You want to do a track day. You’ve got the gear, you’ve got the bike, and Thunderhill, Sonoma, or Laguna Seca is on the calendar. The thing nobody warns you about is the logistics that come before you ever turn a lap: how do you get a motorcycle to a racetrack when you live in a city and don’t have a garage for a dedicated truck sitting around?
The right answer depends on how often you plan to go to the track, what you currently drive, and how much hassle you’re willing to absorb. Here are the realistic options, with approximate costs and honest trade-offs.
Option 1: Ask a friend with a truck
If someone in your riding group has a truck or van, offer to cover gas both ways and pay them something for their time. The motorcycle community is tight, and most people actually want to go to the track with a buddy, don’t be afraid to ask. You can be that buddy. This country needs to rely and strengthen our sense of community now more than ever.
The catch is dependency. You’re locked into their schedule and their comfort level with towing. If something goes sideways at the track — crash damage, a flat, running late — you’re dealing with it on someone else’s time. It can strain a friendship. That said, for a first track day or if you’re not sure yet whether you even like this, it’s a low-commitment way to find out.
Option 2: Add a hitch to your existing car and rent a trailer
If you already have an SUV, crossover, or smaller truck, this one is worth running the numbers on.
A hitch installation runs $300–$650 for most vehicles, once. After that, U-Haul rents a 5×9 enclosed motorcycle trailer for around $30–$40/day all-in after insurance and taxes. Two things to know before you book: the trailer has to go back to the same location you rented from, so no one-way trips. And U-Haul recommends a 55 mph max towing speed, which matters on longer highway runs.
Check your vehicle’s tow rating first. You need at least 2,000 lbs, which most SUVs and crossovers handle fine. Some sedans don’t. (Europeans reading this can ignore that last part — they’ve been hauling boats with a Fiat 500 for decades. Americans need a different set of expectations.)
The hitch pays for itself within a few rentals compared to renting a full truck, and you’re still in your own car. For riders who track 2–4 times a year, this tends to be the best ongoing value.
If you find yourself renting a trailer more than 15 times a year, buying your own starts to make sense. The Kendon Stand-Up Folding Sport Bike Trailer is the one worth considering. It holds up to three bikes, folds flat for storage (27″ × 84″ footprint), runs on independent torsion bar suspension, and ships with a loading ramp stored underneath. Starts at $4,319. It holds its resale value well and it’s made in California.
Option 3: Buy a dedicated truck or van
Buy a Toyota Tacoma or a full-size van. The day before the track you load up your bike and go. Simple.
If you already own a truck and have a garage, this is the best option. If you don’t, buying one just for track days is a hard sell — and in the Bay Area it’s harder than it sounds. A decent used truck or van starts around $15k, then add $2,200–$4,350+ per year for maintenance, insurance, and registration. Parking alone can run $300–$600/month if you’re renting a space in the city, and more if you’re dealing with street parking, tickets, or break-ins.
Unless you’re doing 30+ track days a year and already have the storage figured out, the numbers rarely add up.
Option 4: Hire a transport service
If none of the above fits, having someone else handle the transportation is the most sensible option.
31cats.com runs dedicated motorcycle transport in the San Francisco Bay Area, covering tracks like Thunderhill, Sonoma Raceway, Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow, and The Ridge. It’s a small operation — 1 to 3 bikes at a time — with personal, attentive service at an affordable price. Pricing starts at $240 and is designed to be a real alternative to renting or owning a truck.
They pick up your bike from your home on a day that works for you, transport it securely in a cargo van, and return it safely after the event. You handle none of the logistics. You just show up and ride.
The Moving Moto is based in Los Angeles and covers SoCal tracks. They handle transport plus some track-side support. Contact them directly at 310-614-1739 for availability and pricing.
