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MB

Mario Baroz

Fri, Dec 10, 2021 3:42 PM

I forgot to write up my experience riding my SS at COTA. Here you go...

There's a shop here in San Antonio called “Alpha Moto” that I hang out at a lot because they do great work and they’re cool guys. Anyway, I’d been thinking of doing a track day and they invited me to go with them when they went to COTA and I agreed.
I put our mini-bikes (my son went with me) in the back of the truck and put the SS on a hitch carrier. I was really, really, nervous about that but the carrier is rated for 600lbs so I put my faith in that. We caravanned up with Alpha Moto who were taking 6 bikes up themselves. The hitch carrier worked fine. I did lash on a couple extra tie-down straps to try and pull the bike back towards the truck and that seemed to solidify it. Gave me more peace of mind anyway.
We left Friday afternoon to get there early to ensure we could park in back of our garage. Alpha Moto rented a garage and I was with them so I got to pretend I was a MotoGP rider for a day.
It was glorious weather all month long so of course, that weekend was forecast for rain. It held off on Friday but Saturday morning we woke up to a constant drizzle. The track was soaked. CRAP!!! I guess I should mention this track day was with RideSmart. RideSmart had the morning riders’ meeting and then we broke up into our groups. Since I hadn’t raced/tracked in over 20 years, I thought it best I start out in the beginner’s group. It was the usual track tutelage of entry point, braking point, apex, exit point, etc, etc, stuff I’d read and heard a million times. I wasn’t even sure I was going to go out.
As I walked back to our garage though, I thought I might as well just circulate around the track since I’d spent $400 for the experience. I got suited up and went out. Brand new leathers, brand new helmet, both untested. Which turned out to be a big point. The instructor led us around the first lap to show us the line and then the next lap we played “round robin” where each guy takes his turn at the front. Since I was only one bike behind the instructor, I got to lead one lap. But each lap was taking us 5 minutes so we only got 4 laps in for our session. I had a HUGE problem though because I couldn’t see a damn thing. I didn’t have any kind of fog mitigation on my helmet so I rode all four laps with my visor completely open, with rain and spray pelting me in the face all four laps. And I still couldn’t see because my glasses fogged up too! It SUCKED. Despite all that, I still enjoyed being on the track. It was a little surreal to be riding the same track as the MotoGP guys do.
My bike wasn’t running great as it wouldn’t hold idle and would cut out if I closed throttle too rapidly. The first session wasn’t a problem as we were going so slow.
At the break RideSmart had us go in for more instruction which was more of the same with some body position coaching thrown in.
The rain let up a little bit so I decided to ride the next session. One of the Alpha Moto guys lent me his helmet which had a pinlock visor on it. Each instructor had 6-7 guys behind him, all color coded with stickers on our helmets. But when I went to line up, the grid lady insisted I get in one line, which wasn’t my instructor’s line. Oh well….. The pinlock visor worked MUCH better and I could actually see. For this session my instructor said he would lead us around for one lap and then give us the “go ahead” signal after which we could pass him and circulate the track at our own speed. But I wasn’t behind my instructor and they pulled us in after one lap as someone in the prior group had just crashed and caused a red flag situation.
After they cleared that up, they send us out again and again, I got put in the wrong line. We went around one lap but this instructor didn’t give the “go ahead” signal. I was stuck behind this guy on an Indian who was agonizingly slow so as soon as we hit the front straight, I passed him and the instructor. I only got to do three laps but it was fun, even though I was going slow. How slow? I only topped out at 85mph on the back straight. It was just too wet for me to have any confidence.
By this time, it was apparent that there was something inside my left knee armor that was grating on my leg and becoming painful. I had some knee braces but I didn’t wear them. Next time.
I was really looking forward to the next session but alas, it was not to be. We went around for one lap with the instructor and I got stuck behind the Indian guy again. As soon as we were allowed to pass, I passed him and went on my way. A little too much throttle coming out of T8 and my back end came around and I was “Whoa!!! take it easy idiot!!!” Then coming down from my mighty top speed of 85mph into T12, I downshifted twice, the bike coughed and stopped and I ran off course. Got it started again and went into T13 fine but as I eased off the throttle for T14, it coughed and stopped again, again causing me to go off course. I almost dropped it when I went over the rumble strips because I had never ridden over rumble strips like that before! After that, I raised my arm and went back into the pits. That was it for me.
The day just got colder and wetter so I think I made the right decision. Other guys kept riding but I was done. Cold, wet, recalcitrant bike…no thank you, even if it was COTA.
I gotta say some words about the Alpha Moto crew. They made me feel like a star! The night before, I couldn’t get the SS started as my lithium battery doesn’t do so great when it’s cold. One of the AM techs had brought a lithium battery charger so he hooked that up for me. Bike started WATHUMP on the button next morning. When I was getting ready, one of the AM guys held out my gloves so I could jam my hands in. When I got back they took my bike and I just had to go sit down. Just like Marc Marquez!! When my bike was acting up, the tech pulled the plugs and cleaned them up. It was awesome. Now I don’t want to do a track day without them! hahahaha. Park my own bike? pshaw, that’s for peasants! hahahaha…
Despite all of that, I still had fun. I got to hang out with my son, who was also a big help. I got to hang out with cool guys. I got to ride COTA! I think I’m going to have to do it again, this time in the dry!
Picture glossary:

