Maria @Mid-Ohio
I had the pleasure of meeting and helping a young lady by the name of Maria for her first track day.
Overview:
She rode her bike to the track day near 2h trip each way
She arrived solo, no friends
She arrived with minimal tools and bike prep
She had little knowledge of how a track day progresses from start to finish
Here are the highlights of her story;
Arrived on time and registered in the N group
I was standing in registration (getting coffee) while she asked questions about tech and such and offered to help her
Her bike was street ready in the paddock
We started to prep her bike and others jumped in to help without even being asked
4 riders total were helping to prep the bike
She passed tech with flying colors (I teched her bike)
She was assigned to my coaching group in the N group
She missed her first session because her gear didn't pass tech
She got on track the second session no problems and rode clean sessions all day
Throughout the day, I ensured she wasn't feeling alone and included in the days events
At the end of the day she left very happy and made amazing progress
Special note: She kept apologizing for being slower than other riders. Each time she did that, I promptly said "Stop apologizing for having fun!" and she finally did.
At the end of the day, she had to ride home. We told her she may be more tired than she currently feels and take breaks often. Part of her trip home was also the same as my route, I offered to watch out for her as I drove home. She must have made it just fine as I didn't see her anywhere.
Happy riders makes me smile.
