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WELCOME TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF RIDING Learn to Ride Smoother, Smarter, Safer . . . Faster 2Fast Motorcycle Track Days & Instruction is a Seattle-based instructional school and track day company. 2Fast bases its operations at Pacific Raceways in Kent (formerly SIR, www.pacificraceways.com) where we use their 2.3 mile, 10 turn paved road race course and pit area to conduct our events. We are also a public track day operator to riders of all kinds and all skill levels during our performance riding school events. Never been on a track before, or been to a track day? Worried about what it might be like? Nervous about going too fast and possibly crashing? 2Fast co-owners Mark DeGross and Brian Orton, along with their friendly instructional team, want you to know that our schools and track days are designed for riders with the above concerns. Our instructional teachings, and the manner in which we conduct our track days, are truly designed to minimize rider worries about:
Track days in general can be intimidating and difficult to manage. For those who have never been to a track day, up to 90 riders show up to ride the same course, each with different skill levels and experience (not to mention different bikes), and prepare to ride the track where there are no speed limits. As you would expect, some riders are better than others, some are more comfortable with higher speeds than others, some ride within their limits while others rider over theirs, and if not managed carefully... a track day can be mayhem.
Many track days are just that: mayhem. Operators of track days are notorious for allowing a "free for all" environment where just about anything goes. 2Fast tries to do just the opposite: we do our best to foster a friendly, unintimidating environment for riders fast and slow, young and old, experienced and inexperienced while employing safeguards, rules, controls, and procedures at our events that no other track day company offers. One of the biggest differences you will witness at a 2Fast event vs. our competitors is our people: we have 33 people on staff - instructors, course marshals, corner workers, and pit crew - who have a wide range of motorcycle riding and racing experience they share with guests. Our combined experiences reach as high as national level AMA road racing and as far as motocross, flat track, desert racing, and Super-Motard. Experienced in helping riders of all skill levels and backgrounds, our mission as an organization is to help any and all motorcycle riding enthusiasts learn to ride smoother, smarter, safer… and ultimately faster, no matter what their experience level. 2Fast... Not Just for Sportbikes, Not Just for Fast Riders 2Fast Road Course Instructional Schools operate in conjunction with 2Fast track days, maintaining an open-door policy to riders of all kinds, on any kind of bike… including touring bikes, Harleys, Goldwings, bikes with saddle bags, and even dual sports. In addition, riders of all experience levels are welcome.
Because of our policy of welcoming all, there is often a wide difference in skills and speeds displayed at our events. The top speeds of riders participating in our sportbike-dominated Expert level session, for instance, can reach 160-170 mph down the quarter mile straightaway. Conversely, the top speeds of riders participating in our Relaxed level session may barely exceed 100mph. How does 2Fast protect slower riders from faster riders, and help new track day riders get their feet wet? Organization, rules and rule enforcement, discipline, and tight operations. Read on...
Why 2Fast Track Days and Instructional Schools? Our one day instructional riding course and track days have raised the bar on safety, punctuality, maximum track time, instruction, and professionalism. Just ask around. Participants of 2Fast Motorcycle Track Days & Instruction know they can look forward to a first class experience at a 2Fast track day, and should expect the following at each of our scheduled events: Friendly, Approachable, Professional Staff: Our staff is there to make your school or track day experience an enjoyable one. Smiles on their faces, courteous, and knowledgeable, our team of instructors, marshals, corner workers, and registration staff have been hand selected. You'll be impressed with the members of Team 2Fast , and bio's on all of our staff can be read on our Team 2Fast Staff page. While all staff members are experienced riders, none have forgotten their first track day experience... and we want to make yours a pleasant one. Division of Riders based on Skill: At 2Fast, we do our best to make sure slower riders are not mixed in with fast riders and racers, and vice versa. We want everyone’s experience to be a positive experience, and thus we separate riders into 3 different skill-based groups during our on-track sessions… Relaxed Group 100 (Strictly Enforced): 2Fast wants to provide first-timers, beginner level riders, and riders not on sportbikes with a more comfortable track day environment. We don’t want anyone feeling intimidated or afraid of what they may experience on the track, and thus we’ve created a session catering specifically to the beginner/intermediate level street rider... the Relaxed Session. This particular session will be dedicated to street riders only (no racers whatsoever) who consider