The Track Life

As the 2010 track season is right around the corner, I can’t help but to think and reflect on 2009 and what I have learned in such a short amount of time.  At the track, everyone is there for the same reason… to ride, and have fun.  Everyone is more than willing to help one another, and help in any way they can.  I really learned a lot about what a track day is through the lens of my camera.. as a silent observer if you will.  If you are hungry, a complete stranger will make sure you are fed.  if you have a headache, someone will make sure you get some aspirin.  If you are hurt or you go down on the track, a flood of complete strangers will come by just to check on you and make sure you are ok.  I have also seen countless acts of kindness when it comes to bike maintenance, with complete strangers helping other riders get their bike dialed in, even if it means missing a session or two.  It is this type of environment that I have grown to love in such a short amount of time.  This is where my excitement comes from filming events like this.  Being able to capture these types of behaviors, along with some fantastic riding, is why I do this. 

I was going through old tapes from 2009 and came across some footage from a slow bike race at 2-day track event put on by Zoom Zoom Trackdays.  Soldiers Racing hosted the slow bike race, and it is a perfect example of the camaraderie I described earlier.  Pit bikes were shared among friends and new-comers alike, families all joined in on the festivities, and many laughs were had by all.  This was also the first night Joe and I sat down and talked shop, which were the building blocks that helped establish hopefully a long and sucessful partnership.

THIS is why I film