Me and the SS on the carrier. I’m so nervous.
SS in the garage
SS in the pits
Me and my son and SS
My Alpha Moto custom mini-bike. They built exactly to my specifications. So fun!
Night with the SS
They were having a Christmas event at night so the whole track was bathed in this red light.
Me heading out for the 1st session.

Cheers! Mario

I forgot to write up my experience riding my SS at COTA. Here you go... There's a shop here in San Antonio called “Alpha Moto” that I hang out at a lot because they do great work and they’re cool guys. Anyway, I’d been thinking of doing a track day and they invited me to go with them when they went to COTA and I agreed. I put our mini-bikes (my son went with me) in the back of the truck and put the SS on a hitch carrier. I was really, really, nervous about that but the carrier is rated for 600lbs so I put my faith in that. We caravanned up with Alpha Moto who were taking 6 bikes up themselves. The hitch carrier worked fine. I did lash on a couple extra tie-down straps to try and pull the bike back towards the truck and that seemed to solidify it. Gave me more peace of mind anyway. We left Friday afternoon to get there early to ensure we could park in back of our garage. Alpha Moto rented a garage and I was with them so I got to pretend I was a MotoGP rider for a day. It was glorious weather all month long so of course, that weekend was forecast for rain. It held off on Friday but Saturday morning we woke up to a constant drizzle. The track was soaked. CRAP!!! I guess I should mention this track day was with RideSmart. RideSmart had the morning riders’ meeting and then we broke up into our groups. Since I hadn’t raced/tracked in over 20 years, I thought it best I start out in the beginner’s group. It was the usual track tutelage of entry point, braking point, apex, exit point, etc, etc, stuff I’d read and heard a million times. I wasn’t even sure I was going to go out. As I walked back to our garage though, I thought I might as well just circulate around the track since I’d spent $400 for the experience. I got suited up and went out. Brand new leathers, brand new helmet, both untested. Which turned out to be a big point. The instructor led us around the first lap to show us the line and then the next lap we played “round robin” where each guy takes his turn at the front. Since I was only one bike behind the instructor, I got to lead one lap. But each lap was taking us 5 minutes so we only got 4 laps in for our session. I had a HUGE problem though because I couldn’t see a damn thing. I didn’t have any kind of fog mitigation on my helmet so I rode all four laps with my visor completely open, with rain and spray pelting me in the face all four laps. And I still couldn’t see because my glasses fogged up too! It SUCKED. Despite all that, I still enjoyed being on the track. It was a little surreal to be riding the same track as the MotoGP guys do. My bike wasn’t running great as it wouldn’t hold idle and would cut out if I closed throttle too rapidly. The first session wasn’t a problem as we were going so slow. At the break RideSmart had us go in for more instruction which was more of the same with some body position coaching thrown in. The rain let up a little bit so I decided to ride the next session. One of the Alpha Moto guys lent me his helmet which had a pinlock visor on it. Each instructor had 6-7 guys behind him, all color coded with stickers on our helmets. But when I went to line up, the grid lady insisted I get in one line, which wasn’t my instructor’s line. Oh well….. The pinlock visor worked MUCH better and I could actually see. For this session my instructor said he would lead us around for one lap and then give us the “go ahead” signal after which we could pass him and circulate the track at our own speed. But I wasn’t behind my instructor and they pulled us in after one lap as someone in the prior group had just crashed and caused a red flag situation. After they cleared that up, they send us out again and again, I got