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sarals Maybe the same guy...it does not matter. The point is that there are guys like that in road and track who are not helpful but may be in a position of power or appear to be knowledgeable on the topic. And it is unfortunate that new riders interested in road and track get poor feedback and advice.
I am not a track salesman just offering the following...
One does not have to do 3 consecutive Saturday beginner sessions. One can do three over X months. One can do the intermediate structured sessions ("ISS") with one beginner session and they even offer rental bikes I know you have a track bike and would not need a bike. The ISS will count as a beginner session. The session that I did on Saturday was followed by a Penvelo day at the track. There were 3 or more Penvelo racers in my session as well as a Penvelo racer who helped out as a mentor.
I suspect you could have done my session and the PV session and you would have completed your three "beginner" sessions. And I get that you may have had a schedule conflict but it would have been an ideal time to go to the track and learn and practice with your teammates.
IMO, what could you do at the track? Anything that you want to do.
What are the opportunities?
Beat the Clock Penvelo Day at the track
Masters District championships by age group all races.
Other timed events as announced
Women's only clinic (coming up)
Future ISS days
Wednesday night racing
PCC sprint clinics
Monday night PCC structured session
I am sure that there is more that I am omitting.
Let's talk about the 3 beginner sessions as a gatekeeper. The goal is to organize a session that has rental bikes available, a trained instructor plus helpers to instruct new riders on how to ride the track so that they can then race and attend other sessions. 3 sessions seems like enough for a rider to learn the basics. Graduation is done on an honor system.
How would someone know if one actually did 3 sessions. If you show up at one of my open or structured sessions and I do not know you, I would ask you if you have done three beginner sessions. If you said yes and met the other license qualifications, such as cat 1,2,3 and cat 3,4 then you are good to go. If you are short on any of the requirements, the supervisor has broad authority to allow attendance.
The goal at the track is if one shows up or asks to participate in a session (requests approval), we try to find a way to allow them to participate within limits.