619 Knee Draggrz are based in San Diego and haul multiple bikes in a big rig, covering ground well outside California: COTA in Austin, the Ridge Motorsports Park in Washington, circuits in Alabama and Utah. It’s less of a transport service and more of a full program — pit-side catering, on-track coaching, mechanical support, and a race bike rental program. Pricing isn’t public and is on the higher side.
Option 5: Rent a truck or cargo van
No hitch needed. A U-Haul 10-foot box truck has a base rate of $29.95/day, but the mileage charge is where it gets expensive: $0.79–$0.99/mile on weekdays, up to $1.39/mile on weekends in California. Add fuel — these trucks get 10–12 MPG loaded, so figure 25–30 gallons for the Thunderhill round trip — plus insurance, and you’re looking at $380–$550 all-in. Cargo vans run similar numbers despite the lower base rate. Enterprise and other car rental companies sometimes have cargo vans worth comparing.
The bike stays enclosed and protected, and you don’t need a hitch. The trade-off is that a box truck is uncomfortable to drive all day, you have to return it after an already tiring track day, and you’re out $400–$550 to U-Haul plus $120 or more in gas.
Option 6: Ride the motorcycle to the track
For some tracks and some riders, this is a perfectly reasonable call. Sonoma Raceway is 45 minutes from San Francisco. On street tires, living nearby, riding there makes sense. I have a friend who rides at 4 am from San Francisco to Thunderhill on his R3 — but he’s braver than most of us and has a lot of friends with tools, food, chairs, and canopies that he can use.
A few things worth thinking through before you commit:
Don’t run race-compound tires on the street. They don’t heat up enough at road speeds to grip properly. Fatigue is the bigger issue, a highway ride before a full day on track takes more out of you than it sounds, so plan for it. Think through the crash scenario too: if you go down at the track, your ride home is gone. Have a backup plan: a friend who can come get you, AAA roadside service for towing, or at least a way to store the bike overnight. And remember: you won’t be able to bring a chair, a cooler, or anything that makes a long day at the track comfortable. Riding home at night in cold air with a tinted visor and a tracksuit is very uncomfortable; this sport is dangerous enough without adding an exhausting ride home to the mix.
Conclusion
If you own a truck, use it. If you have a capable vehicle and no hitch, add one. If you don’t have any of that, hiring transport from 31cats.com is the most practical solution for most Bay Area riders. Riding to the track works when the distance is short, you’re on street tires, and you’ve got a plan if things go sideways.
Not to forget the Superbike-Coach track days at Thunderhill Raceway on 31/10/2026 and 11/1/2026, where Jorge Maya is offering his services. Check them out if you don’t know how to get there: 31cats.com
https://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/tow.jpg9601280PageAdminhttps://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/newlogo.pngPageAdmin2026-04-07 22:43:282026-04-07 22:43:28The best ways to get your motorcycle to the race track: a realistic guide
There are dreams in live, on the personal side as well as for a business, which might never come true. Sometimes you don’t see the signs, telling you that they are close and how they are achievable. Sometimes though… they bite you right in the face, and an idea, a chat, a brainstorm later… the dream becomes a vision and then becomes a shape.
Thomas Shurtz, a long timer student and friend is sitting with me at the camp fire at Laguna Seca Raceway back in 2024. We were there to reveal Pazzo, my new track bike and for a Track Drill 1on4 next day. After a hefty BBQ and a few beers we started talking about improvements and he offered his support. He asked what I’d do, and I said “My tent… I hate it. It keeps flying away. I wished I could do my classroom sessions inside, especially when it’s hot or noisy outside”. Thomas said that he could give me a cargo trailer since he runs an RV dealership in Lockeford CA. That got us brainstorming how this would ideally look like in perfection, like, off the leash. The vision of a ‘Mobile Track Classroom’ was born!
