Sooo, why haven't you gone to the track????
 

After talking with my boss who says that track day events are down when he goes to Thunderbolt and Shenandoah, (Summit Main is well attended) we kicked around the ways to get attendance up and how to tie the shop to it (more local trackday guys mean more tire sales, more dyno tuning, more suspension tuning, more leathers sales...you get the picture).

I'm putting together a package deal with MotorcycleXcitement Track Days; we would do a "No Hassle Trackday" package to get new local folks to try a trackday.

A. We transport the bikes via our 20 ft truck (you don't have to worry about finding somebody with a trailer)

B. We transport YOU and your gear via our 15 passenger van (or rent a BUS if we get enough folks).

C. We do a Trackday Prep Nite the week before; you bring your bike, we show you how to prep your bike and do a tech inspection so you have time to fix or change anything so there is no Friday Nite Thrash and the subsequent arguing with the tech inspectors on track day.

D. We do the advance registration; all you do is show up and ride.

E. We supply the mid-day food and beverages; all you do is show up and ride and eat and ride.

F. We supply the "going home" beverages; all you do is show up and ride eat and ride and drink and nap...........

If you haven't had a trackday, would this type of deal remove the barriers and "reasons" for why you haven't done one??

We would price it "at cost"...just enough to cover the cost: trackday registration (we're trying to see if we can get a group discount rate)
transport and fuel, food and beverage. We figure that the effort will pay off in long term additional business and goodwill rather than try to make direct cash off the event.

Lemme know what you think.

Leigh

Leigh, I might be interested in something like this. Especially since Shenandoah and NJMP are two tracks I wanna hit.

Dear Sir or Madamn
Do you have a babysitting service?

Holy crap, I'd JUMP on a deal like that, 1st timer or no! It's like a field trip for motorcyclists. I would think as long as you got the word out, using some ads, local bike night flyer or somesuch and getting your customers to spread the word, you may end up with more folks than you have room for.

Time, money, family, transportation. That's why I never did it.

Now, I ride in the dirt instead. It's cheaper.

Now that is one helluva deal. Good luck with the promotion

OTB,

I LOVE the ideas!

I have thought about doing something similar to that for some of the farther tracks with our local trackday org.

Another thought: Our local Ducati shop buys and gives away a free trackday everytime. They allow anyone to enter but you could make it a requirement to stop by the shop or purcjase somehting to enter.

It would hopefully increase your traffic while also adding to the registrations at the trackday.

Sign me up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is pretty bad ass. Like The Chi said its a motorcyclist fiels trip. That sounds wicked fun.

I'd do something like that too if I hadn't ever been to the track.

I find that one of the biggest barriers for people is their anxiety about actually going on the track. A lot of people feel very nervous out there their first time.

I did an "intro to track" school and that's how I got into it. You might want to look into running something like that too.

Awesome idea!

A special for leather rental would help too. A lot of people bitch about leathers being expensive. Throw a rental suit at 'em and they have nothing to bitch about! Next thing you know, they're loving the track. Now they want leathers of their own...and you just so happen to sell leathers.

Nice idea: just talked to Roger Lyle...33% discount on leather rentals for our group....$50.00 all day......................

And yes, we sell Taichi......

DLIT gets a gold star....

We'll be at summit point august 27th-29th.
The track day-race school is on the 27th with Marrc and CCS

http://www.marrc.org/html_docs/calendar.html

http://www.ccsracing.us/schedules/20...20schedule.pdf

BE THERE!

I agree on the option for suit rental if needed. I'd make them pay but many first timer's don't want to shell out several hundred dollars for a suit to 'try' a track day. A rental option lets them do this easily and not all tracks have this available at the track.

The rest sounds great and not just for first timer's....that's a good deal for anyone.

$50 for a suit for eight or so sessions is still pricey. Especially on top of the track day itself. Our track days out here are closer to $200. That, plus track prep stuff (gas, tires, maybe a trailer rental, food, etc...) and 50 more dollars is a turn-off. $30-$35 is better. I could rent a car for a day for less than $50.

I would totally sign up if it was closer. I keep wanting to get to the track but it just hasn't happened yet. Some day!

Could you rent a race car for less than $50?

If you think $50 is expensive, check out some other prices.

Ours are $75/day.

Ya, guess I shoulda compared first. I'm just thinking as if I'm in need of some leathers to rent and all the other costs a track day consists of.

I hear ya.

I think with the package he is talking about putting together, they may be able to get someone to the track with leathers for cheaper than that person could do it by themselves.

Less hassle too! :dthumb:

I'm quoting my buddy Zortness. He's an expert-level racer now.

