View Full Version : Track day virgin!
Chris Bird
19-04-11, 09:37 AM
I've been riding for over 5 years now. I'm quite confident with my road riding skills as I have done plenty of miles. I've always been a big commuter but avoided using motorways. I mean they are boring aren't they. So anywhere I went, especially in summer, I'd turn it into a 300 mile day long run.
However, I really want to start on some track days this year. First thing I need to do is to get a quality one piece leather and I think I want a good back and chest protector as well.
What I want to know is, are there events you can go on where you can hire a bike? Even if it's a small capacity bike to get used to the basics. I think I'd just be a bit too nervous to enjoy my first track day with my own bike.
I live in lincolnshire so I think Cadwell park will be the easiest one to get to but I don't mind travelling
Cheers dudes.
To completely ruin your question, You will have too much to learn in one day if you hire a bike on your first track day. Unless its exactly the same bike you have now.
You will not only be getting used to a new track but also a new bike and that's overload for some.
Far better go with the bike you are used to and take it easy (don't worry, you'll not be the slowest there). contrary to popular belief you don't have to go out and get your knee down on the first corner and be an instant track god. Treat it like you're on a normal ride out and push when and where you fancy. By the third session you'll really be in the groove and having a whale of a time.
and don't worry about all of the thousand questions beginners usualy have about tyre pressures, masking indicators, taping up this, removing that. It'll all seen totally ridiculous after 10 minutes of being there.
Grab an instructor in your second session (use the first to literally get to know the place).
Finally to answer your question I think a member here (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=158305) from www.colrairacing.co.uk was looking to hire out Sv's for the track.
Cheers, C
Ah ha thats me... thank you Berlin :)
Yes we do do hire bikes both for racing and for track days. Please feel free to PM me or call me if you would like any more information
Rachel
Colrai Racing Limited
07851244011
Rachel? Oh, I had you pictured SO wrong in my mind! Unless you are indeed a hairy arsed bloke with a beard and glasses! :)
C
Lol nope i am very much not! Not last time i checked anyway :p
Edit: added attachment in incase anyone is interested.
Going to try and get a track day organised amongst us here on the org to go to Cadwell in mid June sometime hopefully.
I suggest you get yourself along, bring your bike, take it easy at first and learn from everyone around you. You'll have a belter of a time.
Sound like something you'd be interested in coming along to?
Chris Bird
24-04-11, 04:34 PM
Yeah definitely. I'd be all over that like a tramp on chips! Just need to get hold of some leathers first but you can pretty much count on me being there. Is there a thread anywhere that has a checklist of what I would need to do to prepare my bike for a track day?
I know already that I'd need to:
-swap my standard coolant for distilled water and water wetter.
-Tape up my headlights (also my speedo to reduce distractions so I've heard?)
Also would I need to stick the baffles back in my exhaust or would my bike easily come in under the 98/ 105db limits.
Specialone
24-04-11, 04:37 PM
Coolant swap, that's a new one I hadn't heard .
Good thread here. http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=127659
And yeah, the coolant one is ********. Don't bother with that. Bring your baffles just in case as i think MSV circuits are harder to pass the noise tests on. My bike passed OK without baffles mind, so yours should be fine.
We'll post up a thread when more details have been confirmed...
Chris Bird
24-04-11, 04:45 PM
Coolant swap, that's a new one I hadn't heard .
All I know is what I've read and heard from other riders but I could be wrong.
I thought the coolant had to be swapped in the case that if I came off and left standard coolant on the track it would be slippery and pose a risk to other riders.
Not certain though.
All I know is what I've read and heard from other riders but I could be wrong.
I thought the coolant had to be swapped in the case that if I came off and left standard coolant on the track it would be slippery and pose a risk to other riders.
Not certain though.
nope, ACU racing regs ask you to do this but not necessary for track days.
hongman
25-04-11, 07:39 PM
Fresh off my first TD, I'd like to offer some insight
I was nervous as a nervous thing! Ask Flymo and SV4ME, and the other orgers - I was literally shaking. After the first session (which most people take really easy), I was bouncing off the walls!
