Grand Bend/ SOAR Fridays | GTAMotorcycle.com

Grand Bend/ SOAR Fridays

kneedragger88

kneedragger88

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Paul posted this in an ongoing thread. I though I would start a fresh one so people wouldnt miss it.

On the Fridays before SOAR race wkds - we will be doing the following either 3 groups at 20 minute sessions or 4 groups at 15 minute sessions depending on entries. SOAR members will have exclusive rights to register for these Fridays until 10 days out then it is open to anyone. Cost is $100 plus tax up to the day before (Thursday ) at Noon after that it is $125 plus tax. Cancelation policy -if you cancel anytime up to Noon on the Wed before you will receive a Credit toward a future lapping day. If for some reason we have to cancel a lapping Friday everyone is entitled to a full refund.
Note :Racer 5 is not doing any on track on Fridays.
This is the plan Ken and I have come up with to start if it needs adjustment as we go forward we will do that.
We will have the GBM office open starting next week and hope to have the online purchase aspect on the new website setup shortly for now it needs to be a call to register. 519-238-7223. First lapping dates are May10/11.
 
So if you want to do any trackdays at GBM this year you can't really count on the date until 10 days before? Awesome.
 
These are only for Friday before SOAR rounds doesnt apply to anything else. Last year these were SOAR practise days. So these are additions for you albeit 10 day restricted. I believe there are other GBM trackdays trough other orgs. If the days last year were supported (both GBM Thursdays and SOAR Fridays) this likely wouldnt be needed. You seriously cant expect the track ot SOAR to continue to eat losses to keep as is?

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Maybe I'm just having trouble finding the schedule but I don't see many other days at Grand Bend (other than the evening track days) that are not SOAR related.

But every Thursday that I went to was very well attended. Just sayin'.

It is what it is though. Just kind of sucks that you can't plan too far in advance. Makes it hard for people who have to plan any sort of vacation time more than 10 days out. That's all.
 
I've already got all the Fridays booked off work, and if they don't pan out as track days I can either come to work, or just go do something else, but I know this isn't as flexible for everyone.

I'm mostly okay with the policy, but will there be some kind of waiting list or will it be first come first serve at the 10 days out mark?

As for other GBM track days, I also don't see anything else. For the last 3 years there have only been the Thursday Racer 5 days, plus SOAR, plus a few others like GTAM weekends and DOCC. Very few days to choose from.
 
I'm ok with the short notice, although I can see that would be challenging for some. We'll see how it goes, but 4 groups would not be ideal.
 
'course, another solution would be to just register with SOAR and do the race school, then you could sign up for the SOAR track days whenever you like. Plus, you would be qualified to race if you decided to, say with a rental bike, or maybe subbing in on an endurance team.

Just sayin....
 
Yeah, true. But I never sign up early anyway, unless it's somewhere like Mosport that sells out quickly. If it's raining I'd rather not bother riding a track day. I used to think differently, but dry track is fun, wet track isn't.

I'm just hoping that the Fridays won't end up being so busy that 1) I can't register, and 2) when I get there I have nowhere to park. I'm totally fine with busy days, but when the big rigs start rolling in for the race weekends space disappears quickly.
 
CrazyKell said:
Maybe I'm just having trouble finding the schedule but I don't see many other days at Grand Bend (other than the evening track days) that are not SOAR related.
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As of right now it is either a SOAR Friday, GTAM in August, or DOCC in September if you want a full day. They have evenings but that is hard for people that live a few hours away. (I believe they also have a day around the VRRA weekend)

YellowDuck said:
'course, another solution would be to just register with SOAR and do the race school, then you could sign up for the SOAR track days whenever you like. Plus, you would be qualified to race if you decided to, say with a rental bike, or maybe subbing in on an endurance team.

Just sayin....
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It's an idea but for someone that would only want a track day and for sure wouldn't race, that is now an expensive trackday to have to pay for Racer 5, a soar license plus the trackday cost, might as well go to bogie or mosport

carboncat said:
thanks Ken and grand bend for making it work!
everyone who wants to complain, booho. its business.
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Yep it is a business and unfortunately they obviously did not do enough of it last year or else the setup would be the same.
 
