For a couple of years now, on the Facebook group New England Riders I’ve seen lots of post about the Non-Sport bike track days put on by Tony’s Track Days and Ken Condon. It always looked like a good experience, but never quite worked with my schedule. This year I decided to make it a priority. I also learned about the BMW MOAÂ Paul B. Memorial Scholarship which provided $250 to offset the cost of class. I signed up for the Monday July 20th, 2020 date at Palmer Motorsport park. They do a track walk the afternoon before and I decided to make a day of it and spent the morning collecting TOH and Grand Tour Bonuses in Massachusetts.
For the track walk we were split into two groups one lead by Tony, the other by Ken. We then, as the name suggests walked around the track. This gave us an opportunity to learn the layout of the track, and the instructors provided tips on techniques for each part of the track. They also reviewed the safety related rules of the track to make sure everyone is being safe when entering and exiting the track. After the track walk many of us went to a local burger joint that featured outside seating for dinner and some appropriately distanced socializing. Camping was free at the track, so I’d opted to save a few bucks, and avoid unnecessary interactions and brought my camping gear. It turns out there wasn’t a lot of grass available to pitch a tent. Most people camping had trailers. There were also a few that setup under one of the cart ports which wasn’t an option for me as my trusty tent is not free standing. That may be something to consider when I replace it, but since this one is still going strong after almost 20 years I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
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The next morning started with a Tech inspection (mirrors removed, tires in good condition, breaks good, etc). We were then separated in to three groups based on bike and experience. I was assigned to the intermediate (yellow) group. The rest of the day then consisted of alternating between 20 minute sessions on track, followed by classroom instruction, and re-hydrating (it was hot!). I learned a ton over the course of the day, and pushed my limits significantly. Looking at the video I captured, I realized after the fact that there is still lots of room for improvement. Overall IÂ feel like I’m a better rider and have a better understanding my and my bikes limits. I would definitely recommend doing one of these track days and will probably do another in the future.