Bike-wise...
Let's see, all I did was remove my mirrors. I was just going to fold them in but it looked more distracting like that as I could see glimpses of stuff that really didnt matter.
I didnt bother taping up clocks, you'll be going at a pace where speed should not concern you - you'll naturally keep your eyes peeled on the track in front of you!
Headlights/plates/other bits - I guess that is up to you. Less to break if you come off I guess. But you'll have to put all that back on after, if you ride there. I was so knackered at the end of that day even mirrors became a chore.
Just make sure your bike is road worthy and you'll be fine. Most importantly check your brakes, I cant believe how much the one TD ate my fronts.
I grabbed an instructor on the 3rd session. Was the best thing ever, he gave me the feedback I so crucially needed in body positioning. He showed me the best lines to take and stuff but really, on a TD, none of that REALLY matters.
Go out, enjoy yourself, ride at your own comfortable pace. Riding for 5 years? I've been riding for under a year and not even I was the slowest there. That's the thing with so many bikes, you'll never be slowest (also chances are you'll never be quickest but who cares?).
I chose to follow someone in the first session around the same speed as me, so I didnt go in too hot. Worked well. Session 2, bonkers time :D
Really, you'll love it. I'm already hooked and if I weren't saving to put a ring on my OH's finger, I'd be booking up TD's all over the place!
Stuff
Words of a man in the know there. :)
Apart from the marriage thing. ;) Nutter.
Chris Bird
04-05-11, 06:48 AM
Good stuff Hongman. All sounds like good advice there.
Got my leathers, well picking them up today, just looking forward to that track day now. I imagine I'll be shaking like a dog having a poo in the snow though!
hongman
04-05-11, 07:45 AM
Have fun! By the end of the first session you'll be grinning from ear to ear!
mister c
04-05-11, 09:34 AM
Just go at your pace & enjoy it.
The best piece of advice I had off a racer on my 1st track day when I came in buzzing, but disappointed because people were a lot faster than me. "Everybody starts slow Bro". The more I did, the faster I got, then I fell off in a race & went back to being slow lol.
Seriously, just go & enjoy yourself & don't think that you are Stoner or Rossi :)
I've just got back from my first track day at Brands Hatch Indy. It was one of their novice only days where the requirement to attend was no more than 3 trackdays. I would recommend these sessions to anyone. An experience I will always remember and have already booked myself on for the next one on 1st August. The day was really well organised and as a novice day there were a number of classroom sessions throughout the day which were very useful. It is amazing how quickly you improve from session to session (and there is nothing more satisfying than overtaking an R1 on the outside round clearways!!) I was aprehensive before but I would say to anyone "just do it" and would guarantee you'd have a great time.
The Idle Biker
03-06-11, 12:57 PM
I've just got back from my first track day at Brands Hatch Indy. It was one of their novice only days where the requirement to attend was no more than 3 trackdays. I would recommend these sessions to anyone. An experience I will always remember and have already booked myslef on for the next one on 1st August. The day was really well organised and as a novice day there were a number of classroom sessions throughout the day which were very useful. It is amazing how quickly you improve from session to session (and there is nothing more satisfying than overtaking an R1 on the outside round clearways!!) I was aprehensive before but I would say to anyone "just do it" and would guarantee you'd have a great time.
JT can you post up the link for the trackday on the 1st August? I can see one for the 10th August, did you mean 10th?. I like the idea of a novice only session.
It was with Club MSV. Highly recommend it as everyone is on a similar level. Link is below. Be good to see a few more SVs there in the sea of GSXRs and R6s!
http://www.clubmsv.com/bike-home/event-details.aspx?productid=910
The Idle Biker
03-06-11, 01:15 PM
Thanks, will take the wife home some flowers tonight and sweet talk her around. I think she has one eye on my life insurance so it shouldn't be too hard.
The Idle Biker
03-06-11, 09:43 PM
Dq_-42OxZEY
Although I used to race a bit oh soo many years ago, this is likely to be me once the adrenalin starts pumping faster than my abilities can handle.
