Compared to the first school/practice we had, the track was MUCH cleaner this time around. Unsure if they got the hint and swept it, or if it was just from cars and snow, but I expected it to be a lot messier when we got there.

As for riding on the track itself... I didn't go out the last time due to bike issues and so didn't give an opinion on the track, however this weekend I decided to go play for the last session. My thoughts... Some corners have less than desirable runoff. Others aren't so bad. Without the gravel covering it like last time, there seemed to be at least some better passing areas one could take. I was actually having fun on it, and this was my first time on the track (so all I had to go on was everyone screaming about it).

I feel that between 5 and 6 still sucks, but once you know where the bumps are you can find something of a smooth(er) line between them, or just not gas it hard over the patches. I got some front end shake, but I also have a ratted out stock damper on the bike. A real damper turned up a bit would probably be fine. Some of it was also probably the rider.

I think that if you don't take the time to LEARN the track in practice, and just go for it in a race, you could have a bad day. However, this is true of pretty much any track. Once I started to learn the surface, I was able to get into it more (which is still slow, but I'm not exactly setting any lap records on tracks I do know either). I believe the wrecks we did see were people who didn't know the track as well, other than the one in the school who missed a shift and lowsided.

Some areas required tact, others could tolerate more of the usual stuff. In one of the sessions we must have had 35-40 bikes out there and while we cut it off at that point, people seemed capable of knowing what to do. I also know this was practice and not a race, but if racers can think a bit while they're out there they will be fine.