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L8RG8R
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Last Friday I attended a track day at Oak Hill Raceway in Henderson, Texas. Its a short and technical track built in the 70's originally for go karts.
I left my house at 4am Friday morning to arrive at 7:30am, just in time for tech and riders meeting. On the way there, I drove through TERRIBLE rain and just knew it was going to be a wet, soggy, and muddy track day. All of that aside, I was very much looking forward to it since this would be my first ever rainy track day.
The previous night, 6" of rain fell at Oak Hill which caused flooding around the track. At one part, there was a small ditch that had swollen well beyond its limits and was sending an 8" deep rushing river over one section of the track. By 11:30am or so, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and the rushing river had subsided to a 1" deep trickle. GAME ON!
This was my first time on this particular track. There was standing water on the track and it was still raining. I and everyone else were taking it real easy and just cruising around. Brake and corner markers weren't being looked at (at least for me). Thats how slow we were going. It was more like just get around the track and dodge the standing water.
By the second session out, things started to dry up and the sun even peaked out a time or two.
After a few nice laps, the track was drying out and the bike was really feeling good. I started down the straight and thought, "Man that was a great lap and the track is feeling good. Lets turn it up!" So there I went screaming down the straight now in full track day mode. I come in to the slight bend in turn one, referencing the corner markers and line up for turn two hard on the gas. I enter turn two, get to the apex and shoot towards the exit marker. OH @#$%!!! I had forgotten about a huge pool of standing water on the track. It was right in front of the exit marker. I tried to tighten my line but I was just going to fast. My front tire clipped the puddle about a foot in and started to tuck. 
But then I saved it! 
But it was too late, I was already heading off the track in to the swampy grass and mud at somewhere around 60-80mph. Immediately the bike started to shimmy and shake, lock to lock. I was certain a high-side was coming. I took pressure off the bars and started rapping on the back brake. The bike started to settle down! I actually thought for a second..."WOOHOOOO!! I can save this!!!!"
AND THEN....
Up ahead I saw the friggen lake that was causing the 8" deep river to run over the track earlier in the day. I was like:
That water had to be at least 2-3ft deep and I knew there was NO chance of me making that. So I hit the water and me and the bike went down hard to the left. In fact, there was so much water spray, I remember it knocking my right hand off the grip. The bike and I went skipping, slipping, and sliding across the swampy terrain and came to stop. I was completely shocked that the fall didn't really hurt at all! Felt like a small Charlie-horse in the left shoulder. Most of my wakeboard and kneeboard crashes on the lake hurt WAY more. 
So I picked up my bike in which every orifice on the left side is filled with mud, water, and grass. Two corner workers were there within seconds. One guy said, "DUDE! That was the biggest splash I've ever seen!".
I looked the bike over and at first glance I noticed the left turn signal was missing, light scrapes on the fairing, and coolant leaking from the left radiator. Other than that, things looked pretty good. I hit the starter and the bike cranked right up. A corner worker pushed me and the bike up to the track and I rode it around the track and back to my truck. My day was done.
After getting home, washing the bike, and further inspection, the bike has minor cosmetic damage to the left fairings, tank, and left can, no left turn signal (which I happened to have 2 extras of), and a broken mounting tab on top of the radiator which reveled a hole the size of a pencil eraser (not ideal for good radiator operation )
I'll get the cosmetic stuff cleaned up and I have a fix for the radiator. I feel great and am VERY MUCH looking forward to my next track day. While some may think this was a disaster, I think it couldn't of happened any better. Not that I like to crash, but it was probably the best possible outcome there could have ever been. It was a real learning experience that I won't forget and this will probably be one of my most memorable track days ever. I will be back to conquer Oak Hill Raceway. I've just got others to attend first, with the next being on September 3rd.
My path to DOOM.
I left my house at 4am Friday morning to arrive at 7:30am, just in time for tech and riders meeting. On the way there, I drove through TERRIBLE rain and just knew it was going to be a wet, soggy, and muddy track day. All of that aside, I was very much looking forward to it since this would be my first ever rainy track day.
The previous night, 6" of rain fell at Oak Hill which caused flooding around the track. At one part, there was a small ditch that had swollen well beyond its limits and was sending an 8" deep rushing river over one section of the track. By 11:30am or so, the rain had slowed to a drizzle and the rushing river had subsided to a 1" deep trickle. GAME ON!
This was my first time on this particular track. There was standing water on the track and it was still raining. I and everyone else were taking it real easy and just cruising around. Brake and corner markers weren't being looked at (at least for me). Thats how slow we were going. It was more like just get around the track and dodge the standing water.
By the second session out, things started to dry up and the sun even peaked out a time or two.
After a few nice laps, the track was drying out and the bike was really feeling good. I started down the straight and thought, "Man that was a great lap and the track is feeling good. Lets turn it up!" So there I went screaming down the straight now in full track day mode. I come in to the slight bend in turn one, referencing the corner markers and line up for turn two hard on the gas. I enter turn two, get to the apex and shoot towards the exit marker. OH @#$%!!! I had forgotten about a huge pool of standing water on the track. It was right in front of the exit marker. I tried to tighten my line but I was just going to fast. My front tire clipped the puddle about a foot in and started to tuck. But then I saved it! But it was too late, I was already heading off the track in to the swampy grass and mud at somewhere around 60-80mph. Immediately the bike started to shimmy and shake, lock to lock. I was certain a high-side was coming. I took pressure off the bars and started rapping on the back brake. The bike started to settle down! I actually thought for a second..."WOOHOOOO!! I can save this!!!!" AND THEN....
Up ahead I saw the friggen lake that was causing the 8" deep river to run over the track earlier in the day. I was like:
That water had to be at least 2-3ft deep and I knew there was NO chance of me making that. So I hit the water and me and the bike went down hard to the left. In fact, there was so much water spray, I remember it knocking my right hand off the grip. The bike and I went skipping, slipping, and sliding across the swampy terrain and came to stop. I was completely shocked that the fall didn't really hurt at all! Felt like a small Charlie-horse in the left shoulder. Most of my wakeboard and kneeboard crashes on the lake hurt WAY more. So I picked up my bike in which every orifice on the left side is filled with mud, water, and grass. Two corner workers were there within seconds. One guy said, "DUDE! That was the biggest splash I've ever seen!".
I looked the bike over and at first glance I noticed the left turn signal was missing, light scrapes on the fairing, and coolant leaking from the left radiator. Other than that, things looked pretty good. I hit the starter and the bike cranked right up. A corner worker pushed me and the bike up to the track and I rode it around the track and back to my truck. My day was done. After getting home, washing the bike, and further inspection, the bike has minor cosmetic damage to the left fairings, tank, and left can, no left turn signal (which I happened to have 2 extras of), and a broken mounting tab on top of the radiator which reveled a hole the size of a pencil eraser (not ideal for good radiator operation
) I'll get the cosmetic stuff cleaned up and I have a fix for the radiator. I feel great and am VERY MUCH looking forward to my next track day. While some may think this was a disaster, I think it couldn't of happened any better. Not that I like to crash, but it was probably the best possible outcome there could have ever been. It was a real learning experience that I won't forget and this will probably be one of my most memorable track days ever. I will be back to conquer Oak Hill Raceway. I've just got others to attend first, with the next being on September 3rd.
My path to DOOM.
(not!)
I'll be back!
I love her so much! 