themselves beginners or easy-paced riders. Speeds in this group are materially slower than in our other two sessions, and riders are free to go their own pace. Riders who have never been to a track day, or those who are on motorcycles other than sportbikes (cruisers, Harleys, Goldwings, etc) should sign up for this level. No racers or truly fast street riders are allowed to ride within this group, and participation in this group is monitored by full-time on-course marshals throughout the entire day. Anyone riding materially faster than others in this group will be asked by course marshals to move up into our Intermediate Group sessions, assuming their skills warrant advancement into the Intermediate group. Strict passing rules do apply to this session, and we do everything within our power to control passing: PASSING IN CORNERS ONLY ON THE OUTSIDE AND ON STRAIGHT AWAYS. Additionally, marshals will be on the course to ensure that passes are made safely by those choosing to advance past others. IMPORTANT NOTES ON OUR RELAXED LEVEL SESSION - PLEASE READ (Especially if you've never been to a track day before): 1) While this group caters to slower-paced riders and track day newbies, that doesn't mean that riders in this group go slow: they just go slower than the riders in our other two sessions. Speeds down the quarter-mile front straightaway in this group can and do exceed 100 mph for the faster riders, so please know this upfront. 2) 2Fast staff members do their best to keep faster riders out of this session. Yet fast is a relative term, and what we deem "fast" may be different from your interpretation. 3) To the extent that we can control fast or dangerous passes in this group, we do our best. There are typically up to 35 different riders in this session, all on the track riding at the same time, and passing (being passed, or passing someone else) is simply a given on track days... including in this session. For the comfort and safety of guests in this session, we demand that riders pass only on straight aways and on the outside of corners. We have tried tighter passing rules and restrictions in this session in years past, and have found this to be the best balance of rules which promote safety while still allowing freedom. 4) If you would like more information on our Relaxed level session, how it operates, what the speeds are and so forth, please call us or email us. 5) For those with track day experience, performance school experience (Pridmore, Spencer, Schwantz, Sullivan, etc) or tires that show wear all the way out to the edges, the Relaxed Group is the wrong level to sign up for: instead, look to the Intermediate Group, possibly even our Expert Level group (for riders with lap times of 1:44 or better at Pacific Raceways). Intermediate Group 200: This group is limited to riders who have attended track days, have a stronger level of confidence on the track, and ride at a faster pace than the Relaxed group. Note: Slower riders will be asked by on-course marshals to participate in the Relaxed Group session, and faster riders in this session will likely be asked to participate in the Expert group, ensuring that our Intermediate Group session is limited only to similarly paced riders who don’t yet qualify or desire to ride in our Expert Group session. You can pass on the inside of corners within this group, but only if it can be done with plenty of room between you and the other rider. No stuffing allowed! We ask that riders choose carefully where they pass so as not to endanger someone else. Leave plenty of room for your fellow riders, and use common courtesy in all of your actions. Riders making aggressive or unsafe passes, as witnessed by course marshals or corner workers or participants themselves, will be given one warning only. If that same rider again is seen making an aggressive or unsafe pass, 2Fast will simply ask them to go home. 2Fast track days are only track days, not race days, and we will not allow unsafe riding on or off of the track. Period. NOTES: For riders who would describe themselves as fast street riders, riders with track day and/or performance school experience, and riders with tires that show wear all the way out to the edges, this is probably the appropriate level to choose. If your lap times are faster than 1:44 at Pacific Raceways, please sign up for our Expert level session instead. Expert Group 300: This session is dedicated to the fastest group of riders on the track, and speeds down the front straightaway can reach 160-170 mph for the session's fastest participants. Few street riders will be allowed to participate in this session unless the street rider can demonstrate or confirm lap times of 1:44 or less. Permission for a street rider to participate in this group will not be given out easily. As one would expect, there will be no passing rules or restrictions in this group other than using common courtesy and sense while making a pass. Just like the other sessions, riders making unsafe and dangerous passes will be given one warning and then asked to PTSAGH (pack their stuff and go home) if they are a repeat offender. NOTE: If you haven't raced or have never timed your laps at Pacific Raceways, we would suggest you not sign up for this group. Sign up for the Intermediate group instead, and if we think you're too fast for the Intermediate group, we'll advance you to the Expert group. Punctuality, Timeliness