put in the wrong line. We went around one lap but this instructor didn’t give the “go ahead” signal. I was stuck behind this guy on an Indian who was agonizingly slow so as soon as we hit the front straight, I passed him and the instructor. I only got to do three laps but it was fun, even though I was going slow. How slow? I only topped out at 85mph on the back straight. It was just too wet for me to have any confidence. By this time, it was apparent that there was something inside my left knee armor that was grating on my leg and becoming painful. I had some knee braces but I didn’t wear them. Next time. I was really looking forward to the next session but alas, it was not to be. We went around for one lap with the instructor and I got stuck behind the Indian guy again. As soon as we were allowed to pass, I passed him and went on my way. A little too much throttle coming out of T8 and my back end came around and I was “Whoa!!! take it easy idiot!!!” Then coming down from my mighty top speed of 85mph into T12, I downshifted twice, the bike coughed and stopped and I ran off course. Got it started again and went into T13 fine but as I eased off the throttle for T14, it coughed and stopped again, again causing me to go off course. I almost dropped it when I went over the rumble strips because I had never ridden over rumble strips like that before! After that, I raised my arm and went back into the pits. That was it for me. The day just got colder and wetter so I think I made the right decision. Other guys kept riding but I was done. Cold, wet, recalcitrant bike…no thank you, even if it was COTA. I gotta say some words about the Alpha Moto crew. They made me feel like a star! The night before, I couldn’t get the SS started as my lithium battery doesn’t do so great when it’s cold. One of the AM techs had brought a lithium battery charger so he hooked that up for me. Bike started WATHUMP on the button next morning. When I was getting ready, one of the AM guys held out my gloves so I could jam my hands in. When I got back they took my bike and I just had to go sit down. Just like Marc Marquez!! When my bike was acting up, the tech pulled the plugs and cleaned them up. It was awesome. Now I don’t want to do a track day without them! hahahaha. Park my own bike? pshaw, that’s for peasants! hahahaha… Despite all of that, I still had fun. I got to hang out with my son, who was also a big help. I got to hang out with cool guys. I got to ride COTA! I think I’m going to have to do it again, this time in the dry! Picture glossary: 1. Me and the SS on the carrier. I’m so nervous. 2. SS in the garage 3. SS in the pits 4. Me and my son and SS 5. My Alpha Moto custom mini-bike. They built exactly to my specifications. So fun! 6. Night with the SS 7. They were having a Christmas event at night so the whole track was bathed in this red light. 8. Me heading out for the 1st session. Cheers! Mario

JC

James Calandro

Fri, Dec 10, 2021 7:03 PM

Glad you had fun despite the weather and a sick bike.
Jim Calandro
il Capo
US DESMO
www.usdesmo.com
704-843-0429

"Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person
to die" Buddha

On Fri, Dec 10, 2021 at 10:43 AM Mario Baroz mariobaroz@hotmail.com wrote:

I forgot to write up my experience riding my SS at COTA. Here you go...

There's a shop here in San Antonio called “Alpha Moto” that I hang out at
a lot because they do great work and they’re cool guys. Anyway, I’d been
thinking of doing a track day and they invited me to go with them when they
went to COTA and I agreed.

I put our mini-bikes (my son went with me) in the back of the truck and
put the SS on a hitch carrier. I was really, really, nervous about that but
the carrier is rated for 600lbs so I put my faith in that. We caravanned
up with Alpha Moto who were taking 6 bikes up themselves. The hitch
carrier worked fine. I did lash on a couple extra tie-down straps to try
and pull the bike back towards the truck and that seemed to solidify it.
Gave me more peace of mind anyway.

