10-28-2013, 01:01 PM
10-28-2013, 04:35 PM
I'll be leaving Fri afternoon and do the usual bbq Fri night! If anyone is around, stop by! I'll be in my trailer.
10-31-2013, 07:39 AM
Leaving tomorrow morning. Can't wait to spin some laps on this track!
10-31-2013, 12:25 PM
Sweeet! I'll be with my 5th wheel. Stop by for the bbq!
10-31-2013, 10:50 PM
Hey when you guys finish up at the new track Saturday post up and let us know how it is, thanks
11-01-2013, 05:00 PM
The parking lot is awesomely smooth riding around before people get here. Gotta scrub that front tire...
11-02-2013, 12:49 PM
Need I say more?[attachment=265]
ursanam
11-03-2013, 10:45 PM
Ok, so here is my take on the weekend:
1. About Track--
Although I was able to do only two sessions (more on that later) the new track is awesome!!! 70% of the track is fast and flowing, the remaining seemed more like point and shoot. There is one section of the track which has significant elevation change. We lost a good track at Pahrump but this one is a good alternative. The track exit is a little tricky though.
2. About TrackXperience:
Just when I was getting ready to go out for the third session (11.40AM), as I took my bike off the rear stand, the bike slipped from my hand and I couldn't pull it back up so had to lay it down on the throttle side. I don't know what happened but the clip-on sheared off right at point where the stock clip-on threads into the rod. A rare and unfortunate mishap. I am sure that there must have been an internal flaw or something coz the bike didn't go down hard. I am glad that it happened in the pits rather than a fast right-hander. I did not have spare clip-ons, Geared up moto tried to help but they didn’t have anything. I drove to the Kawasaki store in Pahrump but to no avail. I called Carter Powersport and Yamaha dealership and none of them had it in stock. So that basically meant that my day was done after just one session (first was lead follow)! A friend of mine said that he may have a spare at his house in Henderson but there was no way I was going to make it to Henderson and be back in time to salvage the day.
I walked over to an instructor-- who was helping me with some corners in the second session and with whom I was supposed to go out in the third session-- to apologize for not showing up and to let him know that I was packed and leaving. He was very kind and suggested he would talk to Rob, of TrackXperience, as my situation was very unique and see if Rob would let me ride on Sunday if I could get the clip-on since I wasn't able to ride on Saturday. I had not even thought of that scenario so it was really very kind of the instructor to even propose the possibility. He went and spoke with Rob and Rob walked over to me and said that if I sign up for Sunday he would give me $30 off from the regular $165.
This, I thought, was really unfortunate. There always comes a time where an owner/organizer can go beyond the $$ and do something on a case by case basis to extend the relationship. I had already explained to Rob that it was not certain that I would be able to even get the clip-on from my friend. In retrospect, I think that he could have said that it's a freak accident and if I could get it fixed then I could come back and ride on Sunday. It wasn't a crash on the track, just a very bizarre event that negated pretty much all my day. But he wanted me to sign up for Sunday. There is nothing wrong in that by itself, it’s a business and they are there to make some money, but I spoke with several people on the track and they were surprised that TrackXperience didn’t offer Sunday. Another guy had a similar thing happen (I think it was SoCal) where something similar happened the very first session of Saturday. SoCal asked him to come back on Sunday if he could get it fixed (he did not go back but appreciated the extension of that courtesy). I think in situations like this it shows the human side of the business. If I had crashed then that’s a totally different situation.
I don’t know what it all means but the more people I talk to the more it disturbs me and I thought that I would vent here.
1. About Track--
Although I was able to do only two sessions (more on that later) the new track is awesome!!! 70% of the track is fast and flowing, the remaining seemed more like point and shoot. There is one section of the track which has significant elevation change. We lost a good track at Pahrump but this one is a good alternative. The track exit is a little tricky though.
