Calabogie 2019

[BruceV]

I headed up to Calabogie in Canada this past week. Left Monday morning and just before crossing the border met up with Matt B. We went up with a group of 9 this year. Seven of us stayed at the house we have been renting for the past 4 years.

The event is always the best track day event I do every year - only about 65 riders and you have to be invited to this party. They only run two groups so the schedule is 20 minutes on track 20 minutes off track from 9 to 5. The kick is that is just to insure there is not too many riders on the track at one time - the track is a little over 3 miles long so it is never busy - ever.

So if you have the mental and physical stamina - you in fact could ride from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - knock yourself out and go for it.

Since our group is mixed in regard to riding experience some of us go out in what the organizer calls the slow or fast group - honestly it doesn't matter what group you go out in - almost all riders at this event have a lot of track experience.

So because I like riding with all my friends I occasionally would do back to back sessions - trust me 40 minutes on track is a lot.

The track is in perfect condition - it is long and has great run off so a very safe track.

I've been there 3 years now and still can't hit one corner correctly - my lines were terrible until the last few sessions on day 3 and then of course we were leaving.

The riding is awesome but the group of folks we go up with make the trip. A lot of fun - a lot of bullsh*tting a lot of busting balls - and one in the group is a girl who takes a lot of crap from all the guys. She not only takes a lot of crap she dishes out a good amount as well.

Our friend Matt (my friend Matt) what can I say this dude is special - take what you will from that remark - he is a great friend - somewhat crazy bast*rd a heck of a good rider(I really hate putting that in words) just might go to his head.

Matt has come a long way - he actually had brand new tires in his trailer - I don't believe he actually used them - and I think he was running a set of track tires that were only 7 years old on his Suzuki - I think the tires on his CBR were only a few years old - Matt likes those rock hard tires - he loves the slides when power through corners.

Myself I started with a set of tires that had only a few sessions on them from my last track day and the next morning with Matt's help(he brought his NoMar)I changed them with a new set. I have to say Matt did all the work - my shoulder is not good enough to do tire changes these days.

In case some of you either don't know Matt or have not seen him lately here is a pic - we were at dinner when this was taken.





And a few videos.

Hope to get back on a street bike soon and start posting some ride reports about new adventures.

[justjoe]

Hey Bruce,

Sorry, I didn't mention it before but I took the wife out today in the car after I tried to fix the video. I should have said something earlier. And the picture looks like you caught Matt on the crapper!

Anyway, nice videos. I know you said that there is a lot of run-off area on the track but looking at some of it seems really tight to me with a guard rail up close. This is coming from someone who has never been on the track so take that for what it is.

[BruceV]

Hey Bruce,

Sorry, I didn't mention it before but I took the wife out today in the car after I tried to fix the video. I should have said something earlier. And the picture looks like you caught Matt on the crapper!

Anyway, nice videos. I know you said that there is a lot of run-off area on the track but looking at some of it seems really tight to me with a guard rail up close. This is coming from someone who has never been on the track so take that for what it is.

I don't know why the videos did not embed but thanks for fixing them.

Joe this track is very wide - and almost all the turns have good run off. Certainly a lot of guard rails on the track but in most cases where it is - typically not where you are going to crash into it directly.

I'm so used to running at Palmer where there is very little run off any place on the track Calabogie is great.

Well when you get on track later this year be prepared to have another motorcycle experience that you just may want to do again.

And Matt really was sitting at the table with all of us in the restaurant.

[JCW]

Glad to hear you getting out there B! Hope all is well (with everyone). That looks like a fun track.

[BruceV]

Glad to hear you getting out there B! Hope all is well (with everyone). That looks like a fun track.

It is a great track - I'm not doing as many track days as I would like but still doing about 20 this year. My track day org ran yesterday and is running today at NYST but I needed a few days recovery from Calabogie. Just a few years ago I would have gone straight from Calabogie to NYST.

[Pittsdriverwes]

Nice videos and some mighty fine riding there. I especially appreciate your patience in passing slower riders and wish more people realized there's no podium finishes at track days. That's probably the main reason I stopped doing them for the last few years. I think the track days near me just don't have enough qualified on-track coaches that are willing to give a time-out to unsafe riding.

[BruceV]

Nice videos and some mighty fine riding there. I especially appreciate your patience in passing slower riders and wish more people realized there's no podium finishes at track days. That's probably the main reason I stopped doing them for the last few years. I think the track days near me just don't have enough qualified on-track coaches that are willing to give a time-out to unsafe riding.