"Many people have asked me why I think that everyone who rides should do track days. Not everyone has the intention of riding fast, or aspirations of racing, but there are huge benefits to practicing on the race track. Here's some short explanations.

Increasing your Margin of Error: This is pretty easy to explain. The faster you are capable of completing a task, such as making a turn, the more margin for error you will have while doing it at a slower pace. Imagine a spirited ride through some new twisties, when you suddenly come up on a sharper corner than you were expecting. Because you are only riding at 60% of your ability, you simply focus and lean the bike over to make the turn, using maybe 80% of your abilities.

Avoiding Panic: This builds on increasing your margin of error. The more margin you have, the less likely you are to panic. Panicking and making sudden movements can lead to loss of stability with the bike and ultimately a bad wreck.

Error Recovery: Everyone makes mistakes, even Valentino Rossi. Practicing on a track helps you to catch mistakes earlier and more quickly, giving you more time and more practice at correcting them. Many times I will see people in the lower levels on the track panic, stand up their bikes, and run off into the dirt in a turn that they could have easily made at the speed they were going, but their confidence and lack of experience caused them to make that decision. By practicing error recovery and learning more about your abilities and your bike's abilities, you can avoid potentially dangerous runoffs on in street situations, because there may just be oncoming traffic in your way next time.

Your Internal Tiltmeter: Everyone has an internal tilt-meter that tells them when the bike is leaned over too far. The problem is, your tilt-meter may tell you that the bike is incapable of more, when in reality is has much more in reserve. Your tilt-meter naturally expands as you learn more about your bike on the track. By expanding your tilt-meter, you gain confidence, and increase your margin for error.

Riding Style: Good riding style is imperative to safe riding. By learning the correct body position from instructors or more experienced riders, you will feel more comfortable on your bike, gain endurance, and gain confidence. Body position and style are not something that you can perfect overnight, many professional racers continually adapt and adjust their styles throughout their entire careers. The better your riding style becomes, the more comfortable you will feel on your bike. The more comfortable you feel, the less you will fight the bike's controls, causing a smoother, more enjoyable, and ultimately safer ride.

Learning Your Bike: Modern sportbikes are tremendous pieces of technology capable of amazing feats. Modern engines, brakes, and tires are far better than most riders will ever be capable of using completely. As you become more comfortable on your bike, you will better learn the potential of your bike and it's individual characteristics.

Focusing: It can often be difficult to relax and focus while riding on the street. There are distractions and dangers every step of the way. This prevents many riders from taking the time to learn good riding habits, and instead they pick up bad ones. The track is a safe environment, free of cars and other dangerous obstacles that allows the rider to focus on riding and improving skills.



The Usual Excuses: The two excuses that I hear the most are both related to money.

I don't have the gear or The gear costs too much. Yes, buying the gear is expensive, but this is, for the most part, a non-recurring cost. Once you have it, you have it. Honestly, I don't understand this one though. Every rider will crash at some point, that's just statistics. How much is your skin worth? I do not feel safe riding without full equipment. In my opinion, if you could not afford the gear, you should not have purchased the bike, and I wish dealerships would push the gear more. In Europe, riders are required to wear full leathers at all times, not necessarily the best solution, but it's a solution.

Track days are too expensive. It is true, track days are expensive, and the price keeps going up. I argue that the skills you will learn in one track day could save your life on the streets. Of the reasons mentioned above, at least one should register with you if you've ridden for any length of time."

For Sunday, August 8
the Shenandoah Circuit at Summit Pt WV



Our track day price will be $215.00
We're going to do the whole ball of wax (except for suit rental, that'll be $50)
1 year membership fee (goes to MCXMNT)
8 hr track day
Track Prep Nite (with beer and 'Za..)
Van Transport to and from Summit
Bike Transport to and from Summit
Beverage and "Hang Out" tent.
Lunch and Beverages
Fizzy Adult Beverages (also known as beer) for the trip home..........

Tell me it gets any better than that..........

So, unless you crash.........that's ALL you are going to spend...........

My reason for not going yet. I know I will become utterly addicted to trackdays and will blow every penny I have.

It's a time/distance thing for me mostly, but your package is VERY attractive.

That's what she said.

I feel like the crack dealer....mehheheheheheh....

INCREDIBLE deal!

I felt the same way and said the same thing. And I just got to a point where I saw all of my friends having so much more fun on the track than on the street that I couldn't NOT go.

Fully addicted now. :D

I did my first track day back in '06. I got home and the next day I cashed in my change jar and bought a track day for the following month with it. So you could say I did literally blow every penny for it.

If you a member of the board and have interest, just PM me with your contact info an I'll talk to you about it further.

If you aren't a member; A. sign up and B. you can contact me via MRP Motorsports; http://www.mrpmotorsports.com/ and we'll sign you up.

