It is time to get YOU on the track!

We talk a lot about track days, and there are quite a few people who ask us, “what are track days all about?”.  Track days are like any other motorcycle or scooter event that brings people together around one common interest, enjoying bikes! 

One common misconception is that track days are races.  Well they are not….  Track days are the opportunity to ride a motorcycle in a controlled environment.  It allows you to let go of all of the worries of cars not paying attention to you, or speed traps and redlight cameras while you improve your riding techiques.  Imagine being able to ride your bike like it was designed to be ridden.

My track riding days started in September of 2009.  Max and I took 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz’s School at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL.  It was a two day school that introduced us to the basics of track riding; body position, keeping lines, and forget that your rear brake exists.  Schwantz’s two day school had both of us hooked.  Since then we have both purchased dedicated track bikes and all of the required gear, and we try to travel back to Barber at least once a year.

Here in south Louisiana there has been a very small following of track activity.  Over the last year the interest has  substantially grown.  In addition to Late Apex Track Days at Circuit Grand Bayou in Belle Rose, LA.   A lot of this interest has grown with the announcement of NOLA Motorsports Park (www.nolamotor.com).  NOLA will be one of North America’s finest motorsports facilities just 20 minutes from downtown New Orleans.  We will operate a speed shop at NOLA which will provide basic maintenance trackside.

If you are interested, or on the fence, I invite you to come out on May 21st and 22nd to Circuit Grand Bayou and see what it is all about.  You can ride the day, take the parade lap at lunch or be a spectator.  For more information visit www.LateApexTrackDays.com.

Here are a sample of the photos from April 10th’s track day.  To view more of Jason Van Haverbeke’s photos visit http://vhphotographix.com/viewing/.