Track day conflict.

Originally Posted by SV650Racer

FFS you lot. None of you were there and obviously no one here really knows what happens.

Neither do any of you know either person.

Sod the day you lot are on jury service..or that any of you do anything accidently.

I do not think that removes the right to discuss and formulate an opinion though does it? Furthermore I know the Ducati rider seems to be a figure of amusement for people on other forums,a fact that certainly both you and I are aware of.

This thread if nothing else, has maybe allowed one or two peeps to consider what their behaviour might be in a similar situation or indeed generally when next at a trackday.

Originally Posted by SV650Racer

...

calm down dear, it's only the internet

Originally Posted by weazelz

most probably not.

Thank gauld for that!!

As I've never done a trackday before I take it it isn't the 'in' thing to do to do a quick life-saver when going round a corner ??? or at least check a mirror ??

(end naivety)

Originally Posted by Welsh_Wizard

As I've never done a trackday before I take it it isn't the 'in' thing to do to do a quick life-saver when going round a corner ??? or at least check a mirror ??

(end naivety)

Sadly indicators are used as frequently as those of a BMW car driver on yer daily commute also mate.

Originally Posted by Welsh_Wizard

As I've never done a trackday before I take it it isn't the 'in' thing to do to do a quick life-saver when going round a corner ??? or at least check a mirror ??

(end naivety)

perfectly reasonable question

no. you are recommended to remove, fold back or tape up your wing mirrors & concentrate on the track ahead of you. it is the responsibility of the person overtaking to leave sufficient space & pass safely. the rationale is that if you're looking in your mirrors you are:

a) not watching the track ahead
b) potentially going to swerve *into* an overtaker's path in an effort to move out of the way

[northwind]

I usually leave my right hand mirror on for knockhill or stick on a wee bar end mirror (it's all right handers) because even in novice or inters there's always someone who wants to get up a gap that isn't there. I've almost been had a couple of times in the exact same way as this sounds (though I wasn't there etc etc) and the only reason I wasn't was because I managed to avoid the collision- I don't know fast group etiquette at all, as I'm not fast group material, but the rules are probably the same- it's your job to get past safe.

To be fair, at least one of those times it was a simple mistake, and I could see how it happened (half the group never got within 6 feet of an apex, and he mistook me for another slower SV and assumed I'd go wide, like the other guy did every time) But the other guy was race testing, and he was on track in the 400s class the next day on the same bike.

Point I'm making is trackdays are potentially risky, and there's always going to be a few folk out there who make it more risky than it should be, especially in higher groups. It's not a race. If you're riding like it is, why aren't you racing? But don't be put off, because these incidents really are rare. If you're going to the track thinking it's completely safe and not considering the possibility of crashing- stop doing that. But, if you're terrified to go because of this, or stories like it, don't be, half the reason everyone's talking about it is that it's rare.

Oh, and BE IN THE RIGHT GROUP! If you're slow, or think you might be, don't be ashamed to be in novice, because in inter you'll be a moving chicane and if you do that, you're more likely to get people passing in a hurry at the wrong time out of frustration. No shame in being in one of the lower groups at all. But likewise, if you're someone like the ABSOLUTE C*** who's always in inters or novice at knockhill on his old race R6, and laps everyone else in the group, but wouldn't dare go into the fast group... Just go home.

I disagree, if you put yourself in the FAST group, you gotta expect people to run it tighter and faster, as speed builds, there is less ‘room’ - the lines have to be a bit more ‘sweeping’ afterall. If you can’t keep momentum then you are not going fast. Also as people are running nearer the bikes limits, they are likely to have less room for error/chance for changing their mind once a move has been initialted, you make a decision to pass and do it. If you judged the situation wrong or something changes in that split second that decision took then things might get closer than you wanted. To me if you are not happy with this then you have no business in the FAST group, and if you can’t ride fast in the fast group, where else can you???

This ‘its not a race’ stuff is rubbish too … although it happens, punting someone off in a race is unacceptable too … but it happens … no one wants to punt or be punted …

Finally, your comment “If you're riding like it is, why aren't you racing?” … what if you are naturally quick and yet don’t want to race?? or are trying to get yourself to a pace where you are ready to race (trackday pace is very slow compared to race pace, so you might not be ready, yet lots faster than your average trackday bear).

[northwind]

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

This ‘its not a race’ stuff is rubbish too … although it happens, punting someone off in a race is unacceptable too … but it happens … no one wants to punt or be punted …

Finally, your comment “If you're riding like it is, why aren't you racing?” … what if you are naturally quick and yet don’t want to race??

It's not acceptable to ram people off in a race, but it is acceptable to take bigger risks that are more likely to lead to someone being punted off, no? The point of a race is to go faster than the other guys and finish in front of them, in a trackday there's no reward for squeezing past so there's no justification for taking the risk. And in a race, the other guy is consenting to race you, on a trackday they're not. In fact, on most trackdays the rules are totally clear that you keep distance and you only pass where safe, same rules when racing? I've never done it but I'd say blatantly not.

And I didn't say "If you're riding fast, why aren't you racing" I said "If you're using trackdays like a race, why aren't you racing". Which includes stuffing it up the upside for no reason at all.

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

Finally, your comment “If you're riding like it is, why aren't you racing?” … what if you are naturally quick and yet don’t want to race??

then too bad. you go on a trackday, you play by the rules. not wanting to go racing does not give you carte blanche to ride on a trackday like you would on a test/race day

if you're that skilled & fast then you'll easily be able to go past all these terribly slow fast-group riders all the more safely & courteously

an analogy: if I was a fast road rider & didn't want to do trackdays, that wouldn't give me the right to ride on the road to trackday rules