practice sessions

[tstruyk]

just a quick question.

As this will be my first season racing I was curious about the structure of practice sessions.  I know that some events are preceeded by a TD and was curious if you are registered to race that weekend if your TD fee was reduced at all?  Is it determined by the TD's governing body?  Or is it just full tilt for everyone?

Outside of the friday or saturday TD, what kind of practice time is alotted for each event.

thanks for the input!

tim

[spyderchick]

On a typical scheduled weekend, there are 5 groups (midwest) sorted by class, am/ex and sometimes odd/even #, (the schedule will tell you. There are typically 2-3 sessions, timed depending on turnout, weather and any track clean up.

For instance...bad weather might be open track...large turnout might be 6 groups, 2 sessions, 12 minutes each.

Check a CCS event schedule before each race and you can plan you day.

Welcome and Have fun this year!

[LMsports]

Tim, if you need any help with anything at all feel free to give me a call. How is the paint job coming? Can't wait to see you at the track this year!

[tstruyk]

thanks Rob!

Paint looks great...  http://spike13.com/ipw-web/gallery/album17  The res sucks from the camera phone, its all black with a flattening agent in the clear finish... kinda looks like the carbon finish some of the ducs have.

I still need to get the fender done but that shouldnt take my guy long.  I am pulling the suspension after the first of the year, I'll call ya then.  traxion internals and penske/ohlins rear.  My fiance may be calling you regarding a lap timer as a stocking stuffer... Kim Parker is her name **fingers crossed**

[Lowe119]

From my understanding (although I have never attended one), the Friday before is a day of practice and there is usually a trackday on the Monday following. I think Friday's practice is around $75 and Monday's trackday is reduced to $75 for licensed riders (normally $150 for others).

I could be wrong, but someone will correct me  ;)

[spyderchick]

Some tracks have a practice day on Friday, and some don't, and the fees differ for each venue. Since it's a new season, the 2005 fees could be different from last season. Call the track you plan to attend for the best answers.

[Lowe119]

Call the track? That is why I have never attended one. I called and got no answer. I showed up on Saturday morning and THEN found out about practice the day before and that there was a TD on Monday (which I didn't ask off of work for).

It took me a couple years to realize this. Now I know to ask people on this board.  ;)

[spyderchick]

You must not know the super secret phone numbers to all the right people.  :o ;) ;D

Just kidding. I've never had a problem getting ahold of the track. Some of them even have pretty decent websites, believe it or not. There's so many track days now that you can probably get on track any day of the week from March until November around here. Kind of cool actually.  :)

[Mark Bernard]

You must not know the super secret phone numbers to all the right people.  :o ;) ;D

You can't fool us..... you have a "bat phone"!

[spyderchick]

You can't fool us..... you have a "bat phone"!

:-X :P ;) ;D

[Burt Munro]

Tim,

Biggest complaint that I saw last year was when the weekends had racing only on Sunday.  This was the format at Gateway, Topeka and Gingerman (maybe others, I can't remember right now) last year. On the 1 day race format like this, all day Saturday was a LP Track day where you had some street riders and racers (different sessions of course.)  Quite a few racers showed up thinking that if they were racing on Sunday that they got to run the practice day Saturday for free (not true!)  Generally you get a reduced fee on the LP TD's by showing your CCS license.

If you plan on any of the 1 day race format weekends there will be very limited practice time available on Sunday - probably only 1 or 2 sessions for each group.

If it's a 2 day format you can generally plan on all of Sat morning being practice plus time on Sunday AM.

Depending on the number of entries for the weekend the typical breakdown for practice sessions would be 2 groups of Experts - 1 odd #/1 even, 2 groups of Amateurs - 1 odd/1 even and 1 group combined for Ex & AM LW (lots of SV's & Buells here).  At Blackhawk there will probably be so many LW's that they split this group into 2 groups.

If you plan on going to Road America, Barber or some other FUSA event that runs 3 days there will be practice time each morning.

Quite a few of the tracks have been offering their own Track day on Thurs., Fri. or Monday.  That's where checking with each  track comes in handy.

Rick

[tstruyk]

thanks rick,
thats kind of what I figured before I posted but I just wanted to make sure!  

BTW the folks and Dan all say hi!!  Dan was in town with his girlfriend and daughter angie from chicago for the weekend!

thanks again.

tim