I've been doing trackdays with for a little over a year now, even did some of my trackday club's lunch time races on my SV650 against grids full of 600's and did alright in those considering.
This was my first official race weekend, though.
Track: NJMP Thunderbolt
Bike: #412, '06 SV650 w/ '04 GSXR600 front end, Penske shock, Pirelli DOT's
Saturday
Practice: Still feeling a little timid, having only done 2 trackdays so far in the year. A year prior, I ran low 1:39's and even a couple high 1:38's on a bone stock SV650 on street tires during a TPM race. Today, I'm a full second slower than that on a much more capable bike.
GT Lights: 25 minute race (13 laps). Gridded 11B, front row of the Amateurs. The flag waved and I popped a huge wheelie. Got it back down and under control as only 2 guys went by. Took it easy in 3rd into T1 and then went to work. By lap 2 or 3 I was leading. Around lap 5 I caught up to a 12 year-old on a 125 with expert plates. Passed him once, then he repassed me and I just kept pace with him for a few laps. Around lap 8, I fell flat on my face, figuratively speaking. Completely exhausted, I thought, "When will this race end!!! Pleeeease show me the white flag!" Around lap 10, the 2nd place amateur on an SV caught and passed me. Spurred on by the idea of winning my first ever real race, I repassed him on lap 11, but he promptly got back ahead. My whole body felt like rubber and I decided to let him go and just do what I could to bring it home. The checkered flew at the end of lap 13 with me in 2nd. First podium!
The winner of that race found me a short while later and told me he was shocked when he came up behind me, having thought I completely checked out. He then commented he was glad I would not be in his next race, LW F40. :-[ Mental note: work on physical endurance.
Ultra Light Superbike: 7 lap race. Gridded 15B, again front row of the Amateurs. Got a bad start due to some confusion about the number of waves due to seeing 2 waves of Experts, ended up 3rd into T1 again. Got by both guys just as quick as before and led to the end without drama until the final lap. I was pulling it in tight for the first apex of the decreasing radius corner when I see a flash of orange really close on the inside, forcing me to stand it up. KTM RC8, the leading Expert Supertwin at the time. With that close call behind me, I crossed the line as 1st Amateur. My first win!
Sunday
Practice: I'm instantly faster today. No doubt about it. I feel so much more confident in the bike, getting on the throttle sooner and harder, braking later and harder, and leaning it over more to carry more speed through the corners.
Lightweight Grand Prix: 7 lap race. Gridded 11B, front row of the Amateurs. I made sure I knew there were only 2 waves in this race, and I made sure to be smooth on the clutch. The flag waves and I'm off like a rocket, carrying a small wheelie all through 1st gear and well ahead of the 3 other guys on the front row. Then I go for second and the revs shoot up. !@$%, neutral. I give the shifter another kick and I'm back in gear, but not before 4 guys go flying by. I outbrake one of them into T1, putting me in 4th. Then it's back to work as usual. I'm feeling awesome and I'm flying, riding harder and faster than I have in the year since I highsided for the first time. I catch up to 3rd easily enough and pass him within a couple laps. Then I look ahead and see nothing but expert plates. Where did 1st and 2nd go!? I keep my head down and try to catch up. Around lap 3 or 4 I get stuck behind a 2-stroke with expert plates. I'm following a few bike lengths back through the bowl when I notice I get a much better drive out than him. I exit in 3rd keep it pinned all the way through 4th and 5th as I go through the esses, short shifting to 6th just before the final turn. I'm gradually closing as we approach the final corner and, seeing that I'm carrying more speed, I go for a tight exit to pull up along side him. I suddenly get a weird feeling in the bars that brings me back to the dirt class I did a week prior. My front end was sliding. It only lasted momentarily though as I just picked the bike up a few degrees. He shifts into 6th as I pull up along side him and our speeds match. We're in a dead heat down the straight. He brakes at the 5 marker, I at the 4 marker. I never saw him again till the cooldown lap. Anyway, I kept that pace up hoping to catch the Amateur leaders but no such luck. I crossed the line in 3rd.
A look at the time sheets after the race revealed 2nd place on an SV650 was running a full second a lap quicker than me, and 1st place on a Ducati was running a full 5 seconds a lap quicker than me!
Personal best - 1:37.2
Three races, three podiums. Not bad for a racing debut.
tl;dr:
Amateur GT Lights (25 minutes, 13 laps): 2nd
Amateur Ultra Light Superbike (7 laps): 1st
Amateur Lightweight GP (7 laps): 3rd
That's me with the white helmet, 4th in that group.