of Sessions, and Maximum Time on the Track 2Fast begins set-up in the pits the night prior to a track day, but opens the pit area to track day participants as early as 6:00am. Rider registration and set-up begins promptly at 7:00am, with our rider meeting beginning promptly at 8:15am. Our first on-track session starts at 9am sharp… not 9:15am…not 9:25am… 9am sharp! Thereafter, until the end of the day, rider session changes take place every hour at exactly 20 minute intervals – unless a crash prohibits this. 2Fast operations are run like a military camp: timely, punctual, and efficient. We do not waste our time or yours during session changes, clean ups, or lunch hours. We operate sessions in such a way that we maximize track time for all participants by practicing efficiency. We also promise to alert riders as to our session changes, so there is no question as to which group is up next. Your Safety is Our Focus Like some other track day outfits, an ambulance is present at all of our events because it is required by Pacific Raceways, yet 2Fast raises the bar on safety - taking steps that no other organization offers: Full-Time, On-Course Marshals: Team 2Fast has its own team of on-course marshals to help ensure your safety, and the safety of others. This experienced group of riders spread themselves throughout the course to watch for aggressive or unsafe passes, that riders of a particular skill level are joined by riders of the same skill level, and are available for questions and riding instruction should participants need some advice. Track day participants can easily identify our marshals; each wears a brightly colored fluorescent vest with the Team 2Fast logo on it. Full-Time, Trained Corner Workers Throughout the Entire Track: Some of our competitors have no corner workers on the track, while others just ask for volunteers with no formal training or corner working experience to man a few corners. At 2Fast, we take corner working much more seriously by placing trained and experienced corner workers in every corner throughout the track, and each corner worker has a radio so that communication can occur with other corners as well as Pit Lane. All 2Fast corner workers follow specific protocol when an incident occurs, and are trained in how they should respond to various incidents that can happen in their corner. We know of no other organization that has the corner working equivalent of 2Fast. Enforcement of Session Participants Riding Only in Groups Appropriate to their Skill Level: One of the biggest rider complaints at track days is that street riders are in with the racers, and that racers are riding in the street sessions. One rider's top speed is 100 mph, while another's is 170 mph in the same session! Yikes! We do our best to keep this from happening during 2Fast track days where speed differences can be so dramatically different. Thus, we make sure that beginner-level street riders don’t have racers in their sessions, and we try to prohibit aggressive riding and/or aggressive passing in the beginner/relaxed to intermediate level sessions. Conversely, 2Fast makes sure that riders in our Expert Group session don’t have street riders slowing them down. Air Fence on the Track: 2Fast believes that, while expensive for us to rent, Air Fence can spare a crashed rider serious injury, even death. So our track day events and schools utilize air-fence in several of the more dangerous corners of Pacific Raceways. While some track day outfits pass on the use of air-fence because of the additional cost (it’s darned expensive), 2Fast doesn't. Complimentary Track Ride-Around Before the Rider's Meeting: 2Fast wants every rider to learn the track, know the proper lines, and feel comfortable while riding the track. To help riders, particularly new track day participants and first timers, we offer our guests a complimentary ride around at 7:40am where we load up the trucks and head onto the course to show participants what the track looks like, and how to ride it corner by corner. The ride around is usually conducted by owners Brian Orton and Mark DeGross personally. Complimentary Mentoring: A rider's first track day is always an eye opening experience, and there's plenty to learn. Track days are a whole new world for those who have never been to an event. If you'd like to have someone work with you personally to show you the ropes, ride with you in your first sessions, and/or help you throughout the day... just see owners Brian Orton or Mark DeGross. Either will be happy to help you find a 2Fast staff member to mentor you. Photographer Brandon Bones of Stuidio819 Takes Photos of You ! And They're Available for Purchase! 2Fast has contracted Brandon Bones, an experienced sports photographer, to shoot riders from various positions on the track. Riders who wish to purchase photos can do so through his website at Studio819. Want your friends, family, or co-workers to see what you did over the summer? Want your friends to see what they’re missing by not joining you on 2Fast track days? Purchase a photo from our photographer and share your day with them. For Bios on our Team 2Fast staff members, please click on the Team 2Fast link. |
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© 2006 2Fast, LLC |
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© 2006 2Fast, LLC. All rights reserved |
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