Trackday providers seem to be a dime a dozen anymore. A couple of guys who get together, rent the track and then subsidize the track rental by charging a nominal fee to other guys who want to ride on the track. This is not new information, but the problem is you really don't know what you are going to get when you sign up for a trackday. How organized are the guys in charge? How safe will the day be?
A poorly run trackday can be an exercise in complete and utter frustration. So, when I continued to hear good things about the guys at ApexTrackdays, I was very encouraged.
The first time out with the boys at Apex was also the very first motorcycle event at the newly christened Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. So without anybody having ever been to that facility before, there was a fair degree of confusion. But to APEX's credit, they never lost their heads and managed to deal with the constant barrage of questions, to which they did not know the answer to, in a very professional manner.
Unlike the majority of trackdays that are broken into three sessions; each separate group of riders has access to the track every 20 minutes, APEX implements a two-session format where each group has access to the track every 30 minutes. Meaning that half of every hour is spent riding instead of only 1/3rd of every hour; which equates to more track time and more laps.
We found that 30 minutes is about as long as you'd want to be out there anyway. The physical rigors of riding on a track are far greater than the average canyon run and a break every half an hour was a welcome event. We also found that in 30 minutes of riding, we racked up in excess of forty miles. Remember to bring a gas can with extra fuel. The 200 mile range of the Triple was depleted before we took a break for lunch and I've never run low on fuel during a three-session track day.
Everybody on staff was wearing a bright yellow pit crew shirt with the logo and their name embroidered above the breast pocket. This made finding someone in charge quite easy. They also all wore blue and white leathers with a very large APEX logo on the back, again making it easy to know who was in charge.
We really liked how the mandatory rider meeting was handled. Some riders meetings seem to go on for days with very little information disseminated to the pack of eager riders standing around in uncomfortable riding gear. APEX assumes that you've read through the website, waiver and information packets they've sent out. All of which have all the details you'd want to know. This allowed APEX to cover the more important details like how to enter and exit the track, remind riders that nobody win's track day and to keep the ego's in check. This efficiency ensured that when 0900 hours clicked onto the clocks, group A was out on the track riding, and that 30 minutes later, group A came off and group B started running about.
APEX improves rider safety by, in addition to the ambulance that is on sight, they have one or two first-aid trained riders on course with radios and side stand equipped bikes in each group. In the event of a fall, one of these riders will immediately stop to help the downed rider and render first-aid and call for the ambulance if necessary. When I asked one of the APEX guys about this they said they typically get to a downed rider and are able to report to the tower in less than 60-seconds. Just one more touch that made us feel taken care of.
Overall, the thing that impressed us the most about APEX was the professionalism of the staff. Everyone was very courteous, amicable and efficient. The few times that I needed to ask a question, I was almost immediately acknowledged and given full attention, despite the confusion caused by the first time anybody had ever been to the facility. It was an extremely well organized event, there was only one fall of any significance, and the rider was completely uninjured, a few others had off-track excursions, but again, it was not a free-for-all, riding for glory and fame, track experience. APEX did a fine job at keeping everything moderated. APEX was one of the very best trackday experiences we've ever enjoyed and would glady recommend them to anybody.
For more information and a schedule of events, visit their website at www.apextrackdays.com.
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