Harpoon

Lots of track organizers keep the novice group really slow. Almost too slow for a lot of people. They know riders will want to ease into the environment and they make it easy to do that. You can decide what speed you are comfortable with and either move up from novice, with instructor approval, or keep it very slow and easy.

The vast majority of injuries occur in the faster groups.

rhouck

Fast 600s at Road Atlanta doing 1:30-32 versus your TTB record of 1:38.

Fast 600s at Summit Point Main doing 1:16-17 versus robrob's 1:21.

Fast cars certainly surpass bikes, but it's not at the s2000 level at most tracks (they'll be closer at really technical/bumpy/few straightaway tracks).

TWF

At Thunderhill local club racers will do 1:50. Record for 600 is 1:49. That is club racers, national guys usually go ~3 seconds faster.
What is fastest S2K time?

TWF

Not really. Injuries happen in all groups at all speeds on all kind bikes.

WynnS123

My TTB record at Road Atlanta was a 1:36.5 and that is one of the biggest hp tracks in the nation. To put Road Atlanta in perspective, TTA (when the class still existed) record is a 1:31. There is a 5 second spread to the TTB record. There is usually about a 2 second spread between NASA classes. Road Atlanta and HP go hand in hand. You can't really compare a bike to a NA s2k there, but even then bikes are still only posting lap times equivalent to 1 class above a TTB s2k. This is hardly night and day difference imo. It is highly dependent on the track. That is why I said they are "fairly equivalent". TWF made it sound like bikes were worlds ahead, but this is simply not the case especially when you can buy a $16k C5 Z06, put tires, and a fsb on it and run the same times as a bike at Road ATL. Run a TTB S2k against a bike on a technical track and it becomes a toss up.

TWF

Do they even use same track. Bikes are on new turn 12.
Fastest 600 time there is 1:28.
1000cc bike is 1:20.

cracknut

I did bike track days from 2001-2004 on a R6 and a GSXR750 and rode a friend's Yamaha TZ250.

I stopped doing bike track days because I got injured really badly at Buttonwillow.

After talking to several moto track day people who've organized hundreds of days, the average is that about 10% of riders crash at any given day. With 2 big wrecks in 19 track days I discovered that I was directly in line with that estimate.

So, yes, bike track days are more exciting. Nothing like dragging knee at 80mph and feeling the rear start to slide a little.

But I have more fun racing the car than I did doing track days on the bike.

Racing bikes would be the best but it's above my tolerance for risk.

MADANT15

Agreed, I would rather be slightly slower, have a slightly more muted experience, and still be alive at the end of the day .

TWF

That is key word right there, racing. You can't compare track day with racing. Totally different game.
Bike racers may get more smaller injuries but they are not dying any more than car racers. Broken bone here or there is no big deal
I am in my 24th year racing bikes, broke leg once and bone in my hand once.
Trying to retire simply because I am burned out and getting old does not help. Tried car but not even close to replace it. Maybe fast car or open wheel car would be better

sillyboybmxer

Ariel Atom