COTA March 14th 2015 with RideSmart

[ahamay]

Again, just checking to see if anyone will be attending? This event is with ridesmart at COTA on march 14/15th. Pricy as heck but personally excited to get out on the same track as motogp and F1. Will be there on the 14th only so if anyone is attending, say hello. I'll be on a black 2013 636 trying to get the suspension dialed in. Hope some can make it.

[madvlad]

Just out of curiosity, how much are track days out there?

[ahamay]

$485 per day. Haven't seen any other org's with days available at COTA and honestly not to thrilled that ridesmart is more of a school than TD provider but, really want to ride this track so it is what it is.

[madvlad]

I guess $500/day with the facilities and a world class track is not too shabby.

[tecknojoe]

Have fun. You should post up a review for anyone else that considers going with that group in the future

[hcr25]

I'm pretty sure you get one 20 minute session per hour. $1500-$2000 is speedy for track days.

[madvlad]

I'm pretty sure you get one 20 minute session per hour. $1500-$2000 is speedy for track days.

Is that full weekend price or something? Cause we went from $500 to $2000 ... Yeah if it's only 20 min sessions for that much money I'd rather spend that at HPR for the year on full days lol

[hcr25]

It might be a $500 track day if you live in Austin. Driving there from Colorado makes it slightly for expensive

I was thinking to do both days tO make it more worth while would be $970. You are going to spend at least $300 in fuel to get there and back. 4 or 5 days of food and drinks. Nearly $1300 already before thinking about new sticky tires and fuel for the bike. You might go to HPR on less then new tires but who would go all the way to COTA to ride on take offs. So add another $400 for new rubber and at least $50 for fuel for the bike.

I guess you you could rough it and sleep at the track. After driving 15 hours or so is want to get some good sleep and would want a hotel room.

Not at $2000 yet but over $1700 pretty easy

[madvlad]

Never thought about expenses but yeah you're right, that'd be some serious coin for a weekend of fun being out state. Guess if you have it and can burn it cool since that'd be an awesome track to try out for sure.

[tecknojoe]

I'm interested to hear how it goes, I've wanted to ride COTA since it opened.

I think it's worth it to go once. Last year I rode Silverstone for one day then I made a trip to Le Mans for 2 days on track. It's really cool to ride at world class facilities, but yes, very expensive like Mike said. Le Mans cost me about $2500 after it was all said and done. It was one of the best experiences of my life and worth every single penny(and euro, and British pound).

one thing though, make sure you go over your bike very well. You don't want an avoidable mechanical on such and expensive trip.

[tecknojoe]

How did this track day go? What did you think of the org that ran it?

[ahamay]

Sorry but I wrote up a nice review last night but forgot to hit the remember me button and when I tried posting, my time had expired and all was lost.
So, super short version, COTA is F***ing amazing. The track has a good blend of technical, flow, and out right speed. The facilities and amenities are top notch and I would absolutely love to ride this track again with either a different org or in level 3. New bike and trying to get the suspension dialed in had/have my confidence down so I signed up for level 2 which really sucked due to passing rules. The in class sessions were not worth the cost in my eyes but the few times I was able to get clear track made up for it.
Would I recommend people to suck up the cost and ride COTA with ridesmart, only if you have the skill set to ride in level 3. The passing rules they impose end up with you stuck in a group of liter bikes with guys that you will not feel confident passing due to their crazy lines only to make slight progress before hitting a straight and starting all over again. It can be and was highly frustrating but as I said, the moments where you do get clear track are awesome.
I would also make sure that tires, suspension, and all other bike needs are cared for before showing up. Their tire guys gave me my bike back with extremely under inflated tires and the suspension guy, while knowledgable and forthcoming, forgot to tighten up some of his work when he gave me my bike back. In all fairness to the suspension guy, I have never seen a guy so swamp with work. I believe about half of the riders that showed were from Mexico and I also believe that not a single one of them have ever had their suspension touched. There was 3 stands in front of the suspension guys trailer and bikes were five deep at each stand waiting to get a basic setup.

[tecknojoe]

Sounds like a busy day. Thanks for the info.

For the level 3 guys, was it basically a track day for the full day, or did everyone have to sacrifice track time to do class sessions?

A buddy of mine that lives in the UK is thinking of coming out if we can get on at COTA or Laguna. We did Le Mans and Silverstone together last year. Those high end tracks are really nice. I bet COTA is one of the nicest

[ahamay]

Level 3 is a normal trackday without classroom sessions. No passing restrictions and definitely the way to go. Not sure if this event was so busy because of GP happening soon or if it is normally that way but yes, expect it to be very crowded. Hope your buddy can make it and you guys get a chance at the track because it is top notch.

[PhilC]

*** Disclaimer *** Former RideSmart instructor.

The passing rules for Lvl 1 & 2 for COTA are unique and are imposed by COTA management and was not a decision made by the RideSmart management. The passing rules for Lvl 1 & 2 are more strict at COTA then what you would see at a normal RideSmart trackday. COTA is very strict about who they will allow to rent out the track and when you do you are under some tight contractual obligations and they watch you like a hawk. Initially when COTA opened they did not want to do motorcycle track days, period. RideSmart had to earn a lot of trust to allow the opportunity to host motorcycle track days at COTA. For that reason, they must agree to the stipulations imposed by COTA. If you have the skills to be Lvl 3 then buy early if you can because Lvl 2 passing rules can be an annoyance at times (speak from experience). However, It's the nature of the game and worth it to get to ride this amazing track.

Here's some video of me riding in Lvl2 COTA, passing situations @: 4:33, 6:38, 7:20, 7:55, 9:04, 9:23 (false neutral), 10:00, 11:28, 12:05, 12:54, 13:42, 14:42, 15:30, 16:35 *make sure your volume isn't loud
https://youtu.be/NgG-Vr992xA?t=4m25s

Tire Guy: I'm not sure who the tire guy you saw was, but, all the tire guys I've dealt with in Texas only inflate the tire enough to set the bead and then let you set the tire to the pressure you want as tire pressures range so dramatically and everyone has their own preference. I'm not making excuses for anyone, it's just what I've seen at the track over the years.

Suspension Guy: I'm going to guess it was Roger Albert (but it might not have been) and if it was I'm surprised to hear as this guy is an amazing asset to the track and does amazing work. He's a great guy and is always over worked (because he's good), especially at an event like COTA. He's personally saved my bacon one day when I had a crash and helped get me back up and running only missing two sessions. Sounds like he dropped the ball here and sure it was an honest mistake, but, mistake no less. I hope you brought the error to his attention. He's the kind of guy that would like to know. Again, assuming it was him, could have been someone else.

[Redline]

I would love to do this next year! I was there for the MotoGP race, I will also go next year, but hoping to make two trips!

How much faster were the guys in Level 3?

[PhilC]

I would love to do this next year! I was there for the MotoGP race, I will also go next year, but hoping to make two trips!

How much faster were the guys in Level 3?

I'd say I'm mid-pack lvl3 so expect some faster and some slower.