The short version of the summary: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :-)

And now for the details...

I met up with Jim Bessette and Glenn Martin at the Cheesequake service area on the GSP. We left there a bit after when we wanted to, but it wasn't a problem. We went up the GSP to I-287 to the PIP (well hey... there aren't really that many interesting roads to get you that way). Up the PIP to the bridge at Bear Mountain Park, across the Hudson, up NY 9D to NY 301 to NY 52 to NY 311 to NY 22 to NY 55. We crossed into Connecticut on 55, then followed US 7 north into Massachusetts, then onto MA 102, back into NY and up NY 22 (again). After a stop for lunch in New Lebanon at a really great pizza place along NY 22, (Fresco's Wood Fire Pizza... owned by the same people who own Sassafras Pasta, Seafood, & Grille), we passed a sign that said "Welcome to the only Stephentown in the world."

Somehow from here we found our way back to US 7 and we went up and through Mt. Greylock in MA. Bunch of frost heaves, potholes, and such, but not really bad everywhere... only in some spots. It was worth the trip up and back down. It dropped us off on MA 2. From there we followed MA 8/MA 100 into Vermont, then followed VT 8 to VT 9. I broke off from the group and went east on VT 9 while Jim and Glenn went north on VT 100. I arrived at the Concord Comfort Inn around 5pm, checked in, and then Paul Mossip, Dave Sutter, Paul's parents, and I went to dinner. Just as we're finishing dinner, Jim, Glenn, and a few others pull up in the parking lot. (Jim's rather distinctive when riding along, so it wasn't difficult noticing him from the table through the window as he pulled in.) So Paul, Dave, and I walked out and asked, "What took you so long?" "We went by way of Canada." :-)

After dinner, Paul, Dave, and I went to a local 24 hour store to pick up a few necessities for the next day, then headed back to the room. Wake up call at 6am, get everything ready for the next morning, shower before going to bed, and we were basically asleep around 10pm.

Five-thirty rolls around, and I can't sleep any more, so I turned on the TV (muted) and watched for local weather reports. Wake-up call comes, and we're all active and taking care of other morning things, go grab a bit of breakfast, then head up to the track. We arrive early enough, and begin to disassemble our bikes... well, just remove the mirrors and shut down the brake lights. Now we're all set for registration and tech. Registration desk opens, we all register and go through tech. At the classroom orientation, Reg is proud to say that nobody was turned away for bad tires. We get the rules of the day, and split up into the A and B groups. We all get on our bikes, A group with the instructors, B group with Reg (and Gigi riding on his bike). Reg takes us to a point just behind the tires at turn 3 (a right hander going into an uphill) and we sit there and he gives us an intro and, as he put it, "made fun of the A riders." Back on our bikes, we go up through turns 3 and 4 (on the uphill out of turn 3) and up to where the flags are which look down onto turn 5 (downhill, left curve, into an uphill), and we get another rap session. Once more, we move through turns 5, 6, 7 8, 9, and park on the inside of 10 (6 is a lefthander coming off the uphill after 5, 7 is a slight righthander, 8 and 9 are lefthanders leading into the downhill before 10, which is a righthander). One more quick rap session, then back into the pit (after passing through turns 11, and 12, which are kinda like ess curves, but have a single line through them that curves left).

Now the B group gets to do what the A group just did... follow the leader behind an instructor, each of us getting a turn to follow right behind the instructor. This is the first real time you're riding around the track without stopping, however, you do it at a slow enough pace to get to learn the track and see the lines the instructors take through the curves. After we come back from this, we go into the "classroom." Most of the talks in the classroom dealt with throttle management, and speed management. We alternated track sessions with the A group, and after a couple of chats with the instructors during my first two sets of laps, I found myself beginning to get faster and lean over more, and even found myself starting to pass people in more spots than just the straightaway.

After some braking exercises, we break for lunch. I'm still having problems with turns 3, 10, and 13 (an ess going onto the straightaway). We come back from lunch, do some body steering exercises, then start the alternating sessions again. During our first classroom session, it came up about what gear someone had his Honda Hawk in going into turn 3. After breaking to get ready for the track session, I asked the same instructor what gear he'd recommend for my cbr900rr. "First." So I went out and tried it. WOOO! It worked! I eventually found myself taking turns 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, , 8, 9, 10, and 13 (sometimes even 11 and 12) in first gear. During my second afternoon track session, I took a short break... by taking a ride on the back of Reg's bike. WOW! If you're going for your first time, do it! It's absolutely the best thing you can do. I found that after the ride, I was going even faster and harder into some turns, and passing some people like crazy. I think I must've passed a guy on a 96 cbr900rr in turn 1 twice. :-) Dave tells me at one point I was throwing rubber up at him during one of our track sessions.

End of the day rolls around and we all got our certificates. Jim decides to trailer it home with Jody Villa and another guy, and Glenn heads at least part-way home that night. So Paul, Dave, and I tagged Chris Karras, and we met for dinner. Chris, Dave, and I made arrangements to meet in the morning and ride home together.

We meet at 6:30 am and depart the Comfort Inn some time around 6:50 am. Paul and Bill Castellano headed off for the track. We headed south on I-93, north on I-89, and then west on NH 9/US 202, then continued with NH 9 into Vermont. Followed I-91 south from there to MA 2, went west on MA 2 through the "hairpin turn" in North Adams, and back through Greylock. For some reason, Greylock seemed more fun this time, despite finding all of the same ruts, frost heaves, etc. Down to US 7, and follow US 7 to Kent. Lunch in Kent, CT, then south some more to CT 55 and into NY to NY 55 and NY 22. We followed NY 22 south to Brewster to I-684 to the Saw Mill River Parkway to I-287. I broke off at the GSP while Dave and Chris went on I-287.

FANTASTIC weekend... I think I've got all of about 2-3mm of untouched tire on either side now. :-) I learned a lot from Reg and his staff (Paul and George, mainly). I'm going to start planning now for next year, only I plan to do both days, and I'm going to do them at Loudon. Anyone care to join me? :-) BTW, only 2 crashes, both in the B group... an FZR1000 (ran off the track after turn 5) and a VFR750 (stupid drop after signalling that he was going into the pit). I just wish I could've done the second day, if for no other reason, to experiment more with the gearing in each of the corners. Running near red line through some of the corners is fun, but I'd like to get a better idea of where I really should be on some of them.

nj-cycles folk I'd most like to see take their bikes around the track at CLASS:

PoPs...

just for the sheer shits-and-giggles of seeing him take the Duchess around the track and show up some of the people on sportbikes :-)

Inch...

hey... not one single Harley there, and someone took a full-dress Kawasaki tourer on the track for it, and did quite well!

Ravi...

just to prove he's more than an AI program gone awry... ;-)

Bob Larson...

to prove he deserves the squid points for that pipe... :-)

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