Photos: Terry Zorich/EventPhotoNow.com

Usually when we do trackdays, half the sessions end up being red flagged

due to idiots crashing and what time we do get on track is marred by

overcrowded groups and overly aggressive riders. That wasn't the case at

the two consecutive trackdays Grant and I did with Sport Bike Track

Time last week. Thanks to good organization, active participation by

rider coaches and outstanding off-track services those two days were

some of the easiest, most fun that we've spent at a track. >

Monticello Motor Club was conceived as a private, members-only track that's only recently started renting time for motorcycle track days. As such, the track is awesome, but there's very little in the way of facilities. The Paddock where STT staged is still gravel and there's no source of shade there, pit garages have yet to be built. Taking a pavilion tent or similar would have been a good idea, but we rode up, so we just hung out in the air-conditioned club house tent a couple hundred yards away.

That gravel paddock was filled with services though. Frank Matera -- former head mechanic at Ducati/Aprilia NY and former wrench with both Pro Thunder and the Fast by Feracci superbike team -- was there doing tech and helping guys get their bikes set up for the track. Heroic Racing was renting track gear. The Ducati Fast Track program, run by Doug Polen, was tutoring new Ducati customers and Doug was on-track for most of Monday. STT's own PRO school was there too, operating on a separate portion of the track. Its student graduate with WERA licenses. Terry Zorich from Event Photo Now was there taking pictures and making them available the same day. The only facility that  was really needed was some way to buy food and drinks outside of the grille that was going at lunch. Pack snacks and water bottles, you can buy the latter from Monticello at $3 a bottle.

Grant was riding an Aprilia RSV4 R and I was on the 2010 MV Agusta F4. Both of us rode in Intermediate, a group that's usually overcrowded and filled with riders of varying abilities; from guys doing their second-ever trackday to guys like us trying to be gentle to borrowed bikes. Monday's Intermediate group was a little crowded, largely due to people like us showing up outside STT's normal booking process. Despite that, the average skill level was pretty high and everyone was riding safely. We felt confident no one was going to knock us off our expensive bikes. Tuesday had a lot fewer participants, mostly since the Ducati Fast Track school had cleared out, so was even easier. Instructors circulated through all the groups, showing riders new lines or providing them with feedback where necessary. There were only a couple crashes spread across both days and the whole thing was notably free from assholes with something to prove.

STT comped our fees for both days, but the $175 price is seriously reasonable. We actually bought a ticket so one of our buddies could join us, but he pussed out at the last minute because the girly transmission blew on his girly truck. He missed out, Sport Bike Track Time puts on a great trackday. We plan to go back on July 23, STT's next Monticello date.

Sport Bike Track Time

Editor's note: we'll be bringing you additional features on the bikes, but wanted to give STT its own writeup since they're doing such a good job.

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