At first, it was a cargo trailer which could be transferred to whatever necessary, but the deeper we got into ideas and opportunities, the bigger it has become. All of a sudden you see the possibilities. No more hotels- hosting an entire team including their equipment- a place for comfort and relaxation- no more fast food- and yea, and entertainment. Student hospitality- cold drinks and coffee- proper seating- TV and video- data analysis- air conditioning and heater- a safe and cool place to be and where you like to come back to meet, and especially… to learn. A paddock in its own!
Thomas goes… I’m in. We go big! In the end it really got big… literally, because more and more we drift towards toy hauler travel trailers, and we begun to look for the right model and sizes. Something that gave us the best baseline and is available on the used market. The one which peeked the most is rare, and they are off the market in no time. To get one close bye was almost impossible, but after months of research and negotiations… we finally got one in Ohio!
We went the risky way, but I am soooo fricking excited and can’t wait for delivery. Thomas team at Carson Pass RV in Lockeford are ready for it as they not just service all kinds of trailers and RV’s- they also customize whatever the need is or you want. There is a lot coming at us now, including a full vinyl wrap. So we’ll have to manage this well on many ends.
We will be documenting all of it in videos, pictures and blog posts. From arrival, and the transition of the entire project till the end. There will be so much to explore and I am sure that this will be inspiring track riders to expend their own infrastructure and so their hobby.
https://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/carsonpassrv.png7021802PageAdminhttps://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/newlogo.pngPageAdmin2025-06-04 08:12:122025-06-04 08:12:12The Superbike-Coach Mobile Classroom Is Here
Actually I was planning to announce our new program with the first newsletter in 2023. Same time I am thinking… why waiting?! So here it is, the Track Rookie class. The background first.
You have absolute no idea what I got to see in all those years while teaching people on big race tracks. What I witnessed there was sometimes worse than seeing things going down in professional racing. I personally can handle it, cuz’ I know what to expect and know what I’m doing, as well those students who are with me later on.
But what about you, and those who are at the point to finally do their first motorcycle track day ever?! You are about to find out in what kind of chaos you bought yourself into. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to talk you out of it, but this is not really a save and especially not a non-competitive place, even though organizers saying it. Yes there are rules, but only a few, which are mostly only in the hands of the other attendees. You know… a control rider can see only that much, and most of the time only then, when the damage is done already.
Sure, a track day ain’t racing. Well… go ask that ego driven guy who just slammed the door on my student and almost got him down on T4 at Laguna Seca. Go ask that organizer who welcomed all those hooligans and didn’t care much about 38 crashes in one f’n track day. You ask for safety at a track day? That’s like asking your Commander for safety before going straight into enemy lines. Go in the ring with Mike Tyson and ask him not to punch you.
Same route goes for the learning effect. Even though those organizers say they have instructors and you’ll learn a lot… understand there ain’t much of it. Talking about where elbow and butt should be won’t help much while you ‘roll’ down the straight with 60 miles an hour and others flying by at a 160. Learning there is very limited, unless you are an extremely experienced street rider already.
You feel like that’s what C-group is for? It should, but reality is that most are all over the f’n place. Speed differences are almost dangerous, and some fast guys going in C just because their friends are there or there was no B or A slot left. Yep… blame me for telling the truth! So let’s call it what it really is in the end… exciting. That’s what it comes down to and I surely don’t want to take away from you, but don’t be a fool.
Intensive huh?! Yep, and guess what. In the end it’s as safe how you make it, and that’s what this ‘Track Rookie Class‘ is all about- to un-tense it, and to prepare you for it. I remember when I got on a track first time, and how intimidated I was just because of that facility of speed. This is why we let you ride for many hours on our Little 99 Raceway to fade that feel. We’ll go through the entire process of bike and rider preparation and its requirements. From registration to tech inspection. Track etiquette- the official and the unofficial ones. And of course to ride on a race track.
For only $139, you’ll get the class- track riding- free sport photography and snacks/water. But what you mainly get is- a smooth transition into a new, very exciting world and interesting motorcycle community. This class gives you a head start!!!
