Questions for NJMP racers

Started by lrrs182, December 29, 2010, 05:32:03 AM

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lrrs182

Hello, the name is Brett and I'm new here. After a 20 year hiatus I returned to racing and raced a few races at the end of the season at Loudon.  I am in Albany NY,about 3 1/2 hours from Loudon. Unfortunately they run their practice on Thursday. Due to my job, I can't hang around Friday and have to drive back to Albany Thursday night and come back out Saturday morning to race. This has me considering making the extra drive to NJMP to race instead. I KNOW the track is better! Could some of you NJMP racers tell me about the goings on there? Do they run an open practice? At Loudon it is only split up in two groups and we get alot of practice laps. Do you get alot there? How are the race entry fees and practice fees compared to Loudon? How is the trackside support? What brand of tires are supported? Hell, we can make this post a comparo between the two! Talk me into/outof making the switch.

Thanks,
Brett

salty

mm.. loudon is a death trap. just make it out to njmp and you will understand. there is usually a track day friday that you canuse for practice. on the day of the races there is plenty of track side support and all major tire brands are there.

lrrs182

Thanks Salty. I'm planning on a bunch of trackdays with TPM there but really looking for some info on the racing. I'm trying to plan vacation time usage and have no idea which to race this year. I love the almost open practice at loudon but it being on thursdays sucks! Its alot longer drive to NJMP but if I dont have to come back for the day friday it's probably a wash. There are no NJ racers here that can help me? Is there a better forum for this I don't know about?
Yup, Loudon is a death trap,errrr......., "very technical" but one hell of a test of rider and chassis tuner. No doubt it takes years to get really fast on that track. Trackdays are lots of fun but racing is so much better, and loudon is close.
Again, thanks salty, but anymore info? How much practice can I get friday? How big a turnout in classes? Will my AMB transponder work there?

DougG60

last season TPM ran the friday track day/practice like a track day runs. dont know who is doing it this season since the schedule is not complete. i can tell you that pretty much every friday practice i did last season at many tracks ran the same. 3-4 groups 15-20min sessions. between that and saturday morning practice more then enough time to learn it and get up to speed. as for class turnout, who knows. the season opener last year every amateur that thinks they can race showed up with 30-50 in some of the classes. was an absolute zoo mid pack, the rest of the season was back to normal 20 or so and more sane. AMB wont work at ccs races, only loudon
EX101 Ducati 848

lrrs182

Thanks Doug, that helps. What do I need to do about a transponder there? I have heard only good about thunderbolt and whether it is going there to race or just track days, I look forward to it. I love the idea of friday thru sunday but the 5+ hr ride home and getting up at 3:30 am to go to work sucks. I assume friday practice cost is $150 or $175?. Gate fees and entry fees about the same as NHMS ?
Im trying to line up the season and possibly a few guys to split travel as I have a good truck and anything from a 1 or 2 bike open trailer to an enclosed 4 bike and it is much easier to recruit if I can have a plan early.
Being as the BB is pretty dead right now, I would love for everyone that has raced both tracks to chime in on opinions. not just the obvious "loudon is a POS" (we all know that) and Jersey is new and nice. How well is it run? How are the competitors? I've heard comments about too many NYC street racers riding over their heads, but that may have just been track days. Comments about anything would be appreciated. I wish I had made it there once this year. Again thanks Salty and Doug

Cowboy 6

You will be issued a transponder at the track. It is included in the entry fee and must be returned when you are finished for the weekend. You will need to purchase or borrow the pouch that holds it for around $10. That's it.
C6

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DougG60

i ran most of 09 at loudon and im 90min north of njmp. no comparison in tracks. loudon if fun but dangerous and rough. njmp smooth, fast technical, lots of grip. lots of power connections and garages. they got things running fairly smooth by the end of last season. as far as racers go it depends who shows up and what class your in. like i said the first race last season was a mess atleast in the more popular amateur classes but was much better the rest of the season. it was the racers themselves not the people running the races. hopefully this season doesnt start out the same. come on down and give it a shot. for the most part the atmosphere in the paddoc is the same as loudon just like any other track.
EX101 Ducati 848

OreoGaborio

#7
Hey Brett,

I've been racing lightweights at Loudon for a while now and I did a couple of races at NJMP last year.  I had a lot of fun.  There were a lot of differences, but also a lot of similarities.  

