STAR April 17 at Miller

luvtolean · 04-06-2006, 12:39 PM

Just signed up. Pray for no snow or rain!

Red Rider · 04-06-2006, 1:04 PM

Based on your skill level, I'll be interested in your opinion of the program.

NESBA is going to be at Grattan April 15-16. I'm tempted but knowing my luck it WILL snow.

HondaGalToo · 04-06-2006, 1:05 PM

Have you done STAR before? Let us know how it is. I'm contemplating the August date at Loudon.

bwhip · 04-06-2006, 1:25 PM

I hope you enjoy STAR as much as I did, and I'm sure you'll dig the new track(s). Have they said which track they'll be using - or both?

luvtolean · 04-06-2006, 1:25 PM

Yeah, I did STAR as my second ever trackday, and then I did one at Road America the day after the race weekend I did with GLRRA at Grattan in 02.

They have some fast instructors man, but to be honest, the Road America date I didn't learn much and was passing most of them (no instructor hooked up with me the whole day for a critique actually), it was more of an opportunistic thing.

Jason didn't ride that date...but he showed up at the end, and the instructors mentioned there were several very fast guys in our "crew".

I have been needing to get out to UT, and I was pretty rusty out at B-Willow, so I think this will be good. I won't be smoking all of the instructors this time.

I wish there was a regular trackday there around the same time...but the STAR school just works out best.

EDIT: Bwhip, we'll be running the full track I believe.

HondaGalToo · 04-06-2006, 1:35 PM

Hmmm. I'll have to see how broke I'm feeling after doing the Kevin Schwantz School in early July...

RRWANTR · 04-06-2006, 1:47 PM

Get monday off and come do BW backwards. =)

I want to get up to Miller some time this year.

BDA116 · 04-06-2006, 2:08 PM

Yeah, I just noticed that it is the full track. No wonder it's so pricey.
That will be only the second moto group as far as I know on the full course, with the AMA boys here this weekend. The Racing to Save Lives charity event will be using both tracks, but not the full linked course.
There is a somewhat "regular track day" on the 28/29, as the MPRA is set up to be more "trackday like", yet offer a couple races for bragging rights rather than the typical "trackday racing".

EDIT: Oh, and by the way it is snowing right now, was over 70 Monday and Tuesday, 50 something yesterday and will be nearly 70 on Saturday.
It could be any or all of the above on any given day in April around here.

luvtolean · 04-06-2006, 4:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDA116

The Racing to Save Lives charity event will be using both tracks, but not the full linked course.
There is a somewhat "regular track day" on the 28/29, as the MPRA is set up to be more "trackday like", yet offer a couple races for bragging rights rather than the typical "trackday racing".

I saw the schedule, but that doesn't work with ours.

Quote:

EDIT: Oh, and by the way it is snowing right now, was over 70 Monday and Tuesday, 50 something yesterday and will be nearly 70 on Saturday.
It could be any or all of the above on any given day in April around here.

Yep, talked to the family last night. I was told it was not sticking at least.

luvtolean · 04-06-2006, 4:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RRWANTR

Get monday off and come do BW backwards. =)

I want to get up to Miller some time this year.

Gotta go out to UT for other reasons. The trackday, especially at a new track, is a bonus.

BDA116 · 04-14-2006, 10:09 AM

Monday isn't looking good, but Tuesday should be fine.

BDA116 · 04-17-2006, 11:37 AM

Man LTL, I hope you're able to stick around for tomorrow. Did you just sign up for one day. and if so are they allowing you to transfer that to tomorrow?
I'm sure you're there right now, I'd be interested in knowing how they're handling the weather.
It was 70s yesterday, and snowing right now. Beauty.

RRWANTR · 04-17-2006, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDA116

Man LTL, I hope you're able to stick around for tomorrow. Did you just sign up for one day. and if so are they allowing you to transfer that to tomorrow?
I'm sure you're there right now, I'd be interested in knowing how they're handling the weather.
It was 70s yesterday, and snowing right now. Beauty.

Now THAT sucks.

navydevildoc · 04-17-2006, 1:13 PM

Well, we are driving away from Miller Motorsports Park in dissapointment. On the way out there the weather was going between bad and worse, and it finally started snowing around Tooele Army Chemical Depot. Flurries were soon going across the road, and the slush was blowing sideways.

When we approached the track, the weather had marginally improved, and LTL was afraid they were going to run anyway. In the end, Jason Pridmore came up to the classroom and basically said "no way". He joked that this was the first time he has ever had a class canceled because of snow. They offered to let anyone run tomorrow if they wanted, or credit towards any other STAR school date in the future, including several more at Miller than they were going to go try and book. Overall, they seemed very focused on customer satisfaction.

The track is really nice. Very safe layout, very wide (minumum 40 feet) track, electricity all over the paddock, nice garage spaces available with air, electricity, showers, the works. They took us out on the track in some minivans for a few laps to check it out. Lots of go-fast turns and straights, good viewing from pretty much any spectator area. Airfence installed at the track, lots of run-off space, and gravel traps seem to make it safety-focused.

I asked the guy (who was in charge of corporate sales, so take it with a grain of salt) about MotoGP, and he said that they wouldn't take anything away from Laguna, but after their contract is up that they would be very interested. The track is such a major improvement over Laguna that it would seem to be a no-brainer for the powers that be to move to Miller.

So... we are now making the long trek back to Southern California on soggy I-15, crests fallen. The silver lining is that we will get home a few hours earlier than we would have before.

abtech · 04-17-2006, 1:18 PM

Bummer

BDA116 · 04-17-2006, 1:20 PM

Damn.

Sorry to hear you won't be riding it tomorrow.
NDD, were you gonna ride as well, or spectate?

navydevildoc · 04-17-2006, 1:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDA116

Damn.

Sorry to hear you won't be riding it tomorrow.
NDD, were you gonna ride as well, or spectate?

This time around I was gonna spectate, sit in on the classes, etc. I was mainly along to visit family we have here in Utah. You had better believe I will be coming with the bike next time. That track is sweet!

navydevildoc · 04-17-2006, 4:45 PM

Here are some pics that LTL snapped with his cell phone.... first few are at the track, the last one is on the road.

luvtolean · 04-18-2006, 2:27 PM

Yeah, this was a drag.

Due to NDD's work schedule we had to get home so I couldn't stay for today.

It is a beautiful facility. So many nice things about it. If the track just had a bit more elevation change to add some of the excitement like a Corkscrew, the Cyclone at Thunderhill, or the Carousel at Sears Point I'd say it was well on it's way to being the undisputed best track in America.

It reminds me of what Buttonwillow would look like if you spent $83mil on it, on the way to an estimated $100mil.

It's a flat track in the middle of the dez...with easily the best facilities in the country. The track crew was also great. (you should hear Jason Pridmore gush on about the staff there...and absolutely blast the "overhyped" track at Barber, and talk about how arrogant and awful Barber's staff is)

As it currently stands, I'd rather ride Laguna, and be a mechanic at Miller. With the caveat, Miller is possibly the safest race track I've ever seen in person.

That said, I will definately come back to try it out.