Losing my virginity with trackdays.co.uk

I'd like to do the Brands Hatch session on the 22nd March with the above site. My beautiful amazing girlfriend bought me a £100 voucher and I think it's time to take the plunge! But, I can't find any useful information about what I'd actually be doing on the website..

How long will I get to ride during the day? Will they kick me off if they think a sprocket is too worn or something? Do I need both parts of my driving license? Can I bring friends to watch for free? Are they a decent company?

And, would anybody like to come?

[L3nny]

I have only done a few track days, some track day gods may be able to give you a bit more advice but I'll answer from my limited experience.

How long will I get to ride during the day?

Normally 5 or 6 20 minute sessions. Doesn't sound a lot but you will be knackered!

Will they kick me off if they think a sprocket is too worn or something?

If your bike's condition is likley to damage the track or another rider you may get black flagged. A worn sprocket will be fine, but you will be working your bike harder than normal so probably best to have it in tip top condition. A certain forum member on here did a whole day at Silverstone on tyres squarer than Spongebob's pants and didn't have any problems.

Do I need both parts of my driving license?

Yes, although I have never had them check both.

Can I bring friends to watch for free?

Yes

Are they a decent company?

trackdays.co.uk are just a booking agent, the particular day will be ran by easytrack, I have yet to use them but a few people on here say they are the best company running track days at the moment.

http://www.easytrack.co.uk/bike-trac...nd-march-2012/

And, would anybody like to come?

Brands is a bit far away for me as I'd have to ride down there in the morning and ride back at night, and I am working that day but I too have some vouchers that need using so I am tempted.

Have a read of this, should tell you all you need to know

http://www.easytrack.co.uk/novice-gu...ke-track-days/

[Red Herring]

Reasonable ride from Swindon to Brands, so you either need a very early start or go over the evening before and do a Travel Lodge or similar. This may sound expensive but if you can find a mate to share then it helps considerably and don't underestimate how tiring your first track day is going to be so in my mind it's money well spent.
On the subject of mates do try and bring someone along with you. There will be no shortage of people there who will help you with the days running, but they will all be going their separate ways come the end of the day and if you do have some kind of issue that might prevent you from riding home it's good to have someone around you can rely on....

Anyway, enough doom and gloom, Brands is a brilliant track steeped in history but don't let that get to you! Make sure your bike is in the best possible condition you can afford to get it in, in particular brakes and tyres. If you have any spare cash to spend use it here, not on exhausts, dyno runs or go fast stickers. You can do the day on squared of tyres, but you won't enjoy it! Do take all day to get up to speed, your last lap is the important one, and you don't want it to also be your first..... Don't get egged on by anyone else, they won't be paying for your bike and just because they have a "slower" bike doesn't mean they will be a slower rider. On that note stay away from everybody else, especially on your first few sessions. The novice group is in my eye the most dangerous one out there because everybody is on different lines and braking at different points. Treat everybody as you would on the road......

Don't set yourself any other objective than staying safe. Getting faster, scraping your knee, going to the edge of the tyre, will all happen if you stay on the bike and ride smoothly, you don't need to do anything else. As soon as things start to feel "quick" then the chances are you are out of your comfort zone. Work on your comfort zone, nothing else.

Don't forget to fill up before you get to the circuit. If you get a clear day with no red flags you'll do a tank in the morning easy. Petrol is just up the road from the circuit, out the gate, turn left, about a mile. Don't forget to uncover/put you number plate back on when topping up at lunch time (never understood people covering them up, do you really think insurance companies are that ignorant?)

Tyre pressures, leave them at your road setting for the first session, despite what the organizers will tell you. You're not going to go fast enough first time out to make any difference and the last thing you need is the bike feeling "strange". (maybe just let a couple out of the back if you're one of those riders that likes 42 in there normally) If you do end up going faster (and why shouldn't you) then you will need to drop them a bit. If you can take a decent gauge with you and check them immediately after each session then you want to be aiming around 32 to 34 hot front and rear but don't try and go that low straight away. Don't forget to pump them up again before riding all the way home......

Above all else drink plenty (water that is) and have fun.

Originally Posted by Red Herring

Reasonable ride from Swindon to Brands.....

........never understood people covering them up, do you really think insurance companies are that ignorant?)

I go to Uni in London so it's only an hour away!

And covering them up? Why would people do that for the track day and what purpose does it serve?


Thanks so much for the info guys, very kind! I'll have a look at the easytrack day in my Bioenergetics lecture I was kinda expecting some patronising "find it yourself on the internet, or you're not ready for a track day yet" comment, but I guess Rictus hasn't seen this thread yet. You guys were very wonderful! I hope I enjoy it and don't hit the deck in front of all the fit girls I bring to come watch me!

Ah! The easytrack booking directly is £15 less! What is the difference?

[Red Herring]

They take them off/cover them up because there will be track day photographers there who snap away and then post up all the images on their website for punters to buy. The problem is some riders who bin it then try and claim on their insurance, obviously stating they were riding along such and such a lane when they skidded on gravel etc etc and they think a photo of them on a trackday might compromise their case. The truth is there will be a million and one tell tale clues on your bike that it was crashed on a track and not the road and it only takes one of them to generate an e-mail from the insurance company to all the track day organizers asking if they have a record of you being involved in any incident (and trust me if you have an off they will have). It's just not worth it.

[L3nny]

I take my plate off, it reduces drag!

Seriously though, would you really want your insurance company to have definitive proof that your bike was used on a track, it can only mean bad things IMO.

Makes the photos look better too.

Missed one thing from the post, have fun. Sound's silly but some people get to caught up on knee down, going fast etc and don't enjoy it. You will get held up by very slow people and you will get fast people wizzing past you, both of these can be a bit annoying at first but relax and you'll have fun. It's not a race, you are there to enjoy riding in a safer, more controlled environment than on the road. If you don't want to go fast then don't noone else will care.

Only down side of track days is once you have done one you will want to do many more, and they are expensive, not just the cost of the day itself but tyres and braeks don't last long on track. It will also make road riding seem very boring.

Well a slant from a veteran of one track day...

I was nervous as feck when I did Mallory in September 10, my bike was only 6 months old (£7500) so I was crapping myself I'd bin it, it only had 2.5k on the clock.
Im not a quick rider as anyone who knows me will testify and probably never will be, but I did enjoy it once I settled down, I certainly wasn't the slowest and there was only two groups on our day due to low numbers so we had novices and inters with track bikes in our group, I even overtook a guy on a track bike after he was holding me up for 2-3 laps, yes ME

Thing I hated the most was the overtaking on both sides of you, bikes buzzing you on the inside when your just setting yourself for a corner was unnerving to say the least.

As time went on I commanded my space a bit more so it didn't happen as much.

Overall no knee downs or peg scraping on my big lardy tourer but I enjoyed it and learnt that my brakes were actually bloody good if you pushed them, I was outbraking quite a few at the hairpin which was nice

I'll defo do another, on what bike I'm unsure.

[maviczap]

As a verteran of 2 track days they are great.

1st one is knackering, 2nd one is much better, I got my knee down on the 2nd track day.

I'm planning more at Snetterton this year, for the great Sv vs Blandit challenge.

Can't wait

[Red Herring]

Originally Posted by maviczap

I'm planning more at Snetterton this year, for the great Sv vs Blandit challenge.

Can't wait

Yeah, I'd forgotten about that.....remind me when it's happening again