Wes:

This particular event is one of if not the best run event I go to. First of all it is by invitation only - only about 65 riders all with track experience. Not all are as experience as some but all know the rules.

This event has no coaches - is a private event - that had no red flags - and only two incidents that did not involve shutting down the track the entire three days.

In regard to my passing - some riders will come to me after a session and tell me I should have made the pass or that I could have made many passes during the session. You seem to understand as I wish more would - my days of racing have come and gone - my entire goal for any track day - have FUN and go home the same way I showed up both myself and my bikes.

I certainly have all kinds of confidence in my ability to make many close passes but have learned to hang back observe the rider in front of me and when I'm absolutely certain I can safely make the pass then I do so. I make a few close passes but again I'm very confident that not only I can make the pass but I can also do it in such a way that I don't stand up the other rider or in fact not be able to make the pass and stay on my new line.

On occasion I make a pass that I shouldn't have - typically happens when I come up on a rider that is going so much slower than me I have no choice but to pass.

I'm fortunate that I get to the track often so my track skills(very limited)are very present if you will so I don't typically have to get up to speed and get back into the groove.

I don't have a big ego these days so it does not bother me to not be the fastest rider on track - and trust me I'm never that guy.

If you look at how I ride the RR - watch the tach - I'm not out there hammering the heck out of it - it goes plenty fast enough riding it the way I do - when I want to do a few fast laps then I drop down a gear or two and wind it up - but again the fatigue factor multiplies when I do it.

When I ride the R3 I have to ride the bike at red line or it just does not go. But it weighs 125lbs. less than the RR has 40 HP so when you twist the throttle the handlebars are not ripping out of your hands.

In regard to riders riding unsafe - it happens and what I do is go talk to the rider if they respond positively and then they seem to ride better - great. If they blow me off - or continue to ride dangerously I absolutely get either a coach or the event organizer to address it.

My local org has a standing rule if another rider observes a rider breaking the rules - typically on film - which these days everyone runs a camera - that rider has to pay the rider $50.00 fine if they refuse they are done for the day.

[Pittsdriverwes]

I wish more track day riders approached it with your attitude - that we all have be healthy on Monday morning back in the real world. I'm encouraged that you can ride so many track days a year, year after year, and come away with few if any paint swapping or agricultural experiences. It's been a couple of years since I've done a track day and I was considering going back to a California Superbike School (repeat level 4) camp to see if I can light the fuse again. Maybe I'll also dip a toe back in at Summit Point and see if it's gotten any better out there.

[justjoe]

I wish more track day riders approached it with your attitude - that we all have be healthy on Monday morning back in the real world. I'm encouraged that you can ride so many track days a year, year after year, and come away with few if any paint swapping or agricultural experiences. It's been a couple of years since I've done a track day and I was considering going back to a California Superbike School (repeat level 4) camp to see if I can light the fuse again. Maybe I'll also dip a toe back in at Summit Point and see if it's gotten any better out there.

Come to VIR in early September, on your way to DGR!

[BruceV]

I wish more track day riders approached it with your attitude - that we all have be healthy on Monday morning back in the real world. I'm encouraged that you can ride so many track days a year, year after year, and come away with few if any paint swapping or agricultural experiences. It's been a couple of years since I've done a track day and I was considering going back to a California Superbike School (repeat level 4) camp to see if I can light the fuse again. Maybe I'll also dip a toe back in at Summit Point and see if it's gotten any better out there.

I'm very superstitious so normally I don't talk about crashing - I've been going to the track regularly since 2015 and knock on wood - cross my fingers - rub 10 rabbits feet
help an old lady cross the street - donate 25% of my income to a charity I've stayed on two wheels so far. It is a numbers game and the longer I'm out there the chances of me having an incident will grow.

Mileage wise I've done about 12,000 track miles since 2015 will do another 1,500 or so miles this year - I try really hard to never ride at or over my skill level and I do my best to really pay attention to what is going on - even though we have no clue what is happening behind us - I try and take some of the risk out of that unknown in regard to how I pass - how I brake and exactly where I am on the track - all of this helps the riders behind me if either they make a mistake or I do.

Track knowledge is something that we have to learn and the more we are on track the more it becomes intuitive - blasting around at warp speed and having no clue - is a factor unfortunately at track days and it is those riders that typically get in trouble or cause someone else to have a bad day.