Dad's First Trackday

In order to start this post in the most cliché way possible I will say this: even old dogs can learn new tricks. Rider Magazine ran an article by Jenny Smith in the October 2016 issue about attending a Reg Pridmore CLASS day and that got dad thinking about going the track. Our story starts in the first part of this year when my dad expressed an interest in going to Thunderhill in Willows, California with me for the Keigwin’s at the Track season opener. While I rode the track dad wandered the pits and talked to people; he was impressed at how professional and safe of an event track days are. From then he decided that the next track day I went to he would also go, rent a bike, and ride.

First about us. I started riding in 2010 and have a dozen track days under my belt, mostly on 600cc supersports, but I took 2015 and 2016 off due to a crash and injury. Dad is sixty-four, started riding in 2012, and has had various styles of bikes from a small cruiser to a FJR1300. He wants to be more confident in the twisties and jokes about wanting to beat me at the track.
We went to Thunderhill hosted by Keigwin’s at the Track in May this year. Dad rented a Ninja 300 from Feel Like a Pro and I trailered my ’14 Honda Interceptor. FLAP runs an operation fitting of the moniker “pro” and provides your bike, leathers, pit area, snacks, and water. Water was a necessity because by mid-day the weather was 107 degrees in the shade on the paddock.
In the afternoon Dad took advantage of the high instructor/rider ratio and got several sessions of coaching from K@TT instructor Daniella. She was happy to help my old man and had glowing things to say about how his riding had improved after being showed the lines and the reference points of the track. I was impressed at how quick the little Ninja 300s and the few R3s were at this track. They do not have a lot of drive out of the corners or down the straight but they can carry more speed than a heavy torquey bike like my Interceptor can through the corners.
My Interceptor performed flawlessly although it does leave me wishing for a lighter bike. Despite the heat, we both had a blast and dad has challenged me to a rematch in the fall with both of us on 300cc class bikes.