TLDR: - RACER 5 Stage 2 track training report. June 2026
I set up a group on facebook called “Racer5 Fans and Alumni” that I welcome you to join if you are thinking of enrolling in Racer5 or wish to keep in touch after attending or have any questions. This is an unofficial group and I am not affiliated with Racer5 directly in any way.
Racer5 – Stage 2 June 6-7, 2026 Report
So… I was so inspired by my experience at Racer5 Stage 1 in May that I did some research into what the next steps could be. At the end of stage1, I was JUST starting to feel more confident and ChatGPT told me that I would need 5-10 track days to get comfortable / mildly competent….
So… I signed up fairly last minute for the last slot in Stage 2 – the continuation program. They have 2 options at racer5 in stage 2; the original program’s Honda CBR250 or the newer KTM RC390. Since the KTM options were sold out and I was more comfortable with a more graduated machine with less power; I signed up for the last slot on the CBR250 for June.
One wrench thrown into the mix was that we had the whole motorplex to ourselves this time so Racer5 was able to set up the longer “technical track layout” at the Grand Bend motorplex. This means that about half the course is new to me; but it was a fun and interesting track. Usually, they train on the “modified course” I believe.
Day 1
Arrival was on the Saturday and Jeff Hy was my instructor. We mingled freely between the 2 smaller stage 2 pods with about 5 students per instructor. Saturday started with a track walk explaining the various turns and suggested strategies for taking them. Both stage 2 groups took the track walk together as we would be going out at the same time.
Next up was a classroom session of about 45-50 min on trail braking, body positioning and throttle control. This was very interesting as it gave me the next steps of what to work on for these sessions. I had been trying to practice trail braking but having a coach there to explain specifically and MORE IMPORTANTLY, a safe track environment to test this out on at speed was very important.
Trail brake is hard to do if you are going to slow/carrying too little speed into the corner IMO. However, it is also unsafe to carry higher speeds on public roads where sand/debris and unknown objects put you at risk.
LEARN ON THE CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT OF THE TRACK!!
This was followed by us selecting our bike numbers and getting on track. Sighting lap followed by rotations behind the instructor to learn the race lines.
2 sessions in morning, 4 in the afternoon with gradual introduction to safe passing along the back straight. By the end of the first day, I was completely tired out and ready to call it a night. I think I went back to the hotel, showered, ate and crashed by 8pm into bed. The time between riding sessions went by quickly as it was filled with coaching and honestly, it probably took 10-15 min to just physically recover between sessions from the excitement (calm down / cool down).
I was working on more aggressive braking and sharper transition between throttle/brake/trail braking which the higher-powered bikes in stage 2 could use. I can see now why the CBR125 in stage 1 was best used to learn body positioning and finding the race lines.
I am continually impressed by how Racer5 is bridging the gender divide as we had a 25-30% female participant rate in Stage 2. My pod happened to all come from the GTA and we had varying levels of experience; but all were dedicated to learning. 3 of us had also attended the May session at Racer5.
There were also at least 2 father-child groups attending (father-daughter & father-son) and I find it’s so inspiring that they could bond over motorcycling.
Once again, there were no egos involved. Instructors and fellow participants were welcoming and supportive of each other with a genuine love of motorcycles and the track. It was great to be able to sit down and talk motorcycle with people who actually care about motorcycles.
In a typical conversation with friends; their eyes glaze over when talking motorcycles and they would proceed to tell you how dangerous it is.
Day 2
We arrived at the Motorplex and pretty much went straight into riding sessions after the morning driver’s meeting. 3 sessions in the morning and 4 sessions in the afternoon.
In stage 2, instructors have access to a goPro and were able to record at least a few laps to give video feedback for each rider. It wasn’t until I actually looked at the video footage when I got home that I realized how lazy my body positioning was which was what was limiting me in these sessions.
I will post a link later as I have uploaded my (embarrassing) footage… but it was incredibly helpful to point out what I should be working on (body positioning… my lines are ok, but I have very lazy body positioning).
We were incredibly lucky that day 2 brought even more comfortable temperatures and it was a beautiful day to ride.
Having said that, I did feel more comfortable at the end of the weekend and achieved some of my goals which were to get some practice with trail braking and the starting to work on throttle control.
Additional thoughts
- I found the progression from CBR125 to CBR250 to be gentle and appropriate. It was still incredibly forgiving but provides a good amount bike to play with. Don’t forget that at one point, there was a 250 cc race class!
- The program is so friendly and I want to shout out and thank all the volunteer/spouses that helped out (Amanda? Deb?). They helped us get on / off the bikes and keep the flow going.
- I am so incredibly thankful to the racer5 crew (instructors, mechanics, spouses/volunteers) that helped clean up after us. I was just so tired at the end of the day riding and facing the drive home that it was such a pleasure to be able to pack up and leave.
- Renting the bikes is a GREAT idea. I didn’t have to worry about repairs, maintenance, trailering, storage, tires, gas, etc….
- YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH RIDE TIME. In both stage 1 & stage 2, I felt that we were tired out at the end of the days and some of the riders chose to skip the last session due to fatigue (smart move).
- IF you have the interest and the budget, consider doing stage 1 & stage 2 together in the same year. You get more seat time and they really do work on different skills.
- You have 100% authority to pit out at any time, skip a session or end a session early. I didn’t realize this when I did stage 1; but when I spooked myself (misshift) in one of the sessions…. I pitted off this time to collect myself. I didn’t know to do this in stage 1 and when I dragged a boot slider (bad body positioning – unintentional); I could have used the time-out to compose myself.
My main goal of Racer5 is to acquire more skills and confidence for street riding and secondarily – have fun with a new hobby.
Personal non Racer5 reflections
- If you think you will be doing track; it is wise to keep an eye out on facebook marketplace/Kijiji for used track riding gear. I was able to pick up some used gear in amazing shape for a fraction of the cost used over buying new as riders upgrade or step away from the sport.
- IF you are only planning to do 1 or 2 stages; I think it’s still cheaper and a better option to rent gear. At $60 a day; it’s very reasonable compared to the $400 or so it cost me to get used gear.
- Speed hump… Although I bought a 2 piece suit with a speed hump; ChatGPT tells me it is really not necessary under 150km/h. Also, it does NOT provide protection so you need separate armor for that. It does look cool though as everyone else’s suit has it J
- AIRBAG VESTS. I set up a poll on facebook and of the 200 or so responses; only 16% have one while 30% or so were contemplating one, leaving 53% uninterested in it. I bought a track specific airbag vest (Helite GP-AIR with mechanical tether) and it was easy to set up on the Racer5 bikes. Other airbags seen in use were Tech Air 5, Dianese d-air and the Helite Turtle 2. The cheapest to re-arm are the mechanical Helite systems as they allow self-service and recharge cylinders run about $60/use.
- It seems to me that other than helmets and ABS for street; the airbag vest is probably the next thing that can mitigate risk to riders.
Finally, I know that this is an investment but I cannot emphasize enough how much it has helped me to become a confident rider. I have 9 years (total) of street experience; but you REALLY do not progress without challenging yourself and this does so in as safe a manner as possible.
I am so grateful for the Racer5 crew to provide a seamless experience where I just get to come out and RIDE. I know that they spend hours setting up / closing up and as I have said in my other post; this is a passion project to introduce racers and to keep the sport alive.
AND it’s incredibly fun. Come out. Have fun and “git gud”
I met a bunch of new track motorcycling friends and we still remain in touch. In fact, I have classmates from both my stage 1 and stage 2 program that I met on a subsequent track day serendipitously.
*** This is my personal report and I am not affiliated with Racer5 in any official manner ***
I set up a group on facebook called “Racer5 Fans and Alumni” that I welcome you to join if you are thinking of enrolling in Racer5 or wish to keep in touch after attending or have any questions. This is an unofficial group and I am not affiliated with Racer5 directly in any way.
Racer5 – Stage 2 June 6-7, 2026 Report
So… I was so inspired by my experience at Racer5 Stage 1 in May that I did some research into what the next steps could be. At the end of stage1, I was JUST starting to feel more confident and ChatGPT told me that I would need 5-10 track days to get comfortable / mildly competent….
So… I signed up fairly last minute for the last slot in Stage 2 – the continuation program. They have 2 options at racer5 in stage 2; the original program’s Honda CBR250 or the newer KTM RC390. Since the KTM options were sold out and I was more comfortable with a more graduated machine with less power; I signed up for the last slot on the CBR250 for June.
One wrench thrown into the mix was that we had the whole motorplex to ourselves this time so Racer5 was able to set up the longer “technical track layout” at the Grand Bend motorplex. This means that about half the course is new to me; but it was a fun and interesting track. Usually, they train on the “modified course” I believe.
Day 1
Arrival was on the Saturday and Jeff Hy was my instructor. We mingled freely between the 2 smaller stage 2 pods with about 5 students per instructor. Saturday started with a track walk explaining the various turns and suggested strategies for taking them. Both stage 2 groups took the track walk together as we would be going out at the same time.
Next up was a classroom session of about 45-50 min on trail braking, body positioning and throttle control. This was very interesting as it gave me the next steps of what to work on for these sessions. I had been trying to practice trail braking but having a coach there to explain specifically and MORE IMPORTANTLY, a safe track environment to test this out on at speed was very important.
Trail brake is hard to do if you are going to slow/carrying too little speed into the corner IMO. However, it is also unsafe to carry higher speeds on public roads where sand/debris and unknown objects put you at risk.
LEARN ON THE CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT OF THE TRACK!!
This was followed by us selecting our bike numbers and getting on track. Sighting lap followed by rotations behind the instructor to learn the race lines.
2 sessions in morning, 4 in the afternoon with gradual introduction to safe passing along the back straight. By the end of the first day, I was completely tired out and ready to call it a night. I think I went back to the hotel, showered, ate and crashed by 8pm into bed. The time between riding sessions went by quickly as it was filled with coaching and honestly, it probably took 10-15 min to just physically recover between sessions from the excitement (calm down / cool down).
I was working on more aggressive braking and sharper transition between throttle/brake/trail braking which the higher-powered bikes in stage 2 could use. I can see now why the CBR125 in stage 1 was best used to learn body positioning and finding the race lines.
I am continually impressed by how Racer5 is bridging the gender divide as we had a 25-30% female participant rate in Stage 2. My pod happened to all come from the GTA and we had varying levels of experience; but all were dedicated to learning. 3 of us had also attended the May session at Racer5.
There were also at least 2 father-child groups attending (father-daughter & father-son) and I find it’s so inspiring that they could bond over motorcycling.
Once again, there were no egos involved. Instructors and fellow participants were welcoming and supportive of each other with a genuine love of motorcycles and the track. It was great to be able to sit down and talk motorcycle with people who actually care about motorcycles.
In a typical conversation with friends; their eyes glaze over when talking motorcycles and they would proceed to tell you how dangerous it is.
Day 2
We arrived at the Motorplex and pretty much went straight into riding sessions after the morning driver’s meeting. 3 sessions in the morning and 4 sessions in the afternoon.
In stage 2, instructors have access to a goPro and were able to record at least a few laps to give video feedback for each rider. It wasn’t until I actually looked at the video footage when I got home that I realized how lazy my body positioning was which was what was limiting me in these sessions.
I will post a link later as I have uploaded my (embarrassing) footage… but it was incredibly helpful to point out what I should be working on (body positioning… my lines are ok, but I have very lazy body positioning).
We were incredibly lucky that day 2 brought even more comfortable temperatures and it was a beautiful day to ride.
Having said that, I did feel more comfortable at the end of the weekend and achieved some of my goals which were to get some practice with trail braking and the starting to work on throttle control.
Additional thoughts
- I found the progression from CBR125 to CBR250 to be gentle and appropriate. It was still incredibly forgiving but provides a good amount bike to play with. Don’t forget that at one point, there was a 250 cc race class!
- The program is so friendly and I want to shout out and thank all the volunteer/spouses that helped out (Amanda? Deb?). They helped us get on / off the bikes and keep the flow going.
- I am so incredibly thankful to the racer5 crew (instructors, mechanics, spouses/volunteers) that helped clean up after us. I was just so tired at the end of the day riding and facing the drive home that it was such a pleasure to be able to pack up and leave.
- Renting the bikes is a GREAT idea. I didn’t have to worry about repairs, maintenance, trailering, storage, tires, gas, etc….
- YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH RIDE TIME. In both stage 1 & stage 2, I felt that we were tired out at the end of the days and some of the riders chose to skip the last session due to fatigue (smart move).
- IF you have the interest and the budget, consider doing stage 1 & stage 2 together in the same year. You get more seat time and they really do work on different skills.
- You have 100% authority to pit out at any time, skip a session or end a session early. I didn’t realize this when I did stage 1; but when I spooked myself (misshift) in one of the sessions…. I pitted off this time to collect myself. I didn’t know to do this in stage 1 and when I dragged a boot slider (bad body positioning – unintentional); I could have used the time-out to compose myself.
My main goal of Racer5 is to acquire more skills and confidence for street riding and secondarily – have fun with a new hobby.
Personal non Racer5 reflections
- If you think you will be doing track; it is wise to keep an eye out on facebook marketplace/Kijiji for used track riding gear. I was able to pick up some used gear in amazing shape for a fraction of the cost used over buying new as riders upgrade or step away from the sport.
- IF you are only planning to do 1 or 2 stages; I think it’s still cheaper and a better option to rent gear. At $60 a day; it’s very reasonable compared to the $400 or so it cost me to get used gear.
- Speed hump… Although I bought a 2 piece suit with a speed hump; ChatGPT tells me it is really not necessary under 150km/h. Also, it does NOT provide protection so you need separate armor for that. It does look cool though as everyone else’s suit has it J
- AIRBAG VESTS. I set up a poll on facebook and of the 200 or so responses; only 16% have one while 30% or so were contemplating one, leaving 53% uninterested in it. I bought a track specific airbag vest (Helite GP-AIR with mechanical tether) and it was easy to set up on the Racer5 bikes. Other airbags seen in use were Tech Air 5, Dianese d-air and the Helite Turtle 2. The cheapest to re-arm are the mechanical Helite systems as they allow self-service and recharge cylinders run about $60/use.
- It seems to me that other than helmets and ABS for street; the airbag vest is probably the next thing that can mitigate risk to riders.
Finally, I know that this is an investment but I cannot emphasize enough how much it has helped me to become a confident rider. I have 9 years (total) of street experience; but you REALLY do not progress without challenging yourself and this does so in as safe a manner as possible.
I am so grateful for the Racer5 crew to provide a seamless experience where I just get to come out and RIDE. I know that they spend hours setting up / closing up and as I have said in my other post; this is a passion project to introduce racers and to keep the sport alive.
AND it’s incredibly fun. Come out. Have fun and “git gud”
I met a bunch of new track motorcycling friends and we still remain in touch. In fact, I have classmates from both my stage 1 and stage 2 program that I met on a subsequent track day serendipitously.
*** This is my personal report and I am not affiliated with Racer5 in any official manner ***
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