We left Friday afternoon to get there early to ensure we could park in
back of our garage. Alpha Moto rented a garage and I was with them so I got
to pretend I was a MotoGP rider for a day.

It was glorious weather all month long so of course, that weekend was
forecast for rain. It held off on Friday but Saturday morning we woke up
to a constant drizzle. The track was soaked. CRAP!!! I guess I should
mention this track day was with RideSmart. RideSmart had the morning
riders’ meeting and then we broke up into our groups. Since I hadn’t
raced/tracked in over 20 years, I thought it best I start out in the
beginner’s group. It was the usual track tutelage of entry point,
braking point, apex, exit point, etc, etc, stuff I’d read and heard a
million times. I wasn’t even sure I was going to go out.

As I walked back to our garage though, I thought I might as well just
circulate around the track since I’d spent $400 for the experience. I
got suited up and went out. Brand new leathers, brand new helmet, both
untested. Which turned out to be a big point. The instructor led us
around the first lap to show us the line and then the next lap we played
“round robin” where each guy takes his turn at the front. Since I was
only one bike behind the instructor, I got to lead one lap. But each lap
was taking us 5 minutes so we only got 4 laps in for our session. I had
a HUGE problem though because I couldn’t see a damn thing. I didn’t have
any kind of fog mitigation on my helmet so I rode all four laps with my
visor completely open, with rain and spray pelting me in the face all four
laps. And I still couldn’t see because my glasses fogged up too! It
SUCKED. Despite all that, I still enjoyed being on the track. It was a
little surreal to be riding the same track as the MotoGP guys do.

My bike wasn’t running great as it wouldn’t hold idle and would cut out if
I closed throttle too rapidly. The first session wasn’t a problem as we
were going so slow.

At the break RideSmart had us go in for more instruction which was more of
the same with some body position coaching thrown in.

The rain let up a little bit so I decided to ride the next session. One
of the Alpha Moto guys lent me his helmet which had a pinlock visor on it.
Each instructor had 6-7 guys behind him, all color coded with stickers on
our helmets. But when I went to line up, the grid lady insisted I get in
one line, which wasn’t my instructor’s line. Oh well….. The pinlock
visor worked MUCH better and I could actually see. For this session my
instructor said he would lead us around for one lap and then give us the
“go ahead” signal after which we could pass him and circulate the track at
our own speed. But I wasn’t behind my instructor and they pulled us in
after one lap as someone in the prior group had just crashed and caused a
red flag situation.

After they cleared that up, they send us out again and again, I got put in
the wrong line. We went around one lap but this instructor didn’t give
the “go ahead” signal. I was stuck behind this guy on an Indian who was
agonizingly slow so as soon as we hit the front straight, I passed him and
the instructor. I only got to do three laps but it was fun, even though
I was going slow. How slow? I only topped out at 85mph on the back
straight. It was just too wet for me to have any confidence.

By this time, it was apparent that there was something inside my left knee
armor that was grating on my leg and becoming painful. I had some knee
braces but I didn’t wear them. Next time.

I was really looking forward to the next session but alas, it was not to
be. We went around for one lap with the instructor and I got stuck
behind the Indian guy again. As soon as we were allowed to pass, I passed
him and went on my way. A little too much throttle coming out of T8 and
my back end came around and I was “Whoa!!! take it easy idiot!!!” Then
coming down from my mighty top speed of 85mph into T12, I downshifted
twice, the bike coughed and stopped and I ran off course. Got it started
again and went into T13 fine but as I eased off the throttle for T14, it
coughed and stopped again, again causing me to go off course. I almost
dropped it when I went over the rumble strips because I had never ridden
over rumble strips like that before! After that, I raised my arm and
went back into the pits. That was it for me.

The day just got colder and wetter so I think I made the right decision.
Other guys kept riding but I was done. Cold, wet, recalcitrant bike…no
thank you, even if it was COTA.

