July 3rd, 2011 | 
Author: After having done the Taste of Racing at Pacific Raceways in Kent, and finding out they wouldn’t have another until August, I decided that I needed to plan a trip back down to Oregon to see my mother…and if there just happened to be a TOR at PIR that would just be such good luck 
So, finding out that June 25th-26th would have one on each day I made a quick plan and hopped on I-5 south. I’ll skip all those details and just give you my impression of the event at the track.
First Impressions
Ok, so the first thing you run into at PIR that is very different is that the main infield/paddock area is inside the track. That means to get to it you need to cross the track. In other words, you need to wait for them to open the gates and let you across.
The TOR bikes were assembling near a sign that said Registration (but nothing about a Taste of Racing as it did in Kent). No big deal, just sign up, pay your $20.00 and assume that your bike will pass inspection.
After hanging out a while they had the same basic team talk as the first one I did. “We’re here to have fun”, “Pass on the outside”, “Only after the second lap”, etc, etc.
We lined up and waited for the green flag.
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June 18-19 I went up to Pacific Raceways (Kent, WA) for their mini track day called “Taste of Racing”.
Introduction of the Taste of Racing.
It’s a brilliant idea in that it is a controlled (more so than a full track day anyway) environment and they have it setup so that you can ride without the full power ranger outfit and it’s only $20.00!!!!
Here is some more Taste of Racing Info
My Experience.
I was only a little nervous (surprisingly) when I had decided to go and try it. I had been invited a week earlier by a business friend of mine (Bob May) who races with his son. I knew I’d be doing a track day or something this year since I had bought my Frank Thomas leathers earlier. Now was the time to put up or shut up.
The Track.
Before heading out there I decided that it would make sense to see, and if possible, learn the track. What better way than to ride around it over and over again. So I jumped on YouTube and spent a bunch of time doing “research” by watching lots of video footage. I learned the track and got a feel for how fast one could/should be going. Here is a good one to check out:
Well, we got two days on the forecast of dry warm weather, no soccer this weekend so I decided to jump on my GSX 650f and head down to Oregon.
The day started out around 11 from Tacoma and down to Kelso via I-5. Not the best ride you’ve been on so far, but it gets you there in a hurry. I took a long break at McDs to make sure I was fresh for what would come next (well, soon enough).
Through Kelso, into Longview and across the bridge we go and onto Hwy 30 in Oregon toward Clatskanie.
If you get a nice day, do yourself a favor and make a stop and just enjoy the view for a minute.
After a quick break for some snaps, I headed to Clatskanie and onto Hwy 47
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