I want to say that fees were a little more at NJMP.

Trackside vendor support is decent at both venues.

Practice is also similarly run, with Friday "open session" type format and Sat/Sun practice sessions broken up into classes.

Bottom line, race both for yourself if you can.  It's not like you have to choose one or the other.  I plan on racing every LRRS round and hopefully going to NJMP for the two weekends that don't overlap with LRRS.


One thing I'll warn you about though, is that at Loudon, 3rd call means "okay, the race before yours throwing the white flag, you've got like 3-5 minutes".  At NJMP, 3rd call means "get your ass out here now".  I learned that one the hard way & had to start one race from hot pit.  They almost didn't let me out   :lmao:
-Pete
LRRS/CCS#187 ECK-Racing
Pine Motorparts/PBE Specialists | Phoenix Graphics | Woodcraft | Moon Performance | RJ's Motorsport | Motorcycles of Manchester | MTag-Pirelli | Tony's Track Days

lrrs182

Thanks for the info! I think I will probably run both but might do so inverted, run at NJMP and go to Loudon when I can. My final decision has moe to do with vacation time, how much of it I need to save for my girl, and my impression of Thunderbolt after my first trackday there in March with TPM. Loudon is awesome fun track with absolutely the greatest people I've ever met. New Englanders are hard to beat, a real family atmosphere.That being said, it is the most difficult track to master and takes YEARS to get fast on, hell, it's the most "3D" track on earth. AT 50 yrs old and after a 20 yr hiatus from racing (started again last june) I'm not forseeing challenging Eric or Scott in my lifetime! From what I've seen and heard the learning curve for NJMP is much shorter.
One more question, how does the garage situation work? Rentals available, are they seasonal and I need to find someone who rents and sublet? do I rent for a weekend?
Thanks

gixxerzoli

Dont worry about garages! There are planny available. If i remember right, they are about 30$ for a day. For the whole weekend is about 50$ 2-3 people can fit there easy and the price will be splitted up. Power included. But if you have a generator, bring it just in case! Sometimes the breakers tripping because too many warmers plugged in.
If you have EZ-UP bring that. Cheaper. Also get yourself some carpet or bubber mat. Pit road is paved but in between that hard sand and grass spots. You dont want to clean that off from your hot tires all the time. You can cheat a little and set your tent half way on the paved area and put your bike under longway. If you have 2 bikes,...oh well.
This year we racing only on Thunderbolt circuit. Its also a clubhouse there, with nice showers, buffet with track food /burgers, hotdogs, sodas...etc/
Also a nice tower in the main straight, from the top you can see almost all around the whole track. So if you want you can bring your whole family they can watch you racing and have fun.
One more little stupid thing....If you want to leave the paddock area with your pitbike, it must be registered /they saying/ but at least you must wear a helmet. Basically if you leave the pit area you driving, riding as on the public road. Little thing, i just telling you to keep it in your mind thats it.
You will love NJMP! Once you try it you will see.
Dont worry not as bad as it sounds like ;)
See you there!

lrrs182

 I've watched alot of video from Thunderbolt and know I'll love it. I'm hoping to find one or two guys from the Albany area to share the driving and fuel, as I have a big enclosed trailer. Is camping allowed? Am I to assume that there is power to the parking spots for trailers/EZ ups ? They don't kick everyone out at a certain time?I was going to ask about showers and having them is great. The cost of 2 nights in a motel almost buys a tire ! Tic, tic, tic................. For now I guess ice racing is all we've got! Thanks again guys

nafterclifen

Quote from: lrrs182 on January 08, 2011, 06:56:42 AM
I've watched alot of video from Thunderbolt and know I'll love it. I'm hoping to find one or two guys from the Albany area to share the driving and fuel, as I have a big enclosed trailer. Is camping allowed? Am I to assume that there is power to the parking spots for trailers/EZ ups ? They don't kick everyone out at a certain time?I was going to ask about showers and having them is great. The cost of 2 nights in a motel almost buys a tire ! Tic, tic, tic................. For now I guess ice racing is all we've got! Thanks again guys

Based upon my track day experience, camping is allowed. There is also power available for the majority of parking spots, but not all. You are allowed to leave and re-enter at any time, there is always security at the gate.