2. About TrackXperience:
Just when I was getting ready to go out for the third session (11.40AM), as I took my bike off the rear stand, the bike slipped from my hand and I couldn't pull it back up so had to lay it down on the throttle side. I don't know what happened but the clip-on sheared off right at point where the stock clip-on threads into the rod. A rare and unfortunate mishap. I am sure that there must have been an internal flaw or something coz the bike didn't go down hard. I am glad that it happened in the pits rather than a fast right-hander. I did not have spare clip-ons, Geared up moto tried to help but they didn’t have anything. I drove to the Kawasaki store in Pahrump but to no avail. I called Carter Powersport and Yamaha dealership and none of them had it in stock. So that basically meant that my day was done after just one session (first was lead follow)! A friend of mine said that he may have a spare at his house in Henderson but there was no way I was going to make it to Henderson and be back in time to salvage the day.
I walked over to an instructor-- who was helping me with some corners in the second session and with whom I was supposed to go out in the third session-- to apologize for not showing up and to let him know that I was packed and leaving. He was very kind and suggested he would talk to Rob, of TrackXperience, as my situation was very unique and see if Rob would let me ride on Sunday if I could get the clip-on since I wasn't able to ride on Saturday. I had not even thought of that scenario so it was really very kind of the instructor to even propose the possibility. He went and spoke with Rob and Rob walked over to me and said that if I sign up for Sunday he would give me $30 off from the regular $165.
This, I thought, was really unfortunate. There always comes a time where an owner/organizer can go beyond the $$ and do something on a case by case basis to extend the relationship. I had already explained to Rob that it was not certain that I would be able to even get the clip-on from my friend. In retrospect, I think that he could have said that it's a freak accident and if I could get it fixed then I could come back and ride on Sunday. It wasn't a crash on the track, just a very bizarre event that negated pretty much all my day. But he wanted me to sign up for Sunday. There is nothing wrong in that by itself, it’s a business and they are there to make some money, but I spoke with several people on the track and they were surprised that TrackXperience didn’t offer Sunday. Another guy had a similar thing happen (I think it was SoCal) where something similar happened the very first session of Saturday. SoCal asked him to come back on Sunday if he could get it fixed (he did not go back but appreciated the extension of that courtesy). I think in situations like this it shows the human side of the business. If I had crashed then that’s a totally different situation.
I don’t know what it all means but the more people I talk to the more it disturbs me and I thought that I would vent here.
11-04-2013, 07:07 AM
I'm hoping to track day it on the next event that comes up with which ever organization BUT this has me second guessing it. Business is business but there should come a time in situations like yours that should require a hand.
After all you did pay for a day. What would of been the harm to give you the next day.
$165 or $135 is still a lot of money to have to pay twice for a lot of people.
I won't talk bad about anybody but this takes away from what this should be all about.
Riding.
Giving you the next day would of probably gained more fans for them. Now they may have lost a few.
I'd feel the same way in your shoes.....
After all you did pay for a day. What would of been the harm to give you the next day.
$165 or $135 is still a lot of money to have to pay twice for a lot of people.
I won't talk bad about anybody but this takes away from what this should be all about.
Riding.
Giving you the next day would of probably gained more fans for them. Now they may have lost a few.
I'd feel the same way in your shoes.....
11-04-2013, 10:54 AM
(11-04-2013 07:07 AM)LVBrokr Wrote: [ -> ]I'm hoping to track day it on the next event that comes up with which ever organization BUT this has me second guessing it. Business is business but there should come a time in situations like yours that should require a hand.
After all you did pay for a day. What would of been the harm to give you the next day.
$165 or $135 is still a lot of money to have to pay twice for a lot of people.
I won't talk bad about anybody but this takes away from what this should be all about.
Riding.
Giving you the next day would of probably gained more fans for them. Now they may have lost a few.
I'd feel the same way in your shoes.....
I have been to several Track Experience events and I must say I am a bit disappointed in how they handle a few things. As much as they try to be organized, they really are not. I will no longer attend TE events. They lack professionalism and fail to realize the importance of keeping things organized and safe and that without positive attitudes towards the people that keep their organization running (the trackday riders), they will lose customers. They have lost one here already. That is all I am going to say on the matter.
+1 on feeling the way you do about the situation.