RideZars action at DCTC

Dakota County Tech College, about 20 miles. from my house, is the site for track days and classes put on by Zalusky Advanced Rider School in the summer. I've taken one each of the last two years.

This is a on-site photographer's picture from my second class. 

I've learned a lot, got a lot of practice time and had fabulously fun at each class. 

There was an incident that made the day much more "interesting" for me the day of my first class.

The track is a one-mile reconfigurable course with a very short front straight and a longer back strait. Passing for the lower-experienced classes is only allowed on the back strait and one rule applicable here is that if one goes off track for any reason they must stay off until directed back on. This six-cylinder BMW (Bad Dude) passed me illegally on the front strait as I was riding behind a slow rider, waiting for a chance to pass on the back strait. We three reached the back strait and Bad Dude took off passing and I followed right behind him. Halfway down the strait he disappeared from my vision for an instant. (I thought "great! no one in front now") The next instant he was back in front of me, sliding perpendicularly across the track, separately from his bike, about 10 feet in front of me. (holy feces!). Next thing I know there is a thump and I'm braking hard at the side of the track. I jump off and am the first person to reach the downed rider. (I was sure I'd run over him) He appears disoriented. But he eventually rolls over and sits up. Track shuts down, ambulance comes, he goes to hospital for observation, and I go back to the pit. I'm as shaken as I've ever been. The replay of me "running him over" is running unstoppingly in my head. The morning classes are over and afternoon practice had just begun. I cannot get the video out of my head and I'm mentally done for the day.

(The thump I heard turned out to be the rubber bottom of his boot glancing off my right-side side cowl, leaving a small black smudge. Man! that was close.)

I'm eagerly waiting for my third class May 7, 2017 and hoping it's less eventful.