On the fence for years

In short, I went on Sunday, rode 7 sessions, had lots of fun, got home safely, no damage, no issues. Will very likely be back again one day.

Generally, I think STT does a really great job of hosting these events. I have some background in track days with my car and there are certainly some similarities and differences. My impressions after 1 day, maybe it will help someone else that's on the fence.

1. First, a bit thank you to the STT staff (who are all super friendly and helpful), as well as the other attendees. It's easy (at car events, for example) for experienced riders to go about their business leaving new riders to figure things out on their own. I'm very happy to say that this is NOT the case with STT. At least 3-4 people surrounding me in the paddock went out of their way to help me with my bike, to ask how things were going, to give me small tips in places. By far, this community is much more receptive and helpful than most others I can think of.
2. It's helpful to setup and prepare your bike in advance. I rented a trailer from Uhaul, and borrowed a family member's car that had a hitch. I bought $30 worth of ratchet ropes to tie down the bike, again, in advance. I would definitely do this the day before the track day and allow plently of time. It was difficult for me to do this living downtown Chicago, but if you're in the suburbs or can spend a night in the suburbs, that helps. I wasn't really able to find much luck with carpooling or help with bike setup, though minimal setup is needed for Novice. All I did was tape lights / mirrors, remove license plate, and check tire pressure.
3. It's helpful to have your own leathers, though some can be borrowed day of from STT. That said, maybe I should have worn *long sleeve* compression shirt / pants to help get out of the suit more easily. I managed with my short sleeves though. No matter what you do, or what leathers you have, it WILL be HOT during the day. I kept them on all day except for the 1-1.5hr lunch break.
4. Especially for first time riders, show up early to the track. Get there when gates open. You still won't be first, but at least it will give you time not to rush through last minute details. There is always someone nearby that will help with trailering / unloading your bike.

Hopefully the above is what people need to help over the setup obstacles and actually show up to the event.

As for my experience ON THE TRACK:

1. I started in Novice, group 5. There were 4 of us total, 3 of whom had 0 prior track days and 1 that had 1 prior track day (he had ridden plenty of winding roads before, and seemed much better than us). Everyone in farther groups back (group 6+) seemed to be in similar shoes.
2. We started off with a "slow session", but to be honest I think it was faster than maybe I even wanted. I did not feel pressured to go out of my comfort zone though. I think I found that I was one of the slower riders there, at least through my first 3-4 sessions for sure. First 2 sessions we followed our instructor only, no passing. After that, sessions 3-7 we rode completely on our own. In my opinion, we could have stayed with the instructor longer but because this was day 2 of a 2-day weekend, I think they picked up the pace slightly for us.
3. Every session was super fun and exhilarating. It's like nothing else you can do, anywhere.
4. Especially after session 3, once I talked to my instructor about body positioning and foot positioning, I started to get much fast and much more comfortable. I was still one of the slower guys there, but it felt better. It's not a bad idea to watch some basic introductory videos about body positioning before your first event.
5. Every session is reasonably terrifying, and it's important to stay calm. With or without instructors, if you miss a turn and go off track the result is rarely good. In session 2 I saw a rider come in too fast, unable to turn hard enough into a turn and ride onto the track curb (bouncing a bit there) and then crash onto the grass. His bike took some damage, but he was up and okay with no injuries. He even rode the remainder of the day after that. In session 3, I missed a turn too, but was able to keep the bike upright and come to a stop on the grass. There seemed to be more than normal number of red flags this day and some scary crashes. You're advised all day to ride at maybe 70%, but to me it felt like mome people were pushing closer to 90%.
6. ---
7. My main and only criticism of STT (or the riders around me) relates to the passing rules. For reference, a track day in a car even driving in Intermediate or most Advance groups, the passes are strictly done in passing zones (longer straights) and are ONLY done with a point by from the car that is being passed. But with bikes, since you don't focus on and don't see the people behind you, point by is not an option. So given this, I think the passing rules should be even stricter. They should ONLY be done on straights (this was mentioned in the Novice class), but I think in the afternoon sessions some people were passing others almost anywhere along the track. The other issue is that there is a rule that passes must be made 6ft+ distance away from the bike, but that also seemed often not followed. I think that either 1) it being my first day, these passes were scarier to me than they actually were or 2) these rules about passing are just not enforced / followed well.

OK. All of this out of the way, the event was crazy fun and I'm very happy that I (safely) did it. There's a very good chance that I'll be back again, but maybe when I'm living in the suburbs so that the setup aspect is more manageable. Thanks to everyone for all of your help!!

 

One last comment - I did recently do a beginner clinic with another organization. The instructors also worked hard, but for what it's worth they were not as good as those at STT. It felt to me that the STT instructors were more actively watching and giving feedback.

Equally as important, STT had a sense of community that was totally unmatched at this other event.

Looking forward to coming back soon.