‘Days of Thunder’ — Tryst with Motorcycle Track Day
I leaned on my motorcycle towards the curve of the track, my back bent forward in an aerodynamic position, my eyes scanning the bent of the curve ahead and my hands steading the throttle as I swiftly negotiated the sharp curve of the race track. My mind was still, fully focused on the task at hand but the roar of the engines from my motorcycle and the group riders on the track, coupled with the sharp wind blowing past my bike produced what can be rightly called ‘a roar of thunder’ that continuously kept pounding my ears. Oh ! what an exhilaration. As I quickly approached the straight section of the track, I throttled up the gas, pushing the rpm of the engine and for a micro-second I looked down on my odometer, the needle was hovering around 95mph. I was at the edge of my riding comfort and adrenaline rush. One wrong move and I could be hurtling down the track with severe repercussions, but those thoughts subside in adrenaline rush.
That morning I was at the Thunderhill Race Track in Willows to experience first-hand what it feels like to race a motorcycle down a track. The layout is pretty flowing in nature with twists, turns and slopes built in to challenge every rider. After the first 20 mins. sortie itself, it became clear what the professional racers put themselves through to try to save even a second off their respective lap time. Riding on the edge of their comfort, pushing the machine to its limit, negotiating sharp turns and slopes they race at 100+mph on average (not just the straight sections, where they might push 200+mph), they are the true speed aficionados.
I was riding my Ninja 400 which proved to be nimble and great for maneuverability around the corners. Learning to hit the apex of the turns was a new skill that I gathered throughout my lap times. I had one $$** moment during the first lap itself, where the track curved and sloped up simultaneously and then it drops down in a turn. I couldn’t anticipate the turn due to zero visibility down the track as I was riding up and at the apex, I had to slam my brake while nimbly maneuvering the bike along the turn down the slope. It was a new (shall I call it wild?) experience which I might keep coming back to, time permitting.
Riding a track is a very different skill than riding in the traffic. I will leave it to the readers to decide which is more fun though. During the afternoon sessions, I started to feel somewhat fatigued and my knee injury (I had minor sports injury couple weeks back) began to give me pain too. I took the second sessions lightly, without pushing myself (over the kerb, metaphorically speaking). The weather was beginning to get worse too with strong winds and heavy rain during the last lap which was a complete washout. Nevertheless, it was a day of wild rides — delivered in high octane, high throttle and in high gears. The instructor summarized the tips to be faster on the track well — having fluidity, body positioning, total control of the machine and fully focused mentally on the game.
With this experience, I made a mental note to myself that the real flex is understanding that your only limitations are the ones you setup in your mind. I felt I had come a long way after obtaining my motorcycle license.
The way back was fun as well. This was a motorcycle road trip that we will remember for posterity.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” This quote may have been true for motorcycle riders and I don’t know if Hunter S Thompson intended it to be so. But it does inspire me from time to time, whenever I think of a new adventure.
P.S. — As many of you would have guessed, the title is inspired by Tom Cruise’s movie, though it was about car racing.