I gotta say some words about the Alpha Moto crew. They made me feel like
a star! The night before, I couldn’t get the SS started as my lithium
battery doesn’t do so great when it’s cold. One of the AM techs had brought
a lithium battery charger so he hooked that up for me. Bike started WATHUMP
on the button next morning. When I was getting ready, one of the AM guys
held out my gloves so I could jam my hands in. When I got back they took my
bike and I just had to go sit down. Just like Marc Marquez!! When my
bike was acting up, the tech pulled the plugs and cleaned them up. It
was awesome. Now I don’t want to do a track day without them! hahahaha. Park
my own bike? pshaw, that’s for peasants! hahahaha…

Despite all of that, I still had fun. I got to hang out with my son, who
was also a big help. I got to hang out with cool guys. I got to ride
COTA! I think I’m going to have to do it again, this time in the dry!

Picture glossary:

1. Me and the SS on the carrier. I’m so nervous.
2. SS in the garage
3. SS in the pits
4. Me and my son and SS
5. My Alpha Moto custom mini-bike. They built exactly to my
specifications. So fun!
6. Night with the SS
7. They were having a Christmas event at night so the whole track was
bathed in this red light.
8. Me heading out for the 1st session.

Cheers! Mario

To get the links and updates on all today's Ducati news:
http://www.ductalk.com/
and
https://www.facebook.com/ducnet

Ducati mailing list -- ducati@list.ducati.net
To unsubscribe send an email to ducati-leave@list.ducati.net
Mailto: %(user_address)s