Gotta laugh, unless of course you've all seen it before, in which case just snigger.
I did a novice MSV track day 2 month after passing my test and can definatley recommend doing one. You might feel intimadated by people turning up with vans and trailers with track bikes and tyre warmers but it really is a case of all the gear and no idea with alot of them. Its a great way to push your limits and learn what your bikes capable of within the safe confines of a track
Don't be put off if you turn up to see a paddock full of track bikes, vans, generators and tyre warmers! Sometimes looks more impressive than a club race meeting. There are a lot of people throwing big cash at trackdays but as previously mentioned it doesn't make them any faster!
hongman
06-06-11, 11:47 AM
Don't be put off if you turn up to see a paddock full of track bikes, vans, generators and tyre warmers! Sometimes looks more impressive than a club race meeting. There are a lot of people throwing big cash at trackdays but as previously mentioned it doesn't make them any faster!
They're probably the ones that normally crash first anyway ;)
Plus you get a 'warm fuzzy feeling' when you go around outside of a tricked up R1 on your old shed! Careful though, to quote Dads Army's captain Mainwaring "they don't like it up em!" So could pull a do or die move on you at next bend due to having more power than you down straight and needing to show you how 'fast' they are! lol
not in your area I know but the 3 sisters track in wigan does a charity ride/track day every month.
it is not a full blown track day rather a chance to ride the track at your own pace. ( it is a very small track). you pay £10 for 7 laps and all proceeds go to charity. if u want more laps u just go and get another ticket. its road bikes only so you have to ride home on the bike.
Its a good way to get the feel of what riding on a track is all about.
dont know if anywhere closer to u you does something similar but may be worth looking into.
The Idle Biker
18-06-11, 11:50 AM
I've just got back from my first track day at Brands Hatch Indy. It was one of their novice only days where the requirement to attend was no more than 3 trackdays. I would recommend these sessions to anyone. An experience I will always remember and have already booked myself on for the next one on 1st August. The day was really well organised and as a novice day there were a number of classroom sessions throughout the day which were very useful. It is amazing how quickly you improve from session to session (and there is nothing more satisfying than overtaking an R1 on the outside round clearways!!) I was aprehensive before but I would say to anyone "just do it" and would guarantee you'd have a great time.
I booked myself and a mate on this one, Aug 1st. Just done it. The goose bumps are rising on my arms just thinking about. It had better not blooming rain and I had better not bin it 6 days before the AR.
I can see time dragging a bit before now and then. Bring it on!
The Idle Biker
20-06-11, 09:55 AM
Sorry for hijacking your thread Chris.
I just wanted to ask about lap timing.
The track day I'm going on doesn't provide lap times. I think that might be standard practice.
Anyway I'd still like to know how fast or slow I am, relative to the track as opposed to those around me.
Are there any reliable devices I could sneakily use?
hardhat_harry
20-06-11, 10:23 AM
Yes, RaceChrono for Nokia and Windows Mobiles or Trackmaster for Android both run best with external bluetooth GPS. If its ur first time u wont be bothered about laptimes.
hardhat_harry
20-06-11, 10:25 AM
not in your area I know but the 3 sisters track in wigan does a charity ride/track day every month.
it is not a full blown track day rather a chance to ride the track at your own pace. ( it is a very small track). you pay £10 for 7 laps and all proceeds go to charity. if u want more laps u just go and get another ticket. its road bikes only so you have to ride home on the bike.
Its a good way to get the feel of what riding on a track is all about.
dont know if anywhere closer to u you does something similar but may be worth looking into.
When is the next one, Im only 2 miles away from 3 sisters.
hardhat_harry
20-06-11, 10:29 AM
Dq_-42OxZEY
Although I used to race a bit oh soo many years ago, this is likely to be me once the adrenalin starts pumping faster than my abilities can handle.
Gotta laugh, unless of course you've all seen it before, in which case just snigger.
Wow thats faster than my crash at Ameria, first session 2nd corner I proudly hold the record at Almeria.
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