David Ludwig

Weeks of planning and late night thrashing paid off as the ICR converged on Talledaga Grand Prix Raceway for a Trackday sponsored by FSRA.

Aside from a slight directional error by yours truly, resulting in a lengthy detour (Jimmy and Doug, I SAID I was sorry), the trip south from Chattanooga on Saturday was uneventful. We arrived and took our place in a long string of ICR tow vehicles, trucks, trailers, and bikes lined up in the Econolodge parking lot for tech inspection by the Marmo team. With stickers in place and liabilities signed away, we began serious preparations for the following day, meaning tie-downs were loosened, vehicles locked, and spirits consumed to a background of tunes from Sid's and Skimmer's new Motorhead CD, and nonstop benchracing BS. A good time was had by all.

Sunday dawned cold, and after a Waffle House visit to help the Trackday butterflies really screw up our stomachs, we gassed up and motored to the track.

Dick Protus chasing Drewmeister

The event was the largest ever with 90 bikes registered in three classes. We had guys in all three classes and dominated the pits with 14 people, 10 bikes, and support equipment; all ready, or nervously ready, to tackle the day.

As equipment was unloaded and checked, I took inventory of which ICR had joined the party.

Drew on his Honda F4

*Drew was on his 600 Honda F4
*Lee brought his new, almost virgin, Honda F4i
*Scott had his big Suzuki TLR
*Jimmy and Doug were on their Ducati 996's
*I had my Ducati 900ss
*Dick Protus brought his race-prepped, Honda Hawk 650
*Bud was doing battle on son Skimmers '88 GSXR race bike
*WERA "strong men" Mark, Sid, and Robbie brought Mark's race ready TLR, Sid's R1, and Robbie's race-prepped SV650 and street ZX9.

Bryan, Skimmer, and new guy Scott C. came down to watch, assist, and give much needed help throughout the day. Skimmer and Drew brought along their cameras and captured what turned out to be simply awesome pictures. Great work, guys. Thanks from everyone.

Buddy on the '88 GSXR

After a windy walkdown of the track and riders meeting to get us ready, the 30 bike Street 1 class was let loose in a counter clockwise direction. The first of two gremlins of the day struck immediately as Scott's TLR refused to start. Fortunately, Scott lost only a session or two before the electrical problem was solved. He was soon out cutting laps and eventually moved up to join us in Street Two.

Street Two was next and 30 more bikes filed out. Sid and Robbie were able to back down from the race class to show us the smart lines throughout the first couple of sessions, so we tucked in behind and wicked it up. They kept us in tow long enough to educate us a bit and allow our own experience to kick in. Then they would warp out of sight and leave us on our own. Very helpful to us neophytes.

Race class gave us an opportunity to watch Mark, Sid, and Robbie get in some real practice for the coming season. I predict a good season for them!!

Sid-Man's first outing on Intrepid Racing's endurance bike.

By the end of the day, five 20 minute sessions for each class had been run. The weather was perfect for this well run event. Riders behaved responsibly and mishaps were few and minor, which speaks well of the 90 folks that participated. For our bunch, the day was a riot. Spirits were high, everyone was having a blast, and except for that second gremlin making Doug's 996 spit out its chain in the last session, incident free.

Jimmy say's "Proper tire pressure is critical on the track"

Friendly dicing, working on technique and setup, and just "stretching out" a bit, without the worries of the street, kept the grin factor high. After each session, tire wear and lessons learned were excitedly compared. It was a great experience and only one question remained as we loaded up.

MAN, THIS WAS A GAS, WHEN'S THE NEXT ONE ?!?

* View all the track-day photos