Glad you had fun despite the weather and a sick bike. Jim Calandro il Capo US DESMO www.usdesmo.com 704-843-0429 "Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die" Buddha On Fri, Dec 10, 2021 at 10:43 AM Mario Baroz <mariobaroz@hotmail.com> wrote: > I forgot to write up my experience riding my SS at COTA. Here you go... > > There's a shop here in San Antonio called “Alpha Moto” that I hang out at > a lot because they do great work and they’re cool guys. Anyway, I’d been > thinking of doing a track day and they invited me to go with them when they > went to COTA and I agreed. > > I put our mini-bikes (my son went with me) in the back of the truck and > put the SS on a hitch carrier. I was really, really, nervous about that but > the carrier is rated for 600lbs so I put my faith in that. We caravanned > up with Alpha Moto who were taking 6 bikes up themselves. The hitch > carrier worked fine. I did lash on a couple extra tie-down straps to try > and pull the bike back towards the truck and that seemed to solidify it. > Gave me more peace of mind anyway. > > We left Friday afternoon to get there early to ensure we could park in > back of our garage. Alpha Moto rented a garage and I was with them so I got > to pretend I was a MotoGP rider for a day. > > It was glorious weather all month long so of course, that weekend was > forecast for rain. It held off on Friday but Saturday morning we woke up > to a constant drizzle. The track was soaked. CRAP!!! I guess I should > mention this track day was with RideSmart. RideSmart had the morning > riders’ meeting and then we broke up into our groups. Since I hadn’t > raced/tracked in over 20 years, I thought it best I start out in the > beginner’s group. It was the usual track tutelage of entry point, > braking point, apex, exit point, etc, etc, stuff I’d read and heard a > million times. I wasn’t even sure I was going to go out. > > As I walked back to our garage though, I thought I might as well just > circulate around the track since I’d spent $400 for the experience. I > got suited up and went out. Brand new leathers, brand new helmet, both > untested. Which turned out to be a big point. The instructor led us > around the first lap to show us the line and then the next lap we played > “round robin” where each guy takes his turn at the front. Since I was > only one bike behind the instructor, I got to lead one lap. But each lap > was taking us 5 minutes so we only got 4 laps in for our session. I had > a HUGE problem though because I couldn’t see a damn thing. I didn’t have > any kind of fog mitigation on my helmet so I rode all four laps with my > visor completely open, with rain and spray pelting me in the face all four > laps. And I still couldn’t see because my glasses fogged up too! It > SUCKED. Despite all that, I still enjoyed being on the track. It was a > little surreal to be riding the same track as the MotoGP guys do. > > My bike wasn’t running great as it wouldn’t hold idle and would cut out if > I closed throttle too rapidly. The first session wasn’t a problem as we > were going so slow. > > At the break RideSmart had us go in for more instruction which was more of > the same with some body position coaching thrown in. > > The rain let up a little bit so I decided to ride the next session. One > of the Alpha Moto guys lent me his helmet which had a pinlock visor on it. > Each instructor had 6-7 guys behind him, all color coded with stickers on > our helmets. But when I went to line up, the grid lady insisted I get in > one line, which wasn’t my instructor’s line. Oh well….. The pinlock > visor worked MUCH better and I could actually see. For this session my > instructor said he would lead us around for one lap and then give us the > “go ahead” signal after which we could pass him and circulate the track at > our own speed. But I wasn’t behind my instructor and they pulled us in > after one lap as someone in the prior group had just crashed and caused a > red flag situation. > > After they cleared that up, they send us out again and again, I got put in > the wrong line. We went around one lap but this instructor didn’t give > the “go ahead” signal. I was stuck behind this guy on an Indian who was > agonizingly slow so as soon as we hit the front straight, I passed him and > the instructor. I only got to do three laps but it was fun, even though > I was going slow. How slow? I only topped out at 85mph on the back > straight. It was just too wet for me to have any confidence. > > By this time, it was apparent that there was something inside my left knee > armor that was grating on my leg and becoming painful. I had some knee > braces but I didn’t wear them. Next time. > > I was really looking forward to the next session but alas, it was not to > be. We went around for one lap with the instructor and I got stuck > behind the Indian guy again. As soon as we were allowed to pass, I passed > him and went on my way. A little too much throttle coming out of T8 and > my back end came around and I was “Whoa!!! take it easy idiot!!!” Then > coming down from my mighty top speed of 85mph into T12, I downshifted > twice, the bike coughed and stopped and I ran off course. Got it started > again and went into T13 fine but as I eased off the throttle for T14, it > coughed and stopped again, again causing me to go off course. I almost > dropped it when I went over the rumble strips because I had never ridden > over rumble strips like that before! After that, I raised my arm and > went back into the pits. That was it for me. > > The day just got colder and wetter so I think I made the right decision. > Other guys kept riding but I was done. Cold, wet, recalcitrant bike…no > thank you, even if it was COTA. > > I gotta say some words about the Alpha Moto crew. They made me feel like > a star! The night before, I couldn’t get the SS started as my lithium > battery doesn’t do so great when it’s cold. One of the AM techs had brought > a lithium battery charger so he hooked that up for me. Bike started WATHUMP > on the button next morning. When I was getting ready, one of the AM guys > held out my gloves so I could jam my hands in. When I got back they took my > bike and I just had to go sit down. Just like Marc Marquez!! When my > bike was acting up, the tech pulled the plugs and cleaned them up. It > was awesome. Now I don’t want to do a track day without them! hahahaha. Park > my own bike? pshaw, that’s for peasants! hahahaha… > > Despite all of that, I still had fun. I got to hang out with my son, who > was also a big help. I got to hang out with cool guys. I got to ride > COTA! I think I’m going to have to do it again, this time in the dry! > > Picture glossary: > > 1. Me and the SS on the carrier. I’m so nervous. > 2. SS in the garage > 3. SS in the pits > 4. Me and my son and SS > 5. My Alpha Moto custom mini-bike. They built exactly to my > specifications. So fun! > 6. Night with the SS > 7. They were having a Christmas event at night so the whole track was > bathed in this red light. > 8. Me heading out for the 1st session. > > > > Cheers! Mario > > > > > > To get the links and updates on all today's Ducati news: > http://www.ductalk.com/ > and > https://www.facebook.com/ducnet > _____________________ > Ducati mailing list -- ducati@list.ducati.net > To unsubscribe send an email to ducati-leave@list.ducati.net > Mailto: %(user_address)s

PM

Paul March

Fri, Dec 10, 2021 7:37 PM

Great pics and cool bike to do laps on!

Paul

On Fri, Dec 10, 2021 at 10:44 AM Mario Baroz mariobaroz@hotmail.com wrote: