I Showed Up Alone… and Discovered I Belong on the Track

For a long time I had wanted to do a motorcycle track day, but like most people, I kept putting it off. I was nervous about doing it alone, worried about looking like I didn’t know what I was doing, and honestly a little intimidated by the whole thing. But eventually I decided it was time to stop thinking about it and just go.

So I signed up for my first track day at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit.

Looking back now, I wish I had done it years ago.

The Drive to the Track

I headed out to Hallett right after work on Saturday. It was about a two-and-a-half-hour drive, and I was towing my enclosed trailer behind my 4Runner. When I rolled up to the gate around 7 p.m., I paid for admission, got my wristband, and started slowly creeping my way through the facility.

The speed limit around the track is 10 mph, but I was going about six. I had never been there before, and pulling a trailer in an unfamiliar place wasn’t something I wanted to rush.

Luckily there was a lot of space since it was late in the day for Saturday’s riders and still early for Sunday’s track day. I found a spot pretty easily and pulled straight in. It was actually on a slight incline, which ended up being perfect for unloading my motorcycle.

Sometimes things work out exactly the way you need them to.

Figuring Things Out

One of the things I was most nervous about was being there by myself. I didn’t have anyone to bounce questions off of or show me how things worked. But once I got there, I realized people were pretty helpful.

I walked around a little, checked out the women’s restroom and showers, and eventually worked up the courage to ask someone about the paddocks. One guy told me they were first come, first serve, so I could pretty much set up anywhere.

With that bit of knowledge, I opened the trailer, unloaded my motorcycle, and parked it in paddock 18 right in front of my vehicle.

Then I set up my chair next to the bike and started getting my sleeping situation ready in the back of my 4Runner.

After sitting under the paddock for a while studying the track, I finally turned in around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m.

Track Morning

My alarm went off at 6:15 a.m. so I could get up, shower, and get ready for the day.

That’s when I realized I had forgotten something important.

A towel.

So yes… I dried off using one of my shirts. Not exactly ideal, but sometimes you just make it work.

After getting ready, I met up with Ryan from Bison to pick up the track suit I had rented. I took it to try it on… and immediately realized it didn’t fit.

At that moment I started to panic.

I was thinking, “Great… I drove all this way and now I’m not even going to be able to ride.”

When I went back and explained the issue, Ryan asked what the problem was. I told him I had thick thighs and a bootie. He laughed a little and handed me another suit to try.

Thankfully, that one fit. It was tight, but it fit.

Crisis averted.

Riders Meeting and Classroom

The riders meeting started at 8:00 a.m. After that, the beginner riders (the Hart class) went into the classroom.

We went over all the track flags, what they meant, basic track rules, and talked about the layout of the track. It was actually really helpful, especially since I had never ridden at Hallett before.

Then it was time to gear up.

And finally… get on the track.

Rolling Out of Pit Lane

The first session was a sighting session.

There were four other riders in the Hart class, and we followed an instructor using a leapfrog method so each rider would get a chance to follow directly behind him.

I ended up first in line.

The moment I rolled out of pit lane and onto the track, something just clicked.

All the nerves I had been feeling disappeared.

I remember thinking to myself:

“Yeah… I’ve got this.”

By the time that first session ended and I rolled back into the paddock, I pulled off my helmet and just said out loud,

“Hell yeah… that was awesome.”

Learning on the Fly

The second session came up pretty quickly.

This time I went out on my own, and early in the session I came into Turn 2 a little hotter than I should have. I had to correct slightly, which got my attention real quick.

Not long after that, one of the instructors came over and had me follow him for a while.

Eventually we pulled into pit lane and he gave me some feedback.

He told me I was doing a good job hugging the tank and staying on the balls of my feet on the pegs, but he wanted me to try getting my butt off the seat more in the corners.

I said, “Alright, I can do that.”

So we went back out.

The Moment in Turn 6

When I came into Turn 6 and shifted my body off the seat, something interesting happened.

My left peg scraped the ground.

Then the back tire got a little squirrely.

For a split second my breath caught, but I stayed in the throttle and let the bike do its thing.

And just like that, it corrected itself and carried right through the turn.

That moment took my breath away.

It was intense… but also incredible.

A New Favorite Place

I ended up really loving the track, especially Turns 2 through 5. The flow of that section just felt right to me.

I only ended up getting two sessions in though.

By the time the third session was coming up, the wind had picked up to around 50 mph. Standing there watching it, I didn’t feel good about going back out.

So I trusted my gut and decided to call it a day.

My newer motorcycle stayed in the trailer and never even saw the track that day.

But honestly, I was completely happy with what I had already experienced.

Packing Up and Heading Home

After returning the track suit to Ryan, I started loading everything back into the trailer. Once everything was packed, I sat in my vehicle and ate while I planned my route home.

The drive back was rough.

Those same 50 mph winds that stopped me from riding made pulling an enclosed trailer pretty miserable.

But eventually I made it home safely.

And the entire way back, I kept thinking the same thing.

I Should Have Done This Years Ago

That first track day showed me something important.

All the nerves I had beforehand, all the worrying about doing it alone, about not knowing the layout, about looking like I didn’t belong there… none of it mattered once I got on the track.

As soon as I rolled out of pit lane, I realized something.

I belong out there.

And I can’t wait to go back.