James,
I did a couple of trackdays with my Ninja 250 and the organization that put on the events would not allow riders in the "beginner" group to pass in the corners. What that meant was that I would find a roadblock in every corner of people on machines with way better suspension, tires, and horsepower going very slow. Since I wasn't supposed to pass, I would have to follow them through at a snail's pace, only to have them rocket away from me when the curve ended. When I would get to the next turn I would catch up to them as they slowed WAAAAY down and then I would have to follow them again. What I ended up doing was short shifting on the straights just to give myself an open corner to ride through. Maybe some other organizations don't limit beginners with the "no pass" rule and then the 250 is a good bike to learn on. I spent some money on fork upgrade, rear shock, clip-ons, rear sets, and Muzzy exhaust. I lent my 250 to a very skillful rider (ex AMA) for one trackday and it was amazing to how fast that little thing could be ridden. Hope this helps.
Jon