas and (thankfully) remember the "get off the track safely and in a safe place" instructions. Roll into the grass thinking "Oh this was stupid!" -- but then saved from being the "red flag reason" when someone else went off in 6 a second later with a much more spectacular "off" to distract from me!

2) At ACC on North course in the late afternoon -- look over and see my coach throwing on his gear and getting on his bike. Thinking -- must not have heard the announcement! I get my stuff on and ride out to the grid -- Starter waves me out -- So far so good -- on my second lap on the straight going into turn 6 -- get passed by another rider -- he looks at me - does a double take -- and signals that I should exit the track! First thought -- "He's not the boss of me! Why should I exit?" Second thought "Oh man -- what if somethings leaking on the bike? -- Okay -- Exiting!". I come off and I'm just getting to my pit area -- The rider who signaled me to exit the track shows up -- Turns out it's one of the lead coaches -- Asks me why I'm out with the Advanced group??? Sigh..... :sorry:

3) Barber -- first time on track -- Freaking out on first approach to museum turn at Barber -- staying too far to the right -- realizing I'm going off into the grass -- deciding to ride it out and praying for no intersection at the bottom -- hanging off once I hit pavement to make sharp right onto track -- and.... We're back in action! Best moment -- Coach (who was behind me) later complimenting me on riding it out and not even reaching for the brakes! Now it's my favorite turn on the track! :thumb:

 

I go out with a riding buddy the night before a Grattan track day. Do a couple of shots (I never do shots) and feel like dog shit on track day.

Come into Turn 3 during one session and I am riding too close to the paint, probably on the paint. There is a burm of grass sticking up and my left knee hits the burm and throws my leg back so hard that my left foot breaks the left rear cowling off of my bike. I damn near flipped off the bike sideways.

That was the end of that track day. Haven't had a shot since....

 

#2 is my favorite! :lmao:

 

First track weekend at Grattan last season. Bike won't rev higher than 10.5-11K RPM. Get bumped into I just after lunch on Saturday. I have a top speed of 120 MPH on the front straight, no matter how much speed I carry out of 11/12, who I draft, whatever. I was getting passed by SuMo's on the straight. It was quite humbling.

As Tom S. put it, "THAT THING'S A DOGGGG!!!!"

My 75,000 mile 600RR finally had the fuel pump give up the ghost. New pump and she was good to go, but it was embarrassing having to explain being a rolling speed bump.

 

Novice "DOH!" Moments etc.

Yeah -- Should have seen both our faces! -- Me: "WHAT??? -- OMG I just ran out there because my coach from this morning suited up!" -- and "The starter never stopped me!" and -- "That explains why Johnny Sheff was next to me!" -- AND "....must have been doing okay since you were the only rider to pass me!"

That will probably be the only time I ride in the Advanced group!

 

I'm in I group and most of the times when I watch A group. There are always a few people out there who look slow and I think to myself, Im faster than that. I'm going to try it sometime this year and see if I'm right. I'll wait until one of the coaches suggests it though, Lol! I thought it was just plain funny that you made it out there!

 

I crashed at MSRH pit out shifting into 2nd. Hadn't even applied lean yet.

It was pouring down all day and I went out as soon as it lightened to just sprinkles. My belly pan collected water on the way to the track and that mixed with residual oil still in there. (I later found out my drain plug gasket had failed as well) The shift to 2nd sent all that water and oil right in the path of my rear tire. Stupid decisions from start to end... I did a lot of learning that day.

 

So just a thought here.

It may be that you are having trouble moving your ass off the seat because you feel like you're "disconnecting" from the bike. This happens when you stand up on the pegs too much to shift yourself over. Try the "knee to knee" technique. For example:

When you're coming up to a R hand turn and you are in the center of the seat, put both knees against the tank and use your R (inside knee) to push or slide yourself over so that your ass crack is over the edge of the seat. The L knee stays connected but once you shift your ass over you can just let the R knee fall out as you enter the corner.

Because you are using your inside knee to help push yourself over and off the seat, you don't need to stand up on the pegs as much while sliding over. This has the added benefit of increasing stability through the corner because you're not plopping up and down on the bike.

Now BEFORE you go to back to center (assuming you don't have another R turn ahead) return your R knee so that both knees are on the tank again (hence the term "knee to knee") and then slide your ass back, pushing with your L knee either back to center or off the other side for a L turn....etc.

This technique really helped me when I discovered it. I used to kind of plop up and then over and create a little wobble coming into corners. It may help you. LMK.

 

I guess my most embarrassing moment was last year at Barber, I was riding pretty well and the bike was performing perfectly. It was probably the 2nd or 3rd lap of the session everything was going along great, came out of turn 5 and as I was going into 7 I down shifted and the rear belt busted, (Buell 1125r has a rear belt instead of a chain) at first I did not know what happened, I thought the tranny had busted. I rolled off the track after turn 8 got off and saw that the belt was gone. I knew then I was going to hear it, everyone that drove around the track was going to see that belt lying there and know it was mine. Needless to say their was a bit of kibitzing in the paddock at my expense.

 

Mack, don't worry about it...even modern day tractors break down from time to time...:wheel:

 

A few years ago I made the switch to gp shift. Had 1 day to get used to it before I was taking learning curves and racing for the first time.

Came into the carousel a bit hot, went to downshift, let out the clutch and had zero engine braking. Went into panic mode thinking I hit a false neutral, grabbed the brakes, and started stomping on the shifter to downshift... Threw my hand up, and exited stage right partway into the carousel. Almost dump it hitting the grass. Coast up to the tire wall and the bike is still running... tried to get it into a neutral and couldn't find it... so I figured I had a mechanical failure.

Shut the bike off and am about to hop off when I see the gp shift note I had put on top of the tank... F!#@!!! I'm in 6th gear... rock the bike back and forth a couple times while shifting in the right direction... find neutral, start the bike, wave to the corner worker and jumped back on the track....