Thank you for the reassurance, guys! I'm not too worried about the Beemer now, and am trying to make it out to Willow Springs for a level 1 course in September (fingers crossed). I have a few general questions for you guys, and this pertains to why I feel I need school: I don't think I'm able to figure out lines on my own, as in mentally process them and set up for the upcoming corner. The X's on the track make that easy, and in my mind, have deprived me of thinking ahead. I could be wrong on this, though, considering how little experience I've had with track days. I spend way too much time setting up for a corner and adjusting my body position, and I'm slow to get back on the bike as well. It is as if I need to remind myself to get back on the bike and feed the power. I think I take the 'slow in, fast out' concept way too seriously! I'm into a corner at almost snail's pace, though I'm somewhat content with my exit speeds (do please note that speed isn't my main concern, but I'm too hard on the brakes and decelerationn and too much of a chicken before tipping in). Considering that my first target was working on body position, it has consumed way too much of my time and I haven't got the speed for the amount of hanging off I do, lol! My pictures make it seem that I am fast, but I'm really not. Pace-wise, I'm probably middle of the pack in Novice.
So, I do look pretty exaggerated, and have been working on pulling my inside knee in a bit more since then. The control rider behind me does not have to get off as much for the same corner
Without turning this into a mashup, one final thought/ question... I'm kinda uncomfortable with cranking it all the way on the fast straight, though I've been working on it. Anything beyond 130 mph, and I begin to worry about braking for T1 at Texas World Speedway (thought I reckon that may carry onto other tracks as well). Is this because I've not been in motorcycling for long and simply not used to those speeds (did I just answer my own question?)? So, school... Will I be able to visualize lines on the track and actually be able to cut crisp sections rather than making multiple mid-corner changes? It feels like I'm missing a dimension about track riding that I'm having a hard time explaining here, but it feels incomplete at the moment. So far, my track experience has helped me stay upright, but hasn't really taught me the science behind clean and crisp riding, with smooth inputs and transition. Has anyone been in a similar boat before?
Sorry for the novel, but I felt this needed to be asked. I really appreciate all the responses so far.