Twotons said:
What am I missing? If Racer5 is not on track..why 4 groups?
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Yes, it seems you missed a lot. Racer 5 now has Thursdays all to itself to better serve their students. Fridays they are doing only in class training (to my knowledge at least)...

4 groups to accommodate more riders, and for business.
 
Twotons said:
What am I missing? If Racer5 is not on track..why 4 groups?
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Red group even, red group odd, yellow, green I would assume however with it being only (or mostly) a SOAR day, I wouldn't assume green will be anywhere close to a full group.


*Damn Dave keeps responding just before me, stupid slow computer.
 
ATTS said:
Yep it is a business and unfortunately they obviously did not do enough of it last year or else the setup would be the same.
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Exactly. We're lucky that Ken is including track day riders into the SOAR Friday. I hope for everyone involved that it works without problems.
 
ATTS said:
Yep it is a business and unfortunately they obviously did not do enough of it last year or else the setup would be the same.
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This is true. Just sucks for anyone who has to plan their vacation more than 10 days in advance. So unfortunately it's a business that won't be getting any business from me this year. Which is fine, I'm sure they'll make up for it.

I don't believe for one second it has to do with not being profitable enough on Thursdays though.
 
CrazyKell said:
This is true. Just sucks for anyone who has to plan their vacation more than 10 days in advance. So unfortunately it's a business that won't be getting any business from me this year. Which is fine, I'm sure they'll make up for it.

I don't believe for one second it has to do with not being profitable enough on Thursdays though.
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Perhaps the track makes more money with Racer5 paying for the whole day, as opposed to a well attended Thursday track day.

FWIW i'll never use vacation days for a track day, i just tell my boss a week ahead of time that i think i'm coming down with a sore throat in 7 days ;)
 
OMG folks its just different not the end of the world. The Thursdays were always GBM days. Racer5 ran the day for the track. Kinda like GWB and TMP.
Regardless of what you believe CrazyKell this isnt all about messing up your plans. The Thursdays were not that well supported. Take the RACER5 bikes out along with their instructors and what did you have? twenty bikes ,,,,,,maybe? Sorry that doesn't pay the bills. Then we had the same on Friday for SOAR so two days expenses and one days worth of riders. Just economics simple as that.
As for four groups we are only insured to run 20 bikes at a time so its four groups at twenty each at a low price or three at twenty and the cost increases. I can tell you from running these last season we did R5, Slow and two Fast groups and even at that the last couple sessions were lucky to see five riders on track at end of day.
You could always organize your own days and rent the track out I am sure GBM will rent you the track.DOCC and VRRA have events along with some local dealers I believe (Hully Gully, Forest City rings a bell) People have no idea what risks are involved. You are talking THOUSANDS of dollars here. If it rains everyone stays home and people like me write BIG cheques to cover it . This is a workable solution.
Just to add fuel to fire there will not be a Green group you are looking at Yellow and Red and or possibly only red if SOAR fills the day.
Our guys are in for a change as well. They have to commit before the weekend or they may not get a place at the table.
I am the catalyst behind these changes not GBM so if you want to chuck some daggers send them this direction.
 
Why is this so complicated and why are people so butt hurt?

Ken, some folks need to book vacation well in advance. If they are unable to book a trackday, or there is no guarantee that there will be room for them after the SOAR-only cut off then there's a good chance that they'll go elsewhere. For some, the consolidation of Thurs and Fri into one day means they won't come at all. As you said, you're the catalyst, so that's a result of a decision you made. You can't make everyone happy so just accept it and move on. If you were hoping to get 20 Thursday riders and 20 Friday riders to make 40 Friday riders, i think you'll be disappointed.

Kelly, ya it sucks. If the trackday provider is no longer offering the service or dates you want you might have to find another provider, or follow that trackday provider to another track. One of the things I like most about Racer5 days is that they aren't overly crowded but that's a catch-22. Fewer bikes means the days are less profitable for the organizer. So what can you do?? Pay more? Deal with more traffic? Sigh...

Whatevz.. it's friday.. everybody go relax and take a shot of Jack. That'll fix ya up real nice.
 
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