Price really is the driving factor, all that stuff is nice and prolly doesnt cost too much more to do in bulk, but I have leathers and a truck, and aa camper to sleep in, those cool freebees are nice but iIwould rather 50 off my day and derive and sleep on my own dime. Also I would like to see a worker program where I, work and get a discount. Hell I would go to ther shop and help out or change tires, or corner work etc if it made it cheaper

Are there any more planned or set up yet? I can't do the 8th, but I'd like to take part in this.

If I was a local, I'd sign up in a heartbeat. For us, a single day just track time is $150, or $130 if you sign up early. Thats not including gate fee, fuel, travel time and cost, hotel if you dont live nearby, etc etc. $215 is a STEAL.

I'm working on the next Thunderbolt date (Sept 1, which is a Wednesday) and then again Sept 6 (Monday, labor Day) for Shenandoah.

Excellent.

OTB, I'm sold. Pick me up in Vegas.

I like the idea of a package deal like that.

Never done a trackday, Id like to but the main reasons I havent done it are:

Transport - I dont have a truck or a trailer.
Leathers - I dont have any and Im sure Id need a custom made suit.
Crashing - I only have one bike and I dont want to crash it.

AWESOME deal OTB!! Do you pick up from ND?? :lol:

TD's around here are $185 just for the day, no instructor time. So by the time you figure trans to and from the track, you are at equal money, if not saving.

That's what holding me back, plus I don't have health insurance so a potential wreck would cost me way too much.

See if your insurance company covers wrecks at track days. Emphasize a track day is practice and there is absolutely no racing taking place. You're just trying to sharpen your skills in a much safer environment than the street.

I also am poor enough(going to college) that I qualify for VA health care so I really need to talk to them about what all they would take care of.

I've done one years ago and haven't gone back. Demo's don't count.

Other than money, I haven't gone back because its hard for me to be functional in the mornings. I forget when tech in was...7-8am? I just know that I had to be up at 5am to make it to the track at 6am.

I think the I read on my local board that they were going to hold track days at night to beat the heat? I thought that was a great idea, not only because its way too hot to be in leathers with the sun beating down on you, but also because night owls like me would be fully awake and functional by then :)

OTB if I could drag myself out of bed that early, I think your track package sounds awesome

Get yourself a tent man and sleep at the track the night before.

No track around.

There are some pretty desolate parts of texas man. I drove across that fucker before.

you're just not hungry enough...

Or clean and lube my bike's chain...or wash my bike. :lol


I think the people who want to ride track are the same ones who will buy a suit and proper gear. The problem is that many states has no twisties, so most of the people they ride with stunt of pose and have little interest in doing track. So if none of your friends ride track, then you probably won't either.

The issue is cash. I agree 100% with Derf. Low entrance fees get people to the track, not some all in one deal. Most people can get a truck, buy gear etc...but they cannot continue to pay for a 200 dollar track day.

You are probably right :lol: I would like to try a motard track though, just have to sell the DR.

I don't camp ;)

If you crash at the track and have to explain it to insurance, its a "Rider Improvement" course...just saying. :wink:

If you crash at the track you lie and say you crashed on the street.....don't ever say you were at the track even if it is a track school. you're just asking for problems...

I'm glad the "track is too expensive" talk has moved on to the inevitable "insurance fraud is ok" discussion.

I saw some vid of a td at Streets out here that was run at night. That track isn't lit, they brought in a bunch of portable lights. Good idea, but too many dark spots (on the video). Did you hear about another one, or this one? I think it's a great idea, the sun just kills me out there.

I would have to make room in my budget to go at least once a month. That is a stupendous deal. But let me ask you one question is this limiter to one time only or would riders get to do it multiple times? Now im wishing i lived closer lol.

We're going to do this as long as people sign up to do it...and if you want to come every time we do it,... well, GREAT!!!

I'm not sure, I read every third word on the posts. I'll try to find it and get back to you. it was on 702sportbikes if you get real ambitious :) But that does sound like it

ok Sean I found it. Looks like it was by motoyard and its only $99!

http://www.702sportbikes.com/viewtop...ck+day#p429016

Yup that's the one! Nice idea, I might try it one day. The desert heat isn't so bad if you get out of the sun, that's the killer...but night temps are super comfy! I really want to hit up Pahrump again but the next date isn't until September. I went in August last year and it was really not bad but the place was barren, guess everyone got scared off.

I was there in August last year. It was unusually cool for that time of year. Only reason why I did it. Rode down to watch, ended up riding. Just had to tape the headlights and I was good. I always ride street fully geared.

I'll proly be at the September one, too. Depends if I'm going to Guam or not though...