First track day questions

[Stooges702]

So at some point while my dad and I were discussing what to do for my 21st birthday, we found out that there's a track day the weekend before my birthday at Spring Mountain Motorsport Ranch, May 13-14. I know the entry fee is between $100 - $200, then I had the realization that I don't have a race suit, or race boots, or race gloves, or that thing that I didn't even know I needed...

So what's the cost of the gear? I know I can go the Bilt budget route and spend around $500 for everything, or I can go and spend a few grand on one of them fancy MotoGP replicas. So is the budget $200 bilt suit worth it, or will the wind blow it away?

I see they also offer tires. Can I show up on my regular street tires, and have them slap the race tires on for me, or do I need to do that myself? Then at the end of the day have them take the slicks off and throw on my regular street tires?

Do they provide food? Is lunch included in the entry ticket? I'll have my water situation squared away and just bring 10 gallons.

Cost of gas? Is there a gas station at the track? How much gas can a 300 go through in one day?

As for transportation, I will probably ride my bike and my dad will drive my car loaded up with all of stuff we think we need... What do I need? Tools? Stands? Things?

Pit area? Indoor/outdoor? A/C? Tent?

Anything else that I'm forgetting? What's the total cost I'm looking at?

[Mr.Frost]

A Bilt Suit will do fine, Gauntlet Gloves, And full length boots are required, BUT, if your size 50/52 (eur) I have a 2 Piece Dianese you can try on, as far as gas goes you will burn about a half a tank of gas a trackday out there (I ride a 300 also) your street tires will be fine as long its not the factory tires that came with your bike, Tools: Just the basics will be fine, allen keys screwdrivers wrenches ect.(People out there are really nice and will help you out need it) everything is outdoors there, a shade tent and some chairs are always recommended, bring lots of water and some food. When you buy your trackday they have a free school for biginners, I recommend it ( I took it 3 times) Also look into Uhaul bike trailers, a one/two day rental is dirt cheap.Your bike the way it is should to great, but only upgrade i would recommend for your bike a steel braided front brake line. The stock pads should be good enough.Others might tell you thats it a 300, you wont even use the brakes and thats true if you were the only one out there on the track. Ill Be out there both days, see you there.

[the falcon]

Yep. Sounds about right although I burn about 4 gallons of gas. Bring shade,fuel,food and water. I should be there for one day. See you there Frosty.

[R3K]

Welcome to the world of the trackday junkie!

I'll try to answer your questions in order and also add some extra info you might find helpful.

1. The Bilt stuff is decent enough but will probably only last about one crash (which is all it really needs to do right?) before a seam opens up or something like that. My rule of thumb is to get the best level of protection you can afford so it's up to you to determine how much the skin on your hands is worth to you, or how much you value your head, feet, etc. As a beginner, you probably won't be setting track records or anything like that so a $2500 ultra protective suit most likely won't be necessary, but if you could easily afford that, why not get the best stuff you can afford for the added protection the more expensive suit would offer? Then you could always sell it if the motorcycle trackday thing turns out to not be your thing. Buying gear is definitely a subjective decision tho so how much you should spend is entirely up to you, but when it comes to my safety, my rule of thumb is to stick with the name brand stuff (their product testing is normally cutting edge) and not skimp on what I get because of price. I'd rather spend a little extra to get the added protection than to get something that offers less protection simply to save a few bucks,and end up regretting it.

2. There is absolutely no need for slicks or track biased tires for a beginner track rider. As long as your street tires have ample life left on them, you will be fine, so I wouldn't waste the money buying tires, especially slicks, at this early stage in your track riding career.

3. Sometimes lunch is provided, and sometimes it's not so it's best to bring enough food/snacks to get you thru the day just in case. I'd suggest bringing light foods/snacks to eat throughout the day so that you don't get sluggish after eating a heavy meal then trying to go out and muscle the bike around the track. And above all else, bring plenty of water. It will be hot out there in May and you'll want to hydrate the night before, and continue drinking water from the time you get up the morning of the trackday. It will help you in the long run toward the end of the day.

4. There is no gas station at the track so the closest station would be in Pahrump. My suggestion would be to just bring a 5 gallon gas can full of gas and what you don't use can go into your car/truck.

5. I'd highly recommend you don't ride your bike to the track because if something goes wrong and you have a mechanical issue, or crash, you have no way of getting your bike home. If you don't have a truck, I'd suggest you look into adding a tow hitch to your car (they're relatively cheap) and just rent a motorcycle specific trailer from UHaul ($15 per day last time I checked) and go that route. The motorcycle specific trailer is the lightest trailer they have, it has a wheel chock of sorts in the front to help support the bike, and it also has tie down points in it to help secure the bike. Not sure what kind of car you have, but I've seen a guy a few times now that towed his bike to Pahrump with a Volkswagen Golf! As for stands, tools, etc., you shouldn't need anything more than your basic tool set that came with the bike. As a beginner riding a street legal bike, you more than likely won't need to do anything with it but ride it. No need for stands or anything special at this point.

6. There really isn't anywhere indoors to hang out other than the bathroom so do yourself a favor and invest in an EZ-Up pop up tent to provide some shade, and of course, a couple of chairs to relax in.

Helpful hints:
To help make your track days as stress free as possible, I'd suggest creating a checklist of all the things you think you'll need/want to have at the track to make your day at the track as comfortable as possible. Include everything you think you'll want there, no matter how trivial, so that you don't forget it, and don't check the item off the list until it's either on the trailer or in the car/truck. Examples of things to include on the checklist:

bike key (I put mine on the key ring of the two vehicle so that it's impossible to forget it)
wristwatch (gotta know how much time before the next session goes out)
gas cans (prior to creating my checklist, I've forgotten my gas before)
anchors for the EZ-Up
flip-flops
...you get the idea

Hope this helps. There are plenty of people on these forums that can probably add more helpful hints/tricks, but of all the things I've done to make my trackdays the best they could possibly be, it was creating that Trackday Checklist.