Hello, I have just signed up for my first track day at Barber's Motorsports for August 12th. This is my first track day, so I am definitely going to ride in the Novice group. Could anyone who has done a trackday at Barber's please outline the general schedule of an average trackday. Also, are there any Pit Garages available for rental during one of Barber's Trackdays? Last question, How do you go about renting a race suit, and do they offer glove & boot rentals along with it? I know this is a lot of questions to ask, but I would appreciate any help you could give me! Thanks, Matthew Blevins!
suites rentals only no gloves or boots. you will need gauntlet gloves and boots that cover your ankle. Full face non modular helmet. I don't think barber has garages bring water lots of it and if you can find a canopy and a chair that would also be advisable. Novice will have class room before you go on track and outline the drills of each session you will be on track 9:40,10:40,11:40,1:40,2:40,3:40 and 4:40 Relax have fun it will be a great day!!
If you can get there on Friday evening to setup, you will be ahead of the game. You will have to stop at the Porsche building to get your wristband, and they are open till 9 or 10 PM....I can't remember. Once you have a wristband, you can come and go 24/7. If you can't make it before the timeline on Friday night, you will have to wait until they open on Saturday morning.....sometime around 7AM. Registration and tech open at 7AM and be advised, it's always much easier on you to have your bike already prepped for the tech inspection before you get to the track. So, go to registration first and get signed in and get your Noice sticker. Bring some form of picture I.D. with you to get registered. Registration and tech are located on the paddock side of the main building in the lower paddock area. After getting registered and you put your sticker on the bike, get in the line for the bike tech and one of the STT staff will check your bike over and initial the sticker if everything is OK. If not, they will tell you what else you need to do to pass tech. See the STT website (not the forum), for tech requirements for each group, it will explain what to do to your bike before you can pass tech. After that, if you paddock area isn't setup, get that taken care of and then at 8:20AM there will be a Staff introduction and Rider's meeting at the same area as tech/registration. As soon as the rider's meeting is over, the Novice group will go upstairt (usually the second floor) for their first classroom session of the day. You will be divided into 8 groups and each group will have an Instructor assigned to that group. When the classroom is over, you will then need to hustle back to your paddock area and get suited up for your first ontrack session. At the end of that, it's back to the classroom, then the track, then the classroom, then the track.....and so on. As far as garage areas, there are none at Barber. Make sure that you have some shade....bring a pop up canopy if you have one or if you can buy one before then. It is imperative, especially in the summer months to be able to get in a shady spot after you come off the track. If you have a fan, bring that too, and buy your electric or see if you can share with a friend or paddock neighbor. Drink lots and lots of water/some gatorade/etc to stay hydrated. You won't believe how much you will go through on a hot day. As far as getting a suit rented, I believe that you can contact Trevor or his wife Cyndi, Southern Directors and arrange to rent one of the suits that they bring to the track. I don't believe that there is glove or boot rental, but ask around and maybe you can find someone to borrow from if you don't have that equipment right now. You've still got a few months before the date, so start making your arrangements now.....not a week before the T.D. Hope this helps and ask away if you have further questions.
If you need gear post up sizes, most have spares. The ONLY down side of doing Barber is it's in the top handful of tracks in the country so you could easily get spoiled. LOL. Bring your water, the food there was fantastic for track food. Bring a chair, you stand a great chance finding another novice rider that might be able to share half of there pop up. I did barber a couple months ago, just wish it wasn't 10 hours away. OH, if you can the museum will take easily half a day to breeze threw, if you want to really look better part of the day.
Thank you for all of your info and advice! It will help me greatly. Is it required for you to attend the classroom after each session?
I'm excited for you, your post brought back some great memories. Really hope to make it again next year. If not camping, great Comfort inn about 10 miles east of track right off highway. $125 a night with 2 queen beds, split it with my buddy.
YES....and...YES. There are normally 4 classroom sessions, and honestly, as a new trackday rider you will learn a lot at the classrooms.
I will second the part about having some COVER. August is miserably and dangerously hot, on asphalt, in leathers, on a hot bike...heatstroke is a real and serious issue. You will never make it in the direct sun. You must pay for power or bring a genny if you want electricity. Good news is the classroom has awesome AC. Read the site regarding tech for you and your bike and follow it which will make tech a breeze. Get hydrated days in advance as you will need it. Lastly, never hesitate to ask a staff member or coach (the orange jerseys signify coaches) for help of if you have a question.
Don't over do it in turn one. The last straight is fast so you might want to start breaking before the start line.
Seems fitting enough ^^^^^ since the guy that owns it is named George Barber